Anders and Conall exchanged looks.Hours alone with communication equipment would be more than enough time to plant false evidence, create false records, set up the perfect frame job.
Robert,Anders said quietly,I think we may have made a mistake.
Before Robert could respond, Conall’s phone buzzed with a text from Nadine.
Need you and Anders.Found something in Gregory’s files you need to see.NOW.
He showed it to Anders.
We’ll be back soon,Anders told Robert.With good news for you, I hope.
They found Nadine in the converted newspaper office, surrounded by hard drives salvaged from Gregory’s facility.She glanced up as they entered, her expression grim.
Communication logs,she said without preamble.I’ve been going through everything we recovered from Gregory’s lab.Found actual voice recordings, encrypted message threads, financial transfer records.
She pulled up audio files on her laptop.Listen to this.
Raymond’s voice filled the room, unmistakably his despite the electronic distortion:The twins are getting suspicious.Might need to accelerate the timeline for eliminating them.
Another file:Robert Mitchell has access to all communication protocols.Easy target for framing.Una can ‘discover’ evidence when needed.
And another:The alpha pair trusts me completely.Forty years of loyalty buys significant operational freedom.
Each recording felt like a physical blow.Raymond’s voice, Raymond’s words.
Raymond plotting against everything they’d sworn to protect.
How long?Anders’s voice hovered on the edge of fury.
Years,Nadine replied.The earliest files date back three years.Well before Gregory’s supposed death, well before anyone suspected there was a problem.
She pulled up financial records.Regular payments to shell companies registered in Raymond’s name.Not large amounts—just enough to supplement retirement income without raising suspicions.
But why?The question tore out of Conall.Raymond’s been pack family since before I was born.He taught me to track, helped train me and Quinton—
Because he never stopped believing Vincent’s ideology,Nadine said quietly.The ‘strong rule the weak’ mentality.The communications show he was working with Gregory long before Gregory’s fake death.He wanted to protect Vincent’s legacy by undermining the current leadership.
The pieces fell into place with sickening clarity.Raymond’s detailed questions about security protocols.His push for immediate investigation of the twins.His convenient presence during Dana’s training accident that provided Quinton’s blood for evidence planting.
All of it designed to frame them while positioning himself as a concerned pack elder askingprotectivequestions.
We need to tell Malcolm and Larissa,Anders said.Call a council meeting.
Already done,Conall said, texting them as he spoke.Emergency session in one hour.
THE PACK COUNCIL CHAMBERfelt different this time—charged with the kind of tension that preceded either justice or violence.Malcolm and Larissa sat at the head of the table, their expressions reflecting the gravity of what they’d uncovered.
Most of the council was present—Sarah and Nick with little Javier, Una looking genuinely confused by the emergency summons.And there, in her usual seat, Stephanie Gonzales.
Without her mate.
Where’s Raymond?Stephanie asked, her voice carrying the first note of unease.
That’s what we’re here to discuss,Malcolm said grimly.
Anders connected his laptop to the display system.We have evidence that Robert Mitchell was framed for treason.The real traitor has been operating among us for years.
The first audio file filled the chamber.Raymond’s voice, discussing plans to eliminate the Stewart twins, sent shock waves through the gathered pack members.
