The Surgeon and the Alpha

27

Rae set the burner phone down on the counter, her expression sharpening as she shifted fully into strategy mode.

“Okay—listen. What I found isn’t just a few corrupted names. It’s a network. Structured, layered, and—”

She stopped.

Mid-sentence.

Her eyes slowly slid past Will… past Trey… past Elijah…

“…Are you kidding me right now?”

Everyone followed her gaze.

Aspen had somehow opened one of the lower cabinets.

And was now proudly dragging out an entire, full jar of peanut butter.

Del blinked. “…How—”

Rae pointed. “That. That right there is a security breach. We fix that immediately.”

Trey let out a laugh, rubbing his face. “Out of everything happening today… that’s what takes us down.”

Elijah crouched slightly, watching Aspen with interest. “I’m actually impressed. That was… tactical.”

Will crossed his arms, staring at the dog. “He broke into a cabinet.”

Rae shook her head, walking over. “No. He strategically accessed resources.” She crouched, taking the jar from Aspen—who immediately protested with a small bark.

“Don’t give me that look,” Rae said, holding it just out of reach. “You already had Reese’s. You don’t need straight peanut butter.”

Aspen sat, staring at her like she had personally betrayed him.

Del snorted. “You created this problem, you know.”

“Excuse you,” Rae shot back. “He’s a genius. This is a gift.”

Remi leaned against the counter, arms crossed, clearly amused despite everything. “Your genius dog just raided the kitchen mid-crisis briefing.”

Elijah grinned. “Honestly? Perfect timing. Things were getting too serious.”

Trey pointed at the jar. “That better not be mine too.”

Rae shot him a look. “Do not start. You already lost the ice cream battle. Don’t make this a second loss.”

Will huffed out a quiet breath, though the corner of his mouth twitched. “You were saying, Rae?”

She paused, still holding the peanut butter, then sighed dramatically. “Right. Back to the part where everything is falling apart and I’m the only one holding it together—with snacks.”

She set the jar on the counter—firmly out of Aspen’s reach.

Aspen whined.

“Don’t even,” Rae warned.

Then she turned back to them, expression shifting instantly back to serious.

“Okay. What I found,” she continued, tapping the burner phone again, “is that this isn’t random. The council members involved? They’re not all working together directly. Some of them don’t even realize they’re being played.”

That got everyone’s attention.

Remi straightened. “So it’s layered manipulation.”

Rae nodded. “Exactly. Someone higher up is feeding information selectively—controlling the narrative, pushing fear, making the council react instead of think.”

Trey’s expression darkened. “Which explains the emergency meeting.”

Elijah added, “And why they’re targeting you three specifically.”

Will’s gaze locked onto Rae. “Because you disrupt the system.”

Rae gave a small, sharp nod. “Yep. I’m the glitch they didn’t account for.”

Del crossed her arms. “So who’s at the top?”

Rae exhaled slowly. “I don’t have a name yet. But I have patterns. Routes. Timelines. And one thing’s clear—”

She glanced at each of them.

“This isn’t just about the pack. It’s bigger than the Bayou.”

Silence settled again—heavier this time.

Behind them, a faint thunk sounded.

They all turned.

Aspen had somehow climbed halfway onto the counter… stretching toward the peanut butter.

Rae closed her eyes briefly. “I swear—if you open that jar—”

Aspen’s paw tapped it.

Trey burst out laughing.

Elijah shook his head. “Unstoppable.”

Will exhaled, somewhere between exasperated and amused. “We’re dealing with a conspiracy… and a peanut butter thief.”

Remi smirked. “Honestly? Both seem equally persistent.”

Rae grabbed the jar again, holding it up. “Focus, people. Big conspiracy first. Peanut butter later.”

Aspen huffed.

Del leaned toward Rae, whispering, “He’s definitely getting some after this.”

Rae muttered back, “Oh, he absolutely is. I’m not fighting that battle twice.”

Then she looked back at the group, eyes sharp again.

“Now—where was I? Right. We’re being played from the inside… and whoever’s pulling the strings thinks we won’t figure it out in time.”

A slow, dangerous smile formed.

“Good thing they’re wrong.”

Aspen barked once in agreement—still eyeing the peanut butter.