Page 69 of Bullied Forced Omega
“Because what?” I huff, impatient when she trails off and falls silent.
“Oh, sorry, because it looks like the code was hacked.”
“Hacked?” the guy sitting next to her scoffs. “Impossible, not a chance in hell,” he blurts out.
“Jace, this is Killian, my assistant,” Mira gestures toward him without taking her eyes off the screen.
“Why is it impossible?” I ask Killian.
“Because Mira’s system is flawless. It’s foolproof. Un-hackable.”
“It appears it might not be,” Mira says, biting her bottom lip.
“I think it was a false alarm,” Killian insists. “It’s more likely that, than someone getting past her firewalls.”
“A false alarm,” I say thoughtfully. “Ok, well, there definitely isn’t an intruder on our land. We’ve confirmed it with the scout and with the video feed. Let’s just stay alert. But I think we can call it a night now.”
The party ends abruptly with the pack still tense from fright. But they slowly filter back toward their own homes.
Unfortunately, over the next week, the perimeter alarm continues to get tripped. And every time we have to send our security team out to the site, a different location each time, and make sure it is still a false alarm. And every time it is.
The constant tension created by the alarms is causing issues in the pack. People are nervous, staying indoors, talking about the failing systems that are supposed to keep us safe.
Mira is working day and night on the programs, trying to figure out what is going on and how the hack is taking place.But she can’t find any breach in her firewalls, and I’m starting to worry about how little sleep she’s getting while pregnant.
The pack has become so paranoid that at one point, they aggressively approach the pack house, demanding that things get fixed. In the process, one of our guards gets hurt trying to keep them out.
Things are messy and chaotic, and this is not how I expected issues to be handled when I took on this position as Alpha. I need to fix this.
By the end of the week, the elders are demanding answers, and I agree to attend a meeting with them even though talking is the last thing I should be doing. I should be out there, finding the source of our issues or supporting my wife while she figures out what is happening with the system.
Miles and I walk into the pack dining room together. The elders are all already there.
“Jace, finally. You’re late,” Marcus snarls.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Two minutes is hardly late, Marcus. I’m sure you understand the pressure we are all under at the moment,” I snap back.
“Sit, Jace, we have a lot to discuss,” Jeremy says.
As soon as I’ve taken a seat, Marcus is standing and bellowing at me. “This is your fault. That woman of yours should never have been put in charge of such vital systems. You elevated every woman in this pack, and now the whole dam thing is falling apart!” he lectures.
“Excuse me,” I scoff in disbelief. “You want to put this all on…”
“Mira is responsible for that system. She assured us it was foolproof. She promised that no one would get past her security.And what now? She has no idea what’s going on, and we need to put Barion back in charge of the lab!” Marcus shouts.
“Marcus, calm down, this is getting us nowhere,” Jeremy snaps.
I turn to my father, my brows furrowed. “Do you all feel that way?” I demand.
“Mira did assure us that her system was flawless, Jace. And clearly it isn’t. It doesn’t mean anyone is at fault, but we need to consider all options regarding how we can solve this…”
“We solve this by removing her from her position of power!” Marcus refuses to calm down, and my hackles are up and ready for a fight. I’m sick and tired of this man.
“Sit down,” I growl in my Alpha voice, directed at Marcus. He sits, but he’s furious.
“If you can’t speak to me with respect, then we have a bigger issue than we think,” I tell him fiercely.
“I have no respect for the man who is destroying this pack,” he snaps.
