29
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K O E N
Behind Avril’s eyes, I saw so much - fear, apprehension, hesitation, and the fragile weight of uncertainty. Yet, through it all, a fierce, unrelenting fire burned, cutting through the chaos and overshadowing everything else. It was the cold resolve of a leader willing to sacrifice anything to protect her family. I was both frightened by it and envious.
It was a fire I had always wished to possess.
Still seated in her chair, processing the recent phone call where I had announced I was back from the dead, I watched as Avril hurried to the door, rushing to meet with her team and prepare to leave. Just as she reached the doorway, she stopped herself.
Shooting a glance over her shoulder, she instructed, “Find Elijah. He’ll explain your role in today’s mission.”
Her words made me do a double take, a frown etched across my forehead. “You want me to tag along?” I asked, needing confirmation. The last time there had been an awakening, she was adamant that I sit out of the action.
“You earned your place in Azure Smoke after succeeding in the trials. You’ve proven you have what it takes to keep up with us,” she replied matter-of-factly. Then, I noticed a shift in her expression, her features softening as she let me see a more vulnerable side of her. “Besides, I…want you to be there. I want you to see that I won’t command an attack on Blood Rose unless there’s absolutely no way around it.”
Her reasoning left me stunned. She didn’t owe me an explanation - she was free to protect her kin however she saw fit, even if I had urged her to consider innocent lives. The last time we discussed this, she became defensive, unwilling to listen or reconsider her ways.
But this time, something was different. I could see it in the way her words carried thoughtfulness, a shift in perspective I hadn’t expected. It wasn’t my place to demand change, and yet, here she was, showing that my feelings really mattered to her.
“You don’t have to prove anything to me,” I acknowledged, rising from my seat to approach her, our gazes intertwined. “But I’d be honored to stand by your side, no matter what happens.”
Through the heaviness, she managed a half-smile that lit me up from the inside. She didn’t say a word, but the gesture spoke volumes. As her quiet gratitude faded, she led me out of the packhouse, and the weight of the situation hit me with full force.
Outside, every member of Azure Smoke was gathered. Divided into teams, they received instructions from the beta and gamma. Avril’s uncle - the former leader before he stepped aside so she could take over - assisted the ranked members, formulating strategies and shouting commands at the warriors. Despite no longer holding the alpha title, or any official rank, his nearly two decades of experience were deeply valued by the Ashen Wolves.
Even at full strength, anyone unfamiliar with their kind’s power would find the sight of Azure Smoke’s army underwhelming. The idea of going to war against another pack with only thirty or so wolves seemed insane. And perhaps, under different circumstances, their chances would indeed be the lowest. Luckily, they had quite a few advantages that turned the odds in their favor.
Luckily, Blood Rose wasn’t as threatening a pack as it had once been. Their former alpha, having no heirs to take his place, continued leading into his old age. He’d grown too weak, standing no chance against a lesser-known, younger leader.
Brent took over Blood Rose about a year ago after defeating the previous alpha, but too many warriors were lost in the battle. Their numbers dwindled to a third of their original force, and their new leader lacked the expertise to rebuild. Naive, reckless, and overly proud, Brent tarnished both his own reputation and that of the pack.
Combine the inexperience of a weakened pack’s new leader with the Ashen Wolves’ natural superiority, and we stood a good chance of defeating them without breaking a sweat.
“I’m gonna go find Rhea,” Avril announced, pulling me from my thoughts.
As she left, I decided to speak with the gamma, just as she had instructed me. After scanning the crowd quickly, I found him discussing a plan with Avril’s uncle, and I hesitated for a moment. Aside from the time his niece introduced us, we’d barely exchanged words, and he’d made it clear he wasn’t fond of my presence here. I had hoped he would warm up to me, as most of the other members had, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
Perhaps it was time for me to step up and show I was on their side, even if I could never be one of them.
Approaching them with bold steps, I greeted, “Elijah. Joe.” I lowered my head slightly in a sign of respect. “How can I help?”
Just as the gamma opened his mouth to reply, Joe stepped forward, his aversion toward me evident in his furrowed brows as he snarled, “You can start by staying out of things you don’t understand, outsider.”
Off to a great start.
The hairs on the back of my neck bristled, and I fought to keep a straight face. Every cell in my alpha blood urged me to command respect, but I knew that was the stupidest thing I could do. At Azure Smoke, I was the lowest of the low. If I ever wanted to be respected, I needed to show respect first.
Inhaling a short breath to calm my nerves, I replied, “The alpha has requested my assistance in today’s mission. I’m loyal to her and will play any role she may assign to me.”
Joe raised his brows in surprise, flexing his jaw. “Is that so?”
As friction brewed between us, static in our stares, I could see Elijah’s gaze shift worriedly from me to the other man before the gamma tried, “Joe-”
All the former Alpha had to do to silence him was raise a hand, his glare as unyielding as ever, fixed on me. “Now you want to talk about loyalty, little alpha?” Joe mocked. “Where was that loyalty when you rejected my niece?”
As he stepped defiantly closer, I kept my head high, refusing to show intimidation, even as his powerful aura pressed against me. “You left her to fend for herself because you thought she was safer alone than by your side. Because you couldn’t protect her.”
