Chapter 123 - LUNA'S BAGGAGE
Asher
I was torn; my loyalties lay with two different groups. On one hand, I wanted to protect my pack, but on the other hand, I wanted to accompany my mate and make sure she was safe. Alison did not know how to fight, after shifting. I had not gotten the time to train her in combat, but it was too late now. I tried to convince myself that she would be safe because she had Mary. Therefore, I begrudgingly stayed back.
“Do you think they will have gotten far by now?” This was the third time Timothy was asking me this. It had not even been ten minutes since I told Alison to leave. Knowing her, she was still probably at the house. Therefore, instead of giving him an answer, I gave him 'the look'. The bashful smile on his face told me he had gotten my message. We were werewolves, not magicians! Do you think… it is not as if they could teleport?
“Be safe, my love.” Those words almost became my undoing, but I steeled my heart and refused to reply. I could feel her getting further away and everything in me screamed for me to follow her. I sighed in relief, as I was certain then that she was leaving. Good call on sending Mary to her.
At that moment, it hit me how selfish I was to warn the people closest to me. I went against everything a good Alpha is supposed to do, but I felt they would spare the rest of the pack. Just how strong was the mate bond between Alison and me? I am an Alpha. Is the pack not supposed to come first?
The pack would insist on saving their Luna, which would definitely lead to a bloodbath. By having Alison leave, there will be no reason to fight, right? I could only cross my fingers and hope they would understand my deduction. Else, I will join the long list of hated Alphas. “They are gone now. Let us call for a pack meeting.” I hope that this will be the last one in a while.
My pack members were no longer surprised when a meeting was called, they only crossed their fingers hoping the news I bore each time would be slightly better, and it always got worse. I winced just thinking about the news I was going to deliver today.
“Do you think Trevor’s information is credible?” Yes, that very Trevor you are thinking of. When he called me earlier, my first thought was to ask him if he wanted to return to the pack. Despite everything we had been through, Trevor was my best friend all my life. My brother, I did not need to add the ‘from another mother’ mumble-jumble. He was there for me during the toughest moments of my life. Sure, I had gotten displeased with him in the recent past, but I would accept him back in the pack at the drop of a hat.
“Why should he lie to me? He has nothing to gain.” My voice sounded a little more defensive than I would have liked. I did not like that someone doubted him even though I had been the first one to do it.
“I um- I did not mean it like that.” I knew that, but I could not help myself.
“I know, sorry.”
The pack meeting did not go as well as I had hoped. OK, I was deluding myself into thinking they would just go with the flow. Some members had spotted Mary and Alison driving out of the pack. It was only a matter of putting two and two together and they quickly reached a conclusion. The Luna had run away, she had abandoned them. OK, I had sent her away but they would not see it like that. “Alpha Asher, what is the meaning of this?”
“I get that she is your mate, but are our lives not just as important as hers?” I was mentally prepared for their wrath.
“You should have let all of us leave too!”
“Our pack is about to be annihilated because of her! I knew nothing good could come out of supporting humans! They are fickle! All of them!” Fear brought out people’s hidden thoughts. How many times had I asked if anyone had a problem supporting us? No one had said anything then.
“Is it too late to tell the council elders that we are on their side…?” Martin? The very Martin that they had jeered and laughed when I sent him out of the pack? Good luck with that.
“What council? The ones Asher locked up in the pack cells?”
“Do you think if we get them out they wi...” They had somehow concluded that breaking Martin out could be their salvation. As if the old dirt bag would help them after they had humiliated him. The man could hold a grudge for eternity if my experience with him could be used as an example.
I sat in silence as the pack members berated us. I could have explained my thought process to them immediately but I knew I had not acted right. Therefore, I let them vent out their anger. My wolf growled at me every time something bad was said about our mate but I forced him to calm down. I wanted so badly to defend Alison, to tell them I had given her no choice but to leave but this was not the moment to speak up. In their rage, I knew that every word I said in her favor would only incur their hate.
“Instead of arguing amongst ourselves, we should work out a plan to defend the pack.” I knew the way they would react as soon as Timothy finished his sentence.
“You are just like him! Don’t think we did not see those Halflings of yours in the car with his mate!” Yup! He stepped right in the line of fire. Why did he think they would not find fault with him? On the way here, we had agreed to try not to justify our actions until they calmed down. The plan was for us to show as much sincerity as possible so that way they would easily side with us.
I got out of my seat as their voices grew louder and did something no other Alpha has ever done. My knees met the concrete floor with a bang, bringing tears to my eyes. Then in front of all of them, I bowed, my head touching the ground. I was just a little shy of prostrating.
Like a radio that was switched off, the chaos stopped immediately. Even though I felt their curious gazes on me, I did not look up. “Alpha Asher! What are you doing?” Did I shock the anger out of them with my actions? They did not seem as mad as before. Name an Alpha that has ever gone on his knees before his pack members. That was quite simple, none. No Alpha would lower themselves as I did.
“I know what I did was wrong and I am not trying to make an excuse for it. But after thinking over it for a while, I figured that sending my mate away was the best method.” Taking advantage of the silence, I explained why had chosen to do things the way I did.
“I know I should have informed you of my plan earlier but there is no time. Do not hate your Luna because I forced her to leave. I only sent Mary to protect her. You people know that she has not had the chance to train yet. I am sorry.” I only stood up after kowtowing three times. It was only then that I realized Timothy was on his knees too. “Hopefully this is the last time I am asking. Please help me and everyone else whose mate fell victim to Dr. Hann.”
There was no time for them to think. Max came running into the meeting hall to report seeing men in uniform approaching the pack. The King really sent them to attack us! “Timothy! Go and tell Jeremy we are running out of time. Help him if you can.” I sent Max out to scout the area as soon as I finished talking to Trevor. It had not been a long time but he no longer looked like the scrawny man Melanie always took advantage of. Looking at him now, I don’t regret giving him a chance.
On our way to the meeting, I had tasked Jeremy with collecting all the humans, children, and expecting wolves. Should a fight break out, this group of people that could not fight would only get in the way. There was a bunker underneath the pack house for emergencies. It was never meant to hold such a large number of people, but what choice did we have? Survival was better than comfort. I could have hidden Alison in the bunker with everyone else but I wanted her as far away as possible.
I called the pack warriors for a last minute battle plan. They were to man the fore front with me followed closely by the able bodied men and women. In my mind I was worried that this would be a one sided fight. That was the royal army we were to go against. Everyone knew they were the cream of the crop. My internal turmoil, however, did not show on my face.
“Alpha Asher, you are under arrest for conspiracy against your kind!”