Chapter 8

• TRISTAN’S POV:
• I found myself lurking by the curtains, peeping at the Moon Peak Pack army out on the field through the window blinds that were conveniently up. The spectacle was the pack's army training, and I couldn't resist evaluating their skills.
• Now, don't get me wrong, they were decent, and Lucas seemed to think they were the bee's knees. He wanted to flaunt his army's prowess to the rest of the pack. But let's just say, they were like amateur hour compared to my pack's Iron Army. Those guys were specially trained to tackle formidable opponents, and I can confidently say no other pack in the country even comes close to them.
• Only someone like Lucas would think he was so important.
• After a few more minutes of observing their formations and tactics, I sighed and plopped down on my bed, fishing my phone out of my pocket.
• My messenger was flooded with messages, and my email had an inbox brimming with reports, business proposals, messages from friends, group chat mentions from the family, and a deluge of texts from my cousin, Bethany.
• Of course, I couldn't keep Bethany waiting, or she'd hound me with a million questions once she spotted me online. I tapped on her message and fired back a quick response.
• Bethany: [Earlier Message] Hey, Tristan! I finally got that promotion at work I've been busting my butt for! 🎉
• Me: Wow, Beth, so they finally acknowledged your existence at the office? Color me impressed! 😮
• [Within seconds, Bethany responded...]
• Bethany: [Sarcastic] Oh, you're too kind, Tristan. But seriously, I'm over the moon. I might even catch up to your level of success one day. 😜
• Me: Hold on, Beth, don't get ahead of yourself! That's a tall order, you know. Achieving my level of success is no cakewalk. 🤣
• Bethany: I'll give it my all, oh wise one. By the way, how's the whole pack treaty negotiation going?
• Me: Oh, you know, dragging it out as usual. We should wrap things up later today. I'll check in with you once we're done.
• Bethany: Speaking of meetings, Uncle's been having hush-hush convos with some elders while you've been away. Wonder what that's about.
• Me: Really? He's been acting all mysterious lately.
• Bethany: Yeah, I noticed. I'll keep a close eye on him.
• [There's a brief pause on Bethany's side before she continued...]
• Bethany: By the way, when are you going to settle down and find a mate? You've jumped from one pack to another and still can't find someone intriguing? Like a potential mate?
• Me: [Sigh] Oh, not the mate topic again! I'm married to my work, Beth. Who has time for love when you're out there saving the world one business deal at a time? 💼
• Bethany: You're impossible, Tristan. But I have a feeling that love will find you when you least expect it.
• Me: Well, if love ever comes knocking, it better have a killer business proposal and a five-year plan ready! 😂
• Bethany: Nevermind. I'm sure someone will wipe that smirk off your face. Or, perhaps someone already has, but you can't admit it?
• I couldn't help but pause at her words, and my thoughts drifted back to Raven. I'd already learned a bit about her, like her name. There was definitely an attraction there, and it wasn't just about a one-time thing.
• Just then, my phone chimed again, and Bethany's message popped up.
• Bethany: [Excited] You've got to be kidding me! Are you actually into someone? 😲
• Me: How did you figure that out?
• Bethany: I know you well... you only get quiet when I hit the nail on the head.
• Me: Well, it's not what you think. We've had some interesting encounters. That's all.
• Bethany: [Playful] Uh-huh, interesting encounters, huh? Well, when you're back, you better be ready to spill all the gist, Mr. "I-Don't-Need-A-Mate"! 😄🤩
• Me: Tch... Like I'd willingly share my secrets with you.
• Bethany: We'll see about that. Gotta run, my boss is summoning me.
• Me: Sure thing. Talk to you later.
• She didn't respond to my last message, so I knew she was off the radar. I chuckled and shook my head, then dove into the rest of my unread messages.
• Just then, there came a soft knock on my door.
• "Hey, it's me, Alpha," Ethan's voice called out from outside. I gave him the green light to come in without bothering to look up from my task.
• As he entered and closed the door behind him, I took a moment to pause and gave him my full attention. The tablet in his hand hinted that he'd wrapped up his investigation on Raven.
• "You're already done?" I asked, somewhat surprised by his speed.
• He clicked his tongue. "Yeah, not much to uncover, to be honest."
• I narrowed my eyes and shifted on the bed, extending my hand to take the tablet from him, eager to dive into Raven's records. Most people's background checks usually spanned dozens of pages, but hers only took up a handful.
• My gaze flickered back to Ethan. "This is all there is?"
• "Yep," he replied, reaching for a pack of cigarettes in his pocket as he settled onto the couch across from me, the cushions giving way under his weight.
• He extended the pack towards me, offering, "Care for one?"
• Anticipating that I might need something to take the edge off while I went through the report, I accepted a cigarette. After he lit it for me, I blew a few smoke rings and finally began reading.
• The findings on Raven left much to be desired. Her life appeared to revolve solely around this pack, and she played a minimal role in it. She seemed to be on the receiving end of constant bullying, with hardly any friends to her name, except for a guy named Theo, who appeared to be a rare source of kindness in her life.
• The way she was treated by the pack members unsettled me, enough that I had to pause reading. For the first time, I found myself disliking Ethan's meticulous digging into people's past.
• Perhaps sensing my change in mood, he cast a quick glance my way and inquired, "What's bothering you? Not detailed enough?"
• Annoyed, I exhaled more smoke before replying, "It's detailed... maybe a little too much."
• He grinned. "You're letting it get to you? You've seen far worse cases."
• His words made me realize that I was, indeed, overly affected. Over the years, I'd crossed paths with countless individuals who faced more dire situations, yet I'd never been this concerned.
• I furrowed my brow, extinguishing the cigarette in the ashtray, its glow fading away. Raven was affecting me more than she should, especially for someone I'd met just two days ago. I couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.
• "Thanks for the report," I acknowledged, picking up the tablet and scrolling through it. When I got to a point, I paused and peered at him, "There isn't a lot of information about her parents. Why is that?"
• He seemed thoughtful before answering, "Well, there wasn't much on them. They were accused and executed as traitors."
• "Was it a false accusation?" I queried him.
• He shook his head. "I'm not sure about that. It was a hurried event and there was barely any information on how they were accused."
• I sighed, rubbing my finger on the screen subconsciously. Then, I ordered, "Help me dig deeper on it. I want to know everything about how the accusation came to be, why and when they were executed."
• "Okay, then." He didn't question or quibble about it and instead, put off his cigarette and walked out again.
• As he left, I continued to read the report, but the more I read, the more unease settled in.