Moon Claimed (Werewolf Dens #2) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,94

shouldn’t have borrowed that money, Andie. It looks bad no matter the angle.”

His words stung extra bad because I’d known that at the time too. “We need to do damage control.”

Nathan glared daggers.

“Do you have something to add, Nathan?” I asked.

“We’ve never had so much tumult with a leader,” he said. “I can’t help but wonder if you’re the right person for the job.”

The others fell silent.

His words were nothing I didn’t ask myself each day. “I don’t know if I’m the right leader for this tribe or not, but if Rhona were in this seat, I wouldn’t spend every waking moment trying to tear her down. Her methods—texts like this—the rumours I’ve heard spreading, her acts of violence in Clay, none of that helps our people. That’s what I know.”

His scent remained the same. Nathan was Herc’s best friend. If he believed me guilty of Herc’s death, nothing I could say would reach him.

Trixie broke the tension. “We’ll need to corroborate your story to convince the tribe. Which lawyer did you use?”

I related the details, and Pascal left to call Neve.

“I need to clear up the truth at the gathering,” I said in the quiet wake.

“I think so,” Roderick said.

“The night before the game.” For fuck’s sake.

Waiting would be worse.

Pascal returned. “Neve is on board. She verified that Rhona was present at the time and that she witnessed the document. She also said that you seemed reluctant to take the funds at the time but did so at Rhona’s urging. She mentioned that Rhona called her and said you’d asked for early transfer of the funds and to amend the contract.”

“I did no such thing.” It must have been directly after she watched the camera footage outside my cabin and caught me out. Or earlier. At worst, Rhona had despised me from the reading of Herc’s will. At best, she started moving against me the day after my confession.

Stanley returned from the window. “Everyone’s here.”

“Do you have bank details for the manor trust?” I drew out my phone.

He consulted his tablet, reading the account number.

I transferred the exact loan amount back to the tribe. I hadn’t closed the mortgage account yet.

Back in the negatives.

Always so close.

“The money should appear in the account within a day.”

“Doesn’t that put you back in debt?” Trixie asked.

“I’d rather be in more debt than be called a liar and a thief,” I answered quietly.

Standing, I smoothed down my sweater and looked at the faces of the head team, reading them loud and clear.

I was on my own.

The trust I’d cultivated with this team was void and gone, and what made me most angry was that accepting the money was stupid beyond reason. No one gave money away like that.

Clearing the debt was too good to be true.

I was a fucking idiot.

I went directly outside, ignoring stewards who abruptly stopped talking at my approach.

Walking through their whispering midst, I caught sight of Wade in terse conversation with Cameron. He peered over and I saw his fear for me.

Yep, that about summed it up.

This betrayal hurts you, my wolf said.

With all that Rhona had done, this was such a stab in the back. She’d offered me the money so sincerely. She knew how sensitive I felt about Ragna’s gambling problem. And now I’d have to convey that to the tribe.

Rhona hit me across the face in Clay, but this was a dagger to the heart.

I climbed the stairs and stood at the mic, studying the sea of stewards.

The head team filed into the front row, and I spotted Neve beside Pascal. At least there was an impartial witness to back me up.

“I was informed less than an hour ago of a text sent out to the tribe by my sister, Rhona.” She was nowhere in sight, surprisingly. “I haven’t seen the text itself, but I’m told it details funds stolen from the manor accounts to cover my personal debt. I cannot express how hurtful this was to hear. One, because our tribe is still recovering from what happened in Clay and this is another blow to deal with. Two, because the message brings up personal and painful memories of mine that I’d rather keep in the past. And three, because there is some truth to the matter.”

I let their outraged murmurs flow for a minute. “Let me give you an accurate recount of this transaction. You deserve no less, and if I’d known this would be an issue for the tribe, you would have known this