Chapter 244 Edwin

I stared down at the reports in front of me and felt a surge of anger bubble up in my chest.

"You're sure that this is what's happening?" I asked, glancing up at my Beta. "There's no way you were mistaken?" Charles pursed his lips and leaned back in his chair. That was all the answer I needed.

I smacked my hand on the desk and looked away, clenching my teeth so tightly I thought they might *c*ck. My Beta remained silent, waiting for the storm to pass before he said anything else.

I couldn't shoot the messenger, of course. But the reports that Charles just brought back to me were enough to make my blood boil with fury.

I

According to our recent investigations into orphanages around Crescent territory, we discovered something... unsettling, to say the least. Apparently, it was commonplace for orphanages to commission-that's right, commission-human children to undeserving families.. Such as the family that Audrey was adopted into.

Since human children were often passed over when it came to adoption, I supposed that orphanages grew desperate. So, back in the nineties, a few orphanages started giving incentives to people who were interested in adopting. Adopt a human kid completely under the table-no paperwork, no background check, no money, no wellness checks, nothing.

101.

for.

exchange, use that child for whatever you wanted, whether it was for cleaning your house or working odd jobs to make ra money for the family or welfare checks or... I didn't want to think about what other things those kids would be used And what was required of the adoptive guardians, you may ask?

Nothing but a small percentage of whatever they earned off of that child.

A strange business model, certainly. But when an orphanage is pawning off dozens of human kids to greedy families every week, the profits add up. "Alpha?" Charles finally dared to speak up.

I

to be lamenting over what was happening to

happening right under my nose," I growled, shuffling through the pile of papers my Beta had just plopped on my desk-receipts, documents, letters, all proving that this had been going on for decades. Charles sighed. "It's been

on under his leadership, but it was no matter now. I was

in my chair, considering my options. There was one obvious way to go about this: put

Mon,

and move the existing kids to better ones. We would have to try and track down any of

of kids by doing that. Uprooting their lives when they'd already been through enough. Siblings might get split up by accident in the frenzy.

what? Cram them into the few reputable establishments that were left? Judging from the looks of things, the problem was rampant; I could only count the number of uncorrupt orphanages on one hand, and even if those orphanages weren't taking part in

have who aren't actively dealing with the remnants of the Coldclaw situation and send them to intimidate the orphanage directors. Fine them royally, then threaten them with being shut down if they continue the practice." "That doesn't feel like enough," I said more

unbeknownst to her, thrust into this corrupt system. Those adoptive parents of hers were

what some of the other kids went

the source," I mused, dragging a hand through my hair. "But

arrest the orphanage directors and appoint new

nodded. "That's a

1. We'll

"As

get

go after the adoptive

for the directors' replacements?"

my eyes for

just hire strangers, not this quickly. We'd need

and background checks on

as possible," I finally said. "Ask Silverbite for help, too. Claudia will likely oversee it if need be. She'll want to know, anyway, since her own daughter was part of the f the system." Charles nodded solemnly and rose from his chair. The mention

grit my teeth and nodded. "I have no choice. She deserves to

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