Reckless Regrets
Chapter 29

Kade

Thorne and I made our way through the house and up to his office, and once we got there, he locked the door, went to his desk, turned on some pretty mellow music, then sat.

“I need to calm myself down. That Alpha of yours has crossed a line, and I’m not used to having to deal with such disrespect.”

“Well, he excommunicated me, remember? Not my Alpha. And I’m pretty sure the disrespect was more so aimed at me. He has my son and is using the bullshit excuse that he’s worried I might hurt him? Xander knows I’d never harm a child, especially my first-born son. We’ve had disagreements in the past, but this is low, and I refuse to let it happen,” I angrily stated.

Thorne steepled his hands and gave me an intense stare, no doubt trying to intimidate me and suss out any signs of dishonesty. He’d be staring for a long time.

“So, what do you want to do? I’d hope you would have some idea or plan in place?”

I took a seat and positioned my body in the most carefree and relaxed position I could. I wanted him to see how unphased I was. Cool as a cucumber.

“I don’t have to do anything. Anyone who knows me or has seen me with Cameron knows that I have never done anything besides love and care for him since I got here. I have nothing to hide; I’ll get my son back. You, on the other hand, you need a plan.

I don’t know what Nate told Xander, but even I can tell that the treatment of your omegas, hell any wolf that isn’t ranked in this pack, is below average. As Alpha, you have the right to run the pack how you feel best benefits them, but if I’m honest, it seems only to benefit you. The Elder Council won’t like that.”

“f**k the Elder Council! They’ve never done anything for Canyon Woods. They’ve been against us for generations, since the beginning!”

He stopped himself before he got to upset and carried away, but I could guess that he was probably referring to the land they decreed belonged to Blue Moon after the challenge.

“The point I’m making here is it’s you who has some work to do. How you’ve treated your pack all these years isn’t my concern, but if you’re found guilty of crimes against them, you’ll be stripped of your legacy and killed. No alpha wants to end up like that.”

As he thought over what I was telling him, he slowly nodded his head. He knew he was a foul a*****e and a piss poor leader, and now he was trying to figure out a shady way to save his life.

“Any suggestions?” he asked me.

“Do you think we’re the mob? Why would I have ideas or suggestions on underhanded ways to save your a*s?”

“Oh, come on, Kaden. Do you think I don’t know the types of things that happen in your pack? Your current Gamma is Hades for f***s sake, so don’t pretend that everything is 100 % by the book there.”

Little did he know. Absolutely everything Xander did was by the book. When he took out Francesca, he first recorded her confession. When we went after Drew, it was only after he abused our Gamma Female then broke the agreement that was set forth between his pack and ours to stay away from her. Lancaster broke into our home, kidnapped our prisoner, then kidnapped three of our ranked members. We had every right to f**k him and his entire coven up.

And as for Hades, Tyson had not done anything related to his old life since he joined us. And he’s a bear, so he wasn’t under the scrutiny of the Elder Council’s code of conduct until after he became ranked as our Gamma. So, all Thorne has was speculation and lies; and neither one was going to save him.

“You need to take any documentation you may have that could point to any wrong-doing and destroy it. Collect it all and get rid of it in a huge bonfire or something. Then anyone here who may be able to testify to anything negative, get rid of them as well.”

He nodded slowly.

“Kill them.”

“No! Don’t kill anybody, what the f**k? Send them away for a while. It’s a thirty-day investigation, send them on vacation, paid or unpaid, is up to you. If you have a sister pack, maybe swap them between the two, say it’s to get some fresh workers or something along those lines.

It’s damn near impossible to expect loyalty from people when you haven’t earned it, but anyone you’re not 100 % sure is on your side needs to disappear for a month.”

Even though I led him to it, I was shocked at how easily he’d accepted the suggestion to kill someone. I knew he was a selfish prick but come on. And besides, he barely knew me!

“And how can I know that you’re 100% on my side? You’ve been Blue Moon your entire life, and you’ve shown me plenty of times how much respect you hold for Alpha Black.”

“I’m going to be honest with you. I’m not on your side or Xander’s. I’m on my side. Xander has my kid and is keeping him from me, and this investigation could possibly destroy the pack that is his birthright to lead. Anything that I may do to help, it’s not for you; it’s for Cameron. That’s who has my loyalty now.”

“I appreciate the honesty, and I respect it. A man who fights for his child is a force to be reckoned with. So, in this situation, I’ll trust you to do what’s best for your son and his future.”

I nodded in agreement and internally smiled. Cameron’s future was as a member of the Blue Moon pack. The days of Canyon Woods were numbered.

***

We talked for a short while longer, but no serious incriminating evidence was passed between us. I didn’t expect that to happen so soon anyway, but I did not doubt that when the pressure from the investigation began to be felt throughout the pack and whispers and rumors began to crop up, Thorne would be more than willing to talk.

Because of our “spat,” it was easy for Marisol and me to go back to our old rooms, at least for a few days, while we pretended to be angry with each other. And to be honest, it was difficult to share a room with her, even with me sleeping on the floor, knowing that she had been planning to kill me less than a week ago.

