211 Ghost Money
Mara
“They had help from inside,” Alice said plainly. “Could’ve been anyone. But it didn’t start today. This wasn’t random, it was rehearsed. They’ve been stealing small amounts for a while now, using Steel Corp like a test environment. Everything they shaved off your accounts before? That was practice. By the time they hit for real, they already knew exactly how to do it.”
Her words landed like a punch to the gut.
“The informant fed them that access a long time ago,” she continued. “Which means the breach isn’t fresh. You’re
wasting resources detaining staff who probably had no idea this was coming. What we should be doing is focusing on rebuilding the company’s accounts, or taking out a loan. If not, you’ll have no choice but to lay off Steel Corp’s workers.
And the Mooncrest pack staff too.”
She leaned forward, her voice softening. “You know as well as I do, people’s lives depend on the Nighthorns. If you let
them go, it won’t be quiet. There’ll be panic. Riots.”
For once, she wasn’t speaking as an auditor. She was speaking as Natasha’s friend. And I saw the concern in her eyes.
“I get it,” I said quietly. “But if we take a loan, they’ll just steal that too.”
Alice smiled faintly. “That’s why Mr. Westberg’s here. We’re not using your existing accounts. In fact, we’ll leave those
empty, bait, if you will. Everything real will move through secure shadow channels.”
I nodded slowly. I saw what she meant, and I trusted her. But it didn’t change the bigger problem.
“Still,” I said, “we’ll have to lay people off.”
Her smile faded. She knew it was true. It was inevitable. Taking a loan to pay salaries was a death spiral we couldn’t
afford. We were already behind on wages, already strangled by debt. The emergency funds I’d squirrelled away weren’t
meant to plug a sinking ship.
“I’ll need to talk to Alpha Lucian first,” I said. “I may be running things, but I don’t own this house.”
Alice gave a slow nod. “Understood.” She stood up. “I’ll leave you to it.”
“Take Mr. Westberg downstairs,” I said. “Have him report to Delta Rowan. He’ll know what to do.”
Alice turned, but before she left, she paused. Her smile returned, just a flicker.
“You need to take it easy, Luna. Bleeding from your nose and ears isn’t something to ignore,” she said, through a mind
link.
The sharp ring in my ears exploded like a siren. I clutched my head, eyes shutting tight against the pain.
“Mara!” Alice rushed toward me. “Are you alright?”
I shook my head, breath caught in my throat. She handed me tissues, and I wiped the blood from my ears and nose, the dizziness still lurching through me like a wave.
“Please,” I said hoarsely, “don’t ever link me again.”
Because now I knew for sure, Something was terribly wrong with me.
I knew the risk. Linking to that many people at once was dangerous, deadly, even. Only Alphas were built for that kind of strain. But I did it anyway. Because in that moment, I had no choice.
Alice stayed with me until the bleeding stopped and the nausea passed. Then she left quietly, no fuss, just a glance that
211 Chost Money
told me she was worried but wouldn’t press.
8 Points)
I called Rowan on the phone. Told him Richard was on his way down. Told him to release the detainees, there was no point keeping them. Nothing was stolen physically, and whatever intel we needed wouldn’t come from scared workers. We were chasing ghosts now.
Once the call ended, I didn’t wait. I left the building and drove straight to the hospital.
I didn’t want Lucian to know. He’d scold me, tell me it wasn’t necessary, that I was reckless. And maybe I was. But what mattered more was the fallout. The ringing in my ears hadn’t stopped, and my skull felt like it was pulsing from the inside
out.
I asked to see my father. Luckily, he was free.
The look on his face when I walked into his office said it all, shock, curiosity, a flicker of joy.
“Mara?” he said, surprised, smiling as he stood.
I dropped into the chair in front of his desk. “I need help.”
His smile vanished. “What happened?”
Without a word, I pulled my hair into a bun and turned my head so he could see the dried blood along the edge of my ear.
His eyes widened. “What happened, Mara?”
“I linked too many people,” I said quietly.
“What?” he snapped. “That’s Lucian’s job, not yours! Just because you’re Luna doesn’t mean,”
“I wasn’t trying to be Alpha,” I cut in, steady but firm. “I did what I thought was necessary in the moment.”
He stared at me for a long second, then sighed, long and heavy.
“It’ll take twenty-four hours,” he said. “No linking. Not even the slightest attempt. Others can reach out to you, but it’ll hurt.
A lot.”
I nodded. I’d already felt it.
He wasn’t going to say anything else, no encouragement, no solution, no ‘I’m proud of you’ for trying. That wasn’t his way.
And I didn’t have time for more anyway.
I stood up. My head throbbed, but my feet moved automatically.
There was no time to slow down. Not now.
I left the hospital and headed straight for the mansion, my mind churning with too many thoughts and not enough
answers.
When I opened the door to my bedroom, I froze.
Tiffany and Emma were there, sitting on the couch by the window like they belonged.
“Tiffany?” I asked, more surprised than annoyed.
She smiled at me softly. “I was worried. I knew you were back, and when you didn’t come find me… I thought I’d wait here.
I gave her a small nod, my muscles still tense from the day. “What’s going on?”
“Martha’s not doing well,” she said. “And pack business seems… tense.”
I sat on the edge of the bed and let out a slow breath. “She’s not out of it yet. And yes, things are messy. Chase hit us
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hard.”
Tiffany was quiet for a moment, then opened her mouth to speak.
“Please don’t link me,” I cut in gently, raising a hand.
She blinked, a little confused, but nodded. “Okay,”
That was one of the things I appreciated about Tiffany. She didn’t press. She didn’t pry. She simply accepted.
It made her easy to be around.
I stood and walked into the bathroom, peeling off the layers of the day. My skin ached. My head still buzzed. I stepped
under the shower, letting the water hit my back like a silent exhale.
I needed Lucian to come home. We had to talk. Plans needed to be made. Lines drawn.
Rebuilding started.
Because Chase hadn’t just stolen money.
He’d sent a message.
And we needed to answer. Soon.
