Ronin entered his father's office with a pit in his stomach. Katerina's safe yielded insights into the woman's old and new life. If not for her inability to release her grudges, it was anyone's guess if they'd discover her ruse or the intruder within their walls. That there might be others like her—unlisted Supreme and Archaic talents—added to the urgency of their predicament.
Matthias McIntyre reclined in his chair, elbows on the armrest, fingers steepled. He offered no greeting for his older son, his expression a mask of indifference. His piercing gaze, devised to cut through everything in its path, reflected his father's coldness. And years on, the man's demeanor always brokered unease. Ronin sensed a similar trait in his Andreas, although the youngest McIntyre camouflaged it with pleasantries.
Neither bore qualms about exploiting whatever means necessary to acquire their desired results. And both took pleasure in the discomfort of others, relishing in their fear and using it to their advantage. Ronin was the oddball in the family whom his father couldn't quite work out as he was forever his mother's son.
"Father."
"How did your team uncover evidence at the witch's house? My investigators found nothing." Matthias spoke in a monotone voice devoid of outward emotions, yet his enunciated words conveyed his discontentment.
Ronin explained Inola's examination of the premise using her aunt's archaic magic detector. How she and Kaliope located the hidden safe, and Madam Falgor's contribution to breaking the rune that protected its content. As expected, Matthias wasn't pleased Ronin's motley crew bested the Assembly's investigators. Matthias disliked Inola and her clan and voiced his opinion against hiring a human on the Occult CMT's core team.
All the same, his father retained bragging rights as a McIntyre directed the winning team.
"Hmm. Your official report mentioned a card."
Ronin rested a slim crystal case with the plain black card secured inside on his father's desk and pushed it to him. Matthias picked up the case and examined the card. Printed on one side in white was a mask on top of the letter 'X.' Nothing else.
"What's this?"
"An inactive access card. The logo doesn't match any known organization on file. Katerina kept it in the safe, so we're assuming, for the time being, it meant something to her." Along with the card, they recovered the woman's diary, old photographs, and a partially damaged birth certificate.
Unimpressed, Matthias scoffed. "Without a link to anything substantial, it's nothing but a useless piece of plastic." He flicked the case across the table to Ronin.
"Or it's a clue as to who breached our security."
A flash of amber lit his father's eyes. Matthias stood and stalked around his desk.
"I want you to investigate the members of the Assembly."
"You suspect one of them?"
Matthias' show of teeth was all wolf. "As opposed to an outsider circumventing our system undetected for years? Which do you think is more feasible?"
Ronin understood his father well enough to understand it had nothing to do with feasibility. The security of the Server Room was directly under the purview of the Assembly. Matthias was the seated Chairman, and it was an election year. A crisis like this—an outsider breaching Sage Tower's defenses under his watch—would tarnish Matthias' reputation and not to mention his chances at reelection.
While under the guise of an official investigation, his father wanted to weed out the competition and those opposed to his position as Chairman. Matthias attempted the same four years ago, during Ronin's first year of tenure, to use his son as a culling instrument. Ronin undermined his father's attempts then, but now Matthias had Andreas as reinforcement.
Matthias saw everyone as tools for his own ends or obstacles to overcome rather than living beings worthy of respect. Every relationship cultivated was to achieve a specific goal down to his marriage.
"Investigate them yourself. If you require assistance, ask your brother. This isn't fodder for the gossip mill. Understood?"
Ronin gritted his teeth and nodded. "Yes, sir."
A knock sounded at the door, and a man strode in. "The documents you requested, sir." Matthias' executive assistant, Vincent, who doubled as hired muscle, acknowledged Ronin with a curt nod. He was one of the elite lycan guards under Matthias' command. The men trained to act should Sage Tower face a physical attack.
Matthias leafed through the document and returned it. "Bring the car around."
Alone once again, Matthias regarded Ronin in silence. The man was impossible to read, having mastered control of his expression and aura. All that was clear—Matthias McIntyre was a man without empathy or compassion. He viewed the world as a cold, harsh place where only the strongest survived.
