The Luna They Burned Came Back

Chapter6

Alina'S POV

Got to the medical center before sunrise, the sky still had that pre-dawn gray color, the streets empty except for a few early risers. Told Ryker I had inventory to catch up on. He didn't care enough to question it.

Truth was I couldn't sit across from him at breakfast one more time, I couldn't watch him chew his food and lie with every breath. Couldn't pretend I didn't know about Mira.

Ethan's black SUV sat in the parking lot when I pulled in. Tinted windows. The engine is still warm. He'd beaten me here.

I walked inside. The night nurse at the front desk looked ready to collapse. Her shift was ending soon.

"Early start Luna?"

"Paperwork piling up. You know how it is."

She nodded and went back to her charts. Didn't suspect a thing. Why would she?

Ethan's office was down the east wing. Last door on the left. Light showed under the frame.

Knocked twice. Our code.

"It's open."

Slipped inside fast. He locked the door behind me. That click felt permanent somehow. Like we'd crossed into territory we couldn't walk back from.

He looked rough. Same clothes from yesterday. Hair messy. Dark shadows under both eyes. Probably hadn't slept.

Our eyes met and everything from last night crashed back. The party. Ryker touched Mira when he thought nobody watched. The lies stacking higher.

"Sit down." He pointed at the chair facing his desk. Voice steady but I caught the edge underneath. The anger he kept locked down.

I sat. Smoothed my scrubs. I tried to look calmer than I felt.

"This has to be airtight Alina." He dropped into his own chair. Leaned forward with both elbows on the desk. "One mistake and Ryker buries us both. You understand that right?"

"I'm not stupid Ethan."

"I didn't say you were. I'm saying he's dangerous. More dangerous than you realize."

He wasn't wrong. Ryker had power. Connections. Resources. He'd spent years building himself into someone untouchable.

"So what's the plan?"

Ethan pulled out a notepad. I started writing. "Evidence first. Photos. Messages. Anything concrete. We need witnesses too but that's tricky. Most of the pack won't cross Ryker."

"What about the elders?"

"Half of them are in his pocket. The other half are too scared to make waves." He tapped his pen against the paper. "We can't count on them."

"Then who can we count on?"

"Each other. That's it."

Silence filled the space between us. Heavy but not uncomfortable. More like we were both measuring what came next.

"Tell me about your father." The words came out before I thought them through. "You said Ryker framed you. I need to know what happened."

His jaw tightened. Eyes went distant. Like he was looking at something far away.

"I was seventeen." Voice flat now. Controlled. "Found him in his office. Blood everywhere. Throat torn out. He was already gone by the time I got there."

I waited. Didn't push.

"Ryker showed up right after. Said he heard the commotion. But looking back now I think he was waiting. I wanted to see my reaction. Wanted to watch me break."

"What did the elders say?"

"They found me covered in my father's blood. Holding him. Crying like a kid because that's what I was. A kid who just lost everything." His hands balled into fists on the desk. "Ryker told them I'd snapped. That the pressure of becoming Alpha had broken something in me. That I was dangerous."

"But you didn't do it."

"Of course I didn't. But nobody believed me. They saw what they wanted to see. Easier to blame the grieving son than to admit one of their own was a murderer." He looked up at me. Raw pain in those eyes. "Ryker took my birthright that night. Took my pack. My home. Everything."

My chest felt tight. Couldn't imagine going through that. Seventeen and losing your father and your entire life in one night.

Reached across the desk. Grabbed his hand. His skin felt warm. Rough from years of fighting and surviving.

"We'll prove what he did. All of it. To your father. To you. To me. Everyone needs to see who Ryker really is."

He stared at our joined hands. Then squeezed back. "Why are you doing this Alina? Really?"

"Because he made me feel worthless. Because he threw away our bond like it meant nothing. Because—" I stopped. Swallowed hard. "Because I'm tired of being the fool who didn't see it coming."

Something shifted in his expression. Understanding maybe. Or recognition. Like he saw parts of himself in what I said.

"We'll communicate through patient files." He pulled his hand back. All business again. "Leave coded notes. Nothing obvious. If Ryker checks they'll just look like normal medical jargon."

"What kind of codes?"

"Medication names. Dosages. Times. We'll work out a system." He grabbed another notepad. Started sketching out examples. "See this? Looks like a prescription for antibiotics. But the dosage times spell out coordinates. Meeting places."

Smart. Really smart.

"What about meeting face to face?"

