Lucas drummed his fingers on the polished oak desk, his eyes scanning the financial reports of the Emberfang Pack. The numbers blurred together after hours of concentration. He rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension that had built there.
A soft knock at his office door provided welcome interruption.
“Come in,” he called, setting down the papers.
Matilda, the pack physician, entered with a solemn expression. Her gray-streaked hair was pulled into a tight bun, and she carried a manila folder tucked under her arm.
“Alpha Lucas,” she greeted with a slight bow of her head. “I have the results from the examination.”
Lucas straightened in his chair. “What have you found?”
Matilda took a seat across from him, placing the folder on the desk. “As you and your brothers suspected, the kidnapper died from wolfsbane poisoning. He had a capsule hidden between his back molars. Once bitten, death would have been swift.”
