moon

Chapter Three

A/N: sorry for the lack of posting, I'm having writer's block as well as my preliminaries :(

I glared at Jared's back, contemplating the countless irritating things that he had done over the years. I let out a soft growl as he shoved his way through the crowd of pack members gathering outside the Alpha's office.

Jared turned a key in the lock and pushed the door open. I gasped as I saw the array of documents slipping out from files marked as "CONFIDENTIAL" and "EYES ONLY". I stepped back, slightly weak from the shock of seeing some of my most private findings being photocopied.

"What the hell are you doing?" I snatched up a copy of my top secret banana muffin recipe and ripped it up, scattering the pieces onto the floor. It was no ordinary recipe, and it contained some special ingredients that would kill anyone who ate one.

Greyson stood in the middle of the mess, rubbing his temples and surveying the scene around him. Leah clasped my hand as she wept. "The Council," she sobbed. "It's shutting us down. All our operations are to be halted immediately. Some rogue must have sneaked in and told everything to them."

Jared's lips were firmly pressed together, his shoulders squared. "I bet it was Ella. She hated our pack."

"Ella?"

"Jared's ex-fiancé. She left before they could break it off." Leah's wails had been reduced to hiccups.

"So technically she's still his fiancé," I commented absently, tearing up a photocopy of the blueprints for an invisible security system that would blast intruders with enough radiation to muddle their brains up.

"Ella texted him saying that she never wanted to see him again."

"Ah. I have another question. Why is the Council shutting us down?"

Greyson strode over and we all fell silent. His hands were clenched in a death grip and his eyes were cold and hard.

"The Council said that we had two weeks to prove that we did not steal private documents from the Seth pack."

My knees felt weak as the full blow of his statement hit me even harder than a wrecking ball would.

"But we did steal something," I murmured. "The serum. Oh my God, the serum. Holy crap, the serum. Oh shit-"

"Calm down, Aria. We can concoct something, right? Then we can continue with our everyday business and-"

"We stole their most precious defense tactic. And we tested it out on some pack members. They are going to kill all of us."

The others blinked.

"The Council can't do that, can they?" Jared asked, uneasiness seeping into his voice.

"But the Seth pack can with the Council's permission. And even if we manage to make a believable story, the truth about the serum is still going to come out." My mind raced at top speed, coming up with all sorts of endings, none of them positive. Unless...

Leah stared hard at me. "She's getting an idea."

"Then tell us, for God's sake!" Greyson impatiently tapped his wristwatch. "Time is ticking."

I took a deep breath and nodded my head. "What would you say if all the documents were to... suddenly disappear, along with me and two other people?"

Leah's blue eyes widened, and she spluttered. I stared at her, concerned. "Why are you-"

"Because I can't go with you," she interrupted. She glanced at Greyson. He shook his head, almost sadly. "I have to stay with Grey." Her voice was soft, like silk, and her eyes were filled with tears.

"Oh Lee," my hands fluttered up to my mouth. "Oh, Leah."

"It's fine. I'm fine. We're all fine." The Luna of our pack stood taller, squaring her shoulders with a determined look on her face. "All fine," she muttered, more to reassure herself than anyone else. "I'm okay."

"So," I threw one last troubled look at her before turning back to the two men who were waiting expectantly for me to continue. "I'm going to take one of my assistants. Most probably Zach. But who else?"

Greyson glanced at Jared. It was a fleeting look, but the Beta caught it anyway. "Oh, no," he scowled. "Not me. Nope. Never in a million years."

"Jared." Grey's voice was sharp. "You will go with Dr Iris."

"Seriously?" Jared whined at his brother. "Come on."

Greyson immediately shifted into his wolf form and Leah had to stop him before he lunged at Jared. The man in question looked shaken up and closed his eyes for a moment. "Fine," he sighed. "If  I'm such an invaluable member of the pack, then whatever, I'll go."

A/N: just a short chapter today, the written papers are starting tomorrow. wish me luck!