Tangled Hearts - The Alpha's Baby Mama-Chapter 237: You think it’s connected to your sister’s return?

Noah POV

As soon as Brooke and Nora left, I reached for my phone, dialling Selene’s number. When she answered, I could hear the concern in her voice. She sounded groggy.

"Noah? What’s wrong, dear?"

"We may have a bigger problem than we thought and ordinarily, I wouldn’t let you know so you won’t worry," I said grimly "But I need you to be extra cautious. Don’t trust anyone outside our immediate circle. While we’re waiting for Kurtis’s men to arrive, I’m sending additional guards to you and the girls right away,".

"I know that dear, you don’t have to say more but why are you telling me this out of the blue? Did something happen? And please don’t tell me it’s nothing, I can tell you’re tense,"

I wanted to tell her all about the breach but it wasn’t something I could say on the phone and we promised to be truthful to each other. "I can’t say on the phone right now but I’ll tell you as soon as I get back home, okay?"

"Okay!" she sounded disappointed.

But there was nothing I could do. I didn’t know the gravity of the situation, so it’d be foolish to make baseless assumptions, especially without meeting with the Security Council first. As soon as I ended the call, I tied up the documents on my desk before heading out for the meeting.

As I walked in, my mind was twirling with suspicion. Suspicion that this could be anyone and then I need to find a way – a strategy to make the culprit come to light without making it obvious. But I couldn’t shake off this weird feeling that my father and my sister together with Brooke had something to do with the breach.

Perhaps, they had planned way ahead but the restricting bracelet and anklet would no doubt come as a shock to them In the past, I used to be so careless about things like this. I would and would have not bothered to check if someone in my close circle was responsible but now, the only person I was ruling out was Selene and the girls. Everyone else was on my list of suspects.

The security council was one of the many new things I implemented after I had to do away with all the old Pack Elders and Officials. It was made up of soldiers with actual fighting experience and they came from different families. They made it to the security council because they had contributed to the growth of Moon Whisper and not because of some fancy family name or connections.

So far, they’ve done so well.

Weekly reports, monthly projects and most importantly, they all seemed young and ambitious for more promotions rather than money so it was a good win for both me and the pack.

They were already assembled and seated when I entered, their faces grave. I took my seat at the head of the table, surveying the room.

"Give me the full report," I commanded. "I want to know every detail of this breach, no matter how small,".

Their head of security Maximus rose to his feet, made his way to the viewing screen and began his briefing. I listened intently my mind working to connect the dots as he showed me CCTV footage, bearings and speculations including worst-case scenarios of how the breach might have happened.

One thing I noticed was the attackers had known precisely when and where to strike. Since our security was tight, the attackers had taken advantage of the 25 seconds in our patrol rotations. Worse, they had codes to bypass certain security measures. So, it was clear that was no random attack but a carefully orchestrated operation.

"And you’re certain the information came from within?" I asked when the report concluded.

Maximus nodded grimly. "Yes, your Majesty. The level of detail they possessed... it could have only come from someone with high-level access to our protocols,".

My eyes narrowed. "Then we have a traitor in our security. Someone willing to put the entire pack at risk," I stood pacing the length of the room. "I want a full investigation. Every member of the security team, the soldiers, Deltas and everyone that has access to our security protocol. I want to know what they’ve been doing, who they’ve met, gatherings they’ve been to... I want comprehensive access to their phones and locations in the last one month. I want them all questioned. No one is above suspicion,".

"Already on that, your Majesty," Maximus nodded eagerly "We already contacted the external team responsible for the investigation and they’re on their way to the pack as we speak. Your Majesty, if I may..." Maximums went back to the strategy box... "I have a feeling that this breach is a distraction of some sort,".

"A distraction?" I turned to him "What do you mean?"

"We’ve done a comprehensive headcount on every member of the pack available and no one is missing – that is there are no new persons except for the presence of Miss Brooke and Miss Nora including Princess Jade who has their names on temporary record waiting for your approval and maybe a handful of pack teens who are attending the summer camp at the regional centre, they’re about 52 in number by the way... no new persons have been accounted for,".

"Are you trying to tell me that whoever breached the borders, breached and turned back to wherever it is that they are? Are you saying there is no motive?"

"The only motive I see here Your Majesty is to cause distraction," Maximum continued. "When I and my men analyzed it, it seemed like impeccable work which is very unusual for Rogue Wolves. When Rogue wolves breach, they always leave behind a trail because they’re never organized. Even the organized ones among them... it’ll still be easy to know if someone who’s in the field sees it or maybe they’re Rogue Wolves who disguised to make us think that they’re not the ones. Either way... it’s a distraction and...".

He trailed off.

"Go ahead, Maximus, tell me everything,".

He nodded and reached for his notepad on the table which he brought to me "With the current arrival of your sister, Miss Brooke and Princess Jade all of which have ties to you and her Majesty... I can’t help but think they’re related to this. Because..." he flipped the next page and continued showing me.

By the time he was done, I couldn’t help but be grateful for this new team I had and how fast and relatable they could be. Even though Nora, Brooke and Jade had robust alibis and Maximus’ speculation seemed shallow, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning. It felt like their return and this security breach were pieces of a larger puzzle, one whose picture I couldn’t make out yet.

"Send a small group of spies to other packs and let them mingle with the people, in places where they carry out the mercenary activity and see if anyone had come to seek for their services recently. Use whatever means necessary and resources for that,".

"Yes, Your Majesty," he nodded.

"Also, I want a complete overhaul of our security protocols. Whatever information was leaked, we need to render it useless. We will not double the patrols along the borders... at least that’s what we’ll make them think but use our special pack team for that and make sure they’re not in plain sight,".

I gave them further instructions and adjourned the meeting. All the council members filed out, while I remained behind lost in thought. Despite their apparent lack of opportunity, I couldn’t ignore the nagging suspicion that Nora and Brooke were somehow involved. My sister had always been cunning, always three steps ahead. Could this all be part of some elaborate scheme?

A soft knock at the door pulled me from my reverie. It was Kurtis, looking as gruff and serious as ever. Even though he looked tired, his eyes were still sharp.

"Your Majesty," he said with a short bow. "I came as soon as I heard about the breach. My men are ready to assist in any way necessary,". ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

I nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Kurtis. I fear we may need all the help we can get. You know that gut feeling when you feel like something is wrong even when it seems like nothing is wrong... this is how this feels – like the start of something bigger, something that could threaten everything we’ve built,".

Kurtis’s expression darkened. "You think it’s connected to your sister’s return?"

"I can’t be sure," I admitted. "But the timing is too convenient to ignore. All those years when Nora had plotted revenge, she’s never repetitive. Sometimes she goes in when the iron is still hot, other times when everyone has forgotten and I think she deliberately does that so she can keep everyone guessing if she’s involved or not. But I had a restriction bracelet put on both her and Brooke. Tell your men to be on alert but not visible around Selene and the girls and me too... I have a feeling this is far from over,".

"How about Princess Jade? Did she get a restriction bracelet too?" Kurtis suddenly asked.