Chapter 58

Lionel’s POV

“Lionel…I have bad news for you.” Mother reveals

I stare at my mother in bafflement.

“What bad news?” I put forth.

‘More importantly, what does Nan have to do with this?’ I think with dread. ‘Does it have to do with what happened the other day?’

“Oh my baby boy…there’s no easy way to say this.” She looks at me with pity.

It raises my hackles. “Spit it out.” I rudely command.

“Nan is a gold digger.” Mother divulges.

All other thoughts leave my head. My mind goes blank. There is only one word echoing through my stunned brain…

“What?” The word escapes my lips.

“I know dear. It is so utterly shocking and disgraceful.” My mother says consolingly.

She continues. “I was horrified to discover it myself. I could hardly believe it when I received the call.”

I turn my head to her slowly. Still trying to process the bomb she has dropped on me. “Call?”

“The budget manager contacted me out of concern. He’s a dear old friend of your father’s.” She explains.

“Why did he contact you?” My confusion only gets worse the more she speaks.

“He did not want to stress out poor Scarlett. And we have known each other for decades. He simply wanted to repay an old favor by giving me a warning.”

My mother sniffs at that last part. As though I should already understand. But her words still do not make any sense in uproar of my perplexed mine.

The confusion must show on my face. My mother shakes her head at me. As though I am still a small child and not the alpha of the Wolfsbane pack.

She lifts her phone. “Read this Lionel. It will help clear things up.”

I take the phone from her hand. It is a report. Files of…

A frown etches onto my face. I narrow my eyes. Re-read the report once more.

It’s a budget contract. A series of complaints and problems recorded. It is a trail of money.

All of it leads back to Nan.

I have no words. I can’t argue in defense of Na. The evidence is clear.

But one thing bugs me…

“If she took the money, how did she get the funds to replace it?” I think out loud.

“The gold digger is bold! She had the nerve to pawn your thoughtful gift!” My mother growls.

My alpha eyes flash. I close them. Fight to maintain my composure.

My mother is oblivious to my reaction. “After all the generosity you’ve shown her. It’s unseemly!”

“Are you positive she sold the necklace?” I cut her off.

“I had an investigator look into it. They confirmed that she sold off a necklace to cover her own hide.” She replies.

Displeasure courses through my veins. “The budget manager shouldn’t have involved you.” I say.

“It was no inconvenience to me, Lionel. Now that I am retired, I have plenty of spare time on my hands. The security of our pack and family is very important to me.”

My mother mistakenly tries to reassure me. But that was never my concern. For one of the people under my employ to go behind my back…I clench my jaw.

“Thank you for alerting me to this…circumstance.” I grit out.

She smiles kindly at me. “I will always do my best to look out for you, my son.”

I do not respond. My mind is too occupied with the information I have received. Turning each piece over in my mind with precision.

“I did try to give her a chance. My granddaughters do like her so.” Mother adds.

‘Did you?’ I think skeptically. But I know she is not finished. I am proven right when her previous warmth melts away and her expression hardens.

“You must send that woman away! Who knows what kind of influence she might be my granddaughters if she acts like this?” She snarls.

Tension fills the room. Her anger burns in her eyes. The slight increase in room temperature reflects that anger.

I say nothing.

Mother studies me closely. I do not know what she is searching for. But she must find it because she only nods at me and smiles as she leaves.

I am left alone with my thoughts.

‘Nan the gold digger?’ The thought makes me snort. I might have trusted the evidence if it were anyone other than Nan.

I know how others perceive our relationship. They look at our disparities in status and assume. They assume that Nan is using me.

They are wrong.

Nan is many things. She is stubborn. The fuse to her temper is long but explosive once pushed too far.

Being a gold digger is not one of those things.

The woman dresses in t-shirts and jeans despite my encouragement to use my limitless credit cards to get nicer clothes. She choses cheap take-out as her trump card in our food date competition. She even insisted on paying me back for a birthday gift.

The idea of her being a gold digger is ludicrous.

Yet….

The evidence is there. Nan did misappropriate the funds. The necklace was sold.

I growl sub vocally at that ugly reminder. My gums itch as my fangs react to my emotional unbalance. I no longer try to hide my wolf’s reactions now that I am alone.

I pace the study. Wishing for the full moon so I could shift. But I am stuck in my limited human form for the time being.

‘Why would she take the money? If she needed it, I would have given it to her.’ I think.

Anyone else would have argued that she took it because she could. But even now I trust Nan. If Nan took it, I know there is a good reason for it.

This lack of knowledge bothers me. If only I knew Nan’s motives…I doubt asking her would be productive either.

‘I should have pressed harder the other day. I knew something was wrong.’ I realize.

Maybe I could have resolved everything if I had…but that is water under the bridge now. What’s done is done.

But that was not the only thing bothering me.

My family is not without its…faults. My mother is no exception. Usually I turn a blind eye and let it go.

Not this time. Something about this whole thing reeks of deception. I already have a strong guess as to who set this little play.

‘Does she really think I am unaware of her little games?’ I think grimly.

Mother has always been a great player in the political field. Cunning and ruthlessness hidden behind a demure smile.

Joseph and I had learned at her feet the skills of her trade. Joseph was her little protégé when we were children. Mother spent years molding Joseph into her own image.

No matter how she tried to disguise it…my ascension as alpha had never been her plan. I’ve always known one thing to be true about my mother. She hates it when things do not go as she planned.

Oh she had adapted. Played into the loving maternal role with ease. Fussing over the ‘precious youngest son.’

I played along for the most part. Not willing to openly undermine her when she still wields so much power on the side lines. No point in feuding with her when I can use her as she uses me.

After tonight’s mummer show…I have a feeling that she has crossed a line with me.

‘Mother never personally gets her claws dirty.’ I think darkly. She could never have pulled a scheme like this off alone.

I take out my cell phone. Dial a number I have not used in a while. The phone rings for less than 5 seconds.

“Alpha Lionel, it’s been a while.” The voice picks up.

“It’s been a while since someone’s pissed me off this much.” I warn. Unwilling to exchange further pleasantries.

“You have a new job for me.” They state rather than ask.

“Of course. I’ll send you the details in a few minutes.”

“Who am I investigating this time? Anyone interesting?” A flicker of amusement enters their voice.

“My mother.”

There is silence. I smirk. It was rare I could make that idiot speechless.

‘If he wasn’t so good at his job…I would have ripped his throat out ages ago.’ I muse.

“I’ll get right on it.” He says somberly.

“Be thorough. I want solid evidence this time.” I say.

“Of course.” He hangs up.

I know my private investigator will keep his word. I will get to the bottom of this.

And when I find out the truth of who is framing Nan…goddess help them.