Chapter 41: Chapter Forty-One

So many damn papers.

So many damn papers that Ryder had to sort through.

This was the part of being heir to Blood Moon Pack that Ryder Oscura absolutely detested.

Severing heads, dismembering limbs, and taking lives? Yeah, he didn’t mind that much.

But the paperwork? Nah, he detested that.

Not for the first time, he wished that Blood Moon Pack used more technology than they did instead of relying on the old-fashioned way of gathering information on their rivals.

He thumbed through one of the folders on the desk, feeling like banging his head against the table due to frustration.

But, he also knew that he couldn’t. Not because it was against the rules but because it was futile.

No matter what he did, he couldn’t get himself out of the job he had been tasked with by the Alpha Supreme.

“You are doing it again,” Shivani uttered, as she dropped a mug of steaming hot coffee on the desk, clearing away a pile of folders so she could also drop the plate of sandwiches she was holding.

Ryder grunted back a thank you at her and picked up the lifesaving refreshment, closing his eyes and inhaling the sweet scent of processed roasted beans.

Shivani was a shifter, and one of the caretakers of the archive building. She also worked as Ryder’s assistant whenever he was working at the building.

“You seem distracted,” she stated, a sigh of exasperation leaving her lips.

“No, I don’t,” Ryder denied, dropping the mug of coffee on the table, a frown creasing his eyebrows.

“Yes, you do,” Shivani intoned, huffing out air, as she glared at him. “It is all fine and good that you found a lover…”

“She is not my lover,” Ryder denied, his tone sharp, as he cut her off mid-sentence.

“Fine, it is good that you found someone you are interested in, but I hope it wouldn’t distract you from our goals, from the endgame,” she responded, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I am not interested in her,” Ryder gritted out, the muscle in his jaw throbbing due to the tension.

“Yeah,” Shivani nodded as she rolled her eyes, looking him up and down. “Ryder Oscura, you are so many bad things in the world, but a liar is not one of them.”

“That is an underhanded compliment if I have ever heard one,” Ryder protested.

“Darling, you are the heir to a werewolf-owned mafia gang—a good person you are not.”

“Fine,” he rolled his eyes. “I see your point. But for the record, Saffron is not my lover.”

“Ah!” Shivani nodded, a look of triumph crossing over her face before it morphed into seriousness. “Whatever it is, do not let your human lover get in the way of our goals. If she in any way threatens what we have built over the years, then…”

“She won’t be a problem,” he stated firmly, cutting her off before she said something that would rile him up.

“Beta Hael asked me to inform you that you are needed at the dungeons,” she stated instead, choosing to leave the issue for another moment.

“Dungeons?” he queried, his lips curling down in a frown.

“That is what I just said, yes,” Shivani responded, rolling her eyes at his question.

Ryder grunted, ignoring the eyeroll in favor of taking a large sip of his coffee. Shivani was also an old friend, and one of the few people who got away with taking digs at him.

“What about the dungeon?” he asked after swallowing the mouthful of black liquid he had ingested.

“I have no idea,” she shrugged as she strolled away from the desk and headed towards one of the dusty old shelves. “You would find out if you answered the call.”

“Yeah, I would. Wouldn’t I?” he muttered under his breath, grabbing the last of the sandwiches and gulping down the rest of his coffee.

“You will take care of these?” he gestured at the folders on the desk, as he rose to his feet.

“Yeah,” Shivani nodded, her brown curls bouncing over her head as she waved him off. “Don’t worry about them.”

“Oh, and Ryder?” Shivani called out when he made it to the door, poking her head out of the shelves.

“Yeah?” he halted in his tracks, turning around to face her. “Forgot something to say to me?”

“Beta Hael mentioned something about catching a mole?” she smirked when he cursed and took off at a run, her laughter following behind him.

**

The dank scent of filth and water permeated the air when Ryder stepped into the underground dungeons, assaulting his senses and making him want to retch.

But he forged ahead, allowing his wolf to scent out where the mole was being held.

Following the lead of his wolf, he stepped into one of the holding chambers, finding the pack Beta and another man strung up on the wall, his arms and feet suspended in the air by chains.

“This is the mole?” Ryder asked in form of greeting, gesturing at the unknown man.

“Yes,” Hael grunted, not turning around to face Ryder.

“Name?” Ryder asked as he walked toward the man slowly, assessing his features.

There was something about the shifter that felt familiar to Ryder, but he couldn’t place a finger on it. Ryder knew that he had seen him somewhere, but he couldn’t remember where that was.

“Colton Whales.”

With that, Hael turned on his heel and left the holding chamber, but Ryder paid no heed to him. His attention was all on the captured mole.

“You know why you are here, Colton,” Ryder stated, going to stand over the prisoner, choosing to start with the most obvious statement. “And you know who I am.”

A muffled sound came from behind the gag over the mole’s mouth, either a confirmation of the statement or a denial—Ryder didn’t know.

He didn’t care, though. He already knew all there was to know about their newest prisoner. All that was left was finding out specific information about what he had traded out to Blood Moon Pack’s enemies.

He glanced over at the table by the side which held an assortment of tools he would need to help him get the answers that he needed.

Extracting information through torture always worked because people would say just about anything to make the pain stop.

Torture, however, was not Ryder’s favorite pastime. He preferred to start out slowly. Ask the right questions, gauge the responses he got carefully, then proceed accordingly.

Torture was always a last resort when it came to him.

“Nod or shake your head when I ask you a question, Colton. Is that understood?”

Colton nodded fervently, tugging at the chains that held him.

“They won’t break,” Ryder stated, cocking his head to the side and watching the prisoner thoughtfully. “So settle in. You and I have a lot to talk about.”

“Do you know why you are here, Colton?” Ryder questioned, even though he knew the answer to that, circling over the prisoner and watching with veiled satisfaction as he shivered.

Colton shook his head sharply, his breathing picking up speed.

“A little birdie told me that you have made some friends within the other packs,” Ryder stated conversationally as if they were longtime friends when he came to stand in front of Colton once again.

Colton’s heart skipped a beat before he gave a weak nod, his eyes tracking Ryder with uncertainty.

Ryder nodded in confirmation, his lips lifting up into a smile that sent shivers of unease down Colton’s spine.

“I also heard that your circle of friends includes other shifters within this pack?”

There was a pause before Colton shook his head in denial.

“I am disappointed in you, Colton,” Ryder sighed heavily, his eyes flicking towards the tools on display before returning his gaze back to the prisoner. “This little bird also told me that you have been sharing secrets to outsiders. Pack secrets. Is that true?”

Colton shook his head sharply again, denying Ryder’s claims.

“Let us try this again,” Ryder stated firmly as he undid the gag over Colton’s mouth, letting the material drop on the floor by his feet. “We caught one of your friends a few days ago,” Ryder said, looking at Colton closely, trying to gauge his reaction, but he gave him none. “He sang beautifully while under the blade, and he told us all about your little group.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” he wheezed, his heart skipping a beat.

“Wrong answer,” Ryder smiled at Colton, picking up a dagger and burying it deep into his thigh.

The loud screams he emitted had Ryder grinning as he flexed his fingers and got ready to work.

It was going to be a hell of a long night.