Alpha Kaidan had spent the morning reviewing the information John had gathered about Serena Cole. Each discovery revealed another part of her past she had hidden from him. The more he learned, the less he believed her account of the incident at the gathering.
He remembered the night Naomi had fallen into the pool. Serena accused Naomi of causing the confrontation, and he accepted her explanation without investigating what happened. Naomi had taken the blame, and Serena had taken his sympathy.
Alpha Kaidan set the report aside and reached for his phone.
"John, come to my office."
John arrived a few minutes later.
"I want the surveillance footage from the night of the gathering where Naomi ended up in the pool," Alpha Kaidan said. "Contact the people responsible for the security recordings. I want the footage retrieved if it is still available."
"Yes, sir. I’ll check the archives."
"Bring it directly to me."
John left and contacted the security department. Since the gathering had taken place months earlier, the recordings were no longer among the regularly accessed files. However, the security team had retained archived footage from the event.
It took some time to locate the recording. When John found it, he confirmed it covered the pool and carried it to Alpha Kaidan’s office.
"It’s available, sir."
Alpha Kaidan moved to the desk and watched as John opened the recording.
The footage showed the gathering in progress. Guests moved around the pool area while conversations continued nearby. Naomi stood close to Serena, and for a moment, nothing appeared unusual between them.
Then Serena shoved Naomi into the pool.
The movement was deliberate. There was no stumble, no accidental collision, and no attempt by Serena to prevent Naomi from falling. Serena stood at the edge and watched Naomi go under.
Alpha Kaidan watched the next few moments without speaking. The recording continued, showing Serena’s actions after Naomi surfaced and the way the incident unfolded before the guests.
He asked John to replay the relevant section.
The second viewing confirmed what the first had shown. Serena had pushed Naomi, then turned the room against her.
"Save the footage," Alpha Kaidan instructed. "Keep the original secure and make a separate copy for the council meeting."
"Yes, sir."
"Add it to the evidence file."
John completed the instructions before leaving the office.
The footage would now accompany the other material gathered for the meeting. Peter Hale’s recorded account, the source’s information about Serena’s exile, the patrol captain’s testimony, and John’s investigation reports were already being preserved. Each would help establish a different part of Serena’s history and conduct.
Alpha Kaidan returned to the remaining work on his desk, leaving John to organise the new recording with the existing evidence.
Two days later, a patrol officer at Blackclaw’s main gate recognised a familiar face approaching the entrance.
Adrian Cross had returned. The patrol officer contacted the captain, who came to the gate and confirmed the visitor’s identity.
"I’m here to see Serena Cole," Adrian told the captain.
"Wait here."
The captain stepped away and contacted John, explaining that Adrian Cross had arrived and was requesting entry.
John immediately informed Alpha Kaidan.
"Adrian Cross is at the main gate, sir. He’s asking to see Serena."
Alpha Kaidan looked up from his desk.
"Have security detain him. Bring him somewhere private and make sure he remains there until I decide otherwise."
"Yes, sir."
John relayed the order to the patrol captain.
When the captain returned, Adrian noticed the change in the guards’ demeanour.
"Is there a problem?" he asked.
"You’ll need to come with us."
"I’m here to visit someone. I haven’t done anything wrong."
"You can explain that to the Alpha."
Adrian’s expression hardened, but he followed the guards when they escorted him away from the entrance. He had expected questions about his visit, perhaps even a delay while the pack confirmed his identity. He had not expected to be detained.
John met him in a private room and informed him that Alpha Kaidan wanted answers about his connection to Serena and his previous visit to Blackclaw.
"What exactly do you want to know?" Adrian asked.
"Why you helped Serena leave Blackclaw four years ago, and why you’ve returned to see her now."
Adrian leaned back in his chair. "I came to see someone I know. That isn’t a crime."
"Then answering the questions shouldn’t be difficult."
"I’m not obliged to tell you everything about my personal affairs."
John studied him briefly before continuing. He asked about Serena’s departure and what Adrian knew about her time in Ravencrest. Adrian gave him nothing useful. He kept saying the same thing: his reasons for helping Serena were his own.
John ended the questioning and reported the outcome to Alpha Kaidan.
"He isn’t cooperating, sir."
"Then he will remain in custody until the council meeting," Alpha Kaidan said. "Make sure he is treated properly. I want him available when the time comes."
John acknowledged the order and returned to arrange Adrian’s detention.
Before leaving Ravencrest, Adrian had sent Serena a message informing her that he would be returning to Blackclaw. She knew he was coming and expected him to contact her once he arrived.
When several hours passed without any word from him, she began to wonder what had happened.
Adrian had promised to return, and she had no reason to believe he would change his mind without telling her.
She left her room and approached one of the household staff.
"Has anyone come to visit today?" she asked. "I mean, has anyone arrived at the main gate asking to see someone in the house?"
"Yes, Miss," the staff member replied. "A man arrived earlier. The guards escorted him away with John."
Serena’s expression changed. "Who was the man?"
"I don’t know his name, Miss. I only saw them taking him away."
"Where did they take him?"
"I couldn’t say. They didn’t bring him into the house."
Serena dismissed the staff member and immediately took out her phone. She tried calling Adrian, but he didn’t answer. She sent him a message, asking where he was and why he hadn’t come to see her.
There was no reply.
She headed towards the main gate to make enquiries, but the guards refused to let her into the restricted area. They told her to go through the proper channels.
She returned to the house, increasingly unsettled. Adrian had barely arrived in Blackclaw before Alpha Kaidan’s people took him away. She didn’t know what he had been asked or whether he had already spoken about her.