Cord knocked once before opening the door. Brandon stopped mid-pace, his expression shifting from worried to resigned when he saw them both.
“Cord, and you must be Billy.” Brandon gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. “Thanks for coming in.”
“Like we had a choice?” Cord kept his voice level as he and Billy sat down, but his wolf stirred restlessly. The alpha in him still wanted blood for what they’d put Billy through.
Brandon winced as he sat down. “Look, I know you’re pissed…”
“Pissed?” Billy interrupted, which surprised everyone, including himself, judging by the pink flush on his cheeks. But he pressed on. “You let someone actively try to destroy Cord’s mating bond. You changed mission parameters without telling him. That’s not just unprofessional, it’s…”
“Criminal,” Cord finished for him. “And if Billy hadn’t helped me figure out what was happening, Rapid might have succeeded.”
Brandon rubbed his face. “I know. Believe me, I know. The whole thing was a clusterfuck from start to finish.”
“Then why?” Cord leaned forward. “I’ve worked for you for over a decade, Brandon. I’ve bled for this organization. Why would you sign off on testing my loyalty like that?”
“I didn’t.” Brandon’s shoulders slumped. “Not the way it played out, at least. The higher-ups wanted to run a security drill - test our communication protocols to see how field agents handled compromised intel. When you filed your mating papers, listing Billy as next of kin, they suggested it was also a good time to test out how long a mated wolf could be out on a mission.
“Previous team members have all left when they’ve found their mates, usually because the mates think the work is too dangerous. It causes problems every time it happens. You know how cohesive our teams need to be to work effectively. When someone leaves, that’s a big issue. The thinking in head office was that if we could find a way to keep those skills within the organization… we needed to know how you would cope. Rapid volunteered to mess with the communications side of things and keep us updated on your mental state and team interactions.”
“Of course he did,” Billy muttered. “He was probably monitoring how many times you went to the bathroom.”
“I admit he went off-script,” Brandon continued. “The personal messages, trying to undermine your bond - none of that was authorized. You have to believe me. Matings are sacred and we, as an organization, recognize that. We had no idea what Rapid was doing until you burst into his room that day.”
Cord felt Billy’s hand tighten on his. His mate was practically vibrating with indignation.
“So fire him,” Billy said simply. “He abused his position for personal gain. In the corporate world, that gets you blacklisted.”
Brandon’s laugh held no humor. “If only it were that simple. Rapid’s got connections, a stellar field record despite his many personal issues, and he knows where too many bodies are buried - figuratively speaking.”
“Then what?” Cord demanded. “He gets a slap on the wrist after myomega matespent days thinking I’d abandoned him and worse, was busy screwing someone else when I told him I was on a mission?”
“No.” Brandon’s voice went hard. “Rapid’s been suspended pending a full investigation. He’ll undergo a psychological evaluation, and he’s banned from any missions involving you or the team. But...”
“But?” Billy prompted when Brandon trailed off.
“But the organization wants to keep this in-house. No formal charges, no paper trail that could compromise our operations.”
Cord’s wolf snarled. But before he could speak, Billy shot to his feet.
“Unacceptable.” His omega’s voice shook, but not with fear – he was furious. “How can you even think about sweeping this under the rug? Rapid works on anomega rescue team, and who was he abusing with his messages? Me. An omega. Make that make sense.”
Brandon squirmed, something Cord didn’t think he’d ever seen the man do. “Rapid is a beta wolf. He doesn’t have the same level of attachment to an omega that an alpha might have. He doesn’t see omegas the way your mate is wired to feel about them. I am not condoning his actions at all, but the matter is being seen as more of a personal issue revolving around his fixation with Cord, rather than a direct attack against an omega.”
Cord let out a long breath.If we attack him, we won’t be allowed to go home with Billy,he reminded his snarling wolf.
But Billy didn’t seem to have the same issues with his own wolf. In fact, his voice was calm, and Cord could imagine him negotiating with a difficult client in exactly the same way.
“Fine. I’ll accept this is a personnel matter, and no business of mine. But as the affected omega, I insist that Rapid faces consequences for his actions. A written apology is the bare minimum, but to me, that’s not enough. I want compensation for the four days of emotional distress I went through. Restitution. That’s what my mate called it. I want restitution. We’re buying a new house together, and I want to be able to contribute to it. I also want an iron-clad guarantee that Rapid will never be in a position to do something like this again. Iron clad.”
Brandon blinked at Billy like he’d grown a second head. Cord bit back a grin. His mate might look like a stiff breeze could knock him over, but Billy had learned to fight for himself long ago. From what Cord had heard from his mate’s friends, Billy wasn’t usually as vocal about it, but Cord was thrilled to see how being valued had given Billy the confidence to speak up for himself.
“Those seem like reasonable requests,” Cord said mildly. “Don’t you think, Brandon?”
His team leader sighed. “I’ll see what I can do. The apology should be easy enough - Rapid’s already whining that he’d write one if you’d speak to him.”
“Which isn’t going to happen,” Cord snapped.
“I know, and he’s been informed.” Brandon glanced at Billy. “With regards to the compensation what did you have in mind?”
