Chapter 145: On Your Order, Alpha

The sergeant’s fingers hovered over the display. "Alpha, the attempted murder charge was filed by the High Luna. Removing it requires—"

"I am the Alpha of this pack. The High Luna filed charges in my name against my brother’s mate without my knowledge or consent. I am telling you, on record, that the charges are baseless. The person injured is my brother. He was not harmed by Nova. His condition has nothing to do with her. Drop every charge on that file. Tonight."

The sergeant looked at the chief. The chief gave a single nod.

The sergeant began swiping. One by one, the charges cleared from the display, each deletion accompanied by a soft chime that sounded far too pleasant for the gravity of what was being undone.

"If the High Luna pings this office again regarding Nova, I want to know about it. The second it comes through. Not the next morning. Not after a shift change. The second."

"Yes, Alpha."

"If Nova’s name crosses this desk again for any reason, I want to know about it. Same terms."

"Yes, Alpha."

"And this conversation does not leave this desk. What was discussed in this barrier stays between the four of us. No reports filed. No incident summaries uploaded. No corridor talk. If I find out a single detail from tonight made it into a holo-feed or a break room, I will be back. And it will not be pleasant for anyone involved."

The sergeant and the chief both straightened. The kind of straightening that happens when an Alpha stops asking and starts telling and the telling carries the full weight of the largest pack on the continent behind it.

"Understood, Alpha."

"Understood, Alpha."

Landon turned for the door. Tavian fell into step beside him, still wearing the expression of someone holding a question he was going to ask the second they cleared the building.

They made it three steps past the privacy barrier before Tavian spoke.

"When did you marry Nova, buddy?"

Landon kept walking. "It’s paperwork, Tavian."

"Paperwork that says wife."

"It was the only way to get her the Thunderfang surname. Continental law requires marriage for name transfer."

"So you married her."

"On paper. Until Derek wakes up."

"Wife is the word on that paper."

"Yes."

"Does Celeste know?"

"No. Not my problem. That was dissolved this morning."

Tavian’s hand flew to his heart like he’d been shot with good news. "Took you long enough. I have been suffering in silence, Landon. Suffering. Do you know how many times I had to smile at that woman while my soul left my body? That number is classified."

"You told me you didn’t like her on day one. Then day two. Then every day after that. That is not silence, Tavian."

"What I said out loud was maybe fifteen percent of what was happening internally. Does Nova know she’s your wife?"

Landon didn’t answer.

"I’ll take that as a no. Big day then. The one time I step out."

"Yes. Big day. The princess is evicted. My brother’s mate is arrested. My Beta Luna is also arrested. And a body was found in the room Nova was assigned to."

Tavian’s stride faltered for half a step. He recovered. "Another one? Please tell me this one had its head."

"Yes. Carmen Vasquez. An omega who had escorted Nova to the guest suite the High Luna had assigned." ℴ

Tavian processed that in silence for ten paces. Then he pulled up his holo-band and pinged Maria. The encryption pulsed once. No connection. No rune-tone. No auto-response. The signal didn’t bounce. It died.

"She sprayed two officers for Nova. Beautiful. Heroic. Love it. Then she called Sierra. No answer. She called her brother. She has yet to ping me, Landon. I know I was sick today, but I’m not dead. I would want to know. This would be an emergency." He stared at the blank display. Tapped it. Tried again. Same result. The holo-band wasn’t declining the ping. It wasn’t even registering one.

He looked at Landon like he had another idea, then dropped his hand.

"Never mind. Nova wouldn’t have a holo-band." Tavian continued walking, his voice dropping into something lower. "The High Luna gave the arrest order for Nova. The officers carried it out and caught Maria in the net too because Maria was with her. I know Gran was fond of Celeste. But damn, Landon. Think about what that means. Nova has no holo-band. No form of currency. No way to identify herself. No pack credentials. No one to call outside of Sierra. The High Luna had to have known that, right? Derek was going to get Nova that stuff. The High Luna still gave that order. She really made sure to screw Nova over on that."

Landon dragged a hand down his face.

Tavian wasn’t finished. "They’re also not on mindlink. Either of them. Because they haven’t been initiated into the pack yet. I couldn’t reach Maria if I wanted to. She can’t reach me. We’re mates who live in the same keep and I have to physically walk through corridors to find her like it’s the goddamn stone age." He glanced at Landon. "Which brings me to something else. I didn’t tell Maria about Derek’s condition. For the record. On your order."

Landon stopped walking. Snow landed on his shoulders and stayed. He turned to look at his Beta.

"On my order."

"Yes. You told me that Derek’s condition was classified and that Maria and Nova were not to be informed until you decided otherwise."

Landon blinked a few times. "I said that?"

"Word for word, Alpha. Yesterday in the war room. Sebastian was there too and did not tell Sierra either."

Landon stared at the snow collecting on the cobblestones. His breath came out in a cloud that dissolved before it reached Tavian.

The snow didn’t care about his silence. It kept falling. Covering the cobblestones, the steps, the shoulders of a man who was standing still because moving meant admitting the morning was real and the morning had teeth.