The photograph arrived on a Tuesday morning.
A normal Tuesday.
The kind of day that usually disappeared into endless meetings, reports, patrol schedules, and pack responsibilities.
Nothing special.
Nothing memorable.
At least that was how the day began.
Markus was halfway through reviewing territory reports when a soft knock interrupted him.
“Come in.”
The office door opened.
Mason walked inside carrying a stack of paperwork.
As usual.
For a brief moment Markus wondered if his Beta simply lived to make his life more difficult.
Then he noticed something strange.
Mason was smiling.
Not his normal smile.
Not his sarcastic smile.
A genuine one.
Immediately Markus became suspicious.
“What?”
Mason placed the paperwork on the desk.
Then casually slid something else across the
