Chapter 181
The next morning started in the most chaotic way possible—with Tomas tossing a sock at my face.
“Astrid, up! We have a mystery to solve,” he declared in his most dramatic, faux-British accent. He was leaning over me, a makeshift paper badge pinned to his shirt that read “Detective Extraordinaire.”
I blinked at him. “You’re out of your mind.”
“Possibly,” he grinned, “but also potentially the next person to earn a personal favor from Alpha Oliver himself.”
That got my attention. I sat up groggily just as Anna appeared at the foot of my bed, holding out a steaming mug of coffee like some divine gift.
“Alpha Oliver just announced it officially this morning,” she said, handing me the mug. “Whoever finds out who stole the emblem gets a personal favor. His words. Which could mean anything.”
“Like access to the royal archives,” Tomas chimed in, flopping down at the end of my bed.
“Or leadership mentorship,” Anna added.
“Or,” Tomas raised a hopeful finger, “unlimited chocolate mousse from the cafeteria.”
Anna rolled her eyes. “You really have no ambition.”
“It’s called setting realistic goals,” he said, smug.
After a quick breakfast—complete with Tomas pouring orange juice into his cereal and declaring it a “zesty twist”—we regrouped outside the guest wing of Alpha Oliver’s pack house. The section was cordoned off with glowing golden threads: enchanted wards that shimmered faintly in the light.
It was where the emblem had been displayed. A token of peace gifted by Alex’s father’s pack to Alpha Oliver's. Now stolen.
Tomas crouched near the entrance, eyeing the ground. “Look at this. These prints aren’t normal. They’re deeper, heavier—like someone was carrying something.”
Anna squatted beside him. “But here, the trail doubles back. It’s like they hesitated.”
I closed my eyes and extended my senses—something I’d been practicing. The air whispered back to me. Lavender. Burnt steel. Something synthetic, like processed cloth.
“Lavender and iron,” I murmured. “It’s masked—but poorly.”
“Iron,” Anna repeated. “Witch work?”
“Could be. But also rogues,” Tomas added. “Though what rogue gets into a secured summit without setting off every alarm?”
“Someone inside,” I said, the chill crawling up my spine.
We headed to the archives—an ancient, overly dusty building tucked near the training grounds. Inside, it smelled of ink, old parchment, and forgotten dreams. Scrolls and books stacked precariously lined the walls like leaning towers of information.
“This emblem,” Anna said, flipping through a thick tome with delicate fingers, “was originally forged from lunarstone and obsidian. Alex’s father gifted it to Alpha Oliver five years ago.”
“So not just a theft,” I said. “It’s a political message. Or sabotage.”
Tomas shuddered. “Great. We’re in a political thriller. I didn’t even bring my dramatic cloak.”
Anna snorted. “You don’t own a dramatic cloak.”
“That’s what you think,” he said with a wink.
We moved to the training grounds to retrace the trail. Behind the storage shed, under a pile of disused firewood, we found something.
“A satchel,” Tomas said, dragging it out.
It was lined with faint silver thread and bore a cracked enchantment seal. The lunarstone clasp had been damaged—likely tampered with.
“This is the emblem’s case,” Anna said, her voice tinged with excitement.
“It’s empty,” I said, opening it and inspecting the velvet-lined interior. “They dumped it after moving the emblem somewhere else.”
“Classic misdirection,” Anna said, looking up thoughtfully.
Just then, crunching footsteps echoed. We dove behind some crates.
A figure entered, glanced around nervously, and placed something on the crate before leaving just as quickly. It was quick, but the kitchen apron and frizzy bun were unmistakable.
“Was that Becky? From the kitchens?” Tomas whispered, wide-eyed.
Once she was gone, we emerged and inspected the object she left behind: a shard of black obsidian, inlaid with a crescent of pale moonstone.
“Is this part of the emblem?” Anna asked.
“Or a clue,” I said, turning it over. “Either way, we need to talk to Becky.”
Becky was elbow-deep in fresh herbs when we approached her near the greenhouse.
“I didn’t steal it!” she blurted before we even said hello. “I found that piece near the omega quarters. I didn’t want anyone thinking it was me.”
“Did you see who dropped it?” I asked gently.
Becky wrung her hands. “No, but I remember a pendant. A crescent moon. I think they were from Crescent Clan.”
Anna’s brows furrowed. “That’s Jeremiah’s region.”
“There’s no way he’s involved,” I said quickly, maybe too quickly.
Tomas gave me a curious look but said nothing.
“Someone’s trying to frame him,” I said, more to myself than them.
“Or create tension between major packs,” Anna added. “Turn the summit into chaos.”
By late afternoon, our dorm looked like a war room. Snacks everywhere. Paper trails. Tomas wore a string headband with a feather tucked behind his ear.
“Sheriff Tomas reporting for duty,” he said, saluting with a breadstick.
Anna stole his breadstick. “That badge doesn’t come with snacks.”
We collapsed into laughter. And for the first time in days, the heaviness that had clung to me lifted. YES ,I loved playing Detective but honestly I loved hanging out with Tomas and Anna they made me forget about all my problems,about 'him'. I felt like myself now and not like i had a huge load of weight on my shoulders. I missed my mother and my father ,sometimes I even regretted coming all the way here for him but right now I was so happy.
“Okay,” I said, wiping tears of laughter. “Whoever did this wants to cause political unrest. They want the summit to fail.”
“They left enough behind to stoke suspicion,” Anna added. “But not enough to be easily identified.”
“Until Becky’s clue,” Tomas said. “Now we know they’re careless—or desperate.”
“Which means they might strike again,” I said. “But we’re going to catch them.”
Anna raised her sparkling juice. “To Team Astrid.”
“To Nancy Drew and the Werewolf Squad!” Tomas cheered, clinking his glass.
I smiled, warmth blooming in my chest. “Three misfits against the world.”
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