The Wolf God's Unwanted Luna

Chapter 84: jack ruston

I felt them before I heard them, two wolves approaching my office, their scents carried on the stale air like a warning. I exhaled sharply, my thoughts reluctantly pulling away from Vivian. The heaviness in my chest tightened into irritation as I leaned back in my chair. The moment the door creaked open, Albericus entered with Hogan at his side.

Hogan had been with me for about two decades, picked out of the sea of hopefuls for his precision and work ethic. He always looked put-together, the kind of professional presentation that should’ve inspired confidence, black slacks, deep purple shirt, sleek black tie. His neat brown hair matched his steady brown eyes, though today those eyes were avoiding mine. Arms crossed, shoulders tense. He knew he’d messed up.

Albericus closed the door behind them and stepped quietly to Hogan’s side. He gave me a look. The kind that said you’re not going to like this. I didn’t need the warning. I could already feel my temper building beneath the surface.

I nodded once, silently urging him to start.

"I did the interrogations like you ordered," Albericus said carefully, "but no one admitted to sending anything outside the island. Still, while going over the administrative files with Hogan, we found that one person submitted a request to leave within the last two weeks."

I stiffened, foot beginning to bounce restlessly against the floor. Departure requests weren’t uncommon, but this was not the time for standard protocols to go unexamined. These were details I had trusted them to manage.

"Was it a temporary departure," I asked, voice low with irritation, "or were they asking to leave for good?"

Hogan finally spoke, his usually composed voice just a shade too rough. "Permanent."

My gaze snapped to him. He shifted under the weight of it.

"You authorized it without looking into the reasons or the timing?" My voice dropped into something cold and quiet.

"I, I checked," he stammered, already cracking, "but—"

"But what?" I ground out, fingers digging into the armrest hard enough to leave dents. Albericus instinctively stepped a few paces away from him.

Hogan swallowed. "The request came from someone who wasn’t under any sort of watch. I assumed it was routine."