Chapter 64 #2
“When the moon is down and our strength with it?” he says as he readjusts his stance. “We attack at night. Always have and always will.”
“Always have,” I correct as I stare blankly at him.
“Wolves attack at night—they know that. That’s when they will be on higher alert, with tighter patrols and sentries.
If we go at dawn, their first line of defence will likely be tired and ill-prepared.
Our greatest weapon is that they think they’re safe and hidden, and I plan to take full advantage of that. ”
When no further opposition arises, Aiden continues.
“Now, the plan is simple; nothing we haven’t been trained for.
But we have to treat this like we are attacking another werewolf pack.
The majority of them aren’t feral enough to make mistakes, and it’s no longer for the kill,” he states, looking pointedly at the wolves he knows best. “Each wolf out there has the potential to take your life. This is serious.”
“Forgive me, Alpha, but how do you know so much about them?” another elder asks, voicing the unspoken question I’d hoped would remain just that. “If this is information from other packs, how can we be sure that it is accurate?”
I meet Aiden’s gaze as he glances at me. I nod slightly, and he breathes in deeply before continuing.
“A witch told us,” he says, and the bomb erupts just as expected in the form of alarm, loud protests, and horror.
Aiden and I had spoken about a large number of things before we’d left the roof.
First, we’d be keeping the news of Oliver a secret.
It wasn’t for my parents, and it wasn’t for me.
There were just too many unanswered questions to share that news now.
I needed to speak to him first, if I could, to understand why he’d left and let me believe that I’d lost him forever.
Me, over the rest of them, because we’d always been in it together.
Until I knew for sure who the man masquerading as my brother was, we’d keep it quiet.
Second, we couldn’t keep hiding Katerina’s existence.
With each passing day, she seemed to grow more entangled with us, and the witch who’d helped us once or twice was now undeniably an ally. One who’d come here to warn us when she didn’t have to, and helped us identify just how big the threat was.
So, we agreed to introduce her involvement with the truth. As a witch who’d helped our bond when it was at its weakest, and was now an ally who had given us vital information on the rogues since she lived out in the uncharted zones.
Kat wasn’t too fond of the idea, but she was more than tired of sneaking around the pack all the time, and while she didn’t say it outright, I was certain that the promise of being able to see us as she pleased had won her over.
“A witch,” the elder sneers with open disgust. “We do not consort with witches.”
“They’re deceptive and untrustworthy,” another ratifies. “A stench to the earth.”
“Most, perhaps, but not all,” I argue, and I can’t believe I’m defending a witch, but here I am. “I met her when I was first looking for Aiden. She is strong enough that she could’ve killed me—she did not. We sought her out when we needed help, and again, she did not attack. She helped us.”
“At what price?” Jamerson asks. “Witches always have a price.”
“And why were you sneaking around with witches?” another, Stone, asks.
I’d never liked Stone. He was one of the lead warriors from my old pack who should’ve been born in Aiden’s. Quick to kill. He should’ve been a liability, but he was smart and usually respectful.
“You should’ve killed her while she was weak, not given her the chance to get stronger,” he states gruffly. “That’s what we do with vermin.”
“We were not sneaking around with witches. We simply did not make you all privy to information you did not need to know, but our betas knew,” Aiden snaps with a growl riding his words.
“And yes, witches always have a price. Hers was company. Company, because she’s alone and in a world that’s only tried to kill her.
She had and has every reason to be everything witches are supposed to be, and yet, she is not. ”
“I do not like witches, but even I can attest that Katerina is better than her species’ reputation,” I add calmly, hoping to settle the quickly rising tension.
“Even after our business was settled, she came here, today, to warn us about the rogues. It’s because of her that we understand the magnitude of this threat.
It’s because of her that we’ve already saved many lives we would’ve surely lost striding into a fight we would’ve been ill-prepared for. ”
“One good act doesn’t make a witch good,” Stone says sardonically, making my canines descend as I feel my eyes glow.
