Chapter 50

LLOYD

The minute we got to the ground floor, we were crowded by staff.

“Breakfast is ready, sire. Please follow me,” a perky she-wolf said, her eyes bright with excitement.

I met Misty’s eyes, and she shrugged defeatedly.

Hand in hand, we followed her into a grand dining room, its sheer size overwhelming.

I’d been here before, but never to dine. The table was immense, designed to seat over fifty people, and I could tell immediately that Misty felt out of place.

So did I—

There wasn’t a smaller dining room available unless you had one of the suites. The table was fully set, every inch covered with an array of dishes.

I led Misty to the head of the table, pulling out the chair on my right for her. She wrinkled her nose but sat down, her eyes widening as she took in the spread before us.

The door creaked open, and Tanner and Chelsea walked in. Chelsea’s eyes went wide with astonishment, and she clapped her hands with glee. “OMG, this is freaking amazing! And I won’t have to wash dishes,” she exclaimed, practically bouncing on her feet.

Misty rolled her eyes but couldn’t keep the smile from her face.

Chelsea quickly claimed the chair to my left before Tanner had a chance, blowing Misty a playful kiss. “Morning, Luna. You look better today.”

“Like you’d know. You didn’t even give me a second look last night,” she grumbled.

“I would’ve, but Lloyd whisked you away,” Chelsea retorted, casting me a knowing look. “But I knew you were in good hands.” She nodded slowly for effect, and I couldn’t help chuckling. It was easy to see these two had been friends for a long time—they had the type of history I had with my brothers…

Tanner grinned but stayed silent, pouring juice from the many options. He seemed more at ease, and Chelsea took everything in stride, eagerly inspecting the dishes.

Misty turned to the server hovering nearby. “Is there coffee?”

“Yes, Luna, but it is traditionally served after breakfast,” the she-wolf replied politely, and I squinted at her name tag.

“Well, Nickie, your luna would like some now,” I said, my tone mild but firm. She bared her neck and hurried off to fulfill the request.

Misty rolled her eyes. “Did you have to? I could’ve waited. I feel like I’m in ~The Princess Diaries~ or something…”

“The what?” I asked, genuinely confused.

Chelsea giggled while Tanner looked like he knew precisely what Misty was saying. Her eyes lit up mischievously as she grinned. “It’s a movie, and we can watch it together. You’re going to love it.”

Tanner burst out laughing, clearly amused at the thought.

During my week with him, I’d only managed to sit through one of his movie recommendations, so the idea of watching a movie with Misty felt a bit foreign. I didn’t grow up with such things—we spent our days roaming the countryside and playing outside.

“You’ve been busy,” Tanner remarked, dishing up food as Chelsea pointed to various dishes.

The server returned with a pot of coffee, pouring a steaming cup for Misty. “Half a cup, please,” she requested and then proceeded to fill it to the brim with milk.

I nodded. “I have, but first things first. I have to establish a pack link.”

“There’s a ceremonial knife in the gallery,” Tanner said. “Don’t know if you want to use it. It will take a whole day to accept everyone into the pack. We’re talking well over a thousand pack members.” His eyes narrowed. “You don’t smell like a rogue, just like Misty.”

“I can’t explain it myself, but I suspect the witch’s essence has something to do with it,” I said, shifting the conversation to more serious matters. “I want a team to check those hidden passages to see if I missed anything. We need to search Axel’s private rooms and check his study. I assume you know how to access the safe, seeing as you found the journal. Where is that, by the way? I’d like to read it.”

“I think it’s still at Knox unless you packed it,” Chelsea replied, glancing at Misty.

Misty’s brow furrowed in thought. “I’m pretty sure it’s at Monolith. I packed it with the other books.”

“I’ll search Axel’s private quarters, the study, and check the safe. What are you hoping to find?” Tanner asked.

“I don’t know—anything and everything. I want to know how he bought properties and whose money he used. How much is the tithe these days?” I asked.

Tanner leaned back in his chair, chewing thoughtfully.

“It depends on the size of the pack,” he explained. “It works in categories. For packs with fewer than a hundred members, it’s ten dollars per wolf per month.”

“That’s a thousand dollars a month…,” Misty exclaimed, her eyes widening.

“Exactly. Packs with between one hundred and two hundred fifty members pay nine dollars per wolf. And for anything above that, it’s eight dollars.”

“That’s outrageous,” Chelsea chimed in, shaking her head.

“So, what’s the total income from the tithes?” I asked, wondering what the wolf population was.

“Regardless of location, everyone pays,” Tanner continued. “Last I checked, the total was over two hundred thousand.”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. “How are the packs affording that?”

“Most of them own businesses of some kind,” Tanner clarified. “Without that, they wouldn’t be able to pay. Plus, the palace owns over a hundred and thirty properties, most in industrial areas like warehouses, which generate a decent income.”

The numbers were staggering, far beyond anything I could have imagined. No wonder there were so many desks in the administration office. “What’s the average wage for a palace warrior?”

“Twelve hundred a month, including meals and lodging,” Tanner clarified.

I sat back, astonished. Twelve hundred was enormous in my day—most wouldn’t see that much money in several lifetimes. It was becoming clear how Axel could have secretly purchased properties without anyone suspecting a thing.

