~Kade~
Night had come and gone. Most slept, not knowing what lived on the same pack grounds as they at this very minute; some stared at the walls as their minds were occupied with thoughts because they knew exactly what lived under the same roof. For that person to sleep would trouble me more than my mind right now.
When the clock hit nine, I walked down and joined the others in the dining room. The lead warriors had been stationed outside Jackson’s room and followed him to breakfast in the morning. The Alphas were up as well. The tension in the room was so thick that it felt like entering a room filled with water.
“Alpha Kade, good to see you.” Jackson smiled gleefully.
Still, I could see the resentment he didn’t bother to hide. An ordinary werewolf bested him, and his ego must’ve taken a hit greater than his body.
I sat down and looked around the table; my parents sat on the edge, Cara and Mason sat opposite each other, and Anna was next to my sister. The Alphas sat lined up, and Danielle was between Mason and me, with Jackson between Alpha Matthias and Anna.
“Where is Justin?” I asked when I noticed he was the only one not there.
“I haven’t seen him today,” Danielle said and shrugged her shoulders.
Mason threw me a glance. I felt those obnoxious Emebrclaw eyes burning into the side of my face. Jackson meant to cause distrust between Justin and me, and I wondered what else he had planned to ensure that happened.
As for right now, I didn’t believe a word that came out of that bastard’s mouth. The second he was no longer useful to me, I’d rip his heart out of his chest and feed it to his king.
I pushed back my chair and excused myself as I went to find Justin.
The doors to the house were open, and the sun shone outside. Two pack members sat on the stone wall of the stairs outside, dangling their legs, and I heard others laughing from the ground.
I walked upstairs and went to his room, hoping he’d be there. I was in no mood to go chasing after him. Just as I stopped outside his door and was about to knock, it opened. Justin stepped out. My eyes circled his face before scanning the bag he held.
“Going somewhere?” I asked.
Justin glanced between his bag and me. He sighed and nodded.
“Home,” he said and stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Justin started walking down the hallway and stopped by the stairs. I walked after him, seeing as what he was about to do was a suicide mission, and I still needed his help.
“If you go back, your king will kill you,” I said.
Justin nodded, knowing full well what he was getting himself into.
“I’m aware, but I can’t hide from it either, not if he’s going to send people to your pack.”
I scoffed and yanked his bag out of his hand. “Why don’t you let me worry about my pack? You just worry about staying alive and helping me kill your king,” I said.
A warrior passed me, and I pushed Justin’s bag into the warrior’s hands.
“Put this back in his room.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Justin looked at me with a raised brow and smiled.
“I could’ve gotten the bag back if I wanted to,” he said.
“But you didn’t, which tells me all I need to know,” I said and clapped my hand on his shoulder.
The only way to kill that bastard was to have as many people with us as possible. Having two Emberclaws on our side was slightly evening out the odds.
We walked down to the dining room. I wanted Jackson to see that his former pack member was still here.
“You know, I thought after what Jackson said that you’d be throwing me out yourself,” Justin said as we walked together.
“You don’t have to worry about that. It’s not true, right?” I said.
Justin turned his head and looked at me. “Right. It’s not true.” He smiled and stepped into the dining room.
I stood back and watched as everyone greeted him. Something shifted in his tone just then.
“Do you believe him?” my wolf asked.
I’m not sure, but we need him
“As long as he’s helping us for the right reasons”
It doesn’t matter and if when we’re done his priories shift. I’ll just kill him
“You’ve taken a liking to him. Make sure that once we’ve saved Layla, we don’t also have to save her from the people in her own home”
I walked in and joined the others. We carried on the breakfast amicably, and once we were done, I gathered the Alphas in the conference room for the last meeting. To my delight, they had all untied and talked about the events at hand.
“We would first like to apologize for not taking your warning seriously. Second, we’d like to offer any and all assistance that we can. Whatever you ask, you shall have,” Alpha Malik said as he leaned his elbows on the table.
“I’m glad we’re all on the same page. As for right now, you will go back to your packs and share this information only with the warriors of your pack. We don’t need unnecessary panic from other members and should keep this as quiet as possible for as long as possible. Train your people, prepare for war, and make sure to have the strongest ones ready for when the time comes. I will try my best to take control of the situation and, at the very least, keep the fish as far away from our homes as possible, but if I don’t succeed, make sure to have enough safety room freed up in your packs. If Nathaniel were to succeed, the werewolf species would cease to exist, and whatever the outcome of this war is, him winning is not an option,” I said and finally saw that I had their fullest attention.
The Alphas walked away with determination and a justified seed of fear in their minds. Whatever happened next, I knew at least that we stood a chance. In my mind, I could see her face and her hand reaching out as she smiled. She was the center of all my thoughts, the one thing I fought for more than anything else. She was the one I owed my life to and would give my life to protect. For once, I could feel that her presence wasn’t too far away.
