Chapter 56

Renee

I packed up my lunch to follow her across campus, nerves coiled tight in my chest. My bodyguard kept pace at my side, silent but watchful. The walk wasn’t long, but it felt endless. Every step tightened the knot in my stomach. I kept bracing for it—that moment when she’d turn around, eyes full of betrayal, and ask me how I could do that to Tyler. Like everyone else had.

But she didn’t say anything until we reached one of the old student meeting rooms near the library that were barely used this time of year. She pushed the door open, glanced inside, then gestured for me to follow. My bodyguard came too, leaning just inside the door like a silent wall.

She didn’t sit. Neither did I.

“So,” I said cautiously, arms crossed over my chest, “what’s going on?”

She looked at me, her jaw tight, but there wasn’t anger in her eyes. Just urgency. “I’m not here to attack you,” she said. “I swear.”

That didn’t exactly ease the tension, but I nodded, waiting.

“My cousin works at Brightclaw,” she said, lowering her voice. “She’s a maid. I’ve been trying to get something from her, but I can’t go near the Estate without raising flags and if she sends it by normal channels, it’ll get intercepted.”

I blinked, surprised. “Okay... What is it?”

"I'm really sorry it took this long. I really, really would have just sent it earlier if I knew if I could. But I couldn't take the chance. Alpha Brightclaw is a good man, but he's blind, still mourning, and his daughter is a menace. I'm hoping the witches manage to make a cure for death. So we can keep Alpha Brightclaw forever."

I blinked a little stunned. Was that something the witches in Mountainhowl were working on? I have no idea. Was that even possible? What would that even look like?

"I'm going to start small." She pulled a small envelope from her jacket. “It’s just a note. She’s scared about losing her job. Things aren’t right there, and... she trusts me. And when I told her about knowing you, well…"

I stared at the envelope, then back at her. “What is it about?"

She took a deep breath. "Vivian and Tyler."

I looked down at the file and bobbed my head, scanning the letter.

Dear Ms. Calloway,

I hope this letter finds you well, wherever you are. You don't know me, and I would prefer to keep it that way as I really can't afford to lose my job, but I couldn't sit by and say nothing. I wouldn’t bother you or risk this if it wasn’t important. It's about the alpha's daughter and Gamma Tyler.

This started at least a year or so ago, late in the evening. I was doing my usual rounds, just checking that everything was locked up and tidied before I went to bed. I had already finished cleaning up in the main hall and was just about to head to the west wing when I noticed the light on in one of the parlors. The Red Parlor.

Gamma Tyler often works late, and the Red Parlor is the alpha's daughter's favorite for entertaining. I thought she had guests. I heard voices, hushed at first, then a bit louder, and well, more involved than simple friends. It wasn't the first time. I was going to just leave them to it, but then I heard he laughing with Gamma Tyler. I heard them talking about you, mention your name. The things they said, I won't repeat but hopefully my cousin can get my old phone to you since I recorded it.

She was in his lap, kissing. I was certain that they were having sex. Laughing about how you thought he was on a trip for the pack. I didn’t stayed to record as much as possible, and I've enlisted a few other to try and get more evidence to present to you.

I know she plans to do something terrible. I just wanted to give you the best chance I could to fight back. You've always been so kind to us.

I truly hope you’re doing alright.

I blinked, stunned and smiling. I looked at her, holding out my hand.

"You have this phone?"

She pulled it out, nodding. "For the record… I know you didn't cheat on him." She wrinkled her nose. "You've never been that kind of person."

I nodded. "Thanks."

"And I'm more than ready to help you fight this smear campaign." She rubbed her neck. "Sorry for it taking so long again."

"No…" I smiled. "This is perfect. Thank you so much."

I looked down at the phone, turning it on.

"She also wanted me to ask… what you wanted her to do. Her and the other maids?"

I blinked at her. "What did she mean by that?"

She cleared her throat. "They've been… Well, there's been a silent battle going on for years between her and the maids, especially the ones that are closer to the alpha's age." She rolled her eyes. "I mean really, any woman that's close to his age, honestly."

"She's jealous because she wants her attention all to herself."

"You should take a page out of my sister's book and fuck her Dad."

My face heated and my jaw dropped.

"Make her call your stepmother at least once… for the principle of things?"

I shook my head as I navigated through the phone to the camera roll.

"Could you look at these?" I asked, waving the bodyguard over. "I think the concern is trying to transmit something over the Brightclaw network?"

Olivia nodded. "Everyone who works for the house gets an encrypted phone. Files aren't scanned until they leave the phone, but any messages sent are. Apparently… Vivian is fucking a guy from the pack's IT team, so she didn't want to chance Vivian having any reason to remote access her phone."

I nodded, though I also understood it was unlikely for her to even think that far ahead, even if she was sleeping with the guy in IT.I opened the first video. The footage was grainy, a little shaky, but clear enough: Tyler and Vivian, walking down a long hallway I recognized immediately from the west side of the Brightclaw Estate. The camera followed them as they paused at a door. Vivian pulled Tyler down by the front of his shirt, kissed him hard, then opened the door and pulled him inside.

I just stared, stunned.

It shouldn’t have shocked me. Not after the weeks I’d just lived through. But it did. Something about seeing it—finally seeing it with my own two eyes--was like a punch to the ribs. Not because I wanted Tyler back. Not even because I missed what we had.

Just because I had undeniable proof that was already locked and loaded for my use. I went to the next one, seeing them so brazenly not quite sneaking around. Lazy. I have no idea how many maids had ended up fired over catching them, but I was touched. I'd have to find out and pass their names on to Arielle for whatever dastardly plan she was brewing.

“What do you want to do about it?”

"First, I need copies of all of this, everything she can managed, but it looks like this is more than enough."

"There's a maid that's got seniority who plans to approach Dominic soon now that she's involved with it all… should I tell her to go ahead?"

I tilted my head, mulling it over. “Let her go to Dominic first. If there’s something she can get out of it—protection, leverage, whatever—I’d rather she take that shot. I'd rather they all do and all the ones who had been fired before too. But I’m still going to send this to Arielle. Let Mountainhowl get the ball rolling on their side.”

“You sure?”

I nodded and handed the phone to the bodyguard who tucked it into his inner pocket.

"Give our team a few hours with it and you'll have a secure means to share the files with the Mountainhowl legal team."

She grinned. “I'll be expecting to tomorrow then. In the meantime, they're using someone else's phone."

“Thanks for being the middle man in all this," I said, quietly. “And your support."

“No one deserves what they’re doing to you,” she murmured. “Especially not after what they’ve been up to.”

We parted then and I walked our with my bodyguard. He looked pleased.

"Is Arielle a good person to work for?"

"Our luna is the best employer… She cares about us just as much as she cares about the rest of the pack."

I nodded. "I'm glad to hear that."

I was tucking the phone back into my coat when I turned the corner—and ran right into Neil. He pulled me close, steadying me. Our eyes met and I was frozen in place. He smiled, slow and sensuous.

"You alright?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Work?"

"Yeah."