Chapter 79: INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

(Luca’s POV)

The second Garrison slammed the folder onto my desk, I knew things had gotten worse.

His face looked pale under the office light. Sweat clung to his forehead despite the cold.

"I found it," he said tightly. "Finally."

I stood immediately. "Found what?"

"Proof."

My pulse jumped.

Garrison flipped the folder open and spread several documents across my desk. Financial records. Transfer receipts. Old transaction logs.

He jabbed a finger at one page. "These payments came from one of Thorne's private accounts."

I scanned the dates.

Then froze.

Twelve years ago.

The same week Theodore and Elena Winters were murdered.

"What the hell..." I muttered.

Garrison nodded grimly. "The money went to rogue mercenaries operating near Silverpine territory."

I looked up sharply. "You're saying Thorne hired them?"

"I'm saying the timing isn't coincidence."

My stomach turned.

Theodore Winters had accused Marcus and Thorne of stealing alliance funds. One week later, he and his mate ended up dead in a so-called rogue attack.

And now this.

I leaned back hard in my chair. "If this gets out, it destroys both of them."

"Which is exactly why they're desperate."

Garrison pulled another file from his bag. "That's not all."

He slid a thin stack of greenhouse access records toward me.

I frowned. "What is this?"

"The white roses."

That got my full attention.

Every threatening note sent to Aria had come with white roses.

I flipped through the logs quickly.

Thorne's name appeared over and over.

Late-night greenhouse access.

Always within hours before the roses appeared in Aria's room.

"Damn it," I hissed.

Garrison nodded once. "He cut them personally."

Anger surged hot through my chest.

"He threatened her himself," I said.

"Repeatedly."

"And nobody noticed?"

Garrison laughed bitterly. "People notice plenty inside this pack. They just pretend not to."

I shoved away from the desk and started pacing.

Marcus.

Thorne.

Vivienne.

Every piece kept circling back to the same people.

"They're escalating," I muttered. "First threats. Then staged humiliation. Now whatever happened tonight at the gala."

Garrison's expression darkened. "Thorne isn't just helping Marcus cover up old crimes anymore."

I stopped pacing.

"He's trying to kill Aria."

The words hung heavy between us.

Because we both knew it was true.

I dragged a hand through my hair. "And Marcus?"

"Coordinating with him."

I swore under my breath.

Outside my office window, the packhouse grounds looked calm. Quiet.

Meanwhile, half the leadership was apparently running a murder conspiracy.

Unbelievable.

Except it wasn't.

Not anymore. It was happening.

I turned back toward Garrison. "What about Caden?"

That question exhausted both of us immediately.

Garrison sighed and lowered himself into the chair across from my desk. "The spell complicates everything."

"He knows something's wrong."

"Knowing isn't enough." Garrison rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "The magic blocks him every time he gets too close to the truth."

I thought about the way Caden had looked tonight at the gala.

Confused.

Agitated.

Barely holding himself together.

"He's fighting it," I said quietly.

"He is. That's why Vivienne's panicking."

I frowned. "You think she knows the spell's weakening?"

Garrison gave me a dry look. "I'd bet my life on it."

Silence settled briefly.

Then I asked the question neither of us wanted to say aloud.

"If the spell breaks completely... what happens to Caden?"

Garrison hesitated too long.

My chest tightened.

"What?"

"The backlash could be severe," he admitted carefully. "Memory restoration under compulsion magic isn't clean. Especially after this long."

"Meaning?"

"He could lose control. Physically. Mentally. Wolves weren't meant to have their bonds tampered with."

Great.

Just great.

I exhaled sharply and dropped back into my chair. "So our alpha is magically compromised, the former alpha is likely a murderer, and the elder council is helping cover it up."

"When you say it out loud, it sounds bad."

I stared at him.

Garrison almost smiled. Almost.

Then his expression hardened again.

"We're running out of time, Luca."

"I know."

"No." He leaned forward seriously. "You don't understand. If they think Aria has enough evidence to expose them, they won't wait for exile votes anymore."

Cold settled in my stomach.

Direct elimination.

That's where this was heading.

I looked down at the files again. "Then we expose them first."

"With what?" Garrison shot back. "Financial records? Threat notes? Circumstantial evidence? Marcus will bury it before sunrise."

My jaw clenched because he was right.

Without Caden publicly standing against his father, the council would spin everything.

And the spell still had too much control over him.

Unless—

I looked up sharply.

"The baby."

Garrison blinked. "What?"

"The ultrasound."

Understanding slowly crossed his face.

"Maya's appointment," he said quietly.

I nodded. "If we can hold off any decision till Maya confirms the child is Caden's—officially, medically—it changes everything."

"Not necessarily."

"It gives us leverage."

Garrison stood and started pacing now, clearly thinking through possibilities. "The mate bond could react strongly. A biological confirmation might push through the spell temporarily."

"Exactly."

"Or—" He stopped walking. "It could trigger them into panic."

I already knew where he was going.

Final assassination attempt.

The thought made my wolf snarl violently.

I grabbed my phone immediately.

"What are you doing?" Garrison asked.

"Tripling security around Aria."

"Good luck getting past Marcus's authority."

"I don't care."

I fired off messages rapidly to Ryker and the few enforcers I still trusted.

Keep eyes on Aria at all times.

No food or drink unless cleared.

No unsupervised transport.

No exceptions.

Garrison watched silently.

Then quietly, he said, "You're preparing for war."

I looked up from the phone.

"Aren't we already in one?"

Neither of us spoke after that.

Because the answer was obvious.

A sharp knock suddenly hit my office door.

Both of us stiffened instantly.

Nobody should've known Garrison was here.

I moved toward the desk drawer slowly where my gun sat hidden.

Another knock.

Harder this time.

Then a voice came through the door.

"Open up."

My blood went cold.

Caden.