Chapter 15

ELIZA’S POV I felt a familiar presence brush against my mind as I initiated a mind link with Lily. If the financial auditor wanted to see the evidence that I had then he would get it all. The connection from the link with my former assistant hummed with urgency as I sent my silent command. "Luna Eliza. What do you need me to do?" Lily asked me as soon as she felt the link, not wasting time to question why I was even contacting her in the first place. "I need all the financial documents that record how much of my money and investments that I have put into the pack," I told her. "You mean the secured documents?" She tried to confirm. I feigned a nod and replied. "Yes. Those documents." "I'll have them up shortly," Lily informed me before I ended the link and paid attention to the scene in front of me. I didn't bother to tell Lily where I was because within minutes, she appeared at the door, clutching a thick folder of financial records to her chest. The link worked in a way that whoever was connected to you could find your location, hence my withdrawal of that information. Lily's entrance sent ripples of tension through the already charged atmosphere of Diana's bedroom. Derek's face darkened as his gaze landed on the documents in Lily's hands. “What are those?” “Luna Eliza’s…” she paused and looked at me, “financial records and investments in this pack.” “What? And who asked you to bring them here?” He asked, body shaking. “Alpha Derek,” she muttered with enough respect in her tone though what she said next had no respect in them, “frankly I don’t answer to you anymore.” The muscle in Derek’s jaw twitched – a tell-tale sign that he hadn't anticipated this. His hands clenched into fists by his side and before I knew it, he was snarling at her. "You...bitch!” Derek's voice came out as a growl as he lunged forward, grabbing Lily's wrist with bruising force. "How dare you say that? How dare you blatantly disrespect me? How dare you betray your pack like this?" He ordered her to respond, his nails digging deeper into her skin, making her wince in pain. Lily flinched for a bit before she regained her composure, her face mirroring Derek's. She was not going to break, especially because of him. Instead of begging for forgiveness like other pack members would do, she met his gaze steadily and stepped forward, extending the records to the pack official with her free hand, putting it out of Derek's reach. The defiance in her action was clear. She was not going to be intimidated by anyone. I smirked. Derek's face contorted with rage and he broke skin, drawing a bit of blood. "You're banished, you wretch," he spat, his grip tightening on Lily's wrist. "Pack law gives me the right to exile traitors. Get out!" A low, threatening growl rumbled through my chest as my wolf stirred, responding to the threat against not only my assistant but my friend. The sound filled the room, making the windows vibrate slightly. "Get your hands off of her, Derek," my voice cut through the tension like a sharp knife. "Unless you want another visit from the capital's investigators. I'm sure they'd be very interested in hearing about you assaulting pack members and abusing your so-called power," I growled back at him, daring him to do his worst and face the consequences. Derek's grip loosened as he froze at my words, caught in my fierce gaze. The memory of his last brush with the capital's authority was still fresh – he couldn't afford another investigation. He would be ruined. Not only financially but his image would never recover. Begrudgingly, Derek removed his hand from Lily's wrist allowing her to step away from him and stand by my side. I glanced at her, wanting to make sure that she was okay. When she gave me a silent nod, I went on with what I had to do. I turned to the auditor and reached for the records. He handed them to me without any fuss, allowing me to spread them across the table with practiced precision, my fingers moving swiftly through the pages I'd memorized. "Three years ago," I began, my voice steady and clear, "our pack was on the brink of financial collapse. The previous Alpha's mismanagement had left us with mounting debts and declining resources." I pulled out a series of bank statements, laying them side by side for the auditor to look at. "That's when the $5 million investment came in. Money that saved this pack from bankruptcy." My finger traced down the columns of numbers. "Two million went into the Blue Moon Resort – our first werewolf-exclusive vacation destination. It now generates 40% of our pack's annual income." Derek's face had turned an alarming shade of red, but I continued, not sparing him more than a look. "Another $1.8 million funded the expansion of our medical center. We now serve three neighboring packs, providing specialized care for our kind." I pulled out architectural plans and medical equipment invoices. "And the remaining $1.2 million? Skills development programs that have employed over two hundred pack members." With every statement I brought forward, there was another document to complement it – contracts, permits, bank transfers. The evidence formed an irrefutable trail of the pack's transformation from near-bankruptcy to prosperity. All because of my stake in the pack. All because I wanted the pack to thrive. Derek's fury finally boiled over. With a roar, he lunged across the table, his hands grasping for the documents that threatened his position. My wolf surged forward in response, my eyes glowing amber as I prepared to not only defend myself but also to put Derek in his place. But before chaos could erupt, a heavy silence fell over the room. A presence, powerful and commanding, filled the space like a physical force stopping us in our tracks. I felt it press against my skin, making my wolf pause mid-motion. And before I could turn to know who it was, his voice reverberated through the room. A very familiar one that sent chills through me. “What is going on here?!”