CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX

[Noah's POV].

"We need to barricade the west and south blind areas that Aiden infiltrated from," Noah said as he flipped the document in his hand.

"Already on it," Isaac answered from beside him. "The South borders patrol had been doubled. The West has too many routes to intrude through. I suggest it needs to be fenced off completely from the outside."

Noah nodded as the driver brought the car to a stop outside the mines.

The Grey mines.

A nickname that had been gotten from the mountains which housed the mines. The hills were situated at the farthest part of the pack, so driving there took an hour or two. It stood tall, rising high as a tremendous rocky declaration rivaling for beauty with the blue sky, bare of evergreen vegetation. It sat safe, tucked away from the civilizations of the pack as the oldest and original owners of the land. In the sunlight, its peak and slope were a mix of silver-white and blackness of earth—like snow and dirt mixing to give the mountains its grey glow. The cave to the mine was guarded all day long—with electrical fences and armed men.

The mines were secured. No sightseers or pack members lurking around. Only a handful of cars were packed—belonging to the Elders that were around and some trusted workers.

Noah keyed in the security code for the electric fence before walking in, with Isaac closely in tow. The opening of the mine was like a rocky womb to the treasures safely tucked away by the moon goddess for their finding. Noah remembered the first time he had stumbled upon the mountain. The pungent smell of silver and other resources tickled his nose. When he had first touched it, it burned—foretelling that the whole mountain was made out of the element every werewolf feared.

The further they walked into the cave. White light lined the walls, making them glitter with the silver they were made of. Noh knowingly accepted the gloves Isaac handed. A protective overall was given to the workers for protection, and the lights were blazing, far too bright, but it was a necessity for workers to know where the walls were—one wrong move or step could lead to a sudden burning death.

Soon, they reached the heart of the mountain, the center of the pure unrefined silver. A large halogen bulb swung at the very center of the mountain roof, serving as a forged sun. Artificial stairwells were created to get the workers to the other part of the mountain, which morphed into offices and polishing areas.

"Noah, the files containing all the recorded resource sales are waiting in your office," Isaac informed him.

Noah nodded. Sweat moistened his brows as they began making their ascent up the metal steps that led to an office separated from the others. Their footsteps clanged with every climb, making the framework shudder. Noah pushed the door to one of the glass offices. It had a bird's eye view of the whole mine.

The whole mine glowed, and Noah still couldn't get over the goddess's gift to him and his pack. As the thought of a gift, a smile tugged the side of his face as a certain green-eyed woman flashed through his mind. It had been days since he saw her, but it felt like ages. His wolf whined inside him, convincing him to bring her to the villa.

The past few months' events had tested their relationship, but Noah knew nothing would make him give up Ruby. Ruby, he repeated in his mind, it would be the perfect name for the new gems he had found in one of his mines. He wanted to bring her to the mines, show her the never-ending flow of resources he harvested, and show her every inch of the pack she would rule over alongside him.

Soon, Noah thought as he grabbed a stack of papers containing the code for every piece of gem mined in the pack—even the ones presumably stolen by the rogues. He would ensure his pack was safe and impenetrable to avoid Ruby being hurt again.

Isaac sat in his side of the office before handing Noah a smaller pile of papers clipped together. "Here is the record for the bullet you found at your place."

Noah took it, and his eyes ran over them. "The parcel was packed to be delivered seven moons ago."

"It was signed by Victor and Dominic's private manager to be delivered to a new merchant who supplied to the South region."

Noah frowned. "We do not do business with merchants."

What is the use of making a deal with a merchant when he has a strong connection with the head Alpha of that region? Noah knew that the manager would only sign goods with Victor's consent. The thought angered him more, knowing Victor may have had a hand in what happened at his mansion.

"Yes, but that is not the best part. The delivery had been marked missing en route. Ten tons of silver disappeared in an alleged rogue ambush, but the drivers and truck were returned unharmed."

The anger boiled inside Noah like a barrel of hot steam ready to explode. "What did Victor have to say about this?"

"He denied it all, stating he had nothing to do with the merchant or the transported silver. He claimed that immediately he found out about his manager's deed, he fired him."

Noah found it hard to believe. He knew Victor would never let a sale go through without his consent. Even Dominic sometimes had to go through him when Noah or Isaac weren't available, as he was the biggest investor in the mines after Noah.

"Did you find the man?" Noah asked.

Isaac cracked his fingers as a wicked smile marred his face. "Yes, and after a bit of coaxing, he revealed that there was never a Southern merchant. The tons of silver were dropped a thousand miles deeper into the rogue territory where a warehouse is located.

"Owned by whom?"

"He has no idea. They spoke through a burner phone, which couldn't be tracked and was destroyed after the transaction was made. It was a legal transaction—payment was safely deposited in the mine's account, but the buyer is unknown. The manager didn't give us a name and has been missing for days."

Noah ran a hand through his hair. The situation was becoming confusing, and his building frustration only made him angrier.

"What about the crates stolen during the rogue infiltration?"

Isaac shook his head. Noah could sense annoyance in his stance. "The rogues are yet to be identified. They broke in when new workers were being selected. The crates were predicted to be taken deeper into the unnamed lands, possibly this warehouse in the middle of nowhere."

Noah felt Victor's voice echo through their mind link. His wolf grew restless, prancing all around in his mind.

"Alpha, your presence is needed in the hall. Rogues had been spotted."

