My magic is for you, Alpha

Chapter 14

As soon as she entered the forest, she felt her head spinning. The events of the afternoon destabilized her, but it was also the effect of dream travelling. Everything has its cost, even gifts like that. She felt her energy leaving her, leaned against a tree, and started sliding towards the ground. Her vision became blurry, and then there was darkness. "Caelan," she breathed out before losing consciousness.

***

Meanwhile, Caelan was ready to get answers.

"What in the hell was that, Erik?" he asked when he finally managed to catch up to Erik. They were already in the parking lot, and it seemed that Erik decided to go for a ride with his Beta.

"Sit," Erik told Caelan nonchalantly, pointing to the front passenger seat of the car. Caelan did as he was told.

Erik took the wheel, and his Beta took a seat behind. They spent a few minutes in total silence before Erik asked, "Care for some radio?"

"No, Erik, I don't care about a fucking radio. I need answers. That's not what we agreed on," Caelan replied, his tone not as quiet as he wanted it to be. They both knew he was too agitated to control himself.

"Slow down, my boy. Remember what I taught you. Your emotions will get the better of you. That's exactly how your father used to manipulate you," Erik warned.

"Stop talking about my father and tell me what's going on," Caelan said, trying to calm himself down.

"I'm sorry, son. I wasn't planning to steal your girlfriend or anything, but I needed an excuse."

"An excuse for what? For breaking the alliance with her pack?"

"There was no alliance to break in the first place."

"But you told me..."

"I told you what I had to not ruin everyone's celebration. They declined," Erik interrupted.

"Shit, what are we going to do about that? Their trade connections would have been very beneficial in the South."

"They declined, and they will pay for that."

"Do you think they're going to fall the same way as the Southern packs?"

"No, the Southern packs will fall from within because of their constant battling. I'll take care of this pack myself."

Erik was driving aimlessly among the roads, completely calm, continuing, "I don't need it to look like I'm waging war or an act of pure aggression. I want it to be justified and to show others what will happen to them if they dare to refuse me."

"So you would use the decline in marriage as a pretext to kill the Alpha family?"

"Finally, you're catching on," Erik said with a grin. "Don't worry, Trish will live if you want her to. I have no intention of marrying her. She would be a gift to you."

"Erik, this is crazy. What you're suggesting changes everything."

"How so?"

"You taught me that we're better than the packs in the South. We're pragmatic, true ascetics, and that's why we prosper. We do what needs to be done, no excuses. We're not savages like them. You convinced me to join your cause to bring prosperity to the places where people suffer. Now you're suggesting we kill off a family from one of the most prosperous packs just because they declined your proposal."

"Sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the greater good. Without their territories, it would be nearly impossible to infiltrate the Southern packs. By eliminating just one family, we can bring peace and prosperity to thousands of werewolves."

"Stop. Why do we need to infiltrate the Southern packs?"

"Sometimes, Caelan, I think I haven't taught you well. To make a pack fall from within, you need a puppeteer to direct it. By doing so, we can avoid unnecessary bloodshed and ensure we reach the desired outcome."

"You're delusional, Erik. And here I thought we were doing good for the people."

"You're an idealist, Caelan. And that's what got Elina killed."

"Don't you dare mention her. Stop the car."

Erik slowed down, scanning for a place to pull over. He was disappointed in Caelan, but it wasn't a strong feeling. While Caelan had been his protégé, Erik had learned to respect him. He needed Caelan as the head of a neighboring pack, but if the pup wanted to challenge his authority, Erik would have to teach him a lesson.

"Erik, think twice before you do something like this. Tomorrow we're heading north, and I suggest you take some time to think about the madness of your plan. I'm out. If you bring up this idea again, I won't be your ally anymore."

Caelan leaped from the car and slammed the door shut. He was struggling to process everything he had learned. He felt sorry for Arne's family and especially for Trish. They were innocent. He didn't know what to do. He wasn't ready to betray his mentor and expose his plan, but he didn't want to take the risk either. He needed to come up with a plan and quickly. He had to find Krescent.

"Make sure he gets some too," Erik communicated with his Beta through their mind-link. The Beta nodded in response. "If he's not with us, he's against us," Erik muttered as he glanced at the rear-view mirror.