With Hell we Raise | ✔

|19|

"I've been mentoring Seth and his mate Orion for when the time comes, and Seth has started his physical training. Though I suspect it will take another month or so before he could even think about taking Damien on." Vincent informed the rest of the group.

"I know that you need time," Killian addressed Seth directly. "I respect and understand that, but the stability of my entire pack is on the line. Time is a luxury I don't know if I can give you. Unless there is something done now, my pack could fall apart."

A lump formed in Seth's throat; a feeling of unworthiness, of shame fell onto his shoulders. He was the linchpin for the entire situation, everyone was counting on him- and for the first time the responsibility felt suffocating. He had been so distracted, so engulfed in the idea of getting revenge that he forgot how many others were relying on him. 

Orion gritted her teeth, whilst she knew it was not an attack she felt the need to say something. She knew how Seth felt, how he thought- she knew him. In so many ways he was the strongest person she knew but his battles were more than just the ones that had left those scars he wore proudly. To everyone else, he remained the same, cold unmoving statue of a man; but she saw the way he clenched his fists, the subtle flare of his nostrils. She saw the way the rage, the insecurity, the doubt ate away at him. 

"Without that time, Seth might not be able to defeat his uncle. He has one chance to get this right, and if he dies you're all back to square one. So find a way to buy him some time." 

The Alphas were all somewhat taken aback by Orion's outburst, hell the girl herself was somewhat surprised. She had managed to not only keep her head held high, but also to speak clearly, and despite her anger, in a non-confrontational tone. 

Seth couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and affection for his mate; he knew exactly what it felt like to need to protect your mate, it was a pure instinct that was practically impossible to ignore. He wanted to thank her, to kiss her, to do something to let her know that he was glad that she was by his side, his, protecting him. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. 

But right there, in front of everyone and during a meeting was neither the time nor the place. Instead he settled with interlacing their fingers together by his side, tapping a rhythmic pattern against the inside of her wrist all the while repeating those three words in his mind. He hoped perhaps she would hear it, feel it, until he had the opportunity to be alone with her. 

"Orion is right," Adam spoke up as he shifted baby Amelia in his arms. "If we rush this, this whole thing could go wrong and we don't have the luxury to let that happen. We will all support you however we can, but this is the one thing that needs time to play out."

Killian nodded his understanding, and Seth felt a small weight off his shoulders. Seth was somewhat glad that to know that they all had each others backs, that they were there to support each other in all the ways that they could. Even the way in which Killian, and Orion had handled the entire situation had been so commendable. It made Seth a lot less nervous to have to step up to fulfil the role of Alpha one day if he had so many people supporting him.

"In the mean time, we can offer you aid when you need it." Renee offered, her face composed as ever. "Our packs are quite close in geography, and with the recent expansions that Willsden Brooke has undertaken it might be useful for us to work something out that could strengthen both our packs without leaving you vulnerable to Damien." 

"That sounds like a good plan, we'll have to have a meeting where we can talk about this properly." Killian agreed, his anxiety and frustration, whilst still high was somewhat quelled by the offering of support. 

Renee nodded her agreement, and turned to write something down on the notepad she had set beside her. Vincent took back control of the meeting after that, he was eager to discuss the actual plan of what the coup would actually look like. The Alpha in question was concerned that leaving Seth to face Damien alone could end badly, especially when Damien had a track record for being a deceitful, greedy, tyrant. There was no way he would take this challenge fairly and Vincent felt it was imperative to be able to provide Seth with some kind of support. The feeling was mutual for all the Alphas; Seth and Orion were both part of the alliance now, regardless of whether their titles were official or not.