The Willow and the Wolf

Chapter Five: Threat

CAGE STOMPED THROUGH THE dungeon halls of the den, his brown boots hitting the stone floor like it was no ones business.

Although being a werewolf meant most could hear very well in wolf form,
Cage being the alpha on the other hand, meant he had more. . . hyper aware abilities than most.

He could hear a few of the other wolves who had gathered on the lower floor of the underground den say his name. Causing him to immediately want to ruin whatever shenanigans they were up to. The alpha should always attend an annual meeting.

Cage recognized the voice of his most trusted advisor, Kaiman. As well as a few other rather familiar voices from the map room.

Cage pushed open the door to the map room and glared at everyone inside.

"Did someone send for me?" Cage raised a curious, and not so trusting brow.

Everyone in the room looked up from the large table in the middle of the room and glanced up at Cage.

"I asked you all a question. Did you send for me?" Cage asked again after a moment. Sheer anger and hostility in his voice. How dare they come here and have meetings and discussions without their alpha.

Kaiman glanced up and smiled at Cage knowingly. He knew Cage well, and knew how he liked to intimidate those he felt might betray him. Kaiman was not one of those people. He would never betray the alpha.

"I figured sooner or later you would hear us." Kai said and patted Cage on the shoulder. Cage nodded in response and said nothing.

Kai cleared his throat and continued. Glancing around the room at all of the wolves in the inner circle, leaders and advisers.

"We received word a few hours ago that one of our wolves had a run in with one of them." Kai said.

Cage growled lowly at the mention of them. The vampires.

"What happened? Cage asked.

"He was fatally wounded. The vampire got away without even a scratch." Kai shook his head in anger. A shimmer of darkness in his brown eyes.

"What are they doing in this area? The agreement was that they would stay in their territory..." Cage slammed his fist down on the oak wood table that held a map of the wolves den and all of its surrounding landmarks.

Tallahi, the vampire's territory was hundreds of miles away, why would they come near here? Cage wondered.

"I have no clue. I tried my best to ask Daniel, the wolf who was hurt that. He told me that he left him alive. There was no way that the vampire would've if he didn't have a reason. He wanted to deliver a message to us." Kai explained.

"What message?"

"Why don't you hear it from Daniel yourself." Kai led Cage out of the map room and up a stair case of stone steps to the small infirmary on the upper floor of the den.

When Cage's eyes laid upon Daniels body that sat in a small chair beside a hearth, he felt pity deep down for him. As like before, he didn't feel pity or guilt very often. Cage seemed to be feeling those emotions a lot more recently for some reason.

Purple and blue bruises, as well as dried blood covered the poor young man's face and upper body. Daniel could barely look up or move his lips from the swelling.

Cage bent down beside Daniels chair and glanced at him. "What happened?" He asked the man.

"I shouldn't have went that far into the forest." Daniel croaked out and painful tears formed in his eyes. He attempted to wipe them away, to save himself some embarrassment.

"It was a Tallahi. I could see his eyes glow red. . . He told me to tell the alpha, to give back... T-the Key." He finished and was out of breath after he had told Cage what the vampire said.

The mention of the Tallahi had everyone in the room including Cage, internally panicking.

Tallahi were the most powerful vampires in the world. The decision makers, the brains, and the muscle. The leaders who ruled their kind with an iron hand. With eyes that glowed red, teeth that were sharp enough to tear through flesh, and speed like bats out of hell, they were a group of nightmares. Literally.

The Key? Cage tried to decode the puzzle of what that meant in his mind.

"The Key?" He asked out loud and glanced at Kai and Daniel. Neither of them had answers.

"Do you think you could describe to me the place in the forest where he attacked you?" Cage asked after a moment.

"There was a clearing before a river that ran east." Daniel shifted in his chair.

Out of the blue, Kai sniffed the air curiously. "Daniel, did you happen to encounter any humans while you were outside of the den?" He asked and Cage's body stiffened at the sudden realization. Dani, the girl in the dungeon had touched his arm. It was her scent Kai was smelling.

"No." Daniel said flatly.

"Hmm." Kai glanced around.

"Do you need anything?" Cage asked right before leaving the room. Daniel shook his head.

Both Kai and Cage walked slowly beside each other through the halls, not caring where they ended up. They were too caught up in their chatter.

"I don't understand Cage. There has to be a meaning behind this 'Key'." Kai murmured and held his long arms behind his back. A few strands of his medium length black hair fell in his face as he looked down to his black leather boots.

"Whatever it is, it must be important to them. You know what that means."
Cage replied.

Kai stopped and held his hand out. "We must find it before they do." He said.

"No, I must. Alone." Cage said and Kai frowned. Cage shook his hand, a serious look on his face.

"You can't do this alone brother." Kai pulled his hand away.

"Never underestimate an alpha. Not even a one-eyed alpha." Cage snarled and walked away toward his quarters.