Chapter 22 STRATEGIES
Vance's POV
Returning to the office, a tinge of guilt etched at me for leaving a very tired Sianna at my home. The photographic memories of her tousled appearance, having her legs spread in two different directions, with her black hair masking her face was a beauty to behold.
I was in a better mood after the fuck fest that we had. After finding her in my bed and the way that she allowed me to play with her all night, she had totally calmed me down over what Curtis had done.
Attempting to kidnap your Luna was a grave crime that gave me the justification to kill him, and my wolf was furious that I hadn't done it yet. I am terrified of losing Sianna, and this dread is what keeps me from hurting Curtis. So I decided to let her officially break up with him so that all interactions would end. Hopefully, sooner than later, or I might truly go off the deep end.
Now it was time to deal with the big matters. Duke was slouching in the chair but sat up straight as I entered the room at the pack house. He inspected my physique and mood.
"Alpha Vance is a man of time. He is never late." He uttered mockingly. "And he absolutely hates tardiness." He placed his thumb under his chin as if in deep consideration and teased. "What in the world could have kept you at home? Or should I say who?"
I snorted and hit him in the back of his head so that his blonde hair disheveled, "You already know who? Let's not be coy."
Blayne came into the office shortly. He stood close to the windows and leaned his tall frame on the wall, tucking his hands into his jeans pockets. He launched right away into his extensive report. I sat upright in my executive chair with my hands folded across my chest. My senses alerted and hanging on his every word.
"The rogue chief is Hank Floyd. He was exiled from the Wynder Moon Pack ten years ago. After the great war where the Rogue Alpha was killed and his pack eradicated, Hank was one of his soldiers that barely made it out alive." He trailed off and cleared his throat.
"He took control of the small group of them that remained. He knew that they would be killed for their treasonous act against the council years back, so he infiltrates innocent families and force them to play an active role in their plans."
"He might target a child or a mate of his target. The targets do not need to be skilled because it's their innocence that he banks on for them to gain compassion as a play for the Alpha to take them into the various packs. But he trains them on tactics to acquire the assignment. Once they become pack members they work undercover for him to obtain whatever resources they might be after. They get the products out by dressing as one of our patrol officers on a shift."
"In our case, our weapons are high in storage and advanced technology which would give them a better advantage against other packs." He furrowed at me and proceeded with caution. "He attacked Alpha Virgil's pack with the intention to brew animosity between you and him. He was hoping that your brother would come at you with a surprise attack for his rogues to raid and deplete us of more weapons during the attack."
"By painting you as the bad alpha, the council would also be in chaos in dealing with you. It would take a combination of twenty packs to combine their attack against us in order to increase the possibilities of them winning the battle. At those times, the attacking pack would be weak and vulnerable enough for the rogues to invade for an onslaught."
Digesting the information caused an indignant smirk to make its way on my face. I scoffed at the rogue chief's calculative measures and shook my head at the audacity of this fucking rogue. My team always did an exemplary job to any challenge that arose. I knew Blayne wouldn't fail me. These two people knew me the best in the world.
We liked to get what we wanted, whenever we wanted it. Most times we didn't ask for something, everyone knew they just have to do it or give it. But this rogue was making himself an exception to that rule. This automatically categorized him as not just an outlaw, but also a threat. All threats are to be eliminated.
"The woman who died by breaking into our bunker was a victim. Her situation was unfortunate. Her husband Brent owed the mafia and asked Hank to assist him with funding to repay his loan. Brent didn't know the extent of the danger that he placed his family in as a lone wolf getting mixed up with the wrong group." He shook his head while looking outside. "To repay Hank, he sent his innocent wife on this big job." He looked sternly at me. "They trained her on how to pick locks and to hack systems and in any other areas where she would be needed."
Blayne was angry. Duke got up and pour some whiskey into a shot glass and handed it to him. Wolves could not get drunk easily. Our mates were the best cure to calm an angry wolf, but Blayne has yet to meet his mate so this whiskey should help settle the
nerves.
"Hank is very strategica......... but I am going to fuck him up!" Blayne retorted. "I have briefed our Elite Trackers and they are in place. We found Hank and his small group. They scanned the area and have pinpointed their weakness. All we need is the word for us to expedite the mission for early tomorrow morning."
I sighed tiredly, "What's the incursion plan?"
"Surround and attack. We could use our silver fumed gas to infiltrate and weaken them" Blayne stated "No mercies, take maybe two prisoners for further questioning."
"How many warriors are you taking for this mission?" Duke asked
"Fifty elite warriors should be enough." Blayne noted. "We just have to finalize our attack plan and form for us to execute."
"Maybe the candidates could accompany this mission to gain their first live battle. It's not a hard one for them." My suggestion was met with approval from my best buddies.
Blayne cocked his head to the left, "I heard that one of them was hospitalized and brought in by the Alpha."
Oh God! They are never going to drop this. My brows furrowed with my eyes on Duke.
Duke grinned, turned his head to the side and playing the innocent, said "I didn't tell him anything."
"Tssst, does anything ever slip you?" I queried but knew better. It was their jobs to know everything within the pack.
Blayne turned to Duke to be filled in because I wasn't getting into that. "They got into it over Sianna."
"Oh, and how is our Luna today?" Blayne's probing face turned back to me.
"Sianna is great. Go and get your own mate and stay out of my damn business." I snapped, feeling tired of their tauntings. "Ouch!" He held his heart as if he was wounded. "Don't forget that it was I whom you took out your frustrations on while she was playing hard to get." I shook my head and he played onward. "I still have the scars to show."
"You were healed up, what scars are you talking about?" Blayne sparred on the training grounds with me when I couldn't sleep, and it was cruel of me to demand that no one else would sleep either. It was the heights of frustration that caused all of that, when Sianna kept pushing me away because that meditation shit did not work.
"You don't love me anymore? Damn, I've been replaced. All our times together.......gone" He closed all his fingers into his palms and flicked them out. "Poof, just like that."
"You've got a cock and I love vaginas. The decision was easy." I turned in my chair to straighten my back a bit.
"Whatever, dude. I don't want to be whipped like the both of you. Pathetically overpowered by love." He teased in his deepest tone "I'm a wild wolf. I can't be tamed."
"One of these days you will eat those words." Duke warned.
I snorted and tapped the desk, and put on my office voice. "Let's get back to business."
Duke prepared the table while Blayne retrieved the map of the Eastwood area where Hank and his troops lodged. We used the color pins to plot the invasion routes going in and out. It took us an hour to get that done.
After which, Blayne left to meet with his elites and to pass on the intel to the trackers. Duke went to complete his neglected Beta duties that were pushed behind due to our meeting discussions.
Looking out the window, I could see pack members walking pass and going about their business. Some of the children played in the open field nearby. I thought of the seven year old daughter that Cindy left behind. We should contact her father, Brent, for him to collect her. But that could only be done after we ended the battle that we were about to face.
Returning her would bring about suspicion that we were unto them. Reports were that she cried nightly for her mom. She was having nightmares about her mother dying. Dr. Stone has been treating her and keeping her under close observation along with therapy sessions. Hank deserved to be hanged.
A short prayer was said for all my warriors to return safely. They were highly skilled so this should be a walk in the park. We knew our weapons well and how they would be used. However, my warriors were militant with expert combat knowledge.
Other packs relied on us to train their own because of this. The council counted on me to exercise control over the other packs because of our strength. Hank had only a death wish, but rogues will do what they can to survive.
I contemplated to join this battle or not.