Raquelle pushed open the heavy oak doors leading into the secure council chamber, the hinges letting out a soft groan.
The room went dead silent instantly.
Every elder seated around the long ebony table turned in unison toward her, their expressions grim under the low hanging lights.
Her father, Julian Blackwood, stood near the massive glass window, his face far more serious than it had been during their brief mind-link.
Raquelle closed the heavy door behind her, securing their absolute privacy.
“Alright,” she said, her sharp gaze cutting across the room as she walked forward.
“I’m here.
What happened?” No one answered her immediately.
That thick, heavy hesitation alone made her stomach twist with unease.
Her father finally broke the silence, gesturing toward an empty leather chair at the head of the table.
“Sit, Raquelle.” She walked over and sat down smoothly, crossing one leg over the other as she leaned back.
“Now talk.” One of the senior elders cleared his throat awkwardly, leaning forward.
“Our people working in the city discovered something deeply concerning this evening.” Raquelle’s brows furrowed, her instincts instantly on alert.
“About Blackwood Enterprises?” The elder gave a firm nod.
“Yes.” Raquelle leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table.
“What exactly happened?” Julian exchanged a tight, guarded glance with the surrounding elders before answering his daughter.
“Someone has been using the company’s name to carry out massive corporate transactions that Blackwood Enterprises never authorized.” Raquelle stared at him, her mind racing.
“What?” “Fake documents.
Fake wire transfers.
Fake contracts,” her father listed grimly.
Another elder pushed a thick manila folder across the polished wood.
Raquelle pulled it toward herself, flipping it open.
She scanned the first page, then the second, her golden eyes narrowing as her expression slowly hardened into ice.
“These signatures…” “Are forged,” the elder finished seamlessly.
Raquelle flipped through the pages faster, her knuckles turning white against the paper.
“Who has authorization and access to these specific documents?” “That’s exactly what our security teams are trying to determine right now.” She dropped the papers onto the table with a sharp slap.
“How long has this been happening under our noses?” “We don’t know yet.” “And you’re only telling me now?” “We only received absolute confirmation from the audit today, Alpha.” Raquelle leaned back in her chair, the weight of the discovery settling in.
Her mind immediately flashed back to the hostile letter she had received from the Evergreen Pack’s leader.
*You have just created an enemy for yourself.
Good luck handling all of me.* Y She narrowed her eyes, her voice dropping into a dangerous register.
“Do you think this corporate sabotage is connected to Evergreen?” The elders exchanged uneasy, shifting looks.
“We don’t know,” her father admitted heavily.
Raquelle drummed her fingers against the dark wood in a slow, rhythmic tap.
“Has anyone contacted the human authorities about the fraud?” “Not yet.” “Good.” She looked around the room, her gaze commanding absolute obedience.
“Keep it that way.
Humans cannot find out anything about our internal operations.
They can investigate a standard company dispute all they want, but they cannot discover that the people behind Blackwood Enterprises are wolves.
The exposure would destroy us.” The elders nodded in agreement.
Raquelle closed the folder firmly.
“How much damage has been done to our reputation?” “Enough that some of our oldest human corporate partners are already questioning their relationship with us.” Her jaw tightened.
“And the money?
How much did they steal?” “So far, our financial teams haven’t found any actual losses or missing funds.” “Then this isn’t about money,” Raquelle reasoned, her voice flat.
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Raquelle looked down at the forged documents again, the pieces of the puzzle starting to align.
Someone wasn’t trying to rob Blackwood Enterprises.
They were trying to completely systematically destroy its reputation and credibility.
She slowly lifted her gaze to her father.
“They’re testing us.” Julian nodded, his expression dark.
“That’s exactly what I believe.” Raquelle leaned back in her chair, a cold, lethal smile slowly appearing on her lips.
“So they want to play games with my pack.” “Maybe,” Gamma Jake’s voice suddenly cut through the air from behind her.
Raquelle turned her head.
He was standing near the entrance beside Dominic Blue, both of them having apparently stepped into the room while the council was still speaking.
Dominic’s expression was unusually grim as he moved closer.
“Or,” the Beta added, his deep voice heavy with warning, “they want us completely distracted.” Raquelle’s cold smile disappeared instantly.
“What do you mean, Dominic?” Dominic stepped farther into the room, resting his hands on the back of an empty chair.
