17: Let’s Plan a Coup

I was going to need all hands on deck to keep this tidy and limit the amount of civilian casualties. As much as I trusted my own team, I don’t trust Maximillian and Edward, or anyone they might be controlling.

Using the radios we’d all started carrying full time, I reached out to the rest of the team. “Beta One, Charlie One, Delta One. Meet us at HQ as soon as possible. Teams need to be on alert, but they don’t need to join us yet. One problem at a time.”

The three of them were already there when Nathaniel and I arrived.

Luke’s face still was covered in betrayal and anguish. This was really too soon for him to be this close to me, but we didn’t have a choice. We needed to move, and quickly.

I sighed. “I don’t know how fast news travels, but things have headed south very suddenly with the pack, to the point that I need to intervene, with the intention to take over the pack to serve as alpha. Nathaniel will become my beta. Before we continue, does anyone here have a problem with this?”

All three shook their heads. “Perfect. The main development is that Luna Belinda has been murdered.”

“Fuck,” Luke murmured under his breath. “I’m sorry, Nathaniel.”

Julienne and Grayson’s faces were stoic, they weren’t giving anything away.

“Nathaniel, tell them what you told me.”

He nodded, stepping forward. “I have reason to believe my father is behind the murder. Maximillian’s influence over him is concerning, and Maximillian has been trying to blame my mother, their luna, for the difficulties my father has been facing in keeping control of his pack. We believe this is why she was murdered.” He paused, meeting my gaze. I nodded, I knew this look was a question. “We believe Maximillian’s plan had been to bring Ophelia under his control and install her in my mother’s place. If they had been successful, it would have made my father unstoppable. We believe that the night at the packhouse, Maximillian was testing Ophelia, to determine whether or not it would be possible. When she knocked him on his backside and protected all of us, it would have become crystal clear that it’s not possible. As a result, we expect he will be planning to make a move on Ophelia. She’s become too much of a risk.”

Their faces were all straight, too straight.

Luke broke the silence first. “So we need to do this before they work out what we’re doing, and before they try to kill Ophelia?”

I nodded. “And there is the crux of the issue. We all met Maximillian, we aren’t going to have long until he’s knocking on my door. I haven’t exactly led an inconspicuous life, so finding me won’t be difficult. As far as we know, he doesn’t know about this place, so this will be the safest place for us all whilst we work out a plan. If the situation worsens, we’ll close the businesses temporarily and bring all of our people down here. But we will have to leave a few people above ground to patrol the businesses and make sure unfriendly types don’t find us.”

A chorus of “yes alpha” met my ears.

“Right. Ideas… let’s do this.”

We brainstormed ideas for hours. We needed an easy way into the central territory that we could pull off quickly, but it also needed to be as far from civilians as possible. It might be a hostile takeover, but I’d rather it was as smooth and peaceful as possible.

“Nathaniel, are there any tunnels or anything around the packhouses? Anything at all that we could use?”

“I’m not sure,” he replied. “There used to be emergency tunnels, but they were possibly sealed.”

“Nathaniel, please take Julienne with you to scope these tunnels. If they’re usable, they are probably our best bet. On the radio, Nathaniel, you’re alpha eight.” They both nodded before walking away. “Grayson, please head down to the armoury, make sure we have everything we need. We want as few casualties as possible, so please don’t just organise shotguns and incendiary rounds.”

“I wouldn’t do that, alpha.”

I smirked at him. “Yes, you would. Crack to it, Grayson.”

“And me, alpha?” Luke asked, voice small.

“We probably should talk, shouldn’t we. We need to get everything out now so we can concentrate later.”

“Yes,” he sank into a chair, letting his hands fall into his hands. “I’m sorry, Effie. I fucked up, and I fucked up hard. I panicked and I didn’t know what to do. I thought I could encourage you to stay, but I just pushed you away.”

“Marking me without consent was never going to work, Luke. I’m surprised you thought it would, I’ll be honest.”

“I was desperate,” he whispered. “After what happened with Maximillian, I thought I was going to lose you.”

“I will never let Maximillian get in between any of us. Not just me and you, but anyone in the pack, or our wider group.”

“I know that now,” he whispered. “But is it too late for us?”

“I… I don’t know.” I rubbed the area where his mark used to be. It had nearly healed.

“Has it healed?” He asked, his voice still quiet.

I nodded, moving my top away from my neck to show him the spot where it used to be.

“I am sorry, Effie, I… I just hope I haven’t completely fucked this up, I hope you can forgive me, and I hope that you’ll give me another chance.”

“Alpha.” Nathaniel’s voice suddenly appeared behind us, he was seriously pissed off. The power and anger was rolling off him. I spun to face him, my hands on my hips.

“What is it? Why are you throwing your power around? Didn’t you learn the first time?”

His upper lip turned up in a snarl.

“I came back to grab spare shorts, and what do I find, my mate hanging all over another wolf. Not just any wolf, the wolf who gave you the mark that just mere hours ago, you had me help you remove.”

“Mate?” Luke growled. “Effie, please tell me it isn’t true.”

Well, shit.

I ran my hands through my hair. “It’s true.”

“You haven’t accepted him yet, or he you, otherwise I’d be able to smell him all over you.”

“No, we haven’t. Luke, this is new. We found out a couple hours ago.” My voice had been soft when talking to Luke, but Nathaniel wasn’t about to get that luxury. “If you toned back the caveman attitude, Nathaniel, we would have had longer to figure this out. You weren’t exactly quiet. There are a lot of wolves in this complex, who knows how many of them just heard your little explosion. That news will very quickly end up back with your father. Not maliciously, but because people talk and because right now, he is still their official alpha. What better gossip than your contesting alpha finding her mate. You’ve just put a time bomb on this.”

“Alpha, I…”

“Nathaniel, just follow my orders, go and scope those tunnels.” My power behind that statement meant mate or not, he’d have to obey.

He bowed his head. “Yes, alpha.”

Once he left, I turned back to face Luke. “I didn’t mean for you to find out like that.”

His eyes were sad. “I guess that answered my question though, didn’t it? There is no hope for us, not anymore.”

“I haven’t accepted the bond, Luke. Nor has he. We both got thrown off kilter by this, and it is literally just a couple hours old. Who knows what is going to happen, but it’s not a decision I’m planning to make any time soon.”

“Alpha… when did it happen?”

“I’d not long decided that this needed to happen, that I needed to take the pack. Nathaniel had just pledged himself as my beta.” I closed my eyes. “He kissed me after that, and that was when we found out. Our wolves knew before we did.”

“What do you want, Effie? Do you still want me?”

“Luke, don’t do this, not right now. I cannot be making any decisions, not when we’re planning something enormous like me challenging the incumbent alpha.” I sighed. “Not just for me, either. I don’t want them to get an idea of what is going on, and then use you against me. Regardless of how it goes down, that conversation will make both you and Nathaniel a target.”