Ethan's office door creaked open, the heavy wood announcing his arrival as he stepped into the dimly lit room. His eyes swept over the waiting faces of Deanna, his Delta's mate, Janet, and Garrett.
"Took you long enough," Garrett said with a smirk as he stood up. "Having too much fun?"
"That's none of your business," Ethan countered before pulling Ethan into a hug. "It's good to see you. Are you settling in alright?"
"Are we settling in alright?! We owe you our lives, Ethan. No other pack was willing to help us in fear of them being affected too," Garrett responded.
Ethan frowned slightly. He knew that Garrett's pack was suffering, but he didn't think it was that bad. The rogues were getting out of control, and he would eventually have to make a move to either recognize the rogue pack or get rid of them altogether.
"I understand," Ethan said softly. "But there's no reason to thank me; I'm simply doing what any Alpha would do in this situation. We'll figure everything out and get your pack back to their lands as soon as possible."
As Alpha King, it was his responsibility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all werewolves under his domain, but as Garrett's best friend, he would have welcomed him to his home in a heartbeat regardless of his position. But there was something more- a nagging feeling at the back of his mind- that told him this situation was much bigger than it seemed.
"Thank you, Ethan," Garrett said, his voice filled with sincerity. "We appreciate everything you're doing for us."
"Is it true, Alpha? Were you marked? There have been rumors going around of a peculiar mate mark on your neck," Deanna interjected.
Ethan trusted Deanna, maybe even more than his own Delta. Out of his peripheral, he noticed Janet giving a slight nod, reinforcing his belief that Deanna could be trusted. Ethan pulled his collar down, revealing Kasia's mark, and Deanna's eyes widened, but she quickly composed herself.
"Damn. With that type of spunk, she would've been a perfect Warrior," Deanna pouted.
With a curt nod, Ethan dismissed any further pleasantries. It was time to get to work.
"Alright," Ethan said, his tone shifting to a more serious one. "What's the update?"
Deanna cleared her throat and began to explain. "We've been looking into the omega who gave Kasia the spiked water. Unfortunately, we found her body in a dumpster. There were bruises around her neck; it was clearly homicide."
Ethan's jaw tightened at the news, anger simmering beneath his calm exterior. He knew that Kasia was a target because of her association with him, but he hadn't expected things to escalate so quickly.
"Have you interrogated Aimee yet?" Ethan asked Deanna, his voice firm and commanding.
Deanna hesitated for a moment before answering. "No, I wanted your approval first, considering your previous relationship with her and Aimee's origins."
His history with Aimee was nothing more than a misguided fling. He should've listened to Janet when she told him not to get involved with her. The fact that his own warrior assumed he would be upset about interrogating her meant that Ethan needed to make it very clear that there was nothing going on between them.
"My relationship with her in the past is irrelevant. She is not my Luna, nor is she a Luna-in-training," Ethan declared. "Interrogate Aimee by any means necessary. We need to find out if she knows anything about this."
"Understood," Deanna said, nodding her head in agreement. Her eyes changed color as she began communicating with her fellow warriors to detain Aimee.
As they continued to discuss the situation, Janet chimed in. "I did some digging of my own on the omega's activities and connections."
Deanna couldn't help but smile, shaking her head in disbelief at Janet's skills. "When are you going to reconsider my offer to join the Warriors, Janet? You'd be an incredible asset."
Janet smirked. "I'll reconsider when I fulfill my promise."
Ethan, growing impatient, interrupted their banter. "Focus, please. Janet, what did you find out?"
"According to my sources," Janet began, her voice steady and confident, "the omega had ties to one of the rogues who attempted to assault Kasia."
This revelation sent a chill down Deanna's spine, and she looked at Ethan with alarm. "What rogues?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing. "Why was I not informed about the rogues?"
"Because our Alpha King was preoccupied," Janet explained.
"Regardless, the security of our pack is a priority. I should have been informed," Deanna countered.
Ethan sighed, his brow furrowing as he recalled the recent attack on Kasia. "There was nothing to report to you as I took care of the rogues. Kasia ended up stumbling across them, and due to her delicate condition at the time, she potentially could have lured them over with her scent. I took care of all of them."
"That does not mean they did not report back to someone," Deanna said.
Janet interjected, her expression serious. "One did get away."
The room fell silent as the weight of this information settled over them. Ethan's mind raced with questions and concerns, his protective instincts flaring up.
"Why didn't you say anything before?" Ethan demanded, trying to keep his temper under control as the situation was not entirely Janet's fault.
"I was unaware of this. My contact reached out after overhearing a rogue wolf talking about barely escaping the Alpha King while extremely drunk in the bar," Janet explained. "No one took him seriously, but it was enough cause for concern that this information was sent back to me."
This meant that someone was orchestrating these attacks. And as long as that person remained unidentified, no one close to him was safe and especially not Kasia because they knew Kasia was a red wolf.
"Find out who this rogue is and bring him to me. I want to know who had the balls to send him here," Ethan ordered, his voice low and dangerous.