“Watch your tongue with me,” I warn as an inch of the pressure building inside me slips free. It’s enough to make him bow with a swift apology.
The rest of them quiet as well, allowing Aiden to wrap this matter up.
“Kat is not some witch. She’s one of the strongest I’ve ever encountered, and yet, she has always been an asset to us,” Aiden says, but one glance around the room shows they’re not much closer to being on board.
He sighs. “If you trust nothing else, trust this—I consider her a friend, and I trust that her words are true.”
“Aw, Aidennn!” an all-too-familiar voice coos before Katerina suddenly steps out of the warbling space beside Aiden. “That was so sweet.”
In an instant, everyone is on their feet and ready to attack. Claws drop with canines, and while the first set tries to make a barricading line, others make calls for backup that remain unheard with the magic circling the room.
When they seem to notice as much, the attacks begin—or the attempts. Every person who charges at her or tries to reach Aiden and me, slams into an invisible barrier she must’ve placed between us and them.
It’s comical at best, shameful at worst, and seeing as we’re in the worst reality there can be, I watch the scene with silent frustration. The only people who retain their composure are Emitt, Beckett, and Isabel, who’ve met her before.
“What are you doing here, Katerina?” I sigh as I rub at my brows, hoping to ease my pending headache. “This really is not the best time for you to just … appear.”
“You said Kat and I’ve been bored on the roof since you left,” she argues with a shrug before she grins widely at Aiden, who pointedly ignores her.
I face the others, who have wisely stopped their attacks and watch on warily.
“This is Katerina,” I say with a gesture. “She is the witch we spoke about.”
Katerina, being Katerina, waves at them with a large smile. When the warriors maintain their glare, she releases an exasperated breath.
“I know I’m a witch and that’s repulsive to you,” she groans dramatically, “but here’s a fun little fact. I feel the same way about all of you.”
She receives sneers in response and her grin doubles.
“Kat,” I beg as I close my eyes and steal a breath. “Please.”
“Fine,” she groans like a scolded pup before she disappears once again.
The relief that follows is palpable, but it only lasts for a handful of moments before the alarm rises.
“We’re concerned with rogues far away when a witch was here, in our lands, with no invitation,” Jamerson whispers as if Katerina might return if he’s any louder. “A witch, Alpha.”
“Yes, a witch who could kill us all right now if she pleased,” Aiden replies with a calm that would be terrifying if I did not know Katerina myself.
“I’ve seen her power. She could probably wipe out our entire species if she felt like it.
She hasn’t. In fact, all she’s done is help Julian and me since we met.
So, she’s not our problem at all. The rogues are. ”
“Will she help us with the rogues?” The question comes from a quiet voice in the back, a shrewd elder who does not look quite as panicked as the rest. They eye me, seeking my answer.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “We haven’t asked, but she stays close to Aiden and me, so perhaps.”
The elder nods once, satisfied, and following her lead, the rest are forced to calm.
“We would not know nearly enough about the threat we’re going to face if it were not for her,” I remind them as I eye each wolf in turn. “It doesn’t matter whether or not you trust her. Trust us. We’ve seen the threat, and we need to be ready to deal with it.”
To my surprise, that actually carries weight. They stop badgering and puffing and grow silent as the severity of what we have to face returns.
“The rest of the Council Warriors should be here by tomorrow morning, which means we’ve got less than forty-eight hours before we’ll be facing these rogues,” Aiden says as he steps into the space beside me, and it’s like a bucket of ice.
Somehow, this whirlwind that already feels too real steals the air from the room. But standing shoulder to shoulder, he makes us one whole unit that appears far stronger than the broken things we were an hour ago.
We’re fearless and unbreakable to them, and even if that’s the last thing we were, we knew how to pretend to be.
“Now you know the details, we need to perfect them before we share it with the rest of the pack, which means I need every one of you stepping in so that we don’t lose a single life more than we have to out there,” I state as I look at them each in turn. “Can you do that?”
The answer is an unwavering, resounding, ‘Yes, Alpha’.
I nod once. “Good.”