Chapter 48 Chapter 48
Tiana
After attending to Kaius, I spent the rest of my afternoon in the supply wing. There was so much to learn, and I did not think much of the time as I enjoyed being in there.
Gamma Rowan had walked me through distribution protocols, and shown me how to track inventory across multiple storage halls. He also gave me the freedom to express my idea by letting me arrange an entire section of medical supplies after I pointed out a system that I believed was more effective.
And the compliments he constantly gave me whenever I did something right? Zane won by recommending him as an alternative for the construction project.
As much as being at the border felt good too.
Now, as I made my way back through the pack house corridors, I carried a leather-bound ledger Gamma Rowan had asked me to deliver to the Alpha. Apparently, there was a discrepancy in the monthly grain shipment that needed Zane’s approval to resolve.
“Just leave it on his desk if he’s busy,” Rowan had said. “He’ll know what it’s about.”
Simple enough.
I climbed the stairs to the administrative wing, my footsteps echoing softly against the polished wood. The afternoon sun slanted through the tall windows, painting everything in warm gold.
It was peaceful and completely refreshing. Well, until I heard voices.
I slowed as I approached Zane’s office, my hand tightening on the ledger. They were raised voices coming out of it, angry ones.
I recognized Zane’s voice immediately, that commanding tone that could cut through a room. But there was something different about it now. Some sharp and volatile layer that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“—cannot afford another breach,” he was saying. “Not one more. Do you understand me?”
“Alpha, we have tripled patrols along the eastern border.” The voice that spoke was Beta Ezra’s, I recognized it. “Silvercrest hasn’t made a move in over a week.”
“A week means nothing!” I heard some noise follow. Maybe Zane’s fist slamming against a wood or wall?
The sound made me flinch, but I quickly continued listening.
“They’re testing us. It is clear as day that they are waiting for our weakness. And the moment they find it,” silence followed.
“We’re not weak,” Beta Ezra’s voice came after a beat. “The pack is strong. Our defenses are solid—”
“Are they?” Zane’s voice dropped to something colder, even from where I stood, it made the hair on my skin stand.
“Because from right here that I’m standing, everything feels like it’s one wrong move away from falling apart.”
I stood frozen in the hallway, the ledger pressed against my chest like a shield. What was happening in the pack? Was it that serious?
Different thoughts moved through my head and I was not sure which to think.
Even if it was that serious, I could bet that Zane was not just finding out about it at that moment. He had mentioned the insecurity earlier, was there a very significant recent situation that made him lash out the way he did?
As if hearing my thoughts, Beta Ezra’s voice came. “Alpha, what is this really about?”
“Are you asking me that? Is it not obvious that I am worried about the safety of the pack? Should I not be worried that the men placed there don’t seem to know their job?” He paused, as if to take a breath then continued.
“Since you want to know, it’s about maintaining control when everyone around me seems determined to—”
He cut himself off abruptly.
Another silence followed. Longer this time.
“Alpha, what if you just take some time not thinking of the pack issues, I promise, I will handle everything. Also, if there are any thoughts you have bottled up, maybe you can pour them out to the right people.”
“I have no thoughts bottled up.”
“If you say so, but maybe…”
“I said there’s nothing to talk about!” The words exploded out of him, loud enough that I took an involuntary step back.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
I’d heard Zane angry before, especially from times I was a servant. It sounded cold and dismissive. Cruelly controlled.
But this? This raw fury barely contained beneath the surface.
This was new and it was frightening.
“I’m handling it,” Zane continued, his voice slightly steadier now but still edged with some dangerous layers. “Just focus on making sure the men do their duties.”
Footsteps moved toward the door and in that moment, panic shot through me.
I spun on my heel, moving as quickly and quietly as I could back down the hallway. My feet barely made a sound against the polished floor, but my pulse roared in my ears.
The office door opened behind me.
I pressed myself into an alcove near the stairs, holding my breath as Beta Ezra emerged. His expression was troubled, his jaw tight as he turned in the opposite direction and walked away.
I waited. Counting heartbeats. Trying to calm the trembling in my hands.
When his footsteps faded completely, I finally allowed myself to breathe.
What in the goddess’s name was that about?
Border threats? Loss of control? The way Zane had sounded, like he was barely holding himself together?
I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion.
Whatever stress he was under, it was clearly taking its toll.
I looked down at the ledger still clutched in my hands.
Leave it on his desk, Rowan had said.
But the thought of walking into that office right now, of facing whatever volatile energy was still crackling inside those walls, made my stomach twist.
I’d come back later. When things had calmed down.
I turned toward the stairs, intending to head back to my chambers.
And nearly collided with someone standing directly in my path.
“Well, well.” Head Servant Geraldine’s voice dripped with false sweetness. “What are you doing lurking in the hallways, Luna?”