The Lace-Marked Wolf

6. Altered Routes

~ EMMETT ~

"Why do you think you have a traitor at Stonehaven? And why do you think that's related to the cracks in our barrier?" Genny asked.

I knew I had to answer carefully. She wasn't ready for some of the information I had to share. There was no telling how she would react if she knew how far back this went.

I couldn't even confirm how much it affected my brothers. Not yet, at least. But when I could confirm it, the information might clear them, or it could make things worse for them.

I didn't want to believe they were involved. More accurately, I knew there was no way they could be involved. But I've never let Genny know this. She thinks they were, and without proof, there was no way I would be able to convince her otherwise.

So I decided to give her only part of it. "For the past several weeks, there have been some strange things happening around Stonehaven. On their own, they seemed like harmless mistakes."

"Like what?" Uncle Steven asked.

"The medical inventory numbers were off, for one. During a routine check, it appeared that supplies were missing, and not just by one or two. More specifically, cases of various bandages, disinfectants, antibiotics, and other supplies used to stock a field medical kit. When the staff noticed, they conducted another inventory the next day, and the numbers were back to normal."

"Did they check the contents of the cases?" Genny inquired.

"Yeah, but only because I asked them to. I didn't like how one day those cases were gone and returned the next. The medical staff was extremely organized, so the fact that all of those supplies had been misplaced didn't sit right with me.

"So I asked them if this had happened before. They are still looking into it. I've also instructed them to review all of the video footage. Chloe reported that there was nothing unusual in the recordings."

"Chloe Cromwell?" Genny asked with a knowing look full of suspicion.

I gave her a hesitant nod as confirmation. She stood and started to pace, deep in thought. It was as if she was trying to piece a puzzle together.

Her father pulled her from her thoughts. "Princess, let's put a pin in that for now. Emmett, you said that the medical supplies were only one of the strange incidents. What were the others?"

I watched Genny reach into a supply cabinet and pull out a fresh notepad and a pen. She sat down and wrote a few notes. As soon as she was done, she looked up at me as a silent sign to continue, so I did.

"Food stores, emergency supplies, and even items from the bunkers. I have copies of the reports upstairs I can give you. But three days ago, weapons were missing from the armory. The next day, the weapons were returned, but after having them inspected, we discovered that they had either been altered or were inferior replicas."

The room fell deathly silent as everyone processed the information. I gave them a moment to absorb it.

Beta Marcus was the first to break the silence. "What does this have to do with the barrier cracks?"

My father replied before I could. "After the armory incident, Emmett ordered a complete audit of all the pack's files and video footage. The video was still being reviewed, but we discovered that patrol schedules had been altered several times."

Genny leaned forward. "Did you check the access logs?"

I scoffed before answering. "Of course we did. But it didn't look right."

"What do you mean?" Uncle Steven asked.

"Whoever last accessed them didn't set off any alarms. It made sense that Gamma Oscar would be the one to do so. Whoever altered the logs changed only the name because, on the dates and at the times Oscar supposedly accessed the schedules, he was either with me or with Ally in meetings. I double-checked our calendars just to be sure."

"Do you have an idea as to who may have changed the logs?" Genny asked.

"Well, I couldn't ask Chloe to look into it because she already had hours of video to weed through. So I asked Alex to see whether he could find anything."

Genny raised an eyebrow as if she had an idea of who it was. "Chloe Cromwell?"

I nodded and leaned back. "Yep. Chloe Cromwell. She changed the logs. As soon as I saw that, I gave her a different assignment to get her off of the videos. Now she's looking into the access logs and helping with the audit. But I had Alex set up hidden software to track what she's doing to see if we can catch her altering other files."

"Okay, I still don't see what this has to do with the barrier cracks," Beta Marcus stated again as he rubbed his forehead with a look of frustrated confusion.

I took a sip of water before continuing my report. "Alex compared the schedules to find the common anomaly in the altered schedules. The times hadn't been changed, but the routes had. These routes had been altered to avoid a specific area on the eastern border that led into the neutral territory between our packs. Alex then compared the dates of the altered routes to the dates of the other incidents. He found that the incidents coincided with some of the altered routes."

Uncle Steven was now sitting at the edge of his seat, his elbows resting on his knees as he leaned toward me with a concerned look. "I imagine you had the area checked."

I nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, but I made sure the teams were people I trusted and asked them to use discretion. They found the barrier intact, but someone created a hole in the wall from the inside.

