~Kade~
All sound disappeared from the room, the windows closed, and complete silence fell over the office. Everyone stood and kept their distance, but there was no denying the tension that could be cut through with a butter knife. I stepped closer to Aldo, who stood his ground. Sebastian closed in on us and looked between me and his father while trying to keep a confident stand but failing miserably.
”That’s not going to happen,” I said and pushed the book closer to his body. They really think I’m gonna hand her over?
I’d burn every single piece of information we’ve gathered and go I blind if that’s what I had to do. I was bringing her home, and once I had her here, there was no way I was ever letting her go again. ”It’s prime information, Alpha, don’t be so rash in your decision.”
”At least think about what is in it for you. You can save the werewolf species; we will give you as many warriors as you need to help you do so. All we ask is that you give us the girl once it is done. She’s not worth the deaths of millions.”
I turned my head and stared down at Dimitri, who was standing in front of Sebastian.
Stepping closer, I saw the light twitch in his hand.
”She is to me,” I said and felt my wolf stirring within me. He was waking up, and he was pissed. So far, he had been calm, knowing we were getting closer, but another obstacle in our way was not what we needed.
”You are really willing to let everyone die at the hands of the Emberclaws to keep her? Your pack members, your siblings, your friends, they will all perish under the rule of those beasts. We are helping you terminate the threat and save everyone you love.”
”Listen to me very carefully,” I said and stepped closer to Dimitri, who was desperately trying to stay grounded. He was appealing to the caring part of me, to the leader, the brother, but little does he know that those parts aren’t there anymore, not right now. Right now, I had one goal in mind, and I would stop at nothing to reach it. ”-if any one of you tries to lay a finger on Layla, I will rip your heads off and glue them to the stairs of your house. I will turn your intestines into jumping ropes for our pups, and I will draw warnings with your blood, reminding everyone who they’re dealing with. Do no mistake me for a compassionate man, and do not try to take what is mine because I will honor my promise.” Sebastian stepped back, his father’s head fell an inch, and Dimitri cleared his throat before stepping back as well and lowering his head.
”Now that you have met my son, perhaps we can renegotiate the terms of this agreement.” Everyone looked to the door where my parents were standing. My father stood with his hands clasped behind him, and my mother stood a few inches to his left, slightly behind him.
Both of them wore stern looks, my mother mostly with her eyes burning fires into the faces of our guests. My dad was smiling as he walked over to join us.
Everyone took their seats, and my mother walked over slowly while eyeing Sebastian, who shrunk under her gaze. Aldo was less than pleased by another woman stepping into our meeting, and I was somewhat hoping for him to open his mouth and spit some shit at her. My mother was not to be played with, and if there was one thing she hated, it was men who didn’t respect a woman.
She sat down on a chair between Aldo and Dimitri, pulling rank right away and showing where she stood.
”Of course,” Dimitri said, seeming more comfortable than his friend. It was weird how he spoke more than Aldo, and they both spoke more than Sebastian. Something told me that the Alpha family weren’t the ones actually running the pack.
”As my son already explained, Layla will not be returning anywhere but here. She is his mate and a part of this family. Now that the matter has been resolved, why don’t you tell us about this plan the Emberclaws have to overthrow the werewolves.” My father said,
It was clear they didn’t want to divulge the information now that they knew they wouldn’t be getting their way but they didn’t have much of a choice. There was something else in this for them; I just didn’t know what it was yet.
Dimitri bowed his head, and Aldo sat up straight with a deep scowl on his face. Sebastian was casting wary glances at my mother, who caught him.
”Sit up straight; this is a meeting, and you are an Alpha.” She said, and he flew up on the chair with a straightened back.
”As I was saying,” Aldo said and glared at his son before casting a fierce glare at my mother, who smiled softly at him with a proud look.
”The Emberclaws have been known since before our pack was even formed. They were dangerous and angry. They wanted to take over Alphas everywhere, and they would have succeeded had they not been so few. There was never more than one Emberclaw in each pack, and everyone celebrated when they left. Little did they know it was only the beginning of something much worse. You see, alone they weren’t a real threat, not when they had entire packs against them, but as they left, they started finding each other and they grew bigger. After forming their own pack, everyone expected the worst, so they prepared their warriors, enlarged the patrol guards over the entire country’s borders, and waited.” Aldo hung his head; if I wasn’t mistaken, I could see fear on his face.
”What happened?” Mason asked.
Aldo lifted his head; his eyes were pitch black as he stared at my brother with a stern face.
”They never came. They weren’t heard of. Emberclaws were still being born into regular pack families, but whenever their powers were made aware, they left on their own accord. Nobody stayed around, and it was weird. It was like they were being recruited, but there was never any evidence of that. Before this, they would hurt, kill, and slaughter our kind in belief of superiority. They were disgusted by our weakness and wanted to impose their own form of leadership. We thought we won when they left, everybody did. Little did we know it was only the beginning of something much worse. Alpha Kade, the Emberclaws are preparing for a final attack, one that will wipe us out of existence. We have reason to believe she is the key that they have been waiting for.”