The next morning, I took a walk around the grounds when I saw a random pack member point me out to another wolf; I could tell he was from the Elder Council. He had a dull official look about him that just made him stand out in the crowd; and not in a good way. When we made eye contact, he quickly made his way over and pulled out a voice recorder.

“My name is Investigator Lewis. I was told that you’re the Alpha. Alpha Thorne?” he asked.

I let out an exasperated breath. Why did this pack insist on calling me their Alpha? I know they didn’t like Thorne, but damn it!

“No, I’m not.”

He c****d his head and smirked at me.

“Hiding your identity won’t hinder my investigation, sir. In fact, it will reflect poorly on you in my report. So, I’ll try this again. Are you Alpha Thorne?”

“Again, I say no. My name is Kaden Thomas, and I’m willing to bet that you didn’t put much effort into researching before you got here. Thorne is in his late 50’s, while I’m in my mid 20’s. Thorne is also old, gray, and out of shape. I’m young, every color but gray, and rock solid. I hope you don’t leave the mistaken identity out of the report; I know how thorough the council like to be,” I stated with a smirk of my own.

He flipped through a folder in his hand and sighed.

“Why would that wolf tell me you’re his alpha if that’s not the case?”

“It’s a long story, but you’ll get the details soon enough if you don’t already have them there,” I said, pointing to his hands.

I looked around and realized that he was alone; there should have been a guard with him.

“Just curious, how is it that you’re here without an escort?”

He looked confused by my question, so I elaborated.

“How did you get onto the pack territory without being stopped by patrols and escorted to the packhouse?”

“Oh, there were no patrols. I waited for fifteen minutes as customary, and when no one showed up, I continued in on my own.”

“Of course you did. Well, I can take you to Thorne now; unless you want to continue to roam around by yourself.”

“I’ve got a lot of questions and not a lot of time, so…”

I turned and walked back to the house with Lewis right next to me.

“So, Lou. Just curious, but are the things you dig up during your investigation confidential? I mean, I know they will be divulged with the elders, but what about other members of the pack?”

“No one outside of the council will know anything that I see or am told. Did you have something you wanted to share? You understand that you are under investigation as well.”

“Oh, I know. But I’m not worried. You’ll replace out soon enough that the claims are bullshit. Then you can focus your attention on the real issue.”

“Bullshit? Really? Are you saying that you’re being set up? Filing a frivolous claim is grounds-”

“Let me stop you there. There is a lot behind this claim; my portion is just the tip of the iceberg. You will replace that I’m completely innocent, but I’ll be the only one. You’re here for a reason, and it’s not frivolous.”

I held eye contact with him while I spoke to ensure he understood the seriousness of what I was telling him. He’d already started this thing off wrong by not even reading through the background data he was provided, and I needed that to be his only mistake. I refused to let this plan go to s**t because an underpaid and overworked investigator wasn’t paying attention.

“I see. Well, I’ll be sure to review all the details moving forward more thoroughly. I wouldn’t want to let anything slip between the cracks.”

“Perfect.”

We turned down the hall Thorne’s office was on and saw him as he was walking out.

“You have a visitor,” I stated.

He looked at Lewis up and down and, just like me, knew he was from the council.

“You guys don’t waste time now, do you?”

“Usually, there is a serious backlog, but someone was able to get this case moved to the top of the pile, so here I am. Investigator Lewis, and am I correct in assuming that you are Alpha Thorne?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Excellent. Would you mind if we stepped back into your office and spoke? I have quite a few things I’d like to go over as well as to explain how this whole process works.”

Thorne wasn’t ready at all, and it showed. I expect to see an investigator here less than 24 hours after Xander made the call, so I know Thorne wasn’t either.

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather we spoke somewhere else. The office is a bit cluttered and not prepared for guests.”

“I don’t mind. It’s actually preferable. These meetings are never scheduled. We prefer to show up unexpectedly to catch you off guard. It gives a more honest interview,” Lewis said with a smile.

I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the wall watching. Thorne looked over to me panicked, and it was then I realized that he’d probably taken my advice and collected all the incriminating evidence.

And it was right behind that door, out in the open. Oh, this was classic.

“Let’s go to the living room. We can grab a cold drink and talk there,” Thorne said before he tried to lead Lewis way from the door.

Lewis nodded his head then pulled a large round ball from his briefcase that he snapped over the office doorknob.

“What is that?” I asked.

“In simple terms, it’s a lock. It cannot be opened by anyone other than another council member or myself. So, Alpha Thorne, when you are ready to re-enter your office, we will do so together.”

“You can’t f*****g do that! This house is private property. There are things in my office that, if they got out to other packs, it could cause serious harm to my people. Business documents, financials, everything!” he yelled.

“I’m sure. And as I explained to Mr. Thomas, my investigation is 100% confidential. Anything not relating to the claim is none of my concern. So, we can go inside, or we can get a drink and delay the inevitable. It’s totally up to you.”

After looking between the two of us, searching for some way out of the situation but not replaceing it, Thorne stormed off down the hall and stomped down the stairs like a spoiled kid. I turned to Lewis and smiled.

“You see? This investigation is going to make your career. You mark my words.”