Chapter 86

KAEL

"I know you're up to something, but I can't figure out what."

Eria puts on a leather jacket, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She is seated beside the vanity table while I lean against the door frame with a frown on my face. I hadn't bothered with knocking. She was more likely to slam the door in my face just for the pleasure of it. And even now, she scowled at me from the mirror like I was her least favorite bug that kept on showing up everywhere.

"Why don't you keep your opinions to yourself, then?" she asked, her voice deadly sweet.

I lean off the door, straighten, and take that as my invitation to enter her room.

"I'm not your enemy, Eria," I said, my voice half pleading as I perched on the edge of the bed.

She didn't look at me. She fixed the last pin in her hair, holding it in place. Though she has been a master of tiny, inconspicuous weapons that fit into her clothing, I suspect that it's not even a pin at all. I half thought she was going to ignore me. It seemed fitting, I thought. I was the inconsiderate big brother that sold my sister off for politics, after all.

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself," Eria snorted. She blew a kiss at the mirror and stood up, giving a twirl. "How do I look?"

She's dressed in a dark floral pleated gown that stops a little above her knees, the leather jacket covering her bare shoulders, and high combat boots.

"Stunning. And dangerous," I say, eyeing the hilt of a dagger that is peeking through her belt.

"I was going for the first look," she flashed me a mirthless smile, picked up a bag, and her room keys from the table. "Now, are you coming out, or do I lock you in?"

I look at Eria... I mean, really look at her. Beneath all the bravado, there's underlying sorrow in her eyes. I see the way they dim when she isn't glaring at me or thinking of a harsh retort. I hated myself, too. And I felt like any apology I would give now wouldn't really cut it.

"What are you up to?" I ask at last, following her out of the room and watching as she locks the door behind her.

"Maybe you forgot that I actually have a date with Dominic Mallory?" she asked, slipping her keys in her purse and practically marching past me.

"I didn't think that was something you would dress up for," I remarked.

"Well, I don't want it to be too obvious that I want to kill him, now do I?" She threw my question back to me without turning back. I frowned, not sharing her humor.

"If you kill him, then there would be no more packs to unite, and I'm quite sure that Mallory and the rest of the alphas would be fighting me on the opposite side of the war."

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face me, her eyes flashing in anger at the reminder of what this was about, and I cut in before she could say anything.

"I would never strike this kind of deal with Alpha Michael, and you know it. If it was just his pack, I would resolve to do without them, but this is the only way I can unite all five packs, Eria. Vance would understand."

"Yeah. I'm sure he would." Her tone is curt and frosty, and she turned around, making her way down the steps, her boots pounding angrily on the floor.

I sighed, feeling even worse. I could convince myself that I was doing the right thing, but there was something about Alpha Michael, weird fashion sense and all, that made me not want to trust him.

"Alpha," Councilor Merrick calls from behind me.

I recognized his voice even before I turned around. I wondered how much of the conversation he had heard.

"Any news?" I asked, daring to be hopeful.

His features clouded, and he shook his head. "Not on the captured ones. But there is something else."

I fight the feeling of disappointment. How long had it been? Two days? Three? It felt like an eternity that my son had been taken away from me. As much as I wanted revenge, I needed to act carefully, very carefully. That was why I feared direct confrontation with the Order. We needed a solid plan.

"I have confirmed the movements of other members of the council, secretly working for the Order," Merrick said.

We walked together, outside the stronghold to the training arenas, while he listed off a lot of names, explaining their suspicious interactions with men in all black, an outfit that has long been associated with Order men.

I clenched my fist. For so long, we had been infiltrated.

"My guess is that there are more who oppose your ideas than you think," Merrick continued, stopping to look at the men training.

Lukas parries strikes with Jared. The sound of metal against metal fills the air in quick succession as they fight, their movements quick and blurry, while Leah yells pointers from both ends. A bit like Eria and Vance, I thought, feeling a deep sorrow in my chest.

"I sent Lukas to dispose of these traitors, but we can't move, not yet. Not until we have a plan for attack." Merrick kept talking, but even his words seemed to blur around me.

I knew how crucial the situation was. Lukas and Jared see us and stop fighting, approaching us, Leah following behind them.

"Alpha," they greeted. Lukas shared a look with Merrick. The latter gave him a subtle nod.

"How strong is our army, Leah?" I asked.

She looked grim. "Stronger than we were in the fight against Darian, but if there are going to be more advanced werewolves..." She trailed off, clenching her fist.

"And if there's going to be more controlled fighters, wolfsbane, and possible return of Darian," Lukas continued for her. "Then I fear we don't really have a chance."

I gritted my teeth, my lips drawn into a straight line. "It could be worse," I said.

"Yeah," Lukas said, an edge of dry sarcasm in his voice. "The heir of the pack and prophesy kid could be captured by an evil lady that wants to rule the world. And one of our finest fighters could be held hostage so that we can't do anything unless we're sacrificing them."

"Lukas!" the Councilor chided, his tone reprimanding.

He returned his sword to its scabbard, his eyes burning with an intensity that I wasn't sure was all about his adrenaline from the fight. His eyes met mine, no form of remorse in them. "It could be worse," he repeated before stalking off.

His shoulders brushed mine as he passed, and his voice dropped to a low whisper, "Your army is quivering in their boots, knowing that their chances of survival are less than zero. If you stopped chasing after packs that would never ally with you, then you can actually focus on the men that will die for you. Then maybe it could be better."

I spun, watching as he disappeared out of sight, taking a turn into the main building. For a moment, I was lost for words. I could feel the venom in his voice and the dark truth in them.

Councilor Merrick coughed, his face pale. I know of only one person that would actually speak to me like this, and for the second time today, I am reminded painfully of Vance.

"He's just overcome with grief and helplessness," the Councilor said, his voice careful as he tried to form a sort of excuse for Lukas's behavior.

I raised a hand, silencing him. "He's right," I admitted. "In a way."

I wouldn't advise it, but sometimes, even the Alpha needed someone to slap them in the face with the truth, I thought.

"Where are the men?" I asked, turning to Leah. "I should have addressed them a long time ago."

"This way," Leah said, looking relieved. Jared looked relieved, too.

"I'll go knock some sense into Lu," he said, equally disappearing. Councilor Merrick muttered something about checking maps and followed after Jared. I narrowed my eyes, unable to shake off the feeling that those were flimsy excuses and the three men were actually up to something, but I shoved it to the back of my head, deciding that all three of them were people I could trust.

I followed Leah to the barracks, another building entirely but still well within the stronghold and highly fortified.

"Raven is with them," she informed me as we went. My boots drummed against the humid grass. I was once again in my thoughts, but my head shot up when I heard Raven's name.

"She has been training with the men," Leah continued, focusing ahead.

Raven has been training? I thought.

Of course, I nearly laughed at myself. I shouldn't be surprised. She was Raven. She wasn't going to sit around while war confronted us.