Page 49 of Fate Awakened

She nods her understanding. I walk out of her office, heading back to my apartment. Back to the bed that smells like my Mate, intending to wrap myself up in Bri’s scent for a few hours in hopes that sleep will fix the aching in my heart, and that it will solidify my focus and prepare me for whatever comes next.

Tomorrow the hunt begins.

Chapter 18

Dante

Thewalkbacktomy office gives me time to plan our next steps. The last twenty-four hours have thrown several challenges my way, and not having my Second mentally capable of taking some of the load drains me.

Every time I put one fire out, it seems three more pop up, giving me too many proverbial balls in the air.

The Healys, Hudson, Brielle, Mr. Anderson, and now Marlo’s plans.

Elijah was able to trace the Healys to the Miami Pack run by Luca Amato, Deacon Marlo’s uncle and one of the oldest, nastiest Alphas in the United States. Not only did the Miami Pack happen to be the fifth largest recorded pack in existence, but it also had a ruthless reputation for still being run the old ways.

Slavery, Breeding, Arranged Couplings.

Everything we’ve spent decades trying to eradicate from our culture. Not that we’ve ever been able to prove any of the rumors because everyone who has been a witness and tried to testify before the LLC has gone missing, had a sudden change of heart, or lost their nerve. Over the years, the attempts have been fewer and farther between as Alphas in the surrounding packs have grown tired of the relentless upheaval it causes to their businesses, their pack members, and the lives of those they try to protect the most.

My father sat on the council the last time a claim was submitted, just after the old war. Unfortunately, by that point, Luca had too many of the LLC members in his pocket, either through generous donations or blackmail, and none would hear the case.

Finding out Hudson’s parents were traced to his pack was the worst-case scenario. It made me wonder what Hudson was thinking in trading a single human girl in exchange for his parents. It would make more sense if he knew she was Unawakened, but of course, he couldn’t; he isn’t an Alpha.

Now, had he successfully been able to smuggle HUNTER, Presley’s proprietary first-of-its-kind software, he’d have more than enough to trade. Her innovative software could be implemented into any existing system to scan millions of hours of surveillance and ascertain not only individuals who were shifters but also could pick out vampires, fae, angels, and demons in any of their shifted forms using a combination of camera images, thermal indicators, audio vibration, or even scent tracing.

Not only can it be used to identify different species, but it can utilize that data processing power to brute force into any security system, camera, or phone in the world. It does this using proximity processing and low-orbit satellites.

On the human side, it would revolutionize the war on human trafficking. Missing person cases would almost cease to exist due to the ability to follow anyone anywhere in real-time. For other species, it would do the same; however, it could also expose all of us to the human world.

This advancement meant detection, protection, safety, and security for all if it stayed in the right hands; however, in the wrong hands, it could be a targeting system that could locate anyone. Using it wouldn't just be a witch hunt, it would annihilate an entire species. A complete genocide.

As you can imagine, software this powerful, came with unforeseen side effects. Off the top of my head, I knew that online banking, online shopping, government files and communications, and financial institutions, all of them compromised. Shit, every encryption algorithm that’s not quantum-resistant would be vulnerable. That's just the beginning, the list of future side effects is endless.

Because of this, only four people had a working knowledge of the software's capability, and only Pres knew the genuine intricacies of how her algorithms configured the initial data. Cain, Mason, and I understood the general premise, but the inner workings, that’s all Presley.

Thankfully Keith wasn’t able to work out what the code did.

I fall into my computer chair, pulling up the email Elijah forwarded from Bronson, Alpha of the Fort Lauderdale Pack, the pack the Healys had been a part of the last few years. He details the dates when the Healys left. They correspond to the timeline for Hudson leaking the information so Kole could steal the software.

He was blackmailed.

This news doesn’t surprise me, but it puts a pit in my stomach. Cain will never let this go. He’ll want his retribution. It pains me to know that Hudson cannot come back from this, despite having little choice.

Why didn’t he come to me?

My failures as an Alpha seem to be glaring me in the face. Even my pack members aren’t relying on me.

Shaking off those thoughts, I scan through a few more unread emails about new clients requesting personnel, status reports on the current accounts, a glowing review from a local politician whose daughter we recovered earlier this month after she was taken from her nanny during playtime at the park, and an itemized list of upcoming events put together by Quinn.

The list is over a page long and only lists events we’re covering through the end of the year. My eyes catch on the retreat we’re hosting for unmated wolves in allied packs.

Three weeks?

The stress eases back into my shoulders as I realize how distracted I’ve become with the stolen software, Cain’s missing Mate, and Kole’s presence in our territory. I make a mental note to touch base with the Alphas who are attending, and those who will be sending members.

We need to figure out this mess sooner than later because I can't have our missteps broadcast to fifteen different packs.

Before shutting everything down, I send a to-do list to Quinn, knowing she’ll hold down the fort until I can get back to the day-to-day of the business.

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