Keira sat on the bed, her laptop on her lap. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, making a few edits to the questionnaire that Antoine had put together. She quickly typed up a recruiting flyer and sent it over to Donovan, asking him to print about 10 pages.
In two days, Keira decided she would begin her recruitment for an assistant. She entered the event in her personal calendar.
"Ok, now that I have that scheduled," Keira muttered to herself. "Let's take a look at what we have next."
She glanced at her list. The next thing she needed to concentrate on was the creation of the perimeter map.
"Luna?" Lucy called out from the other side of the door, followed by a soft knock.
Keira put her laptop on the bed and went to open the door.
"Lucy," she greeted. "Did you need something?"
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Lucy began. "I was wondering if you were planning on eating dinner. Most of the pack members have already eaten, and we sent a plate of food to Alpha Donovan."
Keira glanced at the clock in the hallway. It really was late.
"Yes, thank you for the reminder," Keira said, closing the door behind her.
Lucy and Keira walked back to the mess hall.
"Luna," Lucy said hesitantly.
Keira waited for her to continue.
"I heard that you're looking for an assistant," Lucy said.
"Yes," Keira replied. "In two days, I'll be conducting interviews."
"Can anyone apply?" she asked.
Keira nodded. Lucy smiled and didn't speak further. When they arrived, the mess hall had settled down a bit. A lot of the pack members had already eaten and left. Keira went over to the buffet tables, grabbed a plate, and served herself a bit of whatever was left. There wasn't much.
She ate without tasting the food; her thoughts were still on her next task—the perimeter map creation. Technically, Donovan was the one who was responsible for creating it, but with all the issues the pack was facing, Keira didn't believe the map would be created any time soon.
'I don't think he would be upset,' Sabelina chimed in. 'It's one last thing he needs to worry about.'
'Let's hope not,' Keira said.
After the quick dinner, Keira headed over to the office. She needed to speak to Donovan as soon as possible. When she entered the building, the lights were dimmed. She walked up the stairs, and the light in Donovan's office was still on.
She slowly crept closer, making sure not to make a noise.
"-paperwork needs to be reviewed," Marcus was saying. "I've included Victoria's transfer paperwork in the pile as well."
"Were there any issues?" Donovan asked.
"None," Marcus replied. "The healers did what they could, and she's still in a coma."
"What of Antoine and Montego?" Donovan asked. "Have they been assigned rooms?"
"I was able to squeeze them into one of the spare rooms down stairs," Marcus replied. "But shouldn't the Luna be taking care of the assignment?"
"I want to limit their interactions," Donovan said. "They need to earn their place in the pack. They might have been Task Force members, but now they are part of my pack. Most pack members aren't close to their Luna."
"So in other words," Marcus summarized. "You're jealous."
Keira heard Donovan scoff.
"I'm not jealous," Donovan denied it. "For all we know, they are only loyal to Keira. If they want to stay, they need to follow the rules and keep their distance just like everyone else."
"Have you spoken to Luna Keira about this?" Marcus questioned. "I don't think she would agree."
"They start at the bottom of the pack, just like everyone else," Donovan stated, leaving no room for questions.
'He's jealous,' Sabelina chuckled.
Keira shook her head and decided to knock.
"Donovan?" she called out.
"Enter," she heard Donovan call out.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," Keira said, smiling as she entered.
Marcus excused himself and left.
"No," Donovan replied, motioning her to sit.
He cleared his throat, "I printed out your flyers."
The stack of flyers was placed neatly on the desk.
"It seems everyone is excited to apply," he continued.
Keira nodded, "Yes, Lucy was asking me about it as well. I'll be interviewing in two days."
Donovan nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Montego tells me that the construction is on schedule. Patrick called the group of contractors you told him about. They are working on the apartment building, and a plan to reconstruct the office has also begun."
"The more room the better," Keira agreed.
"Was there something you wanted to speak about?" Donovan prompted.
Keira nodded. "This afternoon, I went around the property and realized that we don't have a detailed territory map. I know I created a temporary patrol and guard rotations, but without the territory map, things won't run efficiently."
Donovan frowned as he listened.
She continued. "Do you have a territory map given by the King, or is there anyone in the pack that is working on the map?"
"King Richard handed over a few maps when he assigned the pack this new piece of land," Donovan began thoughtfully. "I don't know how useful they will be, but I'll have Marcus bring them over to you. You can decide if you can use any of the information."
"Thank you," Keira said. "I'll let you know what I find out."
"Donovan," Keira began hesitantly. "There is something else."
"What is it?" he asked curiously.
"I don't know if it's true," Keira began slowly. "I asked Lorraine to provide a list of departments in the pack: cooking, cleaning, security, and the like."
Donovan nodded.
"I found out from Lorraine that these groups don't get paid wages," Keira said. "In the Task Force, everyone always gets paid, so I'm not sure if this is nor-"
"Wait," Donovan interrupted. "What do you mean they don't get paid? If a pack member has a job assigned to them by the pack, they receive wages."
Keira bit her lip. "Lorraine said they haven't been paid in the last two years since Victoria was in charge. She's been keeping track of hours and all personnel."
Donovan stood up, barely able to rein in his anger. The killing intent he momentarily released was enough for Keira to be on her caustion of her next words. She was sure the rest of the pack had felt it.
"Why wasn't I informed of this?" he growled.
"I just found out today," Keira said softly. "Lorraine didn't want to bring it up since everyone knew that the pack was having problems. She didn't want to add things to your plate."
Donovan took several deep breaths before slowly calming down. "Tomorrow, I'm holding a pack meeting with everyone. I think several things need to be addressed."
Keira nodded. "How are things with the finances? Any notifications or alerts from the scammer?"
Donovan took a seat. "None. Marcus is investigating. He thinks Victoria may be behind it. The pack had issues, but nothing like this. The timeline is too coincidental."
"Who do you think is behind it?" Keira asked.
Donovan looked at her for several minutes. "I-I can't believe that Victoria is behind it, but she hasn't been truthful. She is a suspect among a list of other wolves who left the pack."
"Are you investigating them all?" she questioned.
"Antoine and Montego are looking into it," Donovan replied. "They seem capable."
Keira nodded. "Everything I know about tech, Montego taught me. He was considered one of the best in the Task Force."
"You admire them," Donovan stated. It wasn't a question.
Keira chose her words carefully. "I grew up with them. We were part of a group that entered the Task Force at the same time. They're my family as much as the family I was born into."
Keira stood and took the stack of flyers. "Since you have accepted them into the pack. Their loyalty is with the Alpha. Don't ever doubt that."
Without looking back, she headed out of the office and back to the pack house.