Chapter 58 Good news and bad news
Kane woke alone.
He knew before he opened his eyes. The bed felt empty, the sheets cool where Luna had been. He sat up, running a hand through his hair, and tried to shake off the strange sense of loss.
She’d only been gone a few hours at most.
He found her note in the kitchen, propped against the coffee maker.
I had to get to training. Thank you for last night. For everything. -L
Kane read it twice, then folded it carefully and slipped it into his pocket. He wasn’t sure why he kept it. Just that throwing it away felt wrong.
He made coffee and stood at the window, looking out over the city. Something felt different this morning. Off, but in a good way. His body hummed with energy he couldn’t quite explain. His wolf was more present than usual, prowling just beneath his skin with unusual satisfaction.
He’d slept with women before. Plenty of them. This shouldn’t feel different.
But it did. With her, it always did.
Kane showered and dressed, noting how alert he felt. How focused. Usually mornings were a slow climb toward functionality, coffee and routine dragging him into wakefulness. Today, he felt sharp from the moment his feet hit the floor.
He checked his reflection in the mirror. His eyes looked brighter. His jaw more defined. Even his posture seemed different, more commanding.
“You look good,” he muttered to himself, then felt ridiculous for saying it out loud.
His phone buzzed. Marcus.
Meeting in 20 minutes. Thomas has updates.
He pocketed the phone and headed out.
Kane stood at the head of the conference table, studying the faces of his council members. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the room, a reminder that time was running short. Four days until the wedding.
“Dr. Chen’s analysis is complete,” Robert said, sliding a folder across the table. “The serum is engineered to create dependency, not cure disease. She’s prepared to testify publicly if needed. She was disturbed by what she found.”
“Good.” Kane opened the folder, scanning the chemical breakdown. “That’s one victory. What about the information campaign?”
Patricia shifted in her seat. “The Project Moonrise leaks aren’t spreading as we’d hoped. Alexander’s people are suppressing them faster than we can distribute. Every time we post something online, it disappears within hours. People who try to share the information are getting visits from Alexander’s enforcers.”
“He’s very careful,” Marcus observed from his position by the window. “That level of suppression takes resources.”
“Careful or not, it’s working,” Thomas countered. “Without public pressure building before the wedding, our revelation will seem like it’s coming from nowhere. People might not believe it.”
Kane turned to Patricia. “The neutral ambassadors?”
She sighed. “Ambassador Taylor believes us but won’t commit without more proof. Ambassador Rodriguez thinks it’s politically motivated slander. Ambassador Williams is on the fence. She says the evidence is compelling but circumstantial.”
“So we have one maybe, one no, and one sitting on the fence,” Kane summarized. “Not ideal.”
“It gets worse,” Patricia continued. “They’re all afraid of retaliation. Even if they believe us, standing against Alexander publicly means risking their packs. He controls major trade routes. He could economically strangle any pack that opposes him.”
Robert leaned forward. “What if we could guarantee their trade routes would remain open?”
“How? We don’t control those territories.”
“No, but the Southern Alliance does. They’re neutral, but they hate Alexander. If we could get them to guarantee safe passage for any pack that stands with us…”
Kane nodded slowly. “That could work. Marcus, can you reach out to the Southern Alliance?”
“Already did,” Marcus replied. “They’re willing to meet, but not until after the wedding. They want to see how it plays out first.”
“Cowards,” Thomas muttered.
“Pragmatists,” Kane corrected. “They’re protecting their own. I can’t fault them for that.”
“What about Sarah’s son?” Patricia asked, “Any progress on his extraction?”
Marcus’s expression darkened. “It’s complicated. The boy is being held in Alexander’s central compound. Security has tripled since we exposed the moles. We’d need a full assault team to get him out, and that would tip our hand before the wedding.”
“So Sarah continues to suffer,” Patricia said quietly.
“She made her choice,” Thomas said, though his tone lacked conviction.
“She chose her child,” Kane corrected. “Any parent would do the same. Marcus, keep working on it. Maybe we can extract him during the wedding when security is focused elsewhere.”
“I’ll need at least six wolves,” Marcus said. “Good ones.”
“Take whoever you need from our elite guard. But the priority remains the wedding exposure.” Kane moved to the window, looking out at his territory. “What about our evidence carriers?”
Thomas pulled out a seating chart. “All in position. We have twelve carriers total, spread throughout the cathedral. Even if Alexander’s security catches half of them, we’ll still have enough to ensure the information gets out.”
“They all know the risks?”
“They volunteered, knowing fully well what could happen,” Thomas confirmed. “These are wolves who lost families to moon fever. They want justice.”
“To be honest, Alpha Kane,” Thomas stated, “I’m not sure this alone would be enough to fight Alexander.”
“I know,” Kane stated. “Which is why we have a secret weapon.”
Thomas studied the chart. “I don’t see anyone else on here.”
The room went quiet, waiting for his response.
“Do you still not trust us?” Patricia asked.
“She’s not on there yet because she’s not ready yet,” Kane responded. “Once she is, you’ll be the first to know.”
Everyone went quiet. They were clearly not pleased with his response yet no one dared ask anything more.
“Anything else?” Kane asked. “Any word on the blood samples Alexander collected on the children?”
Robert responded, “Not yet. It seems like they’re being contained in a secure location but we haven’t found them yet.”
“Okay. Keep working on it.” Kane sighed.
He knew the time was incredibly short, but it was now beginning to dawn on him that getting everything done in four days would have to take a miracle from the moon goddess.
He dismissed them and they all got up to leave, leaving him alone with Marcus.
“I have good news and bad news,” Marcus said after everyone else had left. “Which one do you want to hear first?”
“Good news first,” Kane responded. “Always.”
Marcus cleared his throat. “I met up with Derek. The alpha from North Ridge who hates Alexander for killing his father.”
“And?”
“He rejected the offer. Said he wanted nothing to do with pack politics after what happened to his father. Won’t risk his people.”
“How is that good news?”
“His brother happened to be there. He has a bigger pack. More resources. More influence.” Marcus pulled out his phone and pulled up a message. “He’s willing to help.”
“That’s great. Set up a meeting as soon as possible and we’ll talk it over.”
“That’s the bad news.” Marcus hesitated, then handed Kane the phone. “Guess who the brother is.”
Kane looked at the screen. His breath caught. The picture stared back at him, impossible and yet undeniable.
“Shit!“