The Grand Hall of the Summit was filled with people chatting, and more were still flowing into the room. The exterior was filled with different cars, some flamboyant, showing the status and wealth of the owner, and others showing the pack the owner belonged to.
The room was a breathtaking space of polished obsidian and floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out onto a twilight mountain range. The room was filled with the quiet, tense murmur of powerful people. Clusters of Alphas, Betas, and their various legal and security advisors stood in small groups, holding crystal glasses and speaking in low tones. The air was thick with ambition and the scent of expensive perfume and wolf musk.
Maggie stood near a large stone fireplace, looking intensely professional in a sharp, dark pantsuit. She embodied the picture of calm, but her eyes were constantly scanning the room. She was present as the pack's junior legal counsel. She subtly touched her right ear, where a small, discrete AirPod was nestled. Her posture was a little too still, her focus slightly inward as she listened. On the other end, Chloe had her phone, the device of communication. She was well hidden in Maggie's guest cottage on the summit grounds.
Across the hall, Gareth stood with a group of influential Alphas, his presence commanding. Simone was at his side, a vision in a deep emerald gown. She was the perfect Alpha female—elegant, poised, and radiating a quiet power. But to a trained eye, there was a brittleness to her smile, a tension in the way she held her champagne flute.
Benjamin stood alone by a window, looking out at the mountains. He wore a simple, well-tailored suit, a stark contrast to the opulence around him. He was an observer, plain and simple, and he made no effort to network. He had come as an independent human observer invited by a neutral party. He held a glass of sparkling water, his expression thoughtful and distant. He and Maggie had exchanged a brief, professional nod of acknowledgment, but nothing more.
Maggie barely moved her lips as she whispered into the small microphone hidden in her collar. "Anything?"
Chloe's voice came through the AirPod, tinny and terrified. "No… not yet. I can't see him. There are too many people. Just… just don't let Simone see you talking to me."
Maggie's lips curved into the faintest ghost of a smile. "I'm not. I'm talking to the fire. Very rude of it not to answer."
A small, choked laugh came through the earpiece. It was good to hear Chloe laugh, even if it was born of nerves and fear.
"Okay," Chloe said, her voice steadier now. "I'm scanning the… the faces. Remember, it's not just the face. It's the way he holds his shoulders, like he's always bracing for a fight he's going to enjoy. And his voice… a little too smooth. Like oil over gravel."
Maggie's eyes continued to sweep the room, cataloging faces, postures, the way people held their drinks. She was a human lie detector, and Chloe was her remote sensor.
"Keep looking," Maggie murmured, her gaze passing over Gareth and Simone without lingering. "He's here. Elroy wouldn't miss this. This is his market."
"I'm scared, Maggie." Chloe's voice cracked. "What if he sees me? What if he tells Simone?"
"He won't see you. You're in my cottage, which is warded and guarded by the Summit's neutral security, whom I've paid a handsome retainer. And Simone is currently busy pretending she doesn't hate everyone in this room." Maggie allowed herself a small sip of her drink, her expression never changing. "You're safe. Now, focus. Describe the room to me again. Who's near the main doors?"
As Chloe described the scene, Maggie's gaze followed her directions. Her eyes landed on a man she hadn't cataloged yet. He was standing half-hidden behind a large pillar, nursing a drink. He wasn't speaking to anyone. He was just… watching.
"Wait. Wait." Chloe's voice pitched higher. "To the left of the main entrance, behind the big black column. Do you see him? Dark hair, navy suit. He's not talking to anyone. He's just… watching."
Maggie's pulse quickened, but her expression remained placid. "I see him."
"That's him. That's the posture." Chloe's voice was certain now, laced with a terrible clarity. "And his voice… he was on the phone earlier, when I was hiding in the hall. He was talking to someone about a 'shipment.' It's him. That's Mark Elroy."
Maggie's blood ran cold. She was about to relay the information to her team via a discreet text when the main doors to the hall burst open.
A man, Oliver Khan, stumbled in. He was a mid-level Alpha, his expensive suit rumpled, his hair a mess. He reeked of whiskey. His eyes were wild, scanning the room with drunken rage.
The entire hall fell silent. All eyes turned to him. Two summit security guards moved forward, but Oliver waved them off with a furious, clumsy gesture.
"SIMONE!"
His voice was a raw, guttural roar that echoed off the obsidian walls.
Simone flinched as if struck. Her practiced poise shattered for a fraction of a second before she pulled it back together. Gareth stepped forward, his body a wall between Oliver and Simone.
"You're not welcome here, Khan," Gareth said, his voice low and dangerous. "Leave. Now."
Oliver ignored him entirely, his eyes locked on Simone with a burning, drunken intensity. "You think you can just hide in here with your new pet Alpha? You think you can just steal from me and start over?"
The room was a tableau of shock. Phones were being discreetly raised. Benjamin, by the window, had turned fully, his observer's eyes missing nothing.
Simone's voice was icy, but it trembled slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about, Oliver. You're making a scene. Control yourself."
Oliver laughed, a horrible, broken sound. "A scene? A SCENE? You want a scene? What about our deal? What about the specimens?"
The word "specimens" hung in the air, heavy and ominous.
Gareth stepped closer, a clear threat in his stance. "That's enough."
Oliver pointed a shaking finger at Simone, past Gareth's broad shoulder. "You promised me a partnership! You promised me access! And then you cut me out! You took the source, you took the research, and you left me with nothing! You think you can just… start over? What about the specimens, Simone? WHAT ABOUT THEM?"
Simone's face was a mask of horror and fury. She looked at Gareth, her eyes pleading and panicked.
In the corner, Maggie was frozen. Her AirPod was picking up every word, transmitting it directly to Chloe. She saw the man identified as Mark Elroy detach himself from the pillar, his expression grim, his eyes fixed on the chaos. He wasn't just watching. He was assessing. And he was moving towards the exit.
The scene was chaos. Oliver was still shouting, security was closing in, Gareth was trying to contain Simone, and the entire summit was watching a scandal unfold that was far bigger than anyone imagined.
The "specimens." The "deal." The implication was monstrous.
Maggie's hand went to her pocket, her fingers finding her phone. This wasn't just a family drama. This was evidence. This was a weapon.
The bomb had not just dropped. It had obliterated the playing field.