Chapter 200 ~The Names We Missed~

Chapter 200 ~The Names We Missed~
Darius's POV

Deciding that I couldn't just put off my duties to wallow in my pain, I got down to business, working my way through the stack of interrogation records that Gregory had compiled.
It had a detailed list of everyone from the pack who had direct access to Camille before she escaped. It accounted for everything including their names, shifts, statements and every miniscule detail that could eventually point us towards a more definite answer on who her accomplice might be.
​Whether it was a pack member or one of the warriors from the other packs that volunteered to help.
​I read through the file carefully, looking for anything that felt inconsistent in the given statements, duty rooster and shift schedule. Most of it lined up exactly the way it should have, with everyone's statement checking out.
But then I noticed a gap.
There were some names that had been filled into the rooster for monitoring the holding cells during the relevant window but none of them had a corresponding statement in the file. I flipped back through everything twice, certain I'd simply misplaced the pages somewhere in the stack, but there was nothing. No record of those people having been questioned at all.
I leaned back into my chair and rubbed a hand across my jaw, thinking this new discovery through. It didn't necessarily mean anything sinister. Sometimes people got overlooked during chaotic stretches like the one we'd just come through, especially with everything happening at once, the rogue placements and my own recovery. Mistakes like this happened when too many things demanded attention simultaneously and not enough people were available to handle it all properly.
Still, it needed to be corrected before someone found out and things got blown out of proportion again. Not to mention that it could provide the breakthrough we so desperately needed.
I sent a mindlink asking him to come to my office and he arrived within a few minutes, looking marginally worse than he had during the council meeting. His shoulders were tense and his hair was slightly disheveled possibly from all the pressure he had to face.
"You look terrible." I muttered and he gave me a tired smile.
"I feel terrible but that's not what you called me here to say, is it?" He asked.
I slid the duty roster across the desk toward him and pointed to at least five names circled in the margin. "These people weren't questioned," I said. "Do you know why?"
Gregory leaned forward, studying the names for a long moment before his expression shifted into something apologetic. "There were a few that couldn't make it due to personal issues during the initial round of questioning," he explained. "I meant to follow up with them but it must have slipped my mind somewhere along the way. I am sorry about that.”
"It's not much of a problem for now," I said, and meant it. "I just need it corrected. So let's bring them in for the long awaited questioning, and see what they have to say."
Gregory nodded, but I could see the guilt weighing him down. "I'll get it handled right away," he said, already moving to leave the office.
"Sit down for a moment," I said instead, and he paused, turning to me with a puzzled expression before finally doing as instructed. I studied him properly for the first time in longer than I wanted to admit, taking in the hollows under his eyes, the tightness in his posture that hadn't fully left him in weeks. "I want you to take a few days off, starting tomorrow so you can get yourself back."
His brows pulled together immediately. “Alpha, I don't think now is the best time for that. There is still a great deal unfinished and the search for Camille is not making much progress as it is. I can manage a few more days.”
“No,” I said. “I need you to be clear-headed. A few days to actually rest will serve this pack better than you working yourself past the point of usefulness so take the time off. That is an order.”
Gregory opened his mouth like he wanted to argue further, but something in my expression must have convinced him it wasn't worth pushing as I won't listen. He let out a slow breath instead, some of the tension finally draining from his shoulders. "Understood," he said quietly. "But can you handle all this on your own?"
"That's not for you to worry about," I said. "I'll keep you updated on anything significant, but I want you actually resting."
A small, tired smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Okay then, I'll try to."
I let that go, knowing full well I wasn't going to get a firmer commitment out of him than that, and watched him gather himself to leave. He paused at the door, glancing back at me with an expression that carried more warmth than the situation probably called for.
“Thank you.”
He left before I could figure out how to respond to that, the door clicking shut softly behind him.
I called for Tony next, and he arrived within minutes, standing at attention in front of my desk with the same readiness he always carried.
"I need you to bring in these people," I told him, sliding the roster across the desk toward him the way I had with Gregory. "Be discreet, I don't want word getting around that we're reopening this line of questioning until we know whether there's anything worth finding."
If the elders found out they would just try to stir up more trouble and I didn't have the strength for that
Tony studied the names for a moment, then nodded. “When do you want this started?”
“As soon as you can.”
He inclined his head in acknowledgment “Okay. I'll have them rounded up first thing tomorrow.”
He rose, took the list, and left the office. I resolved into shifting my focus into other things while hoping that this discovery proved useful.