CHAPTER 26

JARRETT

"Control the input," I reminded her softly as I navigated the traffic. "Just focus on your breathing."

"I am breathing," she replied sharply. "And I am absolutely pissed off."

That was good to hear, because being pissed off was infinitely better than being paralyzed by fear.

We got to the main league offices. It looked and felt exactly like a solemn funeral home.

There were crowds of reporters gathering outside the building, nervous board members pacing around inside, and Brent’s lead lawyer was visibly sweating right through his eight-hundred-dollar suit.

The forensic audit team was already waiting for us inside Conference Room B. The room contained six tight-faced people, multiple open laptops, and one very tired forensic accountant named Mara Reyes.

She had worked on a case for me three years ago, and while she openly disliked dealing with wolves, she definitely liked tracking numbers a whole lot more.

"Ms. Callahan, Mr. Brooks," Mara said by way of introduction, skipping any standard pleasantries as she slid a thick black binder across the table toward us. "The situation is incredibly bad."

Helena pulled the binder closer and opened the first page.

The very first sheet was titled West Coast Affiliate Travel Budget for the fiscal year 2025. The bottom line revealed that exactly two point three million dollars was completely missing from the accounts.

The second page detailed Vegas scouting hotels, showing a massive charge of eighty-four thousand dollars racked up in a single weekend with absolutely no active hockey players present.

The third page was titled Vendor Payments, listing a series of regular monthly payouts to a company called Silverline Holdings LLC.

They had been receiving consistent monthly transfers for the past fourteen months, totaling one point eight million dollars.

"Silverline," Helena murmured, studying the data closely. "What exactly is this company?"

"It is a classic shell corporation," Mara explained. "It is officially registered out in Delaware with no listed employees, no active website, and nothing more than a physical mailbox to its name."

Brent let out a sudden laugh from his seat across the room, the sound far too loud and defensive. "So what if they are? Vendors get paid all the time in this business. You people simply do not understand how hockey operations work—"

"Shut your mouth," the commissioner cut in, silencing him instantly.

Mara clicked her mouse to bring up the next slide on the presentation screen, which detailed direct bank transfers.

The documents showed funds moving straight from Silverline to North Ridge Security Consultants.

The entire conference room went completely silent.

Helena went totally still as she stared at the words on the screen.

"North Ridge," she whispered under her breath. "That belongs to Kade."

Brent’s face drained of what little color he had left.

Vanessa, who was sitting directly behind him, completely stopped texting on her phone.

"What is that?" the commissioner asked, looking around the table in confusion. "What did you just say?"

Helena raised her eyes to look at the board. "North Ridge Pack, led by Kade Merrick who acts as their Alpha."

She turned the heavy binder around so that everyone at the table could see the signatures clearly. "Brent isn’t just embezzling money from this league, he is actively paying protection money to a wolf pack."

Brent shot up out of his chair immediately. "That is nothing but pure slander—"

"Sit back down," I told him, keeping my voice incredibly low. My wolf was pushing right beneath the surface of my skin.

He sank back into his seat without another word.

Mara continued with her presentation. "We managed to trace the ultimate ownership of the funds. Silverline is owned by another hidden shell corporation, and that specific entity is owned directly by Ridge Capital Group."

She pulled up the official corporate registration documents on the screen.

The listing for Chief Executive Officer showed the name K. Merrick.

"Brent owes the North Ridge Pack a massive amount of money," Mara stated plainly. "It stems from unpaid gambling debts accumulated during the last hockey season, totaling two point seven million."

Vanessa let out a sharp noise, looking as though she had just been punched hard in the stomach.

Helena closed the heavy binder slowly and deliberately.

"Kade engineered this entire situation," she said, her voice dropping into a steady tone.

The commissioner frowned deeply at her statement. "Please explain what you mean by that."

Helena stood up from the table, and she wasn't shaking at all anymore.

"Step one," she began, pacing the floor. "Kade gets Brent deeply into debt to ensure he cannot possibly pay it back on his own."

"Step two," she continued. "Kade offers Brent a way out of the financial hole by telling him he has to completely destroy me."

She pointed a finger directly at her own chest.

"He told Brent to leak my private medical files, paint me as completely unstable to the media, get me suspended from my position, and ensure I was totally isolated from my support system."

"Step three," she said. "Once I have absolutely nothing left, meaning no job, no public reputation, and no one left believing a word I say, Kade steps in to offer me safety. He offers me a place in his pack and promises to give me the answers regarding my parents' murder."

She turned her gaze directly toward Brent.

"You were never actually trying to win our legal dispute, were you? You were just trying to force me to run away."

Brent completely refused to meet her eyes.

Vanessa stood up defensively. "This entire theory is completely insane. You have absolutely no real proof that—"

"I have all the proof I need," Helena interrupted smoothly. She pulled out her smartphone and played a digital recording for the room.

Brent's smooth voice echoed through the speaker, captured during their meeting at the freight yard.

The moment the recording finished playing, Vanessa sank back down into her chair, utterly defeated.

The commissioner rubbed his temples in exhaustion. "Mr. Callahan, is this statement true?"

Brent said absolutely nothing, that silence was the only answer the room needed.

After the meeting concluded, Helena leaned her back against the cool hallway wall.

I stood directly in front of her to block her from the line of sight of any rogue cameras.

"He was using me as bait this entire time," she said softly. "He engineered everything to force a confrontation with Kade, including the hearing, the showcase game, and the medical leak."

"Yeah," I agreed quietly.

"And if I had actually called that number," she whispered, "if I had given in and gone to the pack for help..."

"Then you would be completely under his control right now," I finished for her.

She looked up at me, a flash of gold appearing in her amber eyes for a brief second before it faded away.

"He needs me to feel completely desperate," she noted. "He wants me to believe that the only place I can ever be truly safe is by his side."

"So what is our next move?" I asked.

Helena pushed herself off the wall, and that familiar, dangerous look was back in her eyes. It was the exact same expression she wore on the ice and during the hearing.

"We are officially going to stop playing defense," she stated firmly.