Derek sat behind the wide oak desk in his private study, the low lamplight on the table casting long shadows across the scattered reports. Stacks of folders lay open before him— welfare summaries, supply logs, and financial traces for the Western Packs under his rule. The smaller packs on the borders had been sending concerning updates for weeks and he needed to sort them out before his so-called honeymoon vacation.
Fiona, Ruby's assistant, stood on the other side of the desk, with her tablet in hand as she walked him through the latest figures.
Derek tapped a finger on one particular line in the latest border-pack report. "This allocation for the Silverpine Pack. The grain shipment was logged as dispatched three weeks ago, yet their alpha says they received nothing. Explain."
