Chapter 24: CHP.24-Preperations

I stood on the patio, not moving, partly in shock and partly in a mix of emotions. A groan from Avery reminded me there were things that needed attending. I rushed toward her collapsed frame, pressing my hand against the wound that was still oozing blood. I wasn't too concerned as she again groaned from the pain. Her head would be fuzzy but she would heal.

Willow seemed frozen in place as she stared at Avery's bleeding figure. My eyes drifted to Lilly, who had collapsed onto the ground beside Willows figure. Her eyes blurred with tears. Her frame expanding before curling in on itself as she took deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down.

I looked toward Serenity whose eyes met mine in confusion. I nodded toward Lilly. Serenity seemed to understand what I was implying as she moved toward Lilly's shrunken frame. Placing her hand upon her should. She whispered into Lilly's ear before helping her stand up to her full height. Serenity also grabbed Willow's hand as she pulled them both inside the house.

"What the fuck?" Dion's voice echoed around our group. He walked toward us quickly with a few younger pack wolves trailing behind him. Zeke turned from the wolves who had previously been under Titus' pack as he faced Dion.

"Dion, where's Diesel? Take these wolves to the training circle to meet with the other warriors, I also want the entire council in the dining hall in 5 minutes." Zeke growled the words out, his words sharp.

"What the fuck happened?" Dion repeated his question from before.

"Titus happened. Now go do your fucking job." Zeke snapped, his body tensing as he looked down at Dion.

Zion turned away from Dion, striding toward my frame he ascended the stairs before kneeling down beside me as he reached up to cup my cheek with his large hand. I couldn't help but lean into his comforting touch.

"Are you ok?" His eyes held concern as he looked down at me. I nodded at him.

"Are you?" He nodded at me before shifting his attention to the bleeding Avery.

"Is she?"

"She will be, her wound is already I closing." I lifted my hand to see her skin beginning to stitch itself back together. He exhaled deeply before quickly pressing his lips to mine.

"Okay, meet me in the dining hall as soon as you're ready." I agreed as he moved into the house. I waited with Avery for a few more minutes before her eye's slowly fluttered open. I smiled down at her,

"How are you feeling?"

"Like my head has a bowling ball hitting it every time I move." She began lifting herself into a sitting position before raising a hand to her heard, touching the still quite fresh blood even though the wound had almost closed completely.

"Got a headache huh?" I half-heartedly laughed out. Relief flooding through me as I realized she was quite okay liked I had hoped. She nodded before wincing in pain from the motion.

"Let's drop you off at doctor Scet's. I have to go to a meeting."

We moved slowly through the house, Avery leaning most of her weight onto me as we walked. I dropped her off with Doctor Scet before scrubbing the blood from my hands in his industrially cleaned sink. I quickly made my way back through the house and into the dining room. Seeing all the members of the council seated around one of the dining room tables. Zeke standing before them at the head.

The image almost gave me deja-vu as I remembered the first time I had seen them like this. That memory felt like forever ago. I strode across the room to take my place beside Zeke. Nodding at the many wolves in greeting. Various replies of 'Luna Cecil' were heard as they all responded at the same time.

"I know these meetings only seem to occur when there is a problem, but it seems there is another issue that requires attention. I have a strong belief that Titus is going to attack within the next day or two. One of the females that approached our pack, Lilly, she is Titus' mate. But as she's previously had a bond mate she refused to go with him.

I wouldn't let him take her by force and he reacted poorly, threatening both the pack and the females so I kicked him off the territory." Zeke's words were calm and well-thought-out, but I could feel his anxiety leaking through the mate bond.

"A titan and a flower," Nyx whispered, his eyebrows raised as if it was obvious. His words echoing over the empty table. My forehead crinkled as his words registered in my brain. His foretold prophecy ringing in my brain "a war will be started unless a titan is chosen by a flower.' I didn't know how I hadn't realized it earlier.

