Chapter 24 Chapter 24

Chapter 24 Chapter 24

Reis's POV

I'm in my office when my phone buzzes with an alert I've been dreading.

The monitoring system we set up, tracking wolf forums, pack communication channels, anywhere information flows in our world has flagged multiple posts. All within the last three hours. All about the same topic.

Luceila.

I pull up the feeds, my jaw tightening with each one I read.

Shadowmere harboring unknown wolf with no lineage records.

Dormant emergence at 22 - signs of instability and lack of control.

Sources say she experienced violent episodes before shifting. Danger to established packs.

Every post is carefully worded, planting seeds of doubt without making direct accusations. Professional. Calculated.

Sera's work.

I pull up the user profiles. Different names, different accounts, but the posting patterns are too similar, the timing too coordinated. This isn't organic gossip, it's a campaign.

And it's working. Already there are responses, other wolves expressing concern, questioning why Dorian would accept such a "risk" into the Shadowmere family.

My phone rings. Silas.

"You seeing this?" he asks without preamble.

"Yeah. She's moving faster than we expected."

"It gets worse. I just got a call from Marcus Chen. He says the Blackwood pack has formally requested Luceila's lineage records from the Council registry."

My blood runs cold. "When?"

"This morning. They're claiming 'security concerns' about an unknown wolf in Shadowmere territory."

"They're building a legal case." I lean back in my chair, mind racing. "Once they have official documentation requesting her records, the Council has to respond. And if those records lead back to…."

"We need to handle this now," Silas interrupts. "Before it gets worse."

"Agreed. I'm calling Sera. Making it clear this stops now."

"You think a phone call will stop her?"

"No. But a threat backed by evidence might." I pull up a secure file on my computer, information we've been gathering on the Blackwood pack for months. Insurance, we called it. "Get Ruan. We need to coordinate our response."

After I hang up with Silas, I dial Sera's number. She answers on the third ring.

"Reis Shadowmere. What an unexpected pleasure."

"Sera." I keep my voice cold, controlled. "We need to talk about the rumors circulating about our newest pack member."

"Rumors?" She sounds amused. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're referring to."

"Don't play games. The posts on wolf forums, the whispers in pack channels, we both know they're coming from you."

"That's quite an accusation. Do you have proof?"

"I don't need proof. I'm calling to issue a formal warning." I lean forward. "Luceila is under Shadowmere protection. Any attack on her reputation is an attack on our pack. Any attempt to harm her through legal channels or otherwise will be considered an act of aggression."

Silence on the other end. Then, quietly: "You're threatening me?"

"I'm clarifying our position. But Sera, since we're being direct; touch her again, spread one more lie, make one more move against her, and I will personally ensure that certain information about the Blackwood pack's recent business dealings reaches the Council."

Her breath catches. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me." I let the threat hang. "I know about the territorial disputes you've been hiding. The unauthorized expansions into neutral zones. The deals with rogue packs that violate Council law. Should I continue?"

"Those are….how did you…."

"We have our sources. Just like you have yours." I keep my voice steady. "So here's how this works: you drop your campaign against Luceila, you withdraw that Council request for her lineage records, and we keep your pack's indiscretions to ourselves."

"And if I don't?"

"Then I release everything to the Council. Your father loses his alpha position, your pack loses its territory, and you lose any chance of ever holding real power." I pause. "Your choice, Sera. But make it quickly."

Another long silence. When she speaks again, her voice is tight with rage.

"You'll regret this, Reis."

"I doubt it. Do we have an agreement?"

"The rumors stop. The Council request gets withdrawn." Each word sounds forced. "But this isn't over. That girl's father killed my mother. One way or another, justice will be served."

"If her father is guilty, he'll answer for it. But Luceila is innocent. Leave her alone."

"For now," Sera says. "But Reis? When the truth comes out, I'll remember this conversation."

The line goes dead.

I set down my phone and immediately text my brothers: Meeting. Study. Now.

Twenty minutes later, we're gathered in the study, just the three of us.

"It's done," I tell them. "Sera's backing off. The rumors stop, the Council request gets withdrawn."

"She agreed that easily?" Ruan sounds skeptical.

"She didn't have a choice. Not once I mentioned what we know about their territory violations." I lean against the desk. "But she's not giving up. She made it clear this is just a pause."

"So we bought time," Silas says. "Now what?"

"Now we use it. We investigate Luceila's father, we find proof of his innocence, and we prepare for when Sera inevitably tries again." I look at both of them. "But we keep this between us for now."

"You're not telling Luceila?" Silas asks.

"Not yet. She doesn't need to know about the threat I made or exactly how close she came to a Council investigation." I run a hand through my hair. "She's already scared, already feeling trapped. If she knew how serious this just became, she might panic. Might do something rash."

"Like running," Ruan agrees quietly.

"Exactly. And if she runs now, we lose any chance of protecting her." I meet their eyes. "We tell her the rumors are being handled, that we're working on her defense. But the details of how we're doing that? Those stay between us."

"She won't like being kept in the dark," Silas warns.

"She doesn't have to like it. She just has to stay safe long enough for us to fix this." I push off the desk. "I'll talk to her, tell her the immediate threat is contained. You two start digging into her father's case. I want to know everything, who accused him, what evidence they claimed to have, where he went after he ran."

"And if she asks questions?" Ruan prompts.

"We give her enough truth to keep her calm, but not enough to make her realize how bad this really is." I head for the door. "She needs to believe we're in control of this situation."

Even if we're not.

I find Luceila in her room, sitting on her bed with her phone in her hands. She looks up when I enter, her expression wary.

"The rumors," I say without preamble. "They're being handled."

"Handled how?"

"I made some calls. Applied some pressure. The people spreading lies about you will stop." I keep my tone matter-of-fact. "You don't need to worry about it."

"Just like that?" She sounds suspicious. "Sera just... gives up?"

"Sera doesn't give up. But she knows when to retreat." I lean against her doorframe. "The important thing is that you're safe. The immediate threat is contained."

"For how long?"

"Long enough." I meet her gaze. "We're working on a more permanent solution. Building your defense, investigating your father's case. But that takes time."

She sets down her phone, her hands trembling slightly. "I saw those posts, Reis. What they were saying about me. That I'm dangerous, unstable. What if people believe them?"

"They won't. Not anymore." I keep my voice firm. "The Shadowmere pack stands behind you. That's all anyone needs to know."

"Why?" The question is soft, almost broken. "Why do you care? You locked me up, accused me of lying. Now suddenly you're defending me?"

I'm quiet for a moment, choosing my words carefully. "We were wrong. About how we treated you. We let fear make our decisions." I cross my arms. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're pack now. And we protect pack. Even from our own mistakes."

She studies me, distrust still clear in her eyes. "I don't know if I believe you."

"You don't have to believe me. You just have to trust that we're better at protecting you than you are at protecting yourself." I straighten. "Stay close to the house. Keep training with Dr. Chen. Let us handle the politics."

"So I'm supposed to just sit here and wait while you fix everything?"

"You're supposed to learn how to survive in this world. Because when the next threat comes, you need to be ready."

She doesn't respond, just turns away to stare out her window.

I leave her there, closing the door quietly behind me.

In the hallway, Silas is waiting.

"She doesn't trust us," I tell him.

"Can you blame her?"

"No. But trust isn't required. Obedience is." I start walking toward the study. "She stays in our circle, under our protection, whether she likes it or not. Even if she hates us for it."

"And when she finds out what we're really dealing with? What we're hiding from her?"

"Then we deal with that when it happens." I don't look back. "Right now, keeping her alive is more important than keeping her happy."