Chapter 20 Strategic Moves

Chapter 20 Strategic Moves

Reis's POV

I found my brothers in the study that evening, both looking unusually tense. Silas stands by the window with his arms crossed, while Ruan paces back and forth like a caged animal.

"We have a problem," Silas announces the moment I close the door.

"Let me guess," I say, moving to my father's desk. "Sera Blackwood."

Both of them look at me in surprise.

"You knew?" Ruan demands, stopping mid-pace.

"I suspected. Father warned me she might make a move once word spread about Luceila's emergence." I lean against the desk, crossing my arms. "What happened?"

"She was here," Silas says. "At the house. With Chloe Martinez. Luceila overheard them planning to destroy her reputation."

My jaw tightens. "How much did she hear?"

"Enough to know Sera wants her gone. Something about spreading rumors, damaging her standing before she even has one." Silas moves away from the window. "She asked me who Sera was. I told her, but I kept it brief."

"Does Luceila know the full extent of Sera's influence?" I ask.

"No," Silas admits. "I thought it was better to keep her from panicking."

I run a hand through my hair, frustrated. "We should have seen this coming. A newly emerged dormant wolf with unknown heritage? Of course Sera would view her as a threat."

"Or an opportunity," Ruan adds darkly. "You know how Sera operates. If she can't eliminate Luceila, she'll try to control her. Use her as leverage against us."

He's right. Sera doesn't just remove obstacles, she collects them, turns them into weapons.

"What did you tell Luceila?" I ask Silas.

"To stay away from Sera. Not to engage directly. That she's not ready for that kind of confrontation."

"How did she take it?"

"About as well as you'd expect." Silas sighs. "She agreed to back off, but I could see she wanted to fight. The wolf in her doesn't like being told to retreat."

Good. That fire will serve her well eventually. But right now, it could get her killed or worse, manipulated.

"We need to accelerate her training," I saif. "Dr. Chen said three sessions a week. Make it daily. Luceila needs to understand pack dynamics, hierarchy, and how to read people like Sera before they can use her ignorance against her."

"That's a lot to learn in a short time," Ruan points out.

"She doesn't have a long time," I counter. "Sera moves fast. Whatever she's planning, it's already in motion. The whispers have probably already started."

Silas nods grimly. "I'll talk to Dr. Chen tomorrow. But Reis, there's something else."

I wait.

"Luceila asked about her father today. About whether he was a wolf, what his heritage was."

My attention sharpens. "What did you tell her?"

"I didn't tell her anything, I don't know anything. But she's asking questions. And if Sera finds out Luceila doesn't even know her own lineage..." He trails off, but we all know what he means.

In the wolf world, lineage is everything. It determines your standing, your alliances, your value. A wolf who doesn't know where she comes from is vulnerable in ways that go beyond just lack of training.

"Sisilya must know more than she's said," Ruan suggests. "She had to have known Luceila's father was a wolf. You don't carry a dormant wolf child without realizing something was different."

"Maybe she didn't know," Silas argues. "If the father concealed his nature…."

"Then why?" I interrupt. "Why would a wolf hide what he was from the mother of his child? Unless he had something to hide."

The implications hang heavy in the air.

"We need to find out who Luceila's father is," I say finally. "His name, his pack, his lineage. If Sera's digging, we need to know what she'll find before she finds it."

"How do you suggest we do that?" Ruan asks. "Sisilya clearly doesn't want to talk about it, and Luceila doesn't know."

"We have resources," I remind him. "Pack records, genealogy databases, contacts in other territories. A wolf doesn't just disappear without leaving traces."

"Unless he wanted to disappear," Silas says quietly.

That thought has occurred to me too. A wolf who would father a child and then vanish completely, leaving no trace, no contact, no explanation that speaks to either desperation or calculation.

Neither option is comforting.

"There's one more thing," Ruan says, and his tone makes me look up sharply. "Luceila's been getting messages. From someone named Marcus."

Everything in me goes still. "Marcus who?"

"Don't know. She mentioned it to Silas this afternoon, someone claiming to know her father, warning her not to trust us."

"And she didn't think to mention this to me?" My voice comes out harder than I intend.

"She's scared," Silas defends. "And she doesn't trust us yet. Can you blame her?"

No. I can't. Not after what we put her through.

"We need to find out who this Marcus is," I say. "If he's legitimate, he might have answers about Luceila's heritage. If he's not…"

"Then someone's already making a move on her," Ruan finishes.

I move to the window, looking out at the darkening sky. Somewhere out there, Sera Blackwood is plotting. Someone named Marcus is reaching out with warnings and promises. And Luceila is caught in the middle, barely understanding what she is, let alone how to navigate the political minefield she's stumbled into.

"We need to tell Father," Silas says.

"No." The word comes out sharp and final. "Not yet."

"Reis…."

"Father is dealing with the Council situation. The last thing he needs is to be distracted by pack politics and a newly emerged wolf he didn't know existed until two weeks ago." I turn to face them. "We handle this ourselves. Quietly. We protect Luceila, we find out who her father is, and we neutralize whatever Sera's planning before it becomes a problem Father has to solve."

"And if we can't?" Ruan asks.

"Then we bring him in. But only as a last resort."

My brothers exchange glances, having one of their silent conversations. Finally, they both nod.

"Okay," Silas agrees. "We do this our way. But Reis, we need to actually protect her this time. Not just watch her. Not just test her. But keep her safe."

The accusation stings because it's true. We failed Luceila before. We let our paranoia override our judgment, and we hurt her in the process.

"Agreed," I say quietly. "This time, we do it right."

"What about the Marcus situation?" Ruan asks. "Do we confront her about it?"

I said. "No. Let her come to us when she's ready. If we push, she'll just shut down. But we monitor those messages. Find out who he is and what he wants before he can do any damage."

"That means tracking her phone," Silas points out.

"I know what it means." I don't like it any more than he does, but sometimes protection requires uncomfortable choices. "Just the incoming messages from this Marcus person. Nothing else. We're protecting her, not spying on her."

The distinction feels thin, but it's all we have.

A soft knock on the study door interrupts us. We all freeze.

"Come in," I said.

The door opens, and Luceila stands there, still dressed in the clothes she wore earlier. Her expression is careful, guarded.

"Sorry to interrupt," she says. "But I thought you should know….I got another message from Marcus. He wants to meet. Tomorrow afternoon, at a coffee shop downtown."

The three of us exchange quick glances.

"And?" I ask carefully.

"And I'm going to meet him." Her chin lifts slightly, defiant. "I need answers about my father. About who I am. If Marcus has those answers, I'm going to hear what he has to say."

"Luceila…." Silas starts.

"I'm not asking for permission," she interrupts. "I'm telling you as a courtesy. Because despite everything, I know you're trying to protect me. But I'm done waiting for information to be handed to me in pieces. I'm taking control of my own story.

"Okay," I say.

All three of them looked at me in surprise.

"Okay?" she repeats.

"You meet him. But not alone. One of us goes with you." I hold her gaze steadily. "You said it yourself, we're trying to protect you. Let us."

"Fine," she says finally. "But whoever comes stays back. This conversation is mine to have."

"Agreed."

She nods once, then turns to leave. But she pauses at the door, looking back.

"Thank you," she says quietly. "For not trying to stop me."

After she's gone, Ruan exhales slowly. "That could be a trap."

"Probably is," I agree. "Which is why I'm going with her. And why we're going to be ready for whatever happens."

Because ready or not, Luceila is stepping into our world. And the predators are already planning.