Chapter 146

146 POV-

pushed open the doors my company and met with a of hushed silence. Heads swiveled in my direction, a mixture of curiosity and nervous energy clinging to the air. The human–

war that had been raging for weeks had finally settled into an uneasy truce. The constant skirmishes and open hostility had subsided, replaced by a tense awareness. Humans, it seemed, finally understood the truth we weren’t just snarling in the night, we capable of being the very monsters they .

–

Back when the war was its , my buildings had taken a physical beating. Broken windows, shattered glass, the occasional stray Molotov cocktail – the of being a prominent werewolf billionaire. Everything had been repaired, of course but the scars remained, a stark reminder of the animosity that simmered just beneath the surface The headquarters itself had taken the brunt of the damage, both physical and emotional. When the news broke about my dual nature, significant portion of the workforce had walked. The ones who remained, however, were a different breed.The nervous fluttering of their eyelids and the way they tried to appear engrossed in their work told a different story. These were the smart ones, the ones who understood that discretion the better part of valor.

Ignoring the subtle tension, I strode towards my office, a newfound swagger in my step. My relationship with Amaya had been a revelation. It had unearthed a confidence I hadn’t even known I . Sure, I’d always been a bit of an arrogant asshole, but now?

, I didn’t give a damn what anyone thought.

There was a vulnerability to it of course. The absence of my wolf was constant weight on my shoulders a missing piece that gnawed at the edges of my being. But despite the that sometimes crept in at night, a sense of empowerment overshadowed it all. It strange feeling, this confidence without fangs and claws.

“Mr. Thorne, I didn’t expect you to be here today,” Ruth greeted me, rising from her seat. She was one of the smart ones, no, that wasn’t quite right. Ruth wasn’t just smart, she was loyal. A genuine smile tugged at the corners of my lips, and for a fleeting moment, I saw a flicker of surprise her features. Before she could respond, I launched into the reason for my unexpected visit.

“I need everything,” I declared, my voice firm. “Every record of every transaction, incoming and outgoing, for the past months. All , all contracts – I want it all on my desk, ASAP.”

My bluntness seemed to snap her out of her daze. She nodded briskly, a hint of efficiency returning to her gaze. “Of course Mr. Thorne. I’ll it right .”

get With curt nod of acknowledgement, I retreated to the familiar confines of my office. Settling into the plush leather chair behind the mahogany frown my forehead. The pieces weren’t fitting together. If Ivan had been working in the shadows for so long, pulling strings and manipulating events, and now Adrian inexplicably targeting my company, there had to be a connection. Somewhere somehow they’d found a to exploit a in my defenses.

Normally, my first instinct would be to charge headfirst into the fray, fists blazing. But Ivan different.

was a master manipulator puppet who had turned me into a pawn in his twisted game for far too long. This time, I needed to be more than a pawn. I needed to be a a to reckoned with.

The of it all simmered beneath the . Without my wolf, felt incomplete a fraction of the man I once on my phone rang, shattering the tense silence.

quick glance at the confirmed the Vargas sigh immediately escaped my lips.

,”

, “Did find something would be nice know,”

answered in a dry tone, the evident through the phone.

“Finding one isn’t the problem sighed. “Finding one willing to do for a the . Witches despise guts.” Frustration bubbled up inside I need , and I need one now.”

Another sigh his end of the line “

told me why could no I was spilling my missing .

might common but still harbored ambitions for position do .

.

help will be my problem. Do understand He .

I end the another of information dropped into “McCall’s declared himself alpha My the end halting the The . Whatever game he playing, a it that still threw a into What pressed.

“

I heard, he was incapacitated,”

.

The words hung in the Ivan was good, good enough to operate under the for this long.

, he had the combined strength of at his . This wasn’t good. Not good all.

Thorne You still ‘

broke through my troubled thoughts.

Yeah,”

responded, my firmer “More than Find me that witch. Any means necessary. Understood?”

The in my tone seemed to convey the urgency of the situation. “Any means ,” He echoed, a grim determination lacing his The call ended Ruth entered my office of documents piled high in her arms. The weight of the situation settled on my shoulders as gestured for her to the files on my desk. Sifting through financial records wouldn’t solve the problem at hand, but it was . Somewhere buried in those papers, there had to be a clue a hidden transaction, a thread that would lead me to Ivan and Adrian. The clock was ticking, and the had never been higher The future of my company, the safety of my pack everything hinged on finding the source of this new threat. And maybe, just maybe, on finding a way to get my wolf back.

I dove headfirst into the paperwork each document a puzzle piece waiting to be slotted into place. My eyes scanned line after line, searching for any anomaly, any discrepancy that might offer a glimpse into Ivan’s machinations. If they had found a way to infiltrate my company, this where the evidence would lie a hidden transaction, suspicious clause, anything out of the ordinary. This just the beginning, whatever Adrian was doing. I had a feeling in my gut, primal instinct honed by years of navigating the treacherous world of business and power struggles.

Time blurred I became in the financial maze. The world outside my office to replaced by the rhythmic rustle of turning and the relentless hum of concentration. It was the insistent buzz of my phone that finally yanked me back to reality. An unknown number flashed on the , but a jolt of intuition ran through me.

I knew.

With a deep breath, I answered the call. Silence greeted me for a moment, then a familiar voice, laced with a sickeningly sweet amusement, filled “Alex,” Ivan drawled. “I don’t think we’ve had the opportunity to discuss things man to man.”

Before could respond, a text message popped up on the laptop screen in front of me. It was a picture, clear image of Ivan holding a bottle of whiskey aloft, the background unmistakably the living room of my own house.

Then Ivan spoke again, “Join me for some whiskey, Alex