“I’ll set up a meeting with the accountant,” Tanner said, sensing my unease. “Egon used to oversee that department.”

I was immediately suspicious. If Egon had access to the palace account, he could have squirreled away money. “Do that,” I instructed. “I want to meet with him.”

“It’s actually a her. Shelly Brogan,” Tanner corrected with a nod.

I resumed my meal, but the taste was lost on me, overshadowed by a growing sense of outrage. If the palace had one hundred and thirty properties, we would have to check each one.

“How many palace properties have landing pads?”

“None, as far as I know.”

“I want the trackers removed from the cars,” I added as an afterthought.

Tanner took a deep breath, shaking his head while he expelled it. “We don’t need to remove the trackers. We can change the username and password so Axel can’t access the website,” he explained.

Oh, hell. More things I didn’t understand. Misty reached under the table and squeezed my thigh in commiseration, and I relaxed slightly.

Whether I liked it or not, I would have to learn how to use a computer, and I was infinitely glad I had her by my side.

“What about the mercenaries?” Misty asked. “Axel could just hire more if he still has access to the royal account.”

“Same thing. We’ll have to change his access, but I’m sure he established other accounts in his name,” Tanner responded grimly. “I have the phone of the guy who attacked me and will pass it to the IT department. Let’s see if we can get any information from it.”

“IT?” I asked.

“Information technology,” Tanner supplied.

That didn’t mean much to me, but it could turn into a lead. There were a thousand things to think of, and although I was up for the challenge, I felt I was floundering like a fish out of water. My mind boggled at all the jargon, and I barely felt comfortable using a phone.

“What are the chances of mercs attacking the palace?” Chelsea asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Tanner responded, grabbing Chelsea’s hand. “But I don’t think they’ll attack the palace—they’d be outnumbered—nor do I think they’ll attack in public. I ordered the palace gates to be closed at night and tripled the teams on perimeter duties, but we need a new pack link urgently.”

I nodded. Axel was devious; an outright attack wasn’t possible without warriors unless some were still loyal to him, and mercenaries cost money. The ones we encountered were dead, and I suspected hiring huge numbers wouldn’t be easy.

“Agreed, that takes priority. Some wolves may still be loyal to Axel. By the way, I released everyone from the dungeon this morning, including Reese, Patrick, and Aaron. I told them to report to you. Have they?”

“They did. I can vouch for them. They weren’t happy to be put in the dungeon because I deserted,” Tanner replied.

“What about Calvin?” I asked. I didn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.

“He’s dead. I killed him when we attacked the palace.”

Refilling my glass, I took a thoughtful sip, my hand instinctively resting on Misty’s thigh under the table.

Calvin thrived on causing pain and was not the type of wolf I wanted in my pack, but his death didn’t provide me satisfaction. Sometimes, it was the leadership that enabled wolves of that ilk.

“Where is the best place to start accepting wolves into the pack?”

“The throne room. It can fit upward of five hundred wolves if we pack them tightly.”

“Argh, this is going to be a long and boring day…,” Chelsea complained.

To me, the throne room was nothing but a symbol of death, a place steeped in the blood and anguish of those I had killed.

The grandeur that others admired only deepened my disdain, especially for that ostentatious chair—a monument to the alpha kings who had ruled with iron fists, each one leaving behind a legacy of pain and power struggles.

It wasn’t just a chair but a testament to the tyranny I wanted no part of.

“No, let’s use the training grounds.”

The doors opened, and Misty’s parents entered.

“Morning,” Misty smiled at them, pulled out the chair beside her, and patted it.

“Morning. I hope everyone slept well.” Charlotte asked, sitting beside Misty and grabbing her chin so she could inspect the burns. “They look much better,” she stated with a nod.

Harris squeezed Misty’s shoulder before sitting next to his mate. It made me happy that Misty had such loving parents. I had been blessed with the same, but I had witnessed much cruelty among wolves over the years.

“Where did you sleep?” Misty asked, her tone tinged with concern.

“Not in that room,” Harris replied, his voice edged with a hint of something darker. I quickly realized he was referring to the room where I had found Misty’s belongings earlier.

Misty shook her head in disbelief. “Lloyd found my backpack, my favorite backpack, and my phone there. Can you believe it?”

A sudden buzzing interrupted them, and Harris instinctively patted his pockets before fishing out a battered phone with a shattered screen. His brow furrowed as he stared at it, clearly perplexed.

“Who is it?” Charlotte asked, leaning over to get a better look.

“Alpha Luke, I think,” Harris said, squinting at the display. “But I can’t find the green button.”

Charlotte reached over, taking the phone from his hands with a small sigh. “It’s not a phone call,” she corrected, squinting at the damaged screen. “Looks like a voice note.”

“How do you know?” Harris asked, still confused.

“You never paid attention when Misty explained these things,” Charlotte huffed, her fingers deftly navigating the cracked surface before she pressed something.

The room fell silent as Luke’s voice came through. “Harris, I lost four warriors in the early hours this morning, each one shot in the head by mercenaries. We overpowered them eventually and locked them in cells. I thought I’d give you a heads-up; I have a feeling other packs might be targeted too, especially Knox. This is Axel’s doing. We have to find the sonofabitch.”