His accusation struck like a needle to the heart, and for a moment, I faltered. He was right. Five years ago, I had made the gravest mistake of my life, and I was still paying the price for it.
Before I could muster a response, he continued, his tone sharp and unrelenting. “Are you strong enough now, or will you leave her again when it gets too much?”
“I’d give my life to protect her,” I said, my voice steady and unwavering.
Joe huffed, his disdain evident. “So would everyone else here.” He brushed past me with a deliberate bump, leaving me clenching my fists as he threw one last remark over his shoulder. “Get in line.”
Watching him walk away, I felt conflicted. Col was furious, unaccustomed to being talked down to, and even less pleased about having his loyalty to his mate questioned. But I wondered if there was any point in trying to reason with such an unyielding man.
“I’m sorry about that,” Elijah said, his voice pulling me from my thoughts. “Joe is… incredibly overprotective of Avril.” He grimaced.
The rational part of me understood why. It was clear he only wanted his niece to be happy, otherwise, he would have already thrown me out of her pack or actively tried to stand in our way.
But the alpha in me burned to prove I was more worthy of standing by her side than any other male.
In the end, I set the issue aside and focused on what Elijah had planned for me. Since Col couldn’t blend in with the smoke like the rest of the army, Elijah wanted me to use the terrain to our advantage. Blood Rose was blanketed in snow at this time of year, providing perfect camouflage for my white wolf.
My role was to join the middle team, where I could quickly step in to aid any Ashen Wolf in need. With the enemies expected to approach from the sides, I could stay low and strike from the ground, catching them off guard if any pack members found themselves in trouble.
Yet I couldn’t shake the suspicion that this was also Avril’s way of keeping me close.
In less than half an hour, Azure Smoke was ready to leave. Since the entire pack was on the move, we had to opt for routes where their presence couldn’t be noticed. Though it would have been faster to hit the road by car, the number of vehicles we would need to transport everyone would certainly draw attention. It took five hours to reach the outskirts of Blood Rose Pack, and another half an hour to allow the warriors to recover their stamina before Avril tried to negotiate with them.
Staying true to her promise to avoid conflict if possible, Avril, accompanied by her beta and gamma, showed herself to the sentinels roaming the borders of Blood Rose. Meanwhile, groups of Ashen Wolves surrounded the territory, waiting in strategic positions - far enough that their scent wouldn’t be caught, yet close enough to act.
My group was stationed closest to the three highest-ranking members of Azure Smoke, serving as the first line of defense if things went south. To make our presence harder to detect, there were only four of us. Though we were within the sentinels' scent range, we were close enough to Avril, Theo, and Elijah that our scents should blend with theirs - unless someone was actively trying to single us out.
“Identify yourselves!” shouted one of the sentinels as soon as the trio came into their field of vision.
“I am Avril, a representative of Azure Smoke Pack. This is Theo and Elijah, warriors designated to protect me,” she promptly answered, using the same guise she had come up with to enter Whispering Hills, palms raised in a sign of peace.
“State your case,” the man demanded, his whole team attentive to the strangers.
“I’d like to speak to Alpha Brent on behalf of my alpha,” she stated. “We would like to propose a deal to Blood Rose.”
Despite his visible reluctance, the sentinel’s eyes soon clouded over, a clear sign he was mindlinking someone - likely his alpha. Avril’s story might have been sketchy, but the name of her pack alone was enough to spark interest. Not much was known about Azure Smoke in the werewolf world, but rumors of their warriors’ combat prowess, their rapid growth, and the mystery surrounding their leader were reason enough to hear what the alpha disguised as an omega had to say.
Once Brent arrived, Avril introduced herself again before continuing her story. “A couple from our pack had been separated from their son during a rogue attack long ago. Earlier today, they sensed the awakening of his wolf through the parental bond, and their counterparts swear he could be here,” she explained, sincere enough to be believed, yet vaguely enough to avoid overcomplicating it. “His name is Ruac, and he must have shifted for the first time a few hours ago.”
An amused smile spread over Brent’s lips. “You’re after that little freak?” he croaked, and I could feel the tension rising. “So, I bet you know what’s wrong with him.”
“There’s nothing wrong with him,” Avril spat, too hastily, as if personally offended. Regaining her composure, she took a steadying breath before continuing, “He’s different, and we can explain why,” she said, her voice firmer. “We also understand that letting go of a pack member isn’t easy. Our Alpha is grateful to Blood Rose for providing him shelter and care over the years and is more than willing to repay you for what he has cost you - double it, even, for the trouble his absence may cause.”
That was a generous sum of money. The fledgling was nowhere near worth that value to the alpha, which was why I hoped he would accept the offer, letting us leave in peace. As silence stretched for the next few seconds, the sound of my heartbeat was deafening.
Unfortunately, when he finally spoke, I knew he had carved his own grave.
“Keep your money. I’m not letting him go,” Brent determined, concluding. “You won’t fool me. I know something’s up with him, and the Council will give me a lot more for handing him to them when they come to see him tomorrow.”
From feet away, Avril shot me a side glance. I could see genuine regret for what she was about to do in her expression, but I understood she couldn’t allow an Ashen Wolf to be taken by the Elder Council. When she closed her eyes, I knew she was giving her pack a command.
In the next moment, shadows burst to life, darkening the pristine forest.