Chapter 48 THE VERITAS LEADERS
ALICIA’S POV
The silence after Morrison's voice cuts off is suffocating.
Everyone's staring at the dead device in Ray's hand like it might explode. Monty's on his knees between the guards, looking broken. Kai's positioned himself in front of me, protective instinct overriding everything else. Logan's already pulling out his laptop, probably trying to trace the signal.
But all I can think about is Morrison's offer. One hour of my time for the truth about everything.
"You're not going." Ray's voice breaks the silence. "It's obviously a trap."
"Maybe." I stand slowly, one hand on my stomach. "But he knows about the pregnancy. About the bonds. About everything happening here. Which means he's been watching closely enough that lying serves no purpose."
"His purpose is getting you alone so he can take you!" Ray's Alpha authority floods the room. "I won't allow it."
"You won't allow it?" The words come out sharper than I intend. "Ray, I'm not asking permission. I'm telling you what I'm going to do."
"Alicia, please." Monty's voice is hoarse. "Don't trust him. He has my mother. He's using her against me. He'll use anything against anyone to get what he wants."
"Which is what, exactly?" I look at the device. "What does The Veritas actually want? Because everyone keeps saying they're evil, they're manipulating us, they're planning something terrible. But what if Morrison's telling the truth? What if they're trying to prevent something worse?"
"You can't be serious." Logan looks up from his laptop. "After everything they've done? Killing Kai's pack, manipulating your conception, orchestrating all of this?"
"I'm not saying I trust them. I'm saying I want to hear their side." I move toward the door. "Because right now, all we have are pieces of a puzzle. Morrison's offering to show us the full picture."
"At what cost?" Kai hasn't moved from his protective position. "Your freedom? Your child? Your life?"
"He said I could leave after one hour and I'd be free to return with the information." I meet his ice blue eyes. "What if he means it? What if this really is just about having a conversation?"
"No one in The Veritas does anything without ulterior motives." Ray blocks the doorway. "You walk into that cabin, you might not walk out."
"Then come with me. All of you. Stay hidden nearby. If something goes wrong, intervene." I look at each of them. "But I'm going with or without your approval."
Ray's jaw clenches. "This is because of what Morrison said about the spy. About the fourth bond. He's manipulating you into making rash decisions."
"Is he? Or is he right?" I press my hand harder against my stomach. "The pregnancy is already stressing my incomplete bonds. Sarah said I could miscarry if we don't complete all four. And the bond with you is corrupted. Might kill us both if we try. So what are my options, Ray? Watch my child die? Watch us all die? Or at least try to get information that might help?"
He went silent. Because he knows I'm right. We're trapped between impossible choices, and Morrison's offering a potential way forward.
"If I go," I continue quietly, "if I hear what he has to say, maybe we learn something useful. Maybe we find out who the real spy is. Maybe we figure out how to complete the fourth bond without killing anyone."
"Or maybe you walk into his hands exactly like he planned." Logan closes his laptop. "Everything The Veritas does is calculated. This offer, this timing, it's all designed to make you feel like you have no choice but to comply."
"So what's your solution?" My voice rises despite trying to stay calm. "We sit here arguing while they have Monty's mother? While some unknown spy feeds them information? While my pregnancy threatens to fail because we can't figure out the bond situation?"
No one answers because there is no good solution. Just bad choices and worse ones.
"I'm going at midnight." I look at Ray. "You can support that decision or fight me on it. But either way, I'm going."
Ray stares at me for a long moment. Then his shoulders slump slightly. "Fine. But I'm coming with you. I’ll staying out of sight and if anything goes wrong, or if he tries anything, I'm ending him."
"Same." Kai's voice is cold. "I don't trust this. Don't trust him. But if you're determined to walk into danger, at least let us be there to pull you out."
"I'll coordinate surveillance positions." Logan's already planning. "Make sure we have exit routes covered. We’ll establish communication. The moment he makes a wrong move, we extract you."
I nod, relieved they're not going to physically restrain me. "What about Monty?"
Everyone looks at him.
"Let him go." The words surprise me as much as everyone else. "He was being manipulated and we need all the help we can get."
"He met with Jake secretly and gave them intelligence." Ray's voice is hard. "That's still betrayal."
"That's a mistake. There's a difference." I move to Monty, pulling free from Kai's protective hover. "He was trying to broker peace. It didn't work. He should have told you. But he wasn't actively trying to hurt anyone."