Noah felt his rage roll out of him and his wolf through their bond. Too many things were happening simultaneously, and they were all too organized to be rogues. Victor's involvement in the missing cargo only concreted his suspicion of the man. He remembered his words at the conference hall after Aiden's unannounced visit. He had vowed to protect his pack. Was killing Ruby the way he wanted to go about it?

Noah's wolf snarled inside him at the older man hurting his mate. Victor was one of the first members of the Greyhound, and Noah respected him for his business-mindedness, but if his hatred for Ruby went past personal gain to malicious thought, he would rain down his rage on him and his household.

"I want you to personally look into this warehouse, Isaac," Noah said through his mind link. Victor was a prominent figure in the pack, and talking through their link was the safest way. "No one but the two of us should know about this."

Isaac nodded, and Noah turned around before rushing out of the office and mine, wondering what the rogues had done again.

****

Noah jumped out of his car and headed into the halls. His wolf had grown berserk. He growled inside, howling, barking, and pacing like a maniac. He had never experienced such uneasiness from his beast. Anxiety, anger, and irritation radiated through their bond. Noah clenched his fist, a silent attempt to push down the emotions that were slowly dampening his mood.

Pushing the doors open, Noah came face to face with Victor, Linda, and the others. Gloom and heavy tension hung in the air as their eyes moved to his approaching form. Noah sensed fear, dread, and a hint of blood from somewhere in the room.

Victor, who had called him there, stood on the side with his head hanging low.

"What's wrong?" Noah asked, breaking the suffocating silence. "Victor informed that rogues were spotted."

Grumbles erupted from the Elders as they looked warily, wondering who would break the news to him. Noah turned to Linda. Her lips were in a thin line, and her eyes glowed with anger and sadness. The smell of dried blood grew stronger as he gazed behind Victor to find Hestia sitting on one of the chairs.

"Victor," Noah turned to the talkative but now quiet man. "Where were the rogues spotted? Has the situation been handled?"

"The rogues were spotted around the mall," Victor said in a low and somber voice.

"The mall?" Noah asked.

His heart pounded louder in his chest as his wolf uneasiness became clearer. Ruby had informed him she was going there with a friend. Fear and worry shot up his spine as her appointed driver entered the room. His eyes were trained down to the floor, filled with embarrassment.

Everything seemed to stop at that moment as Noah looked from the driver and back to Victor.

"Where's Ruby?"

His breathing turned ragged as he glared daggers at the driver, waiting for a reply to annul the horrendous thoughts swirling through his mind.

"I'm sorry, Alpha, I lost her," The man said, his body raking angrily.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Noah gritted his teeth as he felt his wolf demand to be released.

"Noah," A soft, helpless voice called out behind Victor.

The burly man stepped aside to reveal Hestia. She was a mess: her hair held fragments of glass and blood. Bruises and open wounds, which were on the verge of healing, covered her whole body.

Noah pushed himself to feel bad about her state—yes, he was pissed that a member of his pack was hurt, but other than that, his insides swirled with anger and fear of Ruby's whereabouts.

"I'm sorry, Noah. It's all my fault," Hestia cried out as she cradled her broken arm to her chest. "I tried to get us away from there as soon as I heard about the rogue attack."

Noah clenched his hands as the last bit of his self-restraint broke. "Why were you with her?"

A groan echoed in his throat, and Hestia stepped back in fear. His anger doubled when he sensed her wolf begging him to comfort her.

"Ruby and I have really bonded for a while now. I apologized for all I had done to her, and by the goddess, I was shocked when she forgave me. We were to meet today at the mall for a little girl's night. Everything was going perfectly well until we spotted the men."

Noah felt his wolf rustle in the cage he had kept him in. It bombarded through their bond, making him turn to the driver to confirm the story.

"It is true. She had come to the Luna's house a few days ago, and they had a talk. Today, I dropped her and a friend at the mall."

"Yes, Sonia!" Hestia exclaimed as more tears ran down her cheek. "You have to believe me, Noah. We hid when we noticed them following us. We couldn't reach him in time, so we got into my car."

"Then where is she?" Noah's voice thundered through the room, making it rumble. His frustration blackened out his rational thinking. No one was telling him what he wanted to know.

"We thought we lost them as we weren't being followed. If only I was looking, if only we were paying more attention, we would have seen the truck."

Noah felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. Every fiber of his body hurt with the thought of Ruby being in danger or badly hurt somewhere.

"Where is she?" Noah spat out the words through gritted teeth.

His patience was running thin, and the only person who kept him calm and sane was missing.

"I don't know!" Hestia crumbled to the floor. "I blacked out after the crash, but when I woke up, she wasn't there. She was gone, Noah. I am so sorry; it's my fault. I should have been more careful."

Noah fumed in his spot. His wolf sneered inside him, wagging its tail back and forth in aggravation. She felt his eyes darken as he looked around the room. Everyone stepped back as they eyed him cautiously, feeling the vigor and taste for the blood of the person who had taken Ruby.

"Alpha, I beg you to stay calm. Search parties have been dispersed through the area where she was last seen. They shouldn't have gotten far."

Noah narrowed his eyes on Victor. The burly man who had been disrespectful so many times cowered under his gaze—shuffling around and with eyes darted everywhere.

An of a helpless unconscious Ruby flashed in his mind. His insides curled in pain. He couldn't imagine what she must be going through.

"While the search was going on, we managed to catch one of the rogues who had infiltrated the pack."

Noah's ears perked at the new information. His wolf was ready to unleash its wrath on the man who had come to his land and hunted his mate.

"Where is he?" Noah's voice was deep and haunting as colorful things he would do to the unfortunate man flashed through his mind. "I would like to have a talk with him."