Chapter 143: No Thunderfangs Were Arrested Today, Alpha

THUNDERFANG CORRECTIONAL CENTER

SAME DAY

Landon Thunderfang stormed into the station looking like the last twenty-four hours had been personally designed by the Goddess to test every boundary he owned and he had failed all of them.

"Alpha Thunderfang." The desk sergeant looked up from his holo-display and straightened so fast his chair rolled backwards into the wall.

To Landon’s surprise, Tavian Voltcrest was already standing at the counter. Pale. Dark circles. Still recovering from the smoke inhalation he had pretended didn’t exist until his body overruled him. The oxygen clip on his collar was the only concession his stubbornness had made to medicine.

Tavian turned to look at Landon. "Alpha. I told Sebastian I would get them."

"Them."

"Oh yes," Tavian replied. "Them. Plural. As in more than one. As in my mate and your brother’s mate were apparently arrested together this morning like a buddy-cop sequel nobody greenlit."

The chief of corrections emerged from a side office, adjusting his collar, and stopped when he saw the two wolves standing at his counter. His posture recalibrated in under a second. ℯ𝔴ℯ

"Alpha Thunderfang. Beta Voltcrest." He gave a respectful nod to each. "This is a pleasant surprise. Both of you, at the same time. We don’t usually get brass at the front desk."

Tavian leaned one elbow on the counter. "And this is unfortunately not a social visit, Chief. I’m not here for the ambiance, although the fluorescent lighting really does wonders for my complexion."

The chief’s hand moved to a panel beneath the counter. A translucent barrier shimmered to life around the three of them, sealing the conversation inside a privacy field that turned the rest of the station into a muted blur. Standard for high-profile matters. The kind of tech that existed because wolves with titles occasionally showed up at police stations and their conversations were nobody else’s business.

"What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?"

Tavian spoke before Landon could open his mouth. "Well, for starters, my mate is missing. She hasn’t come home all day. I’ve been recovering from smoke inhalation, which I will admit I downplayed, and woke up to an empty bed and zero pings. I find out she was arrested because my Gamma Luna didn’t recognize the encryption number on a holo-message from this morning and didn’t listen to it until thirty minutes ago. So here I am. In a police station. On a day when I should be horizontal. I want to know how this happened and I want her released." He smiled. "Please. I’m being polite. Notice the please."

"What is her name, Beta?"

"Maria Emberclaw."

The chief tipped his chin at the desk sergeant who was already flicking through the arrest log on his holo-display. Blue light cascaded across his face as he scrolled.

"Found her, Chief." The sergeant expanded the file and read without inflection. "Charges for Maria Emberclaw are as follows. Breaking and entering a restricted intensive care unit at Stormrest Hospital. One count of assault on an arresting officer. Refusal to comply with lawful orders. Verbal harassment of an escorting officer. Disorderly conduct during secure transport. Obstruction of booking procedures. Refusal to surrender personal effects during intake. Threatening statements directed at a processing officer. Inciting non-compliance in a co-detainee. Six counts of verbal intimidation of law enforcement personnel. And one additional count of verbal harassment of a supervising officer."

Tavian dragged a hand down his face so slowly it looked like he was trying to peel his own skin off. He stood there for a full three seconds, suspended between laughing and crying, his body unable to commit to either because both felt equally appropriate and choosing one meant giving up the other.

"That’s my girl," he muttered. Then louder. "Why wasn’t I pinged immediately? She’s the Beta Luna. There’s a direct notification protocol for ranked mates."

The chief looked at the sergeant. The sergeant looked at the file.

"The record indicates the detainee did claim her mate was the Beta of Thunderfang, sir. Multiple times. Loudly. However, the arresting officers were operating under standing orders from the High Luna that the individual being apprehended would make claims of that nature and that those claims were to be disregarded as fabricated."

Tavian’s mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. "The High Luna told your officers that my mate would lie about being my mate."

"That is what the directive states, sir. The officers followed protocol as issued."

Landon cut in before Tavian could load another round. "Nova Thunderfang was also arrested."

Tavian turned his head slowly to look at Landon.

The sergeant’s eyes also went wide. The reaction was fast and involuntary, the kind of flinch that happens when a name registers against a surname and the surname is the one on the building. Thunderfang is Thunderfang. His eyes darted to the Alpha, then back to his display. Landon didn’t react to it.

The sergeant swiped through the log. Scrolled. Swiped again.

"No Thunderfangs were arrested today, Alpha."

"7709."

More swiping. "No results for that designation either, sir."

"She was arrested at Stormrest Hospital. I’m assuming alongside Maria Emberclaw. Same incident. Same time."

The sergeant expanded the arrest cluster tied to Maria’s booking number. His brows went up.

"Ah. Yes, sir. I have a co-detainee on this arrest. Nova Emberclaw." He looked up from the display. "Not Thunderfang, Alpha."

Landon didn’t flinch. "Read the charges."

"Charges for Nova Emberclaw are as follows. Breaking and entering a restricted intensive care unit at Stormrest Hospital." The sergeant paused, scrolling to the second block. His reading pace slowed. "Pre-existing arrest warrant filed on the authority of the High Luna of Thunderfang. Charge: assault on a member of the royal bloodline resulting in severe bodily harm. The filing classifies it as attempted murder." He scrolled once more. "One additional count of unauthorized contact with a protected victim under an active criminal investigation."

The sergeant looked up at Alpha Thunderfang with an expression that was professional and sympathetic in equal measure.

"I’m very sorry about the attack on your family member, Alpha. If there’s anything this office can do to support the investigation, we’re at your disposal."

Landon’s face was doing something that Tavian recognized as the calm before a very expensive storm. The jaw. The eyes. The specific stillness that preceded decisions other people had to live with.

Tavian had recovered enough to rejoin the conversation. "Release them both. Now. And Nova’s last name is not Emberclaw. That’s a system error."