“If someone wanted to launch an actual physical attack against the pack, destroying the company’s reputation would be a perfect way to keep the Alpha and the warriors entirely focused on the city.” Raquelle stared at him, the stark reality of his words hitting her like a physical blow.
For the first time that evening, the true weight of the danger settled heavily over her shoulders.
She looked toward her father.
“Increase the perimeter patrols.” He nodded.
“Already done, child.” “Double them,” her voice became firm and unyielding.
“And I want every single boundary line checked tonight.” The elders exchanged silent glances.
Raquelle pushed the manila folder away.
“Whoever is behind this wanted us to notice their move.” Her golden eyes hardened into absolute steel.
“So let’s give them something to notice too.” Jake raised an eyebrow, a flicker of his usual curiosity returning.
“What exactly are you planning, Alpha?” Raquelle stood up smoothly.
“Nothing.” She walked toward the end of the table, her posture straight.
“Not yet.
First, we find out exactly who signed those papers.” Her lethal gaze settled one last time on the forged documents.
“Then we decide what to do with them.” The room remained dead silent, but this time, nobody mistook Raquelle’s calmness for indifference.
Something fundamental had changed in the air.
*** Raquelle pushed the heavy council chamber doors open and stepped out into the wide hallway, her boots clicking sharply against the floor.
Dominic followed immediately behind her, his long strides easily keeping pace.
“I told you,” the Beta said, catching up to her side.
“I told you not to ignore that letter from Evergreen.” Raquelle continued walking, her hands slipping casually into the pockets of her leather jacket.
“Well, we’re not entirely sure they’re the ones behind the corporate leaks, Dominic.
It could just be an accounting mistake on our own part too.” Dominic frowned, shooting her a look of pure disbelief.
“You really believe that?” “I believe we don’t have enough solid information yet,” she replied smoothly, glancing at him.
“And until we do, I’m not going to start accusing an entire neighboring pack because of a few suspicious coincidences.” Dominic let out a heavy sigh.
“You’re being entirely too calm about this.” Raquelle smirked.
“You’ve known me long enough to know that’s not changing anytime soon.” She turned toward the main entrance of the pack house instead of heading outside to her car, and Dominic followed her lead.
The moment they stepped through the main doors, Raquelle’s professional shield softened just a fraction.
The Blackwood pack house was truly enormous.
With nearly three hundred rooms, it functioned less like a traditional pack house and more like a luxury five-star hotel.
It boasted several floors, wide carpeted hallways, sprawling lounges, dining areas, state-of-the-art training facilities, administrative offices, and countless guest rooms used by pack members whenever necessary.
Still, not everyone lived under its roof.
Most members of the Blackwood Pack had beautiful houses of their own scattered throughout the safe zones of the territory.
The pack house simply remained the beating heart of the community.
And judging by the high number of wolves moving through the grand halls tonight, the heart was certainly alive and buzzing.
Raquelle didn’t look particularly pleased by the large crowd; she had always preferred quiet, solitary spaces.
But the moment the pack members began sensing their dominant Alpha’s presence, one by one, they stopped what they were doing.
Conversations died down into quiet murmurs.
People turned respectfully.
Then, the greetings began echoing down the hall.
“Good evening, Alpha.” “Evening, Alpha Raquelle.” “Hello, Alpha.” Raquelle nodded at each of them as she walked past, her expression warm.
“Good evening.
Hello.” A few pack members who were carrying large trays of food quickly stepped aside into the alcoves to let her pass safely.
Others smiled nervously, bowing their heads.
Raquelle’s demeanor softened completely.
She stopped every now and then to ask how a warrior was doing, whether someone’s family was recovering well from a sickness, or whether the lower sectors needed any additional supplies.
An elderly she-wolf complained playfully about the main kitchen changing the recipe of one of her favorite traditional meals.
Raquelle actually let out a genuine, clear laugh.
“I’ll speak to the head chef personally, Ana.” “You’d better,” the old woman replied with a wide, toothy grin.
Dominic watched the interaction from behind her, an amused smile touching his lips.
For an Alpha who claimed she absolutely hated crowded, loud places, Raquelle somehow intimately knew almost every single soul she passed.
As she went, checking on her pack members.
She felt a calm feeling, hoping that everything could remain like this forever.