When I arrived at the island facility, I introduced myself to the staff waiting at the entrance. The factory manager soon appeared, flanked by administrative and financial personnel. He was a stocky man in his forties, medium height, with dark skin weathered by years under the sun. His face broke into a fawning smile when he saw me.
After brief introductions, I learned his name was Thomas Dunn, a local who had worked his way up from the factory floor over fifteen years.
“We’ve all been so excited about Alpha Sebastian’s inspection visit,” he gushed, practically salivating at the thought of meeting the Silver Peak Pack leader. “Everyone wants to see him in person.”
I bit back a laugh. “I’m afraid his ‘divine presence’ won’t be gracing you today-his schedule is too tight. You’ll have to make do with just me.”
“Ms. Moore is more beautiful than any pageant queen,” Thomas replied smoothly. “It’s hardly ‘making do.’”
“You’re quite the flatterer, Mr. Dunn.”
After our pleasant but obviously rehearsed exchange, Thomas guided me around the management offices, production floor, and cafeteria. I took my time, asking detailed questions about production while occasionally snapping photos with my phone, explaining they were for the Alpha to review later.
By lunchtime, I told Thomas I wanted to eat in the employee cafeteria.
I stood in line with the workers, filled my tray, and deliberately sat with three female factory workers. Starting with light conversation to put them at ease, I slowly steered the discussion toward their clock-in procedures.
I discovered the time clocks were located at the workshop entrance, with no security cameras monitoring them. Anyone could potentially clock in for someone else without being caught.
“I heard you have ghosts here,” I said conspiratorially, lowering my voice.
One woman’s eyes widened. “Where did you hear that?”
“The general manager mentioned it. Apparently, two people clock in every day, but nobody ever sees them.”
The three women exchanged alarmed glances-confusion, shock, and anxiety flickering across their faces.
After a pause, the most hesitant worker asked, “Would those be Min Lee and Lin Wenqin?”
My eyes lit up. “Yes, exactly! So you do know about them.”
“I’m a senior employee here. Those two were hired recently, so the others wouldn’t know. At first, none of us noticed-we’re all too exhausted from work to care who comes and goes. But after a while, people realized nobody had ever seen these two employees. When we asked the shift supervisor, he snapped at us to mind our own business, so we dropped it.”
Another worker gasped. “That’s terrifying! Who’s punching their cards? Actual ghosts?”
The third woman shivered visibly. “What if they died in some factory accident and are just repeating what they did in life?”
I stayed silent, letting their speculation fill the room. From their reactions, it was clear the regular employees had no idea about the real scheme. My recorder captured every word, including those crucial names.
Across the cafeteria, I noticed Thomas and his financial team watching us closely.
That afternoon, I called a meeting with the shift supervisor, HR manager, accountant, and Thomas.
With a pleasant smile that hid my true intentions, I announced, “I’d like to meet Min Lee and Lin Wenqin.”
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Then the shift supervisor abruptly stood, walked to the door, slammed it shut, and turned the lock.
Celina
A tightness crept over my features as I struggled to maintain my calm. Something about this entire situation felt off-uneasy and unsettling.
“Why the locked door?” I asked, keeping my voice steady and controlled while letting my eyes sweep deliberately over each man present. “Is my simple inquiry about two employees really so sensitive that it must be discussed behind closed doors?”
Thomas Dunn’s response came with that same slick, rehearsed smile that had begun to grate on my nerves. “No, no, Ms. Moore, please don’t get the wrong idea. The supervisor isn’t hiding anything by locking the door. It’s just that this matter… well, it’s not something we want spreading among the staff. You know how rumors start, and before long, morale takes a hit.”
I let his words linger in the air, my voice cool and deliberate. “So, there is something being concealed after all.”
Thomas leaned in, lowering his voice to a confidential tone. “You don’t have the full picture. The two people you asked about were among our very first factory workers-a married couple. Years ago, they were involved in a terrible accident here that left them both disabled and unable to work. To avoid a public scandal, we came to an agreement with them. Unusually, they requested to remain employed for fifteen years despite their inability to perform their duties.”
I pressed my lips tightly together, silently counting to three. The lie was so elaborate it almost deserved applause.
“And why wasn’t headquarters informed of this arrangement?” I asked, feigning disbelief as if carefully weighing his explanation.
Thomas sighed theatrically. “Office executives rarely grasp the struggles of workers. Had we reported this officially, many would have lost their jobs. Finding employment isn’t easy these days. Besides, paying them gradually or in a lump sum ends up costing about the same.”
“Mr. Dunn,” I said, leaning in slightly, “I can personally sympathize with the desire to protect your workers. But professionally? This completely circumvents company policy and proper procedures. And now look at the consequences-your employees believe the factory is haunted. You’re scaring them with shadows born from secrecy.”
