ra

small box f

the ribbon and

ap, mass-produce

uld buy at any corner

r lump in my throat a

red, the words feelin

ning his massive

y Alpha frame across the roo

gle, hot tear escaped and struck t

of the coffee tabl

asked, my voice steady de

es. "The territory negotiations took h

without a sin

ctly. "Are you hidi

e, reaching out

cles around his eyes remained inert, a strained and hollow performance.

to his lips and

is breathing evened ou

ed in

I clearly saw the faint smudge

ng perfume of Sele

ed from his pocket and lande

p with a new mes

from

ight, Alpha. The

d into the plastic casing of my own phone that

hat my thumbprint remained a registered key. I pressed it

s messages

er. There were photographs of a design

found the bank tra

rom the Pack's emergency funds to b

he messages and opened the P

as struggling, that we had to

n like swallowing crushed ice spread from my stomach, a chill that crept up my spine, yet

k CEO were massive. Ther

s offshore

ared Pack accounts over the last year. The latest transfer mem