The Account
972 Words
CHAPTER 4
The Account
Mara's POV
My eyes moved again across the numbers on the monitor. I had been staring at them for the past five minutes, and they were still easy to miss.
That was the point.
For the past four hours, I had been seated in this chair reviewing the monthly pack financial records. My eyes moved across the rows and columns—the household budgets, welfare allocations, trade disbursement, border patrol expenses, and the pack healthcare reserve.
But something was off.
A repeated transfer.
It was tiny, not easily noticeable, buried between several other transactions. To anyone else, it would have been easy to ignore. But not to me. I had taken my time calculating the figures, and they simply didn't add up. It was too consistent to be random.
I traced the numbers again.
Each transfer was small enough not to raise alarms.
But the pattern was unmistakable.
This had been happening for over two years.
I clicked on one of the entries. The diversion trail led to an account. My eyes widened as I saw the name attached to it.
Isala.
How?
She had only returned to the pack a few months ago.
How had she managed this for two full years?
I checked the account details. It had been opened by Alfred. That name was too familiar.
And then it came to me.
Isala's old companion. The man she had run away with.
The one who was now mysteriously dead.
A chill ran through me.
Isala and Alfred had both left the pack. So how was this still happening? That only meant one thing: someone inside the Alpha household had been helping her.
The mouse in my hand stilled. Only for a second. Then I went back to work.
I opened a new document and began copying the dates, amounts, transfer codes, and account numbers. Everything that was needed.
My hands moved swiftly, almost as though I had been waiting for this moment.
After I finished, I picked up my phone and photographed every ledger page. Then I downloaded the encrypted copies to a secure location, accessible only to me. I duplicated a copy to Tema.
After that, I returned the original exactly as I had found it.
My eyes went to the clock. Another two hours had passed.
A smile touched my lips. Dark. Slow.
Caden wouldn't notice any of this. Not in the slightest.
I picked up my phone and sent him a message.
Could you kindly come to the Luna's office? It's urgent.
The text sent immediately. Two blue ticks. Seen. A strange stillness settled over me as I waited. Each minute kept ticking. Slowly, it turned into an hour. Then two.
The office went quiet.
The corridor outside fell silent.
He never came.
Unable to wait any longer, I stepped into the corridor. One of the Omegas was there. I could see the fear in her eyes. I called her anyway.
"Have you seen the Alpha?"
"I… the Alpha had left with Ms. Isala for the training ground," she muttered.
Once it concerned Isala, he never missed her. But me?
Nothing.
Just then, Tema walked in.
"Luna," she greeted. "You've not been sleeping," she added, the concern in her tone evident.
"I can't sleep when there's a lot to do," I said.
"What's my schedule this afternoon?"
"You have a meeting with the Western Council representative. He should be close to the pack."
I turned toward her. "Thank you, Tema."
The Western Council was the body that managed the affairs of all packs in the Seven Kingdoms. And one of their representatives was already on his way.
"I have heard about the good things you've done for this pack," the representative said.
Elder Rowan.
I didn't entertain the compliment.
"Thank you," I said shortly. Then I looked at him directly.
"I have noticed some irregularities in the inter-pack grain records. It has been happening for a while. Is there anything one could do in regards to that?"
A deep sigh escaped his lips. Seriousness filled his tone.
"Under Western Council law, documented financial misconduct against pack welfare is grounds for formal protection."
He paused.
"A Luna who brings evidence forward cannot be removed from her position without Council review."
My fingers tightened slightly around the file in my hand.
That afternoon stretched on as we discussed further. And then I understood: he wasn't a bad person. There was a reasonable chance he was someone I could trust. But I couldn't commit to that fully. Not yet.
That evening, I got in tired. In the dining room, Isala was there again. Sitting in my seat. Caden's eyes were fixed on his phone. I sat at the far edge of the table.
The moment I settled into my food, his voice came.
"Transfer part of the Luna budget for pack expenses."
He wasn't looking at me.
Like he had just asked me to pass the salt.
I could feel Isala watching, waiting to see my reaction.
But instead, I smiled.
"I will get that done."
Once I was done eating, I opened my laptop and made the transfer right there at the dining table. Exactly half. Then I saved the receipt.
"I will have the document sent to your office tomorrow for a stamp."
He said nothing.
That night I moved back to the Luna's wing. The room was quiet as a grave.
I opened my notebook. Then pulled out a fresh sheet and began writing a letter.
Not to Caden.
Not to the Council.
But to my mother's pack.
I wrote the first line.
I'm coming home. Not yet. But soon.
After I finished, I sealed the letter and placed it beside my notebook. Then I turned off the light and stayed in the room. In darkness.
Something I had preferred these days.
- Writer