"How do you know?" Ray asks.
"Because I can feel it through the bond." I place my hand on Monty's shoulder. "Feel his guilt, his shame, his desperate love for his mother. Those aren't the emotions of a willing traitor. Those are the emotions of someone who was backed into an impossible corner."
Monty looks up at me with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have told you about her. Should have trusted you all to help."
"Yeah, you should have." I help him stand. "But we've all kept secrets. All made choices we regret. So let's move forward instead of tearing each other apart over past mistakes."
Ray doesn't look happy but he nods to the guards. "Release him. But Monty, you're on thin ice. One more secret, one more lie, and I won't be merciful."
"Understood." Monty rubs his wrists where the silver restraints burned. "Thank you. Both of you."
"Don't thank us yet." I check the time. "We have four hours until midnight to prepare for whatever Morrison has planned."
"And to figure out who the real spy is." Logan pulls up his files again. "Because Morrison said they're in this room. Which means it's Ray, Kai, or me."
The three of them look at each other with suspicion.
"We don't have time for this." I interrupt before accusations can start flying. "Morrison's going to tell me who it is tonight anyway. So let's focus on what we can control."
"What about the fourth bond?" Kai asks quietly. "Morrison said you need to complete it with Ray tonight or the corruption will spread to all of us. Is that true?"
I look at Ray and I feel the corrupted bond between us pulsing sickly. It has gotten worse since the pregnancy. Spreading slowly like poison through my system.
"I don't know." I answered honestly. "Sarah didn't mention it spreading to other bonds. But she did say the pregnancy is stressing everything. So maybe Morrison's right. Maybe we're running out of time."
"The transformation ritual." Ray's voice is quiet. "Elder Pascal said it could convert the corrupted bond into a protective one. But it nearly killed us last time we tried."
"Last time we tried, I wasn't pregnant. Maybe this baby is enough anchor points to survive it." I'm grasping at theories. Hoping something sticks. "Or maybe Morrison knows something we don't. Maybe The Veritas has a solution we haven't thought of."
"Or maybe he's lying to manipulate you into trusting him." Logan's voice is skeptical. "Everything Morrison said was designed to make you doubt your mates and trust him instead."
"I know." I do know. I can see the manipulation clearly. "But what if some of it is truth mixed with lies? What if The Veritas really does have information we need?"
Ray moves closer, taking my hands. "Listen to me, Morrison is dangerous, more dangerous than Jake, than Vincent, than anyone we've faced. He's been doing this for decades. Manipulating wolves. Controlling bloodlines. Whatever he offers tonight, whatever he says, remember that it's all part of a larger plan.
"I will." I squeeze his hands. "But I'm still going."
He pulls me close, pressing his forehead to mine. "Then promise me that whatever Morrison says, whatever he offers, you won't make any decisions tonight. Come back to us. Tell us everything. Let us help you process it."
"I promise." The bond between us flares with the vow. "I'm not abandoning any of you. Not for Morrison. Not for The Veritas. Not for anyone."
"Good." He kisses me carefully. Like I'm fragile and precious. "Because we're not losing you. Not to them. Not to anyone."
The others gather around, creating a circle of protection and unity despite the suspicion and secrets still lurking between us.
Four men who all love me in different ways for different reasons.
One of them is a spy. Working for Morrison and feeding The Veritas information.
But right now, in this moment, they're all focused on keeping me safe.
"Four hours." I step back, looking at each of them. "Let's use them wisely."
They nod and disperse.
I'm left alone in Ray's office, my hand on my stomach and mind racing.
Morrison's words echo in my head. "The Veritas isn't evil, we've been trying to prevent a destructive prophecy."
What prophecy?
And why does preventing it require controlling my entire life?
The questions multiply but answers remain frustratingly out of reach.
Four hours until midnight.
I sink into Ray's chair and close my eyes. Reaching through the bonds to each of my mates. Feeling their fear, and their love.
One of them is betraying all of us.
But which one?
And will Morrison actually tell me the truth tonight? Or is this just another manipulation in an endless series of lies?
Only one way to find out.
Go to Crystal Lake. Meet Morrison. Listen to what he has to say.
And pray I'm strong enough to resist whatever offer he's about to make.
Because something tells me his offer won't be as simple as he made it sound.
Nothing with The Veritas ever is.