"Only during work hours. Only with cover stories ready. Medical consultations. Patient emergencies. Things that make sense."

"And outside of work?"

"We don't." His voice went hard. "We can't risk it Alina. Ryker already suspects something's off with you."

That made my stomach drop. "What do you mean?"

"Last night at the gathering. He kept watching you. Trying to figure out why you were acting differently." Ethan stood up. I walked to the window. Dawn was breaking outside now. Pink and orange streaking the sky. "He knows something has changed. He just doesn't know what yet."

Damn. I thought I'd been careful.

"I'll do better."

"You have to. Because if he figures this out before we're ready—" He didn't finish. I didn't need to.

I stood up. Walked over to where he stood. "I can handle Ryker. I've been handling him for years."

"This is different. You're not just surviving anymore. You're actively working against him. That changes everything."

He was right. But backing down wasn't an option. Not now.

"I'm not afraid of him Ethan."

"Maybe you should be." He turned to face me. We were close now. Too close probably. "Promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you won't take unnecessary risks."

"I promise."

He searched my face. Looking for cracks maybe. Found none.

"Alright. We start today. Watch him. Document everything. But Alina—" He paused. "If things go sideways you run. You don't try to be a hero. You just get out."

"What about you?"

"I've been running for fifteen years. I'm good at it."

Didn't like that answer but nodded anyway.

Left his office ten minutes later. Checked the hallway first. Empty. Good.

Spent the rest of the day doing normal Luna things. Checked on patients. Reviewed supply orders. Smiled at pack members who stopped by.

Nobody suspected anything. Why would they?

Evening came slowly. Ryker had a council meeting tonight. Would be gone for hours. Perfect opportunity to search his office.

Got home around six. He was already dressed. Black suit. Alpha authority radiating off him.

"Working late again?" Barely glanced at me while fixing his tie.

"Supply inventory. It's overdue."

He nodded. I didn't care. "Don't wait up."

Like I never did anymore.

He left at seven sharp. I watched his car disappear down the driveway. Then waited. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Making sure he wasn't coming back.

Finally moved. His office was on the second floor. The door was locked but I had a spare key. Found it months ago during spring cleaning. Never thought I'd actually use it.

The lock clicked open smoothly. Slipped inside. Closed the door behind me.

Everything was neat. Organized. Files labeled. Desk clear. So Ryker.

Started with the obvious places. Desk drawers. Filing cabinets. Found normal Alpha paperwork. Territory maps. Budget reports. Nothing useful.

I was about to give up when I noticed it. Bottom drawer of the filing cabinet. Smaller than the others. Had a different lock.

I tried my key. Didn't fit.

Found a paperclip in the desk. Straighten it. Worked it into the lock mechanism. Took three tries but it finally popped.

Inside was a phone. Not Ryker's regular one. This was a burner. The kind you use when you're hiding something.

Hands shaking, I picked it up. Powered it on. Waited for it to load.

Messages appeared. Lots of them. Ryker and Mira. Explicit stuff that made my stomach turn. Photos I didn't want to see. Plans to meet up. Lies to cover their tracks.

But there was more. Other message threads. About pack business Ryker handled alone. Money being moved without elder approval. Hidden accounts.

Then I found it. The thread that made everything click.

Ryker and someone named Victor. Messages from fifteen years ago. Right when Ethan's father died.

**Ryker: It's done. Old man won't be a problem now.**

**Victor: What about the kid?**

**Ryker: Handled. The elders think he did it. He'll be gone by morning.**

**Victor: You've earned this. Don't screw it up.**

**Ryker: This pack belongs to me now.**

Stared at the screen. Read it twice. Three times.

Ryker killed Ethan's father. Framed him for murder. Stole everything.

I have proof now. Right here.

I started taking photos with my phone. Every message. Every thread. Evidence Ryker couldn't explain away.

I got through about half when I heard it.

Footsteps. Heavy ones. In the hallway outside.

Ryker was home. But the meeting wasn't supposed to end for hours. What was he doing back?

Panic hit fast. I looked at the burner phone in my hand. The open drawer. Everything scattered showing exactly what I'd been doing.

No time to put it back. No time to hide the evidence.

The footsteps stopped right outside the door.

My heart hammered so loud I thought he'd hear it through the wood.

The handle turned.

The door swung open.

Ryker stood there. Eyes locked on me. On the phone. On the open drawer.

His face changed. Surprise turned to cold fury in half a second.

"Alina." Voice deadly quiet. More dangerous than yelling. "What exactly are you doing in my office?”