Chapter 28

Lucien’s POV

“Do we confront Niles?” Cormac asks.

I shake my head. “That would be largely unwise.” I say, picking up the darts and assuming at the board. “For one, if he isn't the one behind this he’ll know about it. Then try to get this person to work for him. If he already knows about it, there's no reason to let him know we're bothered by this.”

I throw the dart, hitting the bull’s eye. “Any news on him?”

“Niles?” Cormac asks.

“The killer.” I say.

Cormac nods. “Yeah, that. There’s not a lot about him. He's a serial killer, and has had people killed in many packs with silver. Kills at random. Males, females, pups…”

“Any suspects?” I say.

“Several people have been apprehended, some exiled and some executed, but that didn't stop the killings. There have been curfews and restrictions imposed to help, but all to no avail.”

I look around, the walls of the study feeling like they're closing in on me. I take a deep breath, heaving out. Just when I was beginning to get the pack’s finances back, this had to happen.

I can almost swear I will have Niles strung up if he is behind this.

Lorna walks in, holding some files in her hands. She places them on the desk and smiles at me. I'm the corner of my eye, I see Cormac’s gaze on her, almost mesmerized. I smile.

“A bit more from the hotel.” She says a bit apologetically. I nod.She traps her for on the floor, hesitating a bit.

“Did you want something, Lorna?” I ask politely.

She thins get lips a bit. “I…I heard the oddest rumor some time ago.” She says, laughing nervously. “Not that I listen to gossip, I hate gossip…”

“Of course, Lorna.” I drawl. Her cheeks flush.

“It was about you and…and…” she seems to be too antagonistic to call Corrigan by her name. I sigh.

“You mean Corrigan?” I say patiently.

She nods. “Everyone says you’re…you’re not planning to exile her.”

“I’m not exiling Corrigan.” I say.

Lorna's face goes red. Then white. Then red again.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” She grounds out, throwing her hands up in the air.

I lift a brow. I grew up beside Lorna. I can take almost everything and anything from her. Anything but her speaking badly of Corrigan. I don't want to think about why Corrigan's good name is so important to me that I tell Lorna of without a single thought.

My jaw clenches. For her own sake, and for the sake of our friendship, I hope she doesn't say anything bad about Corrigan.

“She nearly had you fucking killed!” Lorna basically screams.

“Rein yourself in Lorna.” Cormac says. She turns on him.

“So you’re on her side now, aren't you?” She gives a humorless laugh. “Males are really nothing but cocks stuck to a body, aren't they?”

“Lorna,” I say finally, bored and slightly annoyed with her. “What I do with my authority, to a large extent, neither concerns you nor requires your approval. I will always be your friend, but before anything, I am the alpha of this pack.”

She stills, her jaw clenching stoically. “I’m sorry that I disturbed you, Alpha Lucien.” She says quietly, pointing at the files she had just brought in. “I'll leave those here.”

“I'll handle it.” I say. She nods. I watch her walk out, and catch Cormac's eyes almost glued to her ass. I cough discreetly, gaining his attention. His head snaps towards me so fast I'm surprised he doesn't get a whiplash.

“So…” I say coolly, sitting behind the desk. “You and Lorna, huh?”

His ears go red and I cannot mask my laughter. It pours out of me freely. I wipe a tear out of my face, staring at him.

“Fuck you.” He growls. I roar in laughter.

Third Person POV

“Here it is.” Niles hears Rhys before he sees him place a file on his desk. Niles sets the receiver that had been cradled between his ear and his shoulder down in its cradle.

“What’s this?” Nikes asks.

“Someone has been killing people all over the neighboring packs. Called the Silver Medallion. Impale his victims with silver and leave them to be found.” Rhys explains. Niles picks up the file and flips through it.

“What does this have to do with anything?” Niles asks.

Rhys sits in the chair opposite Niles. Niles notes that he had not asked him to sit. He hates this newly acquired audacity of Rhys But he does not comment. If he wants to take Lucien down, he needs to pander to idiots such as these.

Also, if he wants Corrigan, he cannot exactly kill her father. What would he benefit from that? He had had a very vivid dream about her last night. He likes that sort of dream. It still made his complexion slightly ruddy. Woke up with primal instincts he hadn’t known were so strong.

“We could have this person, this silver medallion, finish the job without ever having to meet with Lucien,” Rhys says

Niles wonders how someone so thoughtless and fearful had ever been Beta. He wishes he had contested before Blackthorn had, considering how weak the previous leadership had been. He stands and pours himself a drink.

“That is an honestly stupid idea.” Niles says. “Did it occur to you that if this…assassin kills Lucien, he would want to assume power instead? Or do real thoughts just pass you by on occasion?”

Rhys snorts. “Very funny.”

Niles ignores the sarcastic remark and focuses. “However, this person could weaken Lucien’s likability within the pack, which is an improvement we need.”

Niles downs his drink, grimacing slightly. “We might just have to find this killer ourselves.”

“Why would we want to do that?” Rhys asks.

“To weaken his authority in the pack.” Niles says. “I know someone else who would want to do that.”

“That being?” Rhys asks.

“Alec Kade.” Niles replies.

Alec Kade, alpha of the Black Crest pack, checks his pocket watch, his green eyes scanning the room at the face of his beta. His eyes narrow.

“You said the Alpha of the Blue Ridge pack has been defeated in conquest?” Alec asks.

“It had been months now since he was overthrown by a rogue.”

Alec’s eyes widened. “A rogue?”

“You must be the last person to be receiving this news.” Xavier, Alec’s beta says with a slight chuckle.

Alec is a small male. Strong and sturdy, however, and passably handsome. He had been in the role of Alpha for so many years now.

“We both know I'm not privy to any information from that pack. The bloody feud and shit.” He says nonchalantly.

The feud between the Blue Ridge pack and the black Crest pack is in feud. One of those untraceable feuds that nobody really understands or remembers how it came about. It just seems right to hate all members of the opposite pack for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

The tradition had been yours for years. No intercommunication between the two packs or alliances of any sort

.

“Where is Evelyn?” Alec asks, recalling his little sister a bit too late.

“She is asleep in her room, Alec.” Xavier says patiently, not with a little exasperation. “You choke that girl to death, Alec.”

Evelyn is Alec’s little sister. Everything a girl should be, in Alec’s opinion. Beautiful, intelligent, strong and reliant. As willful as they come.

She stops at nothing to get her way. Alec loves her. He would do anything to make her happy. And keep her that way. Everyone probably thinks she is spoiled, Xavier included. Alec knows this, even though no one voices their opinions.

They don’t understand. Evelyn and Alec have had only themselves from the beginning of time. No matter how much she grows or how mature she becomes, to him, she will always be his good little sister.

“I'm only looking out for her. You know about this whole silver medallion killer thing.” Alec says.

Xavier shrugs. “She's going to be fine. She's not going to be killed by the Silver Medallion.

Let's get back to the discussion we've got at hand. The Blue Ridge pack just reported its first case of a silver medallion killing. The pack members are a bit hard on the neck of the Alpha.”

Alec clears his throat. “What would you want me to do right now?”

Xavier leans in. “Form an alliance with him.”

Alec stares at him calmly. “Are you out of your mind?”

Xavier rolls his eyes. “To end this childish feud once and for all and to take down this medallion bastard.”

“I've spent almost a year haunting him down.” Alec says. “What guarantee do I have that this rogue turned alpha would help to bring him down?”

Xavier closes his eyes and shrugs, sitting back. “You'll have zero guarantees if you don’t, and that is a bit less than you can afford now.”