"It didn't look big enough for a wolf or an adult to pass through. But the team found indentations in the ground that could suggest a small cart could be pushed or pulled through. As we all know, supplies like that can leave the barrier undetected."

My father then added, "Chloe is being closely watched right now, but that leaves us in a bit of a bind. Alexander's computer skills aren't up to her level, and no one else in the pack is qualified enough to complete the audit and video review as efficiently. We need to find another resource to see what they can uncover."

Uncle Steven looked at Genny before offering to ask Malcolm. His skill level was not only greater than Alex's, but even Chloe's. During their school days, Malcolm had always bested her.

Genny's nose scrunched up in disapproval, then she shook her head. "That's not a good idea, Dad. Malcolm has history with Chloe, mostly as a rival. If they find something on her, then she can say he's being biased. We need someone who cares more about the truth than their personal feelings about the subject."

Okay, what was that look? Genny was smirking at me with a mischievous glint in her eye. It's kind of scaring me.

Beta Marcus was watching her with obvious caution. "I know that look, Princess. What are you scheming about over there?"

Genny adopted an image of childlike innocence and batted her eyelashes at Beta Marcus. "I'm not scheming anything, Marcus. I just happen to know the perfect team for this task. They are already working on something for me. I'll ask them when they arrive tomorrow morning."

I was about to ask who she was talking about when I noticed Uncle Steven's eyes glaze over. A few seconds later, Genny's did too. Their mind-links didn't last very long, but Uncle Steven swore under his breath after ending his and coming out of the link about a minute later.

He looked frustrated. "We have more visitors arriving for the mating ball. I have to go and greet them. Guinevere, your mother is not going to be happy about this."

Genny huffed and sank back into her seat. "Tell me about it. Gavin has some news she definitely won't be happy about."

"Okay. How about we pick this back up after lunch? Your mother is going to need some extra help," Uncle Steven said as he stood.

"Actually, Alpha, I'd like to have the teams check the areas where the barrier cracks were located after lunch. Genny, can you come with us? It might help if you can take a closer look at the barrier," Beta Marcus said.

"Sure, that's fine. Actually, I'm starving. Not only did I not get my coffee this morning, but I also didn't get my croissants or my Monkey Box. The new Spellbound Crumb in Serenity Falls was closed because of the stupid owner," she grumbled with a pout.

I bit back a laugh at her dependence on the bakery and her comment about the owner. If she only knew.

As everyone started to leave the room, she let out a loud, frustrated sigh and was about to stand when I stopped her. "Hey, Genny, can you stay back a bit? I wanted to ask you about something."

She looked at me in confusion and then glanced back at her father, who gave her a small nod of approval before saying, "It's okay, sweetheart. Just don't take too long. You both need to eat lunch."

Once the door closed, she turned back to me. "What's up, Emmett? Everything okay?"

I scooted forward in my seat a bit before asking, "Why do I get the feeling you have other suspicions about Chloe Cromwell?"

Genny studied my face for a moment. "When we were in school, Chloe had a fairly unhealthy obsession with my brother Malcolm. As you know, his computer skills far surpass hers. At first, it seemed like it was just an intellectual rivalry. But Charlie and I later figured out that Chloe had romantic feelings for Malcolm.

"At first, he didn't think it was possible. But then she started calling Charlie and me some very unflattering words. She refused to believe that Gideon, Malcolm, and Theodore were my brothers."

The disgust on my face must have made her pause, but she looked amused and barked out a short laugh before continuing.

"Seriously, Chloe thought I had romantic feelings for my own brothers. Then, on top of that, she didn't like how close I was to your brothers. But she didn't have the guts to come after me herself. So she joined the merry band of succubi to torment Charlie and me."

"Okay," I drawled. "But what does that have to do with what we were talking about?"

Genny took a deep breath before continuing. "I didn't see Chloe when I was attacked six years ago, but I suspect she was involved in her own way, using her special skills."

"You think she's the reason no one could find anything in the surveillance footage?"

"Actually, Jack and Jill think it's more than that. They won't tell me anything else until they have proof. But they've been investigating Chloe for years."

Shock filled my face, and not because Chloe was being investigated. "Wait, you don't mean Jack and Jill as in the elite hacker team, do you?"

An amused grin filled Genny's face as she nodded. "Yeah, I do. They're friends of mine and will be here tomorrow. Did you want to meet them?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, please! And not just because of how well-known they are. I also need their help, and I'm not sure Malcolm has the correct skills."

"What do you mean?"

"I think someone has been messing with our digital communications for the past six years. But only when those communications involve you."