“Yes, yes, we know it’s not by the book,” Thomas nodded vigorously. “That’s why we wanted to speak with you directly. Perhaps we can resolve this without involving Alpha Sebastian? He oversees such a vast operation with Silver Peak Pack’s businesses. Bothering him over such a… trivial matter seems…” His voice dropped, “unnecessary.”
I paused, pretending to consider his suggestion.
“Very well,” I finally said. “I won’t escalate this-yet. But I will need to meet this couple myself and verify their condition. If everything checks out as you say, I’ll let it go.”
Thomas froze for a moment before recovering. “Of course. No problem at all.”
Sebastian
I didn’t get back to the hotel until around eight in the evening. The entire day of the summit, followed by a lengthy dinner, had left me drained both physically and mentally, though my nerves remained taut. I shrugged off my blazer, loosened my tie, and was just about to take a moment’s rest before the upcoming video conference.
Suddenly, the door burst open as if a gust of wind had blown it wide. Beta Sawyer hurried inside, his usual calm mountain-like demeanor replaced by a furrowed brow and anxious expression.
“Celina hasn’t returned yet,” he said in a low, hurried voice. “Her phone is unreachable.”
My hands stilled mid-motion.
Soren, coiled inside me, went instantly alert. She was gone.
Our partner was out of contact.
“Find her. Now. Go-immediately!” Soren’s voice roared deep within my consciousness. “She belongs to us! Something’s happened to her!”
A chill ran down my spine, my chest tightened, and my breath grew heavy.
“You haven’t been able to reach her all day?” I asked, lowering my voice but striving to keep the anger and anxiety from surfacing. My tone remained outwardly calm.
Beta Sawyer shook his head, his face grave. “We expected her to call if there was trouble, but she never did. I thought she’d already returned.”
Wrong. So wrong. Celina was not the type to vanish without a word. Always cautious, punctual, and meticulous, she would never go silent without reason.
Soren growled inside me. “She needs us. She’s in danger. Stop standing there, Alpha. Go bring her back!”
I felt a tightening in my chest and a weight settle over me. “Call the factory,” I whispered, my voice colder and more commanding than usual, carrying the unmistakable authority of an Alpha. “Find out where she was last seen. Immediately.”
“Right away.” Beta Sawyer spun on his heel and left without hesitation.
The door slammed behind him, but I remained rooted, fists clenched until my knuckles turned ward.
When Beta Sawyer returned, his face was darker than before. “The factory says she left around 1 p.m. She should have been back hours ago.”
My jaw clenched as Soren began pacing restlessly inside me.
Something was wrong-I could feel it deep in my bones.
Without delay, I canceled the video conference and summoned Zoe, the VP in charge of factory operations, to join us. I also ordered the factory staff to review security footage and search the surrounding area.
Amara insisted on coming along when she heard the news. Her persistent infatuation was the last thing I needed right now, but there was no time to argue.
As Beta Sawyer and I stepped out of the hotel lobby, I checked the time. Suddenly, Beta Sawyer took a defensive step forward. I looked up, curious about what had provoked his protective stance.
Charging toward us like a furious storm was Alpha Xavien.
Our eyes locked in the fading evening light, tension crackling between us like electricity.
“Where is my wife?” he demanded, every muscle coiled with rage, ready to attack.
“She’s missing,” I replied evenly.
I held my ground, standing slightly taller than him, looking down with a cool detachment. My almond-shaped eyes, often compared to delicate flower petals, regarded him with the same calm indifference one might show a stray dog.
“What the hell do you mean ‘missing’?” Xavien’s fists clenched so tightly I could hear the cracking of his knuckles.
Sawyer, clearly worried Xavien’s temper might explode into violence right there in the hotel entrance, quickly stepped between us again. “Alpha Xavien, let me explain. Celina applied for the Chief Secretary position at our company and currently serves as the CEO’s secretary. This morning, she went to inspect one of our factory branches. She hasn’t returned, and we can’t reach her phone. We’re heading to the factory now to search for her. That’s the situation.”
I watched as Xavien’s face twisted with anger and concern. I could almost see the veins bulging at his temples.
The driver pulled up with my car, and Beta Sawyer opened the door for me. Without another word to Xavien, I slid into the backseat.
As we pulled away from the hotel, Xavien’s car followed closely behind.
Claws
Beta Sawyer glanced in the rearview mirror. “How did he track her down? We covered our tracks thoroughly.”
“If someone wants to find another badly enough, they always will,” I replied dismissively, more focused on Celina’s whereabouts than on Xavien’s detective skills. “What exactly did she uncover yesterday?”
Only then did Beta Sawyer fill me in on what Celina had discovered the previous night.
My blood ran cold. “Why didn’t you tell me this detail this morning?” I snapped. “If there’s corruption happening there and she exposed it, do you think they’d just let her walk away?”
“I-” Beta Sawyer looked genuinely alarmed. “It can’t be that serious, can it? She was using the inspection as a cover to investigate. They wouldn’t have known her true purpose. Even if they did, they wouldn’t dare detain someone from Silver Peak Pack…”
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