Chapter 30

A chill danced down my back.

“So, did the plan work?” I asked, my eyes growing wide as I turned to Christopher.

“Is the tracker functioning?” Christopher questioned Marquardt, who responded with a nod.

Marquardt folded his arms across his chest. “Scarlett didn’t suspect a thing. She was excellent at attaching the tracker.”

“Because it was all real, I genuinely wanted to smack her,” I admitted. The plan had been my brainchild. Initially, Christopher was taken aback, but he eventually warmed up to it.

We needed more evidence, and we were certain that Bertha was involved, so I suggested we put a tracker on her. I was confident she trusted me enough to let me get close.

Marquardt proposed that the guards assist in the plan to make her escape easier.

“We need to see if she heads to the same location Ronald discovered,” Christopher stated.

“The person responsible for her transfer to the council was Rufus, their deputy head of guard,” Marquardt said, tossing a report onto the table.

“Exactly who Brennon suspected,” Christopher said, pulling out the paper to verify the name. “Now we get ready to tail her. Today, we put an end to this saga.” Christopher’s final words hit the nail on the head.

I could feel it, deep in my bones.

We returned to the guard to track Bertha’s movements. To our astonishment, she came back.

Bertha fled down the road at the southern border’s end, but then she altered her course. She headed to a logging site in our pack, where trees were being replanted and would be ready for harvesting in a decade. It was a somewhat secluded and rarely visited area.

It seemed like the perfect spot, but what no one anticipated was that it wasn’t the location where my father had discovered the financial misappropriation in Joshua’s pack.

A wave of icy fear washed over me. Was this all a trap?

“Don’t worry, Scarlett, we’ve got it under control,” Christopher reassured me. “We’re sending two teams—one to the warehouse Ronald found, and one to Bertha’s location. Ronald and Robert will follow the first team, while Marquardt and I will accompany the second.”

“Don’t even think about leaving me behind. I’m coming with you,” I declared, rising from my chair.

“Scarlett, please don’t. You know you need to stay here. You two are my world; I can’t risk putting you in harm’s way,” Christopher pleaded. His voice was soft, but his words were as resolute as ever.

I felt a deep-seated need to go as well.

“I can’t just sit here, Christopher. This involves me too—and him,” I said, rubbing my belly. It was about Anthony. It was about all of us.

“But that’s exactly why you need to stay here, where it’s safe,” Christopher argued, cradling my chin between his thumb and forefinger. He gazed into my eyes for a moment before sighing.

“You already know, don’t you?” I asked, and he shook his head, chuckling.

“That you won’t stay put and will follow us if I don’t let you come?” he asked, looking back at me.

“Exactly,” I replied, tilting my head.

Christopher turned to my father, who also shook his head.

“Don’t look at me, Alpha. She inherited that stubbornness from her mother,” my father said, sighing.

“Do you know how to handle a gun? Or at least a dagger?” Christopher asked me, running a hand through his hair.

“Seriously, I’m a Byron, and you know my father.” At that moment, I walked around my father and pulled the gun from the concealed holster he always wore. “We’ve been taking self-defense classes since we were six and shooting lessons since we were twelve,” I said, disassembling his gun on Marquardt’s desk. “And that included learning to assemble and disassemble.” After reassembling the gun, I saw Christopher smiling.

“Okay, at least you can defend yourself. Marquardt, get Scarlett two weapons—a dagger and a holster—and rally the troops. We leave in thirty minutes. Thomas will accompany her,” Christopher ordered. He knew that if I was going to have a guard stuck to me, it would at least be my brother-in-law.

We prepared to leave. Christopher would ride in the car with me, but before we got in, Marquardt brought the bulletproof vests and a holster with two guns for me and another holster with a dagger. While everyone was heading to the cars, Christopher and I were alone in Marquardt’s room. Christopher walked over to me, put on his vest, and then helped me into mine before slowly kneeling in front of me.

He knelt in front of me.

He fastened the holster around my waist in complete silence. I held my breath, feeling as if I was about to burst the bubble we were in. But he was the one who broke the silence.

“You know every fiber of my being is screaming at me not to let you go,” he said, securing the holster around my waist and slowly lifting my leg to attach the second holster with the dagger. His touch sent shivers down my spine.

“I feel like I need to go. I can’t exactly explain it, but I need to be there,” I said, trying to articulate my feelings, but it was hard. I didn’t fully understand it myself.

Christopher took a deep breath before standing up and planting a kiss on my forehead.

“It’s okay. I know you have a stronger connection with ~her~,” he said, pointing upward. “Just pray for us to be safe, okay?” he asked, placing his hand on my belly. “You two are the most important people in my life, and I… I’m just scared of losing everything.”

He swallowed hard, and I knew what he meant. He was terrified of losing everything ~again~ of having his world crumble before his eyes once more.

I didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say. I just stood on my tiptoes and kissed him on the lips.

“I love you,” I whispered, our lips still touching.

“I love you,” he managed to say before the doors to the room swung open.

“We’re ready, whenever you are, sir,” Marquardt announced, poking his head through the half-open door.

“Ready?” Christopher asked me, extending his hand.

“Let’s go,” I replied, taking his hand.

Christopher and I stepped out, heading toward the barracks courtyard. A pair of convoys awaited us—one for my father and brother, the other for Christopher, Thomas, Marquardt, and me. The number of cars filled with guards was staggering, not to mention the council guards who were set to meet us at each location. The plan was for my father to head to Joshua’s pack first. Given the interconnected nature of our investigations, it was crucial to involve guards not linked to Rufus. We watched as my father’s convoy pulled away; then it was our turn to leave.

The tension I felt on the trip to the council was a mere shadow compared to this. I knew this was something I had to do, and I knew it wouldn’t be a walk in the park. Christopher’s hand tightened around mine, his thumb soothingly tracing circles on the back of my hand throughout the journey. As we neared our destination, Christopher’s phone rang. He pulled it out, and I saw my dad’s number on the screen.

“Alpha, we’re at the location. It’s a massive warehouse, ideal for Joshua’s plans, but it’s deserted. There’s no evidence of anyone ever being here,” my father’s voice echoed from the phone, causing my brows to furrow in confusion. “The council guards are here too, but there’s absolutely nothing.”

“That’s odd,” Christopher responded. “We’re not at the other location yet, but we’re close. Bring everyone from your team for backup.” After ending the call, he muttered through clenched teeth, “Something’s not right.”