Star Blessed

A Surprise Guest

RAFF

Raff drilled his fingers on the top of his desk, resisting the urge to place them on his temple and rub. His men were already peeved about the roll call-peeved but understanding- and he didn't think seeing their Alpha with a headache would do much for their confidence in him. Especially, since the roll call came on the heels of months of brooding and depression. But since he'd never had to lead a roll call, he hadn't expected the strain that using compulsion for hours on end would cause.

"That's the last one," Lincoln said, closing the door on James. The youngest member of the pack had held up well, much to his surprise and pleasure. Not that he had suspected James- he wasn't much more than a pup, but it was nice to learn that the youngest (and last) generation held him in high regard.

"I can literally feel your ego swelling right now."

"Good thing I have you to deflate it on the regular," Raff responded, giving in and massaging the bridge of his nose.

"You alright?"

"Remember when we were kids, and we fell out of the tree in the front yard? Knocked us out for a couple of hours, and your pops told us we would've been dead if we were human?"

Lincoln flipped the chair in front of the desk around and straddled it, his face scrunching at the memory. "Shit, man. I felt like throwing up for days, and my ears rang for a week. Is it that bad?"

"Almost, but not quite. My ears aren't ringing yet. So who was missing?"

"Logs show that Marcus and Nichols both checked out last week to go on a fishing trip, but they're due back in the next few days. Other than that, only Herrin is missing, and from what I've heard, he comes and goes at odd hours."

Raff remembered Nichols- he'd been the middling ranked wolf who'd caught on to Meribella's siren skills. He was definitely ambitious, but was he ambitious enough to get involved in a scheme to overthrow him? No, he shook his head, he wouldn't risk a coup when the majority of the pack is loyal. And I didn't get a dishonest vibe from. Herrin, on the other hand.

"What are you thinking?"

"I think we need to do some digging into Herrin's activities. I've never cared much for the man; he smells like a sewer most days. I've also had to deal with numerous accusations against him. He usually sticks to torturing the Fae women- Sonja refuses to clean his room- but right after the decree was issued to stay away from human women, he was caught with several. I had to compel him to leave them alone."

"And you're just now remembering this?" Lincoln sounded strained. "Why didn't you banish him? Pack sickness would've driven someone as low as him crazy in a week or two."

"Hell, maybe I should've, but our numbers were low, and I was looking at the man through the lens of grief. It can't be easy being told you can never father a child. Fuck." He jumped up from the table and punched a hole in the wall, sheetrock dust exploding around his fist. "He was driving me the night I ran Meribella off the road. What if I led him straight to her?"

"You don't know that. I don't know that, but what I do know is that if it is Herrin, then she's known all along who our traitor is. And she didn't tell you. Why?"

Lincoln's words made his chest restrict. He knew Meribella was keeping secrets, but what reason would she have to keep this hidden? Unless Herrin could reveal one of them? The phone on his table buzzed, her name flashing on the screen. He hadn't talked to her beyond a few text messages, messages that had been filled with heated suggestions that made him want to rush back to her, but catching her in the lies turned him cold.