Chasing His Scentless Mate (Caroline) novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Chapter 25 Financial Crisis

Caroline’s POV

The moment everyone arrived, Draven instructed me to lock the office door and close his when I entered. We gathered on the sofas in his spacious office, the tension in the air palpable as Alpha prepared to speak.

"Here’s the situation," Draven began, his violet eyes intense with concern. "You four are the only pack members I trust completely right now. What I’m about to share stays within these walls."

He paused, his broad shoulders tensing beneath his tailored suit. "Six months ago, I noticed something wrong with our financial reports, accounting, and commercial data. Ryan and I started digging deeper. After checking the latest financial reports, we discovered someone is stealing from the pack’s company."

My wolf Rory stirred uneasily within me. This was serious—pack resources being compromised meant potential danger for everyone.

"It’s not just money being siphoned away," Beta Ryan said. "They’re diverting other resources too. Plus, clients are reducing business with us, and some have terminated contracts entirely."

"Then we’re looking at something far more dangerous," Clara said. "If the pack’s business is under coordinated attacks from multiple angles, we risk complete financial collapse."

"Exactly, Clara," Draven confirmed, running both hands through his golden-brown hair in frustration. "That’s why I had you retrieve those accounting documents without warning yesterday. But this situation is more extensive than I initially thought. We need a thorough investigation."

My mind raced with possibilities. "Alpha Draven," I said, "if there’s company-wide theft happening simultaneously on multiple fronts, this isn’t the work of a lone wolf—this is coordinated by a group." I felt Rory stir within me. "When I worked at BuildRight Corp, I witnessed something similar happen to a supplier who appeared financially solid but went bankrupt overnight. He was a friend of Alpha Gerald."

Ryan’s eyes locked with mine. "Do you know more about what happened?"

"Yes," I nodded, sitting up straighter. "I was working as a secretary when Alpha Gerald made me available to help his friend for three months. The company had just received an audit that declared everything fine, but a week later, they were bankrupt—completely gutted. I helped him review all the documentation to understand what happened."

Draven’s eyes lit up. "That’s fortunate for the pack. Your experience will be invaluable, Caroline."

His lips curved into a smile that sent my heart racing. "Where did the audit fail?"

"The audit didn’t fail; it was compromised," I explained. "We discovered the auditors were bought off by the perpetrators almost immediately. That’s why I believe you shouldn’t hire an external audit firm or announce an investigation. It would alert them, giving them time to destroy evidence, sabotage the process, or bribe the auditors."

"But Carrie," Kyle’s brow furrowed in confusion, "without an audit, how do we identify the traitors?"

I leaned forward. "We need to hire three or four trusted individuals under the guise of normal recruitment—people who can conduct an independent audit. They would infiltrate departments as undercover operatives without anyone knowing their true purpose. They can blend in, monitor daily activities, and access offices at night for unrestricted investigation."

Draven and Ryan exchanged knowing glances, clearly in agreement. Then Draven spoke directly to me. "You have a strategy in mind, don’t you?"

I nodded, feeling a surge of confidence. "I do."

"Share it with us, Caroline," he commanded softly.

"It’s straightforward. The building is large, so you could clear out an entire floor under the pretense of renovation. That floor would serve as a secure command center.

It should be sealed off and accessible only to trusted pack members, just like the executive suite you’ve already restricted.

We’ll recruit operatives to embed across all departments, not just the ones under suspicion. They should appear harmless, blending in easily, while acting as our eyes and ears. Their task would include duplicating all internal documents.

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