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The Alpha Queen Returns – Episode 09
General Sarabeth stared at the financial report suspended above her desk. A billion dollars glowed beside Melissa Russo’s name, an obscene reward for the same family Mina had recorded abusing Princess Caroline. “Tell me they haven’t touched it yet.”
Mina’s grim expression answered before she spoke. “The entire amount was transferred out minutes after it arrived.” No wages had been paid, no school accounts funded, and no supplies purchased for the Russo pack. The money Jessica meant for Caroline had remained in Melissa’s hands for less than five minutes.
Sarabeth scanned the branching sequence of authorization codes. “To whom?”
“We don’t know. The recipient account is buried behind end-to-end encryption and false territorial registries. Our trace reached a private network, then vanished.” Mina shook her head. “Whoever received the money expected investigators.” The concealment resembled methods used by rogue suppliers along the border, but they needed proof before naming an enemy.
Sarabeth’s fist struck the desk hard enough to extinguish the projection. “Find them. Pull Treasury analysts from every nonessential assignment and use military intelligence if you must. A billion royal dollars does not disappear inside my kingdom.”
Mina saluted and left to organize the search. Sarabeth turned toward the window, where vehicles already carried banquet guests toward Ambassador Ansel’s estate. Each new fact made the situation more intolerable. Jessica was sacrificing her fortune to protect Caroline, while the Russos converted her love into profit.
“She’s funding the people tormenting her own daughter,” Sarabeth said to the empty room. Anger wanted someone simple to blame—Ansel, the Russos, even Jessica—but the recording had shown Caroline’s silence clearly. Fear and deception had built this trap together.
Mina returned sooner than expected, a second file in her hand. “General, the household review is complete. School records, medical reports, letters sent in Caroline’s name—most were forged or altered by Russo employees.” Attendance sheets claimed Caroline studied every day, although servants placed her in the laundry courtyard during those same hours.
Sarabeth’s expression darkened. “Then there is no possibility Jessica knew.”
“None. The Queen truly believes Caroline is safe and happy. Every report she received was designed to confirm it.”
The realization stripped away Sarabeth’s last hesitation. Jessica had not ignored her child’s suffering. She had been carefully prevented from seeing it. “Then we tell her. Immediately.”
Before they could leave, a security officer reminded Sarabeth that hundreds of guests were already gathering at Ansel’s estate and that her unexplained absence could trigger panic. Sarabeth took the recording crystal from her desk. She would attend long enough to secure the hall, confront anyone connected to the Russos, and then place the truth in Jessica’s hands.
The banquet’s grand hall blazed with chandeliers and polished gold. Powerful Alphas, diplomats, and Council members filled the room in formal dress, their conversations masking old rivalries beneath elegant smiles. Music floated from a string quartet, nearly drowning the security wolves communicating in terse murmurs along the walls. At the center of the gathering stood Alpha Hunter, a battle-scarred warrior whose approval could shift entire voting blocs.
Rex Russo entered through a side corridor with Caroline beside him. A carefully chosen dress concealed most of her bruises, but it could not restore color to her face. The drug remained in her blood, leaving her steps unsteady and her thoughts wrapped in feverish fog. Each burst of laughter made her flinch, and the crowded exits seemed impossibly far away.
Rex’s hand tightened around her arm whenever guests looked away. “Behave,” he murmured without moving his smile. “One wrong word, and your mother dies before sunrise.”
Caroline tried to pull back. “Please let me go. I want to go home.”
“Think about Jessica.” Rex’s pleasant expression never changed. The threat silenced Caroline more effectively than a blow.
He guided her through the crowd until they reached Hunter. “Alpha Hunter, may I have a moment?” Rex bowed with exaggerated respect, then stepped aside to display Caroline. “I brought someone I believe you’ll appreciate.”
Hunter’s gaze traveled over the girl, taking in her pallor, rigid shoulders, and the fear she could not hide. He did not touch her. “Who is she?”
“A young omega from my family’s household,” Rex said smoothly. “Quiet, obedient, and eager to serve someone worthy. Do you like her?”
