THE LUNA HE NEVER TRULY KNEW
"Morning? Have you checked your messages?"
"No." Marcus glanced at the secondary crystal on his desk, the one that handled general communications. It was glowing steadily, indicating dozens of unread messages. He had been so focused on the file, on the mystery of Elena, that he had ignored everything else. A dangerous lapse for an Alpha. A telling one.
"You should."
Marcus opened the secure Alpha network, his fingers moving with practiced efficiency. The interface bloomed into the air above his desk, a holographic display of messages, alerts, and notifications from across the continent. He had expected the usual—treaty updates, alliance requests, territorial reports.