Chapter 27 Unsettled
~Dagan’s POV~
I was almost done with the last document of the day, my eyes burning from hours of reading, when the sudden buzzing of my phone cut through the silence of my office. The vibration rattled against the wooden table, dragging my attention away from the screen. I reached for the device with the hope that it was something insignificant, something I could ignore until morning.
But the number flashing across my screen made my face tighten instantly. I knew that number. I knew the owner of that number all too well, and she was not supposed to be calling me at that hour. She understood the rules better than anyone. She knew the risks. Yet her number pulsed on my screen as if daring me to ignore her.
I answered anyway.
“Yes?” I said, unable to keep the irritation out of my voice.
“We need to see,” she replied immediately. Her voice came through the line with an urgency that deepened the frown on my face.
“What? Right now?” I asked, already suspecting the answer.
“Yes. Right now.”
“It is late,” I snapped, my jaw tightening. “I told you not to come looking for me this late.” My frustration rose as the words left my mouth because she knew exactly what she was doing. She knew how wrong the timing was. She knew the danger. So what was she thinking?
“This is urgent, Dagan.”
“Of course it is urgent,” I muttered. “Wait for me behind the red oak.” I ended the call before she could respond again and immediately deleted every trace of the call from my phone. I was not about to leave evidence lying around.
I grabbed my coat from the back of my chair, shrugged it on, and stepped out of the office. I locked the door behind me with practiced speed. I headed toward the emergency exit since it was the quickest route to the meeting point.
I was only a few meters away from the door when I came face to face with Elder Cross. His sudden appearance made my steps slow, but I forced my expression into calm neutrality. I refused to let the tension inside me show.
“Elder Cross,” I greeted.
“Beta Dagan, are you going somewhere?” he asked. His eyes were sharp and observant, fixed entirely on me.
“I just need some fresh air,” I answered smoothly. “I am taking a walk to clear my head. There are too many issues on the ground.”
He nodded with a sympathetic expression. “I understand. And I appreciate the fact that you are working round the clock to put things in order.”
“Thank you.” I gave him a small, respectful smile. “It is people like you and your encouraging words that keep us going.”
“Of course. That is why I am here.” He smiled faintly. “Have a good night, and do not wander too far.”
He walked away as though the conversation had never happened, leaving the corridor silent again.
I stayed completely still until I could no longer sense him anywhere near the hallway. Only then did I resume my path. I moved swiftly through the hidden route that led to the giant oak standing above an underground tunnel. The tunnel stretched from the old chapel of the pack house to a deserted forest on the outskirts of Iron Fang. The oak was our designated meeting point, chosen for its isolation.
It took some time, but I finally reached the clearing. She stood exactly where she said she would be, cloaked heavily to hide her identity. Even with the layers of fabric covering her, her elegance still shone through. I could not deny that she was breathtaking. She was my queen in waiting, after all. Sometimes I still could not believe I had been blessed with a mate like her.
“Are you sure no one followed you?” she asked immediately.
“Yes,” I replied. “Did you detect anything?”
“No. I am only being careful.”
“What is the problem? Why did you have to show up like this?” I asked, only then noticing more clearly the faint glimmer of the crown she wore beneath her hood. Half of it was hidden, but I caught the shine.
“Your people came and took the moon child,” she complained.
“That was your fault.”
“My fault? How was it my fault?” she demanded, shock spreading across her face.
“You were supposed to move her. Why did you keep her in one place for so long?”
“We were planning to move her before your people arrived. Why did you not inform me that you were coming? We could have acted faster.”
“I could not,” I answered with a sigh that felt heavy. The memory of the event flashed through my mind. “I did not have the chance. That stupid alpha stuck to me like glue. Did you at least get what you wanted from her?”
“We got blood for the first ritual, but we need more. You need to find a way to bring her back to our camp.”
“Impossible.” I shook my head firmly. “She is in a place where I cannot reach her, and my influence cannot reach her either. You will have to manage what you already have.”
She did not speak immediately, but her frown deepened with clear irritation.
“Fine. But I hope you are aware that your people killed many of our rogues. We are short of soldiers. We need more soldiers.”
I groaned, rubbing my forehead as confusion and frustration tangled together. “You should have moved when you had the chance, Valira. Security has tightened here. It will be extremely difficult to get wolves from Iron Fang for now.”
“Do something, Dagan. You know time is running out. The eclipse will be here sooner than we expect. Or do you no longer want this?” Her tone sharpened, and she licked her lips the way she always did when she was agitated.
I paused and watched her closely. Every movement she made was familiar. Every expression of hers had been memorized by me.
“You are lucky you are mine,” I said with heavy desire coloring my voice as I stared at her luscious lips. “And you are lucky we are out in the open. If not, you would not get away with what you are doing right now.”
Her lips curved downward in annoyance. “I am being serious, Dagan.”
“While licking those lips? How am I supposed to take you seriously when you do that?” I teased her, dragging out my words slowly as my eyebrows lifted in playful challenge.
Her frown deepened even more, warning me that she was reaching the edge of her patience.
“Alright,” I relented. “I will see what I can do. The weakest point right now is the east border. When it weakens enough, I will tell you what to do.” My words finally eased the tension on her face.
She turned to leave without hesitation.
“Hey,” I said as I caught her hand gently. “You do not plan on leaving without giving me something to dream about, do you?”
“We are in the open, Dagan,” she said, fully understanding my intention yet refusing to make it easy.
“A kiss will not hurt. Nobody is here. Come on. I have missed you.”
She sighed softly and finally leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to my lips before pulling away and hurrying into the shadows.
I waited until her presence completely vanished from sight and sound before I began my own return journey to the pack house. I kept to the shadows until I reached the old forgotten library. I had chosen that path because it was the least monitored, but when I stepped inside, I was startled to see Taren there.
He was already on his way out.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.
“Beta Dagan,” he greeted quickly, clearly shocked to see me. “I came to look for this.” He lifted a small book. “A book I was reading earlier referred me to it and I could not find it in the regular library. So I came here and thankfully, I found it.”
“What book is that?” I asked, watching him closely.
“The Different Dimensions of the Moon,” he answered, reading the title aloud. He wished me a good night before walking past me and leaving the building.
I stayed in the library for a moment longer. My eyes swept the room carefully, looking for anything that felt out of place or any trace of a lie in the air. I saw nothing unusual, yet something remained unsettled inside me.
A quiet, stubborn feeling whispered that something was off with him.
And I intended to find out exactly what it was.