Chapter 148 Hybrid Theory pt 1
Duncan
“We appreciate your willingness to help in this matter, King Dorian,” I said. We were standing in a corner of the conference room while we waited for everyone to join us. General Zephyr and his men had joined Gideon in aiding Seren’s retrieval. Not long after Seren healed me—while she and Gideon were still recovering—King Dorian arrived. He chose to remain with us, reinforcing our defenses against any potential incursions.
Zephyr’s elite team was stationed around the pack perimeter, an additional line of defense supporting our pack patrols. We changed the patrol routes and schedules after confirming that Joan had passed information to our enemies, but it was still a relief to have the extra support.
King Dorian nodded. “It’s no problem, Alpha Duncan. After all, we are allies. Given the speed with which things are happening, it only made sense. And now I’ve finally had the opportunity to meet Princess Seren,” he smiled at her as he said it, “which is a pleasant bonus.”
Conn grumbled in my head. ‘She’s our mate. He better not get any ideas.’
‘Be quiet. He’s being polite. After all, he’s allied with the royal family for centuries.’
“It’s been very nice to meet you as well, King Dorian. Gideon speaks highly of you—it’s nice to put a face with a name,” Seren said. “And if I haven’t said it yet, General Zephyr, thank you for helping Gideon a few days ago.” He inclined his head in acknowledgment, but remained silent.
I glanced around the room, checking to see who we were waiting for. King Cian and Queen Gwen were speaking with Elder Nicholas about the documents they’d brought from the royal archives. Lucian, Alexis by his side, was speaking with Tristan and Eric in front of the coffee station. Elaine and my parents were seated, poring over some scrolls she’d added to the pile.
Alex stood by the door, an eye on the hallway. It looked like we were just missing Julian, Kayla, and Gideon. I moved to the head of the conference room table. “I think we can go ahead and get started. We’re almost all here.”
The noise level peaked, then fell, as people took their chairs and settled at the table. Just as I was about to speak again, Julian stepped inside.
“My apologies, Alpha. I was greeting my sister.”
“No problem. Have a seat.”
“Also, Gideon will be delayed. He had some…personal business pop up. Kayla is also otherwise indisposed. She isn’t feeling well today.”
“What kind of personal business?” King Cian demanded. “He should have reached out to me. This meeting is critical.”
Julian flashed a grin. “He’s found his mate, Your Majesty. They were…quite taken with each other.” Laughter rippled through the room at that.
“Well. Good for him. In the meantime…what do the scouts have to say about Silver Rain?” I asked.
“It’s a ghost town. Sometime between the time we left and yesterday, the entire pack cleared out. Houses were empty, food was left on tables, even the laundry was left partially done.” Lucian tapped his fingers on the table. “They’re expecting retaliation and ran…or…”
“Or they were waiting for a signal from someone and received it,” I ended.
“Either way, this is not good news for us. Any word from our plant?” Cian asked.
The words were barely out of his mouth when the door opened again, Gideon slipping in. He felt calmer somehow, stronger yet settled, as he took his place between Seren and his father with a quiet acknowledgment to both. A shimmering mark traced up the side of his neck.
Tristan waited for him to get situated before continuing. “Phineas sent an update after he was taken to Bloodraven Coven,” he said. “He confirmed the existence of hybrids.”
The words seemed to settle over the table like ash. He hesitated, then forced the rest out. “They’re converting the captives in batches of hundreds.”
Elder Nicholas closed his eyes. Cian’s expression didn’t change, but something in it hardened. No one spoke.
Finally, Alexis broke the silence. “There were hundreds of people taken prisoner at Iron Fang. If they’re converting by such huge numbers, how many have they changed already?”
Tristan shook his head. “Best guess, based on the intel he managed to get to us? We’re looking at an army of thousands.”
King Dorian went preternaturally still. Julian smashed his fist into the table. Gideon summed it up with one word: “Fuck.”
“He went dark two days ago. Even King Dorian’s people can no longer track him.” Tristan shook his head. “He’s either dead or…he’s been converted himself.”
“This bears the mark of someone who understands both wolf and vampire systems,” King Dorian said. “A strategic mind, placing his chess pieces carefully.”
Elder Nicholas cleared his throat. “We’ve found nothing in the scrolls except vague references to old magic. Though, if I’m being honest, there is something about all of this that is tickling my memory.” He shot a look at Cian, almost apologetically. “The last recorded alliance of this scale wasn’t for territory. It was for a throne.”
Cian’s eyes turned to ice. I exchanged a glance with Julian, who appeared as confused as I did about the statement.
King Dorian broke the uncomfortable silence. “Regardless, Bloodraven isn’t known for moving unless it sees some type of advantage—whether in bloodline or power—and that was before we lost track of them. So now we must simply decide what to do about it.”
“We cannot meet thousands head-on,” I said. “Not without any idea of what we’re facing. We know from the hybrid Seren ran across in the human territory that they’re much stronger than the average wolf.”
Gideon shifted in his chair. “If he wants to test the crown, let him come and test it openly. With the tournament coming up, we’ll have thousands of our own in one place.”
“You would use civilians as leverage?” Queen Gwen asked, shock coloring her tone.
“They’re already gathering,” Gideon replied evenly. “The tournament has been scheduled for some time now, the invitations already issued. Canceling it now signals weakness and leaves a pack fractured.”
“It signals caution,” Lucian chimed in.
“It signals fear!” Julian shot back.
Cian raised a hand. The room quieted instantly. “Enough. We will not devolve into semantics. The question is no longer optics. It is cost.”