Fate betrayal

CHAPTER 1 9

Chapter 19: The Web of Deception

Lucas's POV

I couldn't help but notice the overpowering smell of leather and wood in Veyron's office. A stronghold of secret was the massive wood desk before me, but I had long since discovered that nothing remained concealed forever—not when I was committed to uncovering the truth.

I was here for no purpose. I called it survival, and Veyron would call it trespassing. Finding out why the rogues' assaults had been so focused and persistent was crucial to the pack's protection. I had a strong feeling that Veyron knew more than he revealed, and every combat seemed like a precursor to something bigger.

In a measured hurry, I rummaged through the drawers. Nothing except routine documents—invoices, contracts, and nothing incriminating—were found in the top one. A sealed notebook, however, was discovered in the second drawer, which held something far more intriguing. Veyron's emblem, a crescent moon wrapped in a serpent's coil, which had always unnerved me, was shown on the cover.

Veyron, what are you concealing?

I used a paperclip I discovered on the desk to pick the lock, a technique I had learned in my less respectable days. With a gentle crack, the lock opened, and I turned the pages. Every item, which described meetings and transactions, was painstakingly written. Initially, it seemed to be the uninteresting digressions of a businessman, but then I saw it.

"R-shipment verified. I've been paid. Complete cooperation is anticipated.

R. Rogues? As I kept looking through the entries, my fingers became tense around the book's edge. The allusions to "R," one after the other, were increasingly damning:

"As promised, R has delivered. By winter, the northern pack will become unstable.

"A definitive agreement was reached with R. Next full moon marks the start of Phase Two.

The implications were like a kick to my stomach. Veyron was collaborating with the rogues in addition to being aware of them.

I stuffed the diary inside my jacket after slamming it shut. All of my instincts told me to go before I was discovered. A image, slightly skewed in its frame, grabbed my attention on the bookshelf as I moved toward the door.

At first look, the picture seemed harmless: Veyron grinning with an elderly guy in an opulent study. However, I wasn't very interested in the numbers. It was the backdrop. A map with red circles on it was on the desk behind them. The sites of each rogue assault over the previous three months formed an unsettlingly similar pattern.

This was strategy, not only treachery. From the beginning, Veyron had been planning the strikes.

The bookcase creaked as I leaned in to take a better look. My heart leaped. I carefully pushed my ear on the frame. A secret passageway was revealed when the whole shelf slid open.

I said, "Of course you have a secret lair," and entered.

There were flashing LED lights down the small passageway. It went down into what seemed to be a tiny army's command headquarters, a subterranean area. The walls were lined with monitors showing real-time video of the pack's domain. On corkboards were notes, maps, and designs that described schemes I could hardly understand.

However, one item caught our attention: a set of surveillance photos. I was shown.

All of my actions throughout the previous several weeks were recorded. Dates, times, and places. I became aware that the rogues had been after me as well as the pack, and my throat constricted.

Footsteps sounded above me before I could fully comprehend the magnitude of the treachery. I had run out of time. Before sneaking back into the hallway, I stuffed as many paperwork as I could inside my jacket.

The office door opened and the secret door slid shut.

"Looking for something?" Veyron's tone was abrasive and somewhat humorous.

My hand was still on the bookcase when I froze. I slowly turned to look at him. I noticed for the first time the full extent of his deceit as his eyes glinted like a predator's.

"Just admiring your taste in décor," I smirked.

He glanced at the open drawer and the blank spot where his diary had been. "You’ve always been a terrible liar, Lucas."

I could feel his might crushing down on my wolf as he took a step closer. "You won't be saved by whatever you believe you have discovered. You're engaging in risky behavior.

I fired back, using a stronger tone than I had meant. "Funny, I was about to say the same to you," I said.

Neither of us moved for a second. Then a smirk curved his lips, chilling me to the core. Do you believe you'll be the first to figure out my little... plans? Lucas, you are but another piece on the board. And a throwaway one at that.

We were stopped before I could reply by the sound of glass breaking. A renegade snarled as it pounced at me through the office glass.

It was instinct. I moved in midair and used my claws to counter the rogue's strike. The room turned into a haze of turmoil and violence. As the rogue and I collided, shattering the desk in two, I hardly saw Veyron sneaking out of the room.

With my claws at its neck, I pinned the outlaw. "Who sent you?" Even though I already knew the answer, I insisted.

It growled, hate shining in its yellow eyes. "Alpha, it's too late. He has already triumphed.

The rogue's body trembled before I could push any more. It twisted in an unnatural way, its vitality smothered by some invisible power, and the air filled with a horrible snap.

My stomach rumbled. Veyron had complete power over the rogues; it was more than simply control.

I stumbled to my feet, gasping for air. The atmosphere was tense and the workplace was in ruins. One thing stood out among the confusion, though: Veyron was much more than a traitor.

My thoughts was racing as I grabbed the stolen papers and went out into the chilly night air. Even though I had the proof, it was insufficient. I had hardly begun to explore Veyron's long-term strategy.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, however. The words on the screen made my blood run cold as I took it out.

"Next up is your partner. Lucas, make a sensible decision between her life and your group.

The weight of the ultimatum weighed heavily on me as I gazed at the words.

It was the first time I had felt really helpless in years.