Chapter 165 Convergence pt 3
Duncan
Murmurs swept through the room, though no one spoke outright. King Cian raised an eyebrow, and everyone fell silent. “As you’re all aware, we executed the leadership we could find at Blood Moon for abusing their pack. Here’s what we didn’t share.” He took them through all of it—the abuse, the trafficking, the hybrids—giving them the information we’ve worked with and compiled for months.
“You may have noticed that Alpha Brian and Silver Rain Pack are not here. That’s because we don’t know where they are. They made a kidnapping attempt on Princess Seren—rather, they successfully kidnapped her, but she was rescued—a few weeks ago. They went off the grid after that. I have strong reason to believe they were working with the self-styled King Mikhail.”
Braxton spoke. “All due respect, King Cian, but why are you sharing this with us now? I thought we were just here for the tournament.”
Cian took a breath. “We are here for the tournament. And if we’re lucky, that’s all that will happen tomorrow. However, many of us,” he waved to Gideon and to my table, “believe that Mikhail will see tomorrow as an opportunity and attack. King Dorian is here with his people to assist, and so is High Priestess Elaine and her coven. If Mikhail doesn’t attack, then we all enjoy a historic event with our allies. But if he does, then we’re going to be glad they’re here to help.”
Braxton sat back in his seat. “Why wouldn’t you warn us ahead of time? Some of us brought people who don’t know how to fight or aren’t currently able to fight.” He looked at his Luna, his brow furrowed. “My Luna is with pup. I don’t want her in a battle. I would have come, of course, to aid you, but I’d have asked her to stay back.”
Seren stood up beside me, causing heads to turn her way. Her hand rested lightly on her lower abdomen, a gesture so brief that most in the room wouldn’t notice it. “Alpha Braxton, I understand your concern. Unfortunately, our best option for defeating this evil—and Mikhail is evil, have no doubt—is to control the battlefield. That is what we are doing. But we’re not willing to risk innocents in this either. High Priestess Elaine has been hard at work reinforcing the evacuation tunnels here, and we have a plan. We will get all the innocents out, should the worst happen.”
“And you’ll be leading them, protecting them?” Someone else asked, an edge of derision in their voice. Conn bristled.
She met my eyes, then shook her head and turned to face the person who spoke. “No, Alpha Andrew, I will not. I will be fighting beside my mate, beside my brother. I will be fighting for our kingdom.” She sat down when she finished speaking, and voices erupted as people began arguing.
“Enough!” Gideon commanded, coming to stand beside his father. Silence coated the room again. “Understand that this was not an easy decision, but it was a necessary one. We’re speaking with you all now so that you can be prepared tomorrow. We ask that you share with your people—those whom you can trust not to gossip about it—the evacuation plans. And we’re asking that you advise your warriors to fight if needed. But you also need to know—beyond a shadow of a doubt—that if Mikhail attacks tomorrow and we lose, then the kingdom and life as you know it now will be lost. This is the hardest fight you’ll ever be in.”
King Cian placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “This rot has been festering for years. We need to bring it to a head and yank it out. If you have any more questions, please feel free to come to me personally. I’ll remain here and available for the next few hours.” With that, he stepped back, a silent dismissal.
I stood, pulling Seren to her feet. “Come on, little mate. Let’s go grab some time for ourselves.” She nodded, taking my hand as we walked out the door. We took the elevator to the alpha floor where we were staying, then stepped into our room. She stayed quiet the entire time, chewing her lip as she processed whatever thoughts she had. I knew something was on her mind—had been on her mind for several days now—but I was patient. She’d tell me when she was ready.
I drew her a bath, helping her ease down into the warm water, then withdrew to the table in our suite. I wanted one last look at our battle plans for tomorrow. Like Gideon, I was convinced this would be it. There was no better opportunity, and considering they’d been testing the boundaries from what Elaine and Gideon reported, it was only logical for them to attack.
I’d been so focused on the diagrams and information in front of me I hadn’t heard Seren exit the bath. She walked over to me, her delicious funnel cake by the sea scent tickling my nose, and stood just beside my chair. She was twisting her fingers together.
I turned to her and placed my hands on her hips. “What is it, little wolf?”
“There’s something I need to tell you.”