"They're mates, why can we not just - just hear me out, give the girl over. It would save a lot of lives." One of the elders- Mark I think, spoke the words out. A few other elder councilmen nodded in agreement.

"She is under my protection, and I will not hand my females over to random males who demand so just to avoid an issue from arising." I snarled the words out before I could stop myself.

"But technically, she's not yours, she's his." Another elder replied to me, my eyes stared him down as he spoke. His sight dropping to the floor as gold began to leak into my iris'. My wolf equally angered by his suggestion.

"No. We are a place for any surviving females to come, where they will feel safe. If we start giving them to males who demand so just to avoid war then we are no different from the other packs they are hiding from." Zeke's words were firm, leaving no room for discussion. I nodded in agreement as I worked to calm myself down.

A pregnant silence settled over the group. Some of the Elder wolves looked as if they wanted to disagree, but swallowed their words as they didn't want to challenge the decision of their Alpha.

"So what would you have us do then?" Dion spoke next, breaking the silence.

"Prepare the grounds for a battle. I want bunkers prepared, all pups under the age of 16 and the females will be sheltered there during the attack. Doctor Scet will prepare a number of wolves to help aid him in organizing emergency response packs to help seriously injured wolves.

We will go over the warrior organization and positioning tonight. Dismissed for now."The council wolves all rose from their positions, moving toward the exit. However, Elder Mark didn't move with the group and instead slyly approached Zeke and myself.

"Alpha Ezekial, I implore you to reconsider your decision. You are making a mistake. Many wolves will lose their lives over this, remember what happened with those two females-" Zeke snarled, his patience having worn through. His hand wrapping around Mark's neck as he towered over him.

"My decision is final. I heard your point at the table and I acknowledged it before making my decision. You will respect that decision or have you forgotten your place?" Zeke's canines began to descend. His wolf obviously also angered as well.

Zeke was the Alpha. His word was law. I had seen Alpha's kill pack wolves for less. A lower ranked wolf questioning their decisions were bound to rile them up, a reaction like this wasn't uncommon.

Mark whined before dropping his eyes to the floor, attempting to bare his neck in submission. He almost looked pathetic.

"A-Apologies Alpha, I was just expressing-"

"Don't express any more unless you wish to see me express my anger." It seemed Zeke's anxiety about the entire war situation as well as his anger towards Mark's disrespect were combining to rile him up more. I knew he liked Mark and if he did something to injure him he would most likely regret it later. So I stepped to intervene, gripping his free hand with mine.

"Zeke, my love. He has learnt." His body visibly relaxed as my presence worked to soothe him. He sighed before releasing Mark's neck. His Canine's beginning to retreat back into his human teeth.

Mark nodded at me in thanks before retreating from the room quickly.

"I'll go see the females, to let them know what's happening." Zeke nodded at me before pressing a chaste kiss to my lips.

"Go, before I decide to take you to my room and don't let you out. You still owe me, remember? I won our training session fight after all." I chuckled at his words even though they ignited a fire deep within me that nearly had me pressing my legs together.

"You never won, we never finished. We were interrupted remember?" He leaned down to kiss my lips once more before patting my butt.

"I would've won though." I rolled my eyes before leaving the room.

***

I walked into the room Willow, Avery and Lilly were sleeping. Smelling only three scents. It seemed Avery was still with Doctor Scet. I knocked on the closed door gently before opening it slowly.

Lilly was seated on the floor in front of the bed. Her head in her hands as Willow sat beside her. Serenity pacing around the room in anxiety. All their eyes raised to look at me as I entered.

"What's happening"? Serenity asked as she walked up to meet me. I was still astonished at how much she had developed so quickly. I feel like the new females had caused her to step up, she seemed to have assumed the role of Beta female. I was proud of her progression. Her eyebrows raised in expectance, making me realize I hadn't answered her question and was just staring at her.

"They're preparing for an attack from Titus."

"So war then?" Lilly spoke up, her appearance seemed distressed as her eyes welled with unshed tears. I nodded at her confirmation.

"Yes, war."