Chapter 147: POINTED FINGERS
KEISHA’S POV
"Shit." Lyra grunted as she pushed the last box shut, pressing both palms against the cardboard until the tape finally held. She straightened with a sigh and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "There," she breathed. "That’s everything."
I remained perched on the edge of the bed, my gaze drifting around the room one last time. The wardrobe stood open, completely empty now.
"Okay," I murmured, finally looking back at her. "I think we’re done here."
Lyra followed my gaze around the room before nodding slowly. "Yeah." She let out a small breath. "Looks like it."
No one said anything for a long time and we simply just stared at the almost empty space.
Lyra broke the silence first, her voice softer than before. "I’ll miss this place."
A smile tugged weakly at my lips. "I thought you hated it. You did say you didn’t like it when you first got here."
"I did," she admitted, shaking her head. "And somehow... I’m still going to miss it or more like I’m gonna miss you."
I looked around once more before picking up the nearest suitcase. "We should go to the mansion before you change your mind and continue taking up space in my house." I jokes to lighten the mood.
With that, Lyra reached for another box, and together they carried the last of their belongings out of the annex.
The mansion was unusually quiet by the time we got there.
Lyra pushed the front door open and leaned inside first. "We’re back," she called. "We’re done packing."
Her voice echoed through the spacious hallway before fading into silence but nobody answered.
I stepped in behind her, my eyes instinctively searching the living room before drifting towards the staircase. The place felt strangely empty. After everything that had happened over the last few days, I’d almost expected Callum or Dane to appear the moment we walked through the door.
Instead, hurried footsteps came from the kitchen.
Becca emerged moments later, drying her hands on the apron tied around her waist. Her face brightened the instant she saw us. "There you two are," she said warmly. "The Alpha isn’t back yet."
I nodded, trying not to let my disappointment show.
"We’ll wait for him," Lyra replied.
Becca gave a small shake of her head. "Okay, but you’ll do no such thing on an empty stomach."
I should have known better than to argue.
Within minutes, Becca had us seated at the dining table with plates of food in front of us. She had prepared enough for twice our number, and when Lyra and I both tried to explain that neither of us was particularly hungry, she dismissed us by reminding us that we needed the energy after doing so much work.
Not like I did anything, but somehow I had been roped into the whole thing.
"You have spent hours packing," she said, placing another serving on Lyra’s plate despite her protests. "You are tired, and you are both going to eat. That is the only way you are going to remain strong for your journey back. And you, your babies need food. You should know better."
I knew she was right, which made it impossible to argue with her.
The meal was good. Of course it was, Becca always made the best. The room was quiet and the only sound was the clink of our cutlery.
Then the silence broke as my phone vibrated against the table.
I glanced down at the screen.
The message was from one of my colleagues, Peter.
A frown pulled at my brows. What was he on about? I hadn’t been at work in such a long time. Was he trying to check up on me? I read the message carefully.
KEISHA, CALL ME AS SOON AS YOU SEE THIS. THERE’S A HUGE PROBLEM.
My stomach tightened with panic but before I could process it, another message appeared.
IT’S ABOUT YOU.
I stared at the screen for several seconds.
"What is it?" Lyra asked, noticing the look on my face.
I locked my phone and pushed my chair back. "I don’t know yet. I need to make a call."
Her eyes immediately narrowed with concern, but I was already moving as I left the dining room and stepped outside before calling the number.
He answered almost instantly. "Keisha."
The tension in his voice made my stomach churn with unease. "What happened?"
"Have you seen the news?"
"What news?"
There was a brief pause before he spoke again. "Your name is everywhere."
I frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"There are reports circulating through the pack network. Confidential intelligence has been leaked, and the evidence points to you."
For a moment, I thought I had misheard him. "Me?"
"They’re saying you exchanged information with Duskfen."
My fingers tightened around the phone. "I have never sent anything to Duskfen."
"I know that. Fuck, I know that."
"Then why are you calling me as if I’m already guilty? Why is my name on it?"
"I don’t know, I called just because I’m warning you."
"I’m so confused, tell me exactly what happened."
He exhaled heavily. "Evidence was submitted to the council. Communication logs, copies of confidential reports and messages that allegedly show you exchanging intelligence with someone connected to Duskfen. They are claiming the information was sent from an account tied to your credentials."
My anger began to rise. "My credentials can be forged."
"I know that."
"Then what exactly is the problem?"
