Chapter 37
“Lycans?” I asked. My warriors looked among themselves with worry.
“The Lycans have no problems with the werewolf realm that I am aware of,” I said in surprise at the new piece of information.
“Yes, my Lord. The same thing we thought, so we decided to avoid their war. We had been three days earlier than the merchant who usually picked up the goods from the drop-off point. By the time we knew what was happening, the pack we stayed at had been overwhelmed, and they needed more hands, so we joined in the fight. We barely made it out alive. The Lycans retreated.” He spoke, his breath heavy as he recounted the experience.
“Do you know why they left?” I asked
“We believe they withdrew on order. They wanted to send a message. More likely to show that they were here. They had burned the ships, leaving no room for escape. Luckily, the merchant's boat came in on the assigned date, and we left the pack with them back home.” He replied.
“If the South is under attack, I want to know why.” I tuned to Lief then looked back at my warriors.
“We are the Shadow Claw pack, and we do not fear anybody. However, if there is a war, we had better prepare ourselves for it. Henceforth, we are doubling the parameters, increasing the security, and intensifying pack trainings.” I spoke fiercely.
“Yes, Alpha King.” My warriors chorused, charging the air in the room.
“Lief,” I called out.
“Yes, Alpha King,” he replied with his head bowed.
“Send a message to the north Alphas informing them of this development and to be on the lookout. We need every ear on the ground in case of an attack.”
“Yes, Alpha King.” He nodded and responded with fierce determination.
“Ezren,” I called out as my brain worked fast. The Lycans were naturally more powerful, and right now, what we needed as a pack was easy living and fewer wars. If the war could be avoided in the North, that would be much better.
My reign as Alpha King just started, and having a dynasty crumbling before it’s built was not how I wanted my name to be remembered.
“Yes, my King,” He bowed as he patiently waited for my orders.
“Assign some werewolves to the tunnel safe house underground. Ensure the men scout for any loopholes that could make the place detected and seal them up starting now.”
He nodded firmly in response.
“Also, assign some men to gather the pups and teach them basic training on how to hide from outsiders. The skills would center on honing their abilities to hide in plain sight without being detected. Then the safe house should be shown to the pack members once we are certain these measures have been taken, so we don’t have a case of people getting lost or, worse still, scattering our warriors because we have an internal crisis.”
“Yes, Alpha King.” He replied
“Get Betsy to handle stocking supplies and assist her with everything she needs to stock up the safehouse for the pack.”
Then I dismissed my men and asked Lief to take me to my men who were injured.
The smell of antiseptic mixed with wounds hit my nostrils as I walked into the ward where my men lay injured.
They sighted me and tried to stand up, but I raised my hand to stop them from moving. I spoke with them, giving them words of comfort while I thanked them for standing tall in battle.
Lief and I marched back to the pack ground as we began carrying out various tasks I had earlier instructed. I supervised and added inputs while I observed the strength of my men.
“The Alphas are not aware of any attack in the south. They have, however, taken note and are working on safety measures.” Ezren spoke beside me. I nodded and turned to face him. “Do send a message to the council of elders on this, too.”
Ezren nodded.
By the time we were done, I decided to take a walk among the pack houses owned by werewolves who didn’t stay in the main building while I observed the perimeters, taking note of areas with less security.
I had navigated away from the houses, taking a shortcut and coming out to the main road leading to the commercial hub in the pack.
While on my short trip, a dress gets my attention and I stop in my tracks. My mind went to Lyra and how she would look perfect in it, then I stepped into the store.
The sales rep was an omega. She was a short, chubby werewolf with freckles on her nose.
“Good evening, Alpha King.” She smiled broadly and ushered me in.
I looked at the dress on the stand and pointed at it.
“Get me that dress and every other nice outfit in that size for a 6’0’ female in height.” I stopped in my tracks as I wanted to add some shoes, but I didn’t know Lyra’s shoe size, so I mind-linked Nessa to send me the details immediately.
Send a car to come pick me up. I mind-linked Ezren while I walked around the store to the cosmetics section.
By the time I got to the pack, everywhere was winding down from the bustling activities of the day. I mind-linked Betsy and ordered her to get help to take the items I got to the Luna quarters while I took the elevator to my room. When I stepped into my room, my happy steps faltered.
Lyra wasn’t in my bed. She probably left for her room or to go do some other chores.
I mind-linked Ezren and Lief to know where they were, and they confirmed they were in the dining room, so I decided to join them there.
As soon as I entered the dining room, I noticed Lyra in her usual spot, seated with Nessa. Without thinking, I walked over to Lyra and picked up her tray, and held her hand with my spare hand, totally ignoring the looks from my pack members. Then I tilted my head over to Nessa. “Join us, Nessa.”
I could feel Lyra stiffen beside me as we walked up to my table. I sat down and looked up at her with a smirk.
“Sit,” I instructed her and patted on the chair beside me while Nessa already took her place beside Ezren.
We had barely started eating when Vera stormed in and stood in front of our table, staring daggers at Lyra.
“You think you already won him over? I dare you to stand in my way.” She snarled
Alert, I locked eyes with Vera with a disapproving frown, sensing the fighting aura emanating from where Vera stood. “What are you planning to do?” I asked her as I was worried about my mate. Lyra didn’t have a wolf, and it would be devastating if he faced Vera ne on one.
She turned to me and smiled wickedly. “Nah uh, love, you should be asking what I’ve done.” She replied
“Vera,” I pushed myself up from my seat.
“I moved into our room. The one where you and I shared countless times,- yeah, that one.” Then she turned and walked out of the dining room.