Alpha Rowland slamd his fist on the table so hard the scattered maps jumped.
"What are we still waiting for?" he barked. "We have the bigger army. We should storm that damn pack house right now and kill every single one of them, so you," he jabbed a finger at Cane, "can take charge."
Alpha Cane sat at the head of the table, surrounded by the two alphas he "felt" he trusted. The irony wasn’t lost on him considering trust was a joke among the west pack wolves.
He didn’t delude himself into thinking they were friends or that they liked him. They were together today because of ambition and blood, nothing more.
After all, they had used and betrayed Marlow, one of their own. This alliance would end the sa way. Except he’d be smart enough not to fall victim.
Alpha Drake, the oldest among them, said with his raspy voice, "You cannot touch the East Alpha or the South Alpha," he warned. "Especially not without Alpha King Elijah’s permission. If you strike without his blessing, he’ll co for all our heads."
He went on to say, "For starters, we eliminate Ezra King. He’s the glue holding the others together. Once he’s gone, the pack mbers will realize they stand alone. Then they’ll fall in line behind you especially now that Asher Nightshade is missing..." His lips curled. "Or, if the goddess favors us, already dead."
The room fell into a heavy silence.
The circumstances surrounding Asher’s disappearance were baffling to everyone, especially after the failed assassination attempt. Not just his, but the rest of the cardinal alphas as well.
Rumors were spreading that so girl had kidnapped them. It was absurd to imagine the cardinal alphas, with all their power, being taken by a single girl, but for now the rumor served their purpose, and they hoped it stayed that way.
If Asher returned, well, they’d would deal with that problem permanently.
Rowland let out a harsh, humorless laugh.
"You’re joking, right?" he snapped at Drake. "So we’re supposed to sit here with our thumbs up our asses, waiting for them to gather support and back Ezra? That’s your strategy?"
He scoffed loudly, then turned to Cane, sneering openly.
"I didn’t help unseat Henry’s son just to crown a coward."
The insult snapped sothing visceral in Cane. Before Rowland even registered the danger, the wolf moved fast and grabbed him by the throat.
He slamd Rowlan into the wall so hard dust rained from the beams. Rowland choked, his feet kicking weakly against the ground.
Cane’s voice was ice. "If you speak to like that again," he hissed, "I’ll show you exactly how cowardly I can be when I rip your throat out."
Rowland, despite his legendary temper, couldn’t break free as Cane’s strength pinned him like a child.
After a long, dangerous mont, Cane released him roughly and Rowland staggered, clutching his throat, eyes bloodshot with humiliation.
Cane straightened his clothes with chilling calm before turning back to Drake.
"I’m not waiting for Elijah," he said coldly. "His heir is missing. He can’t expect the West Pack to remain stagnant. The strongest rules, and I am taking what’s mine."
"Moreover...." he trailed his fingers along the table,"I just received Intel that reinforcents are coming from the East. They’ll arrive by tomorrow morning."
Drake’s jaw dropped. "That fast?"
Cane said, "The East alphas are resilient fighters, and nearly match us in skill. If they get here, we’re screwed."
The Alphas nodded their heads in acknowledgnt.
"So," Cane continued, "we move by midnight before they arrive."
He pointed at the location of the west pack house on the map.
"Once we overtake the palace, Alpha Irene and Alpha Leon will be given the chance to walk away alive. But if they resist—" A dark glint entered his eyes, "—there will be casualties."
Rowland’s earlier humiliation lted into savage pride. "Finally," he grunted. "About damn ti."
Cane’s chest swelled not from Rowland’s approval, but from the certainty of victory blooming inside him. Eveything was going according to as planned.
He stepped back from the table. "Prepare our n. By midnight, we march and take what should have been mine from the beginning."
Imdiately, Rowland wiped his bleeding lip and stord out, muttering curses but already barking orders at the n he found at the door. It was ti.
anwhile...
Two wolves guarded the entrance of the compound, leaning lazily against the wall, sharing a cigarette between shifts.
Suddenly they heard a rustle and both n froze. They stomped out the cigarette instantly and lifted their weapons, vigilant.
"Who goes there?" one barked.
A lone figure stepped out of the darkness, cloaked from head to toe. The wolves tensed, fingers brushing their triggers.
Then the stranger slowly lifted his hands and lowered his hood.
"No, no, please don’t shoot," he said, voice trembling just the right amount. "I co peacefully."
The guards exchanged a confused look. No one simply walked up to Cane’s temporary fortress. Still, they didn’t lower their weapons. However, their hesitation was all Micah needed.
"Gentlen," he said with a silky tone as he lifted one hand casually, tracing invisible patterns in the air. "Surely you wouldn’t mind letting in. It’s considered rude, after all, to leave a guest standing at the door."
Shadow swirled around him, too subtle in the darkness for untrained eyes to notice yet the effect was imdiate.
A warm, unnatural fog slipped into the wolves’ minds and their eyes softened with instant, unblinking adoration. They lowered their weapons.
"Yes," Micah crooned, stepping forward like a king being escorted into his own palace. "That’s the way you welco a guest."
The wolves nodded eagerly, eager to please and serve him.
"Anything you need," one of them murmured dreamily.
"Good boys," Micah praised, patting one gently on the cheek.
He straightened his cloak confidently.
"Now, you wouldn’t mind taking safely to see your new Alpha, Cane, would you?"
Both wolves bowed their heads, utterly enthralled.
"Of course," they said in unison.
User Comments
0 comments from readers