"The problem is that the evidence looks convincing enough for people to believe it. They’re saying the communication happened over a period of months and that you deliberately passed classified information out of Ashveil."
I stared at the trees ahead of me, my mind struggling to process the sheer absurdity of it. "Who found the evidence?"
"We don’t know. The office is a mess this morning. No one knows what to do."
"Who sent it to the council?"
"We don’t know that either."
"Then how can they possibly be treating it as proof?" My voice was rising and I could feel my heart racing.
He went silent for a second. "Look... They’re already calling you names. It’s serious."
I looked back towards the mansion. "What are they calling me?"
He hesitated and I already knew the answer before he said it. "A traitor."
The word made something inside me go cold. "What else?"
"They’re accusing you of treason from what I’ve heard."
My grip tightened around the phone. "Where is Alpha Callum?"
"At the meeting hall. The council summoned him apparently to give a verdict on the whole thing."
I went still. "They want him to judge me?"
"They’re demanding that he decide what should happen to you."
A bitter laugh escaped me.
Of course they were. They had not only created evidence against me. They had placed Callum directly in the middle of it, forcing him to choose between the authority of the council and the woman they apparently still suspected he was having an affair with. If he defended me, they could accuse him of being in an affair with me and allowing his personal feelings to interfere with his duty. If he condemned me, they would have achieved exactly what they wanted.
I ended the call without another word, rushing to the meeting hall and I was halfway to the entrance when the door opened and Dane stepped out.
His expression told me he had expected me to somehow find my way here. "Keisha."
"Move."
He stepped in front of me instead. "Callum asked me to keep an eye on you. I know when you left the mansion. You can’t be here."
"I can be anywhere I want to be."
"He also asked me to stop you from going to the meeting hall."
I stared at him. "Of course he did."
"Keisha, listen to me. You don’t know what’s happening there."
"I know exactly what I’m walking into. They are accusing me of betraying Ashveil, and they are demanding that Callum judge me for it."
"Then let Callum handle it. You do trust him, don’t you?"
"I do trust him. I don’t trust the people surrounding him, and I am not going to sit in this mansion while they discuss my life as if I have no right to be present."
He reached for my arm when I tried to pass him, but I immediately pulled away. "Don’t. This is my dignity on the fucking line and I will not watch you both handle it while I sit back. I have a voice, Dane, I don’t need you guys to sort everything out by yourself."
His hand fell to his side. "Keisha, I’m not trying to make you feel helpless."
"Then stop treating me like I am."
"I am trying to keep you from walking into a room full of people who are waiting for you to lose control."
"And you’re under more stress than you should be. Have you forgotten what the doctor said so quickly? Jesus, you’re uncontrollable."
I looked at him sharply. "Don’t use my pregnancy to tell me where I am allowed to stand."
His expression changed immediately. "That isn’t what I meant."
For a moment, neither of us spoke. Dane knew me well enough to understand that he was not going to change my mind, and I knew him well enough to understand that he was only trying to protect me.
But protection had begun to feel too much like a gilded cage lately. Every person who loved me wanted to keep me away from danger, yet danger had continued finding me regardless of where I went.
I stepped around him. "Callum can be angry with me himself."
Dane let out a frustrated breath but followed me.
The meeting hall was already loud before we reached it, voices raised in accusation.
"...cannot continue protecting her."
"She has betrayed this pack."
"How much more evidence do you need?"
"Your duty is to Ashveil."
I pushed the doors open and nobody noticed me.
The elders were gathered around Callum, their attention focused entirely on him. He stood in the centre of the room, his face controlled, though the tick in his jaw told me how hard he was working to maintain that control.
"She has been involved with Duskfen for months," one of the elders was saying. "She had access to classified intelligence and the opportunity to pass it on. The evidence is clear."
"Is it?" Callum asked. His voice was calm, but the question silenced the room for a moment.
"Her credentials are attached to the communication."
"That proves someone had access to them." Callum stared at the man.
The elder’s expression hardened. "Are you suggesting the evidence is fabricated?"
I stood near the entrance and listened.
The accusation against me was only half of the attack. The real target was Callum.
They wanted him to prove that his loyalty to the pack mattered more than I did. They wanted him to condemn me publicly, and they had chosen the perfect accusation to force him into doing it.
If he defended me, he would be accused of being involved in an affair with me and was blinded by our relationship, they would take it up with the council and force him to step down.
But if he judged me guilty, the person behind all of this would have succeeded in turning the Alpha against the woman carrying his children.