"Don't be distracted." Matthias buttoned his jacket and strode for the door.
~
Inola was waiting for Ronin in his office upon his return. She sat on the desk, swinging her legs.
"What did the King of the Tower say?"
"The King?"
"They call you the Lycan Prince."
Ronin exhaled. His family's reputation was a looming shadow. He rested the card on the desk.
"We need proof it's anything but a useless piece of plastic."
Inola sniffed and joined him by the window. The sun dipped below the horizon, washing the sky in oranges, pinks, and purples, creating a stunning backdrop for the towering skyscrapers and bustling streets. The need to escape it all, to simply disappear into the crowd below, tugged at him.
Life is tedious and monotonous if we stick with the same old systems and routines. We become stagnant. Restless.
Ronin yanked his tie loose. He had too much on his plate, too much on his mind. Inola rescued the tie from his fist.
"Mom prepared the flowers. I'll drop them off in the morning."
Ronin nodded. "Thanks."
Every year since they met, Inola's mother supplied a floral arrangement for Ronin on his mother's birthday and death day. Evangeline McIntyre loved flowers and tended a garden at their family home. After her passing, Ronin failed to keep her garden alive. Andreas showed no interest in it, and Matthias was Matthias. Ronin often wondered if the flowers and plants mourned the passing of his mother and if that was why no amount of prodding and care encouraged them to thrive in her absence.
He rubbed a thumb absently over his bracelet—his mother's last gift. "Do you think he misses her?"
Remembering his wife's birthday was the next day might have prompted Matthias' instructions for Ronin to remain focused. And what about the bouquet of purple hyacinths Ronin always found at his mother's grave?
"If you're talking about those mystery flowers, no offense, but Peppy has a wider emotional spectrum than your father. And he was created in a lab."
A wistful smile tugged Ronin's lips. Right. What was he thinking? Matthias sending flowers to his dead wife's grave stretched the imagination. But someone was. Twice a year. On her birthday and death anniversary. Purple hyacinths meant forgiveness. Who'd want to apologize to his mother besides Matthias?
Inola clicked her tongue. "Your mother had a big heart, marrying a man like him."
"He should hear you."
"If he sniffs in my direction, my mom will take a slipper to him." Inola motioned her hand with the invisible slipper. "Pow."
"Wait. Did your mother throw the slipper at my head the other night?"
Inola considered it. "No. I think it was either Meena or Liv."
Ronin shook his head. "How do you stay sane with all those people in one house?"
"They're a pain in the ass, but..." She shrugged. "We can adopt you."
Ronin laughed. "A wolf in a fox house?"
"Why not?" The seriousness of Inola's retort caught him off guard. "I've always wanted an older brother, and my mother dotes on you like you're her eldest son. Plus, Dallin thinks you're heaven's gift. All that's left is the paperwork. And wouldn't you be happier with us?"
Ronin contemplated Inola's question long after her departure.
...wouldn't you be happier with us?
He sighed. His happiness rested far out of reach. What he had at present was his work and a new mystery to solve.
Ronin examined the black card with the mask and 'X.' "Hmm. Useless plastic or evidence?" He believed the latter. Proving it mattered to his case was another matter.
~
The hyacinths were already present upon Ronin's arrival at his mother's grave. No scent lingered to betray the identity of the anonymous gifter. Ronin arranged the stargazer lilies Inola's mother artfully arranged beside the mysterious bouquet. He thumbed the soft petals of the hyacinth, inhaling its robust fragrance.
Who are you?
Ronin spun, sensing eyes on him. He surveyed his surroundings and spotted movement from behind a tree. He raced for it, but there was no one there. Expanding his senses, he noted no visitors close by. And no recent scent. Impossible. But Ronin was confident he'd seen someone where he now stood as he stared at a single hyacinth stem on the ground.
Who. Are you?
~~~
To read the entire first season, along with Seasons 2 and 3, join me on Ream. The link's in my bio on the home page. Hope to see you there.