John arrived in Ravencrest shortly before noon. He had already obtained Adrian Cross’s name, but he needed someone who had known Serena when she first arrived in the pack four years earlier.
After several inquiries, he found Peter Hale, a former assistant who worked at Ravencrest’s political gatherings. Peter remembered Serena and agreed to meet John, but made it clear his cooperation would come at a price.
They met at a small restaurant away from the pack’s administrative buildings.
"You said you needed information about Serena Cole," Peter began.
"I want to know what happened when she arrived in Ravencrest four years ago. I understand she came with Adrian Cross."
Peter studied him. "Why are you asking about something that happened years ago?"
"Because her departure from Blackclaw has become relevant to an investigation. I’m interested in what you personally know, not rumours."
Peter hesitated before naming the amount he wanted.
John negotiated briefly, then agreed to pay him for an honest account. Once the arrangement was settled, Peter leaned back in his chair.
"Serena came here because she wanted an opportunity," he said. "She was interested in Ravencrest’s political circles and wanted to build connections with influential families. She believed she could establish herself here in a way she couldn’t in Blackclaw."
"How do you know that?"
"I helped coordinate a political gathering she attended not long after her arrival. I heard her discussing the people she wanted to meet and the influence she hoped to gain. She was quite deliberate about it."
John listened without interrupting. "Was she brought here against her will?"
Peter gave him a puzzled look. "No. She arrived with Adrian and seemed perfectly willing to be here. Nobody brought her in as a captive, and she never asked anyone to help her escape."
John’s expression remained neutral, though the answer confirmed a concern he had been investigating. "What was Adrian’s role?"
"He helped her travel here. Adrian liked Serena, and everyone who knew them could see it. She knew he had feelings for her, too."
"Did they have a relationship?"
"Not one I knew about. But Adrian was willing to do things for her that he probably wouldn’t have done for anyone else. Serena understood that. She didn’t have to promise him anything to get his help."
Peter took a drink before continuing. "She wanted to come to Ravencrest, and he helped her get here. As far as I could tell, it suited them both, though probably for different reasons."
John leaned forward slightly. "You said Serena was interested in political influence. Did you ever hear her explain why she left Blackclaw instead of remaining with Alpha Kaidan?"
Peter nodded slowly. "I did, actually. I was arranging meetings for her with several influential people in Ravencrest. On one occasion, I overheard a conversation between Serena and one of the council members she had met."
"What did she say?"
"The council member asked why she had left Blackclaw when she could have remained beside Alpha Kaidan as his mate and future Luna. Serena told him that being Alpha Kaidan’s mate would not give her the kind of political power she wanted."
Peter paused, recalling the conversation. "She said she didn’t want her influence to depend entirely on her position beside him. As his mate, she might become Luna, but she would still be operating within the limits of his authority. She wanted connections and influence of her own, something she could control without having to rely on Alpha Kaidan to give it to her."
John’s expression hardened. "Those were her words?"
"I remember the conversation clearly. She said she didn’t want to be limited to being someone’s mate or future Luna. She wanted enough political power to stand on her own and secure the position she believed she deserved."
Peter shook his head slightly. "From what I heard, that was a major reason she left Blackclaw. She wasn’t looking for someone to rescue her. She was looking for an opportunity to become more powerful."
John considered the information for a moment before asking another question. "Do you know whether Adrian Cross is currently in Ravencrest?"
Peter shook his head. "He isn’t in town at the moment. He’s away on business."
"Do you know when he’ll return?"
"I don’t know about that."
John noted his answer. His own inquiries had already suggested that Adrian was away, but Peter’s confirmation gave him another piece of information to report to Alpha Kaidan.
Serena hadn’t simply walked away from Alpha Kaidan. She had chosen to leave because the position waiting for her beside him wasn’t enough.
"Thank you," he said.
When the conversation ended, John paid him and left.
John returned to Blackclaw by evening and went straight to Alpha Kaidan’s office.
Alpha Kaidan was reviewing a document when John entered. "Did you find someone who knew Serena when she arrived in Ravencrest?" he asked.
"Yes, Sir. Peter Hale worked around the pack’s political gatherings at the time. He remembered Serena’s arrival and had personally encountered her afterwards."
John summarised the conversation. "According to Peter, Serena came to Ravencrest willingly. She wanted to establish political connections and gain influence among the pack’s prominent families. Adrian accompanied her and helped her make the journey."
Alpha Kaidan stopped turning the page. "What did he say about Adrian?"
"He said Adrian liked Serena, and she knew it. Peter believes Adrian helped her because he had feelings for her. He couldn’t confirm that they were romantically involved."
Alpha Kaidan slowly lowered the document. "She left to pursue her own ambitions?"
"That was consistent with what Peter witnessed, Sir. He heard her discussing the connections she wanted to establish and the position she hoped to build for herself."
For several seconds, Alpha Kaidan said nothing.
Then he placed the document on his desk, his expression changing as the implications settled in.
"She told me she had been kidnapped."
His voice was quiet, but anger hardened his features.
John didn’t respond.
Alpha Kaidan rose from his chair. His jaw tightened, and he turned away, pressing one hand against the desk as he struggled to contain his reaction.
For months, he had believed Serena had suffered helplessly while he remained unaware of what had happened to her. He had welcomed her back believing it, convinced he owed her compassion for everything she claimed to have endured.
Now he was learning she had chosen to leave Blackclaw and pursue a future elsewhere.
"She let me believe someone had taken her from me," he said.
His fingers curled against the desk. He thought of Naomi, and his anger deepened. He remembered dismissing his wife’s feelings, the humiliation Serena had caused her, and the times he had expected her to accept his attention to Serena without complaint.
Alpha Kaidan struck the desk with his palm.
"How could I have been so blind?"
John remained silent. Nothing he could say would make the discovery easier to accept.
"She made a fool of me."
He stopped, his expression tightening. Beneath the anger was a harder truth: his own decisions had made everything worse. He couldn’t blame Serena for every choice he had made toward his wife.
That realisation only made him angrier with himself.
After John finished explaining what Peter had told him, Alpha Kaidan’s expression remained hard.
"What about Adrian’s current location?" he asked. "Have you found out where he is?"
"Not yet, Sir. Peter confirmed that Adrian is out of town on business, but he couldn’t tell me when he’ll return."
Alpha Kaidan’s jaw tightened. Adrian had already appeared at Blackclaw once, and there was little reason to believe that his visit to Serena would be his last.
"When he comes back, I want to know immediately."
"Yes, Sir."
"Inform the gate patrol and security team. If Adrian Cross returns to see Serena, do not let him leave without my authorisation. Bring him into custody and have him held securely until I can question him."
John hesitated briefly. "You believe he knows what happened within those four years?"
"I believe he knows more than he has told us." Alpha Kaidan’s gaze sharpened. "He helped Serena leave Blackclaw. Now he has returned to see her.
Ravencrest is involved too. I want the truth from him."
"I’ll make sure the security team is informed."
"Keep this discreet. I don’t want Serena warned before we have the opportunity to question him."
"Thank you, John. You may go."
John left the office. Alpha Kaidan remained standing beside his desk, staring at the document he had abandoned. He had believed Serena’s story because he thought she had been wronged. Now he had reason to question the very foundation of that belief.
And he could no longer ignore the consequences of having believed her so readily.
He sat down slowly, his anger still visible in his clenched jaw.
Naomi was the last person he should have made pay for Serena’s supposed suffering.