Oliver huffed and picked up the steaming mug of tea that was already waiting for him. “Even heroes need to take a break,” he said, taking a sip of Earl Grey.
Nancy glanced at her watch. “It’s not even nine o’clock and you’re already having breakfast dates with pretty little omegas?”
Oliver shrugged and carried on drinking. The beta sucked her teeth, a small grin pinching her lips. “Well, this new care free attitude suits you, because you’ve finally got some colour back in your cheeks.” Oliver hummed as she handed him the morning’s briefing documents. “Matteus said you’ve been pretty down about the whole thing,” she continued, so Oliver ran his eyes over the text, in an attempt to avoid the conversation. “Ollie…” She tapped her ball-point pen on the top edge of the paperwork. “Are you sure you’re okay? What happened was pretty intense, even for us.”
Sighing, Oliver put down the papers. “Thanks for asking, Nance. But sometimes it’s just better to get back in the saddle.”
The beta nodded, wetting her lips. “And… the sergeant? Is everything okay between you?”
Oliver swallowed. He knew she’d bring it up, eventually. If Nancy was anything, she was a gossip first and foremost. “Yes, Nance. We talked a bit. We’re all good, but it’s better for everyone that we don’t work on the same team.”
Nancy let out a breath. “As much as I hate to admit it, I’m quite glad to hear you say that.”
“Oh?”
“Don’t get me wrong, Ollie—I love working with you, and God knows we’ve had a laugh over the years. But what happened on the warrant, it—well, you heard it, right?”
Oliver nodded. “Yeah, it was pretty weird.”
“Weird? Weird?!” she said, leaning towards him with a look of concern. “Ollie, it was sodding terrifying. When he made that sound—it was like my whole body turned to ice. I genuinely felt like if I touched you, I’d die. And that’s not me being dramatic. I can’t speak for the alphas, but I know some of the beta’s felt that way, too.”
A rush of warmth flooded Oliver’s body, because—fuck, after almost a decade in the job, he’d finally fallen victim to office gossip.
Before they could continue the conversation, Inspector Callahan waved a hand, drawing their attention to the front of the room.
“Morning, everyone. Thank you for coming at such short notice.” A collection of nods tipped around the room. “I wanted to speak to you all, because we’ve uncovered some concerning information from the mobile phone data. Long story short, it has come to light that the dealership staff have formed an unsanctioned pack, which appears to be led by the alpha Adrian Moore.”
Hushed voices rippled around the room, several of the officers sharing concerned glances. Packs became closely monitored in the UK since the second world war, and furtherstill following the mass production of mobile phones in the 1970s. Not to mention theFree Loveera. Where once, anyone anywhere could form a pack, in the twenty first century the government—in their infinite wisdom—placed strict sanctions on when and why packs could be created. Close family members were automatically protected under old pack laws, but those with no biological relatives or the desire to commit to traditional family values… Well, there was a reason depression and suicide had soared in the last half a century.
Packs had been crucial to humanity’s survival prior to the 1900s, but technological advances saw the old ways twisted and soured into something dangerous. It was well documented that if a pack had too many members, or was saturated with one secondary sex type, they could become unpredictable with its members often acting outside of the status-quo.
Local militias controlling alpha-heavy boroughs, or omegas being forced into unwanted and incompatible matings. Simply put, humans could no longer be trusted with the privilege of large scale packs, which was why it became illegal, despite the impact it was having on lone-wolves.
“Because of this,” the Inspector continued, “We have had to inform the government of our investigation. Unfortunately, we believe that what has been uncovered in West Newton is connected to the wider European investigation being carried out by DS White and the Metropolitan police. Simply put, we need to get a handle on this before West Newton and the surrounding boroughs are dragged into international gang warfare. Oh, and the children. Obviously, we have to think about the children.”
Oliver leant back in his chair and glanced across at Lucas. They shared a look as Oliver shook his head. Two weeks ago, West Newton and High Enfield were just two sleepy little towns on the outskirts of nowhere. Now, they were becoming hot-beds for exploitation and underground crime syndicates?Seriously?Oliver couldn’t help but feel like it all started to unravel the day he and Lucas sat on the floor with Helena Cartwright, making Lego sports cars.
Callahan cleared his throat and continued. “We also know that alpha children within the local care system are being targeted by the traffickers, likely with the goal of turning them into future controllers.”
Oliver frowned and raised his hand. “But what about the little boy from Devonshire…Alfie? Where does he fit into all this?”
Inspector Callahan nodded. “Nowthat, DC Reed, is an excellent question. The simple answer is—we just don’t know. It’s something that you and DC Purslow are going to try to get to the bottom of today.”
“Today, sir?”
“Yes, social services are bringing him over this afternoon. You and Nancy are interviewing him.”
Oliver frowned. “Really, sir? So soon after losing his parents?”
The Inspector tapped his chin and gave Oliver a pointed look. “He doesn’t know yet. We thought you might break the news to him, as a form of rapport building.”
“Rapport bu—” Oliver cut himself off with a sharp breath. He stood, unable to control the anger rising in his gut. “Rapport building, sir? With all due respect—he is a four-year-old child who has just become an orphan, not a fucking business associate.”
Nancy gripped his wrist, trying to pull him back into his seat. “Ollie,” she whispered, her tone low and cautious. If he thought everyone was gossiping about him before, they certainly would be now. He was vaguely aware of Lucas pushing himself upright from the wall. The Inspector just glared at him, lip twitching over his left fang.
Reluctantly, Oliver slumped back into his seat and pressed his fingers to his lips to prevent anything inappropriate slipping out. He loved being a police officer, he really did, but sometimes he questioned how the fuck some people got into positions of management.
As the meeting drew to a close, Oliver was the first to slip from his seat and walk towards the door. He knew Nancy was trying to talk to him, but he was so angry with the Inspector that he needed a moment to himself. Striding down the corridor, he rounded the corner to the men’s restrooms. Thankfully, no one was around, so he used the opportunity to splash some cold water on his face and scream into a paper towel.
