The One Who Came

Chapter 58

"Eru, eat dinner on time, please. I am busy nowadays, and I'm not sure if I can eat dinner with you. Okay?" Eru glared at him and shook his head quickly.

'No.' He wrote.

"What do you mean, no? Are you saying you won't listen to me?" Uriel asked, baffled at the audacity of the little squirt.

'With you or no' came the answer, and Uriel sighed. He could feel another headache coming his way. He looked at the kid helplessly.

"I can't do that, Eru. Really. I have work I need to finish; you understand that, right?" He tried explaining and hoped the pup would agree. But, alas, he knew it wouldn't be easy. He started writing in his notebook, and Uriel saw his downfall scribbled in messy writing.

'oky, but want to sleep with you. miss you.' He read and saw those puppy-dog eyes staring at him with a little pout. He was doomed, he realized. Uriel kissed his adorable pout and hugged him, taking a deep breath. The pup knew he had won and snickered in triumph.

Cruxius and Uriel had decided to let Eru have his own cottage with Nyla to protect him. The mansion was buzzing with people coming and going from different packs, and they didn't want Eru to become a bargaining chip against them. So he had been living with Nyla, much to his dismay.

He could make today an exception, he thought, and agreed to let him sleep beside him.

"Let's go eat." Uriel stood up with Eru in his arms and started walking towards the dining hall. He didn't forget to take the white roses with him. They matched the color of his outfit like always, and no doubt they came from his garden. He put them in the vase at the dining table and sat Eru down in his place. The maids came to set the table for them, and Uriel inquired about Cruxius.

"The Alpha left to take a shower in his room. He said he will join you at dinn-" As she was talking, Cruxius arrived and sat at the head of the table. Uriel stood and gave him a little bow to greet him. Eru just waved his hand at the Alpha, who rolled his eyes at him in response.

"Master, I hope you enjoyed your sparring." Uriel said, sitting down and smiling at him. Eru started scribbling quickly.

"Yes, I did. It would have been better if this nuisance wasn't there." He said, looking at the tiny hands moving at lightning speed.

"Eru was with you? I thought Nyla-" Uriel was cut off as Eru slammed the notebook towards them.

'Alph won, and kiled the others so fast. I betted on him and Zeno lost. he habe to buy me five choclates.' The note said, and the little Omega looked at them, a smug grin in place. Uriel sighed, and Cruxius started his dinner, ignoring the fact that the little shit was already making bets at his age.

"It's Alpha, not Alph, Eru. At this point, you are doing it on purpose, aren't you? And it's not killed; it's defeated. Killed is when someone dies, like not breathing. Dead." He explained, correcting the spelling mistakes on the note. "And why are you making bets with Zeno? No more of that. Okay? Now eat." Uriel returned his note and pencil and pushed the plate closer to him. Eru crossed his arms and 'hmphed' facing the other way.

Cruxius let out a warning growl, and Eru flinched.

"Eat. Don't be a brat anymore, or I will punish you. For real this time." His eyes glowed for a bit to let him know he was serious. Eru quietly picked up the fork and started on his baked potato, looking down at the plate. Uriel started his dinner as well, checking on the little boy from time to time.

"Report, Snow." He ordered, and Uriel put down his spoon to give his master the full report of the events going on.

"Most of the packs that have contacted us until now have been from the poor regions, where there is not much to go around. It was as expected. Those who have really suffered from the Council's decisions through the years have come to our side. It looks like everything is according to plan." Uriel explained, and Cruxius nodded.

"Master...I. He called again." He hesitated. "He reported about how Ivan and Karter managed to convince the Council to go to war and unite the remaining packs against us. Is thi..?" He left his question hanging, unsure about whether to ask or not.

"Are you afriad, Uriel? If so, why?" Cruxius asked, giving the Omega a curious stare. "I have never known you to doubt my actions. What changed?"

"Nothing! I would never! I'm no-" His eyes widened in bewilderment, and his fork slipped from his hand at the question. "I'm just..."

"I can't let you get hurt again." He whispered after a beat, looking down as his eyes filled with water. He could see flashes of young Cruxius groaning in pain and shivering all night. The Alpha couldn't find rest even in sleep, and Uriel felt his absolute worthlessness at that moment. He would rather kill himself than experience that time again.

Cruxius laughed at the thought of him 'getting hurt' as Uriel hurried to wipe his eyes. Eru glared at the Alpha and got off of the chair, anger clear on his angelic face. He went around the table and smacked Cruxius' thigh while frowning. Then he ran to Uriel and hugged his knees to comfort him.

"This little shit." Cruxius scowled at him. 

"I'm not going to get hurt, Uriel. Not like that anyway. So, stop worrying and focus on your work. Your crying is making me uncomfortable." He muttered and passed him a tissue. Uriel dried his eyes and smiled down at Eru. He gave him a kiss and then gestured for him to sit on the chair again.

"Don't be like that, Eru. You can't hit Alpha, okay?" At his nod (which was not sincere at all) he sighed and patted his head.

"I'm sorry, Master. I was stressed, so I let my head overthink. I'm okay now. Thank you." He smiled at the Alpha.

"Good. Now, I want to discuss something with you. Eru, go find Nyla and play with her for a bit." Eru gave him a blank stare as he was about to eat his favourite dessert. He took his plate of peppermint crisp tart, went around the table to grab Cruxius' plate too in protest, and strutted out of the dining hall.

"The day he learns respect would be a cold fucking day in hell. That brat." He glared at the retreating Omega and glanced at Uriel, who failed to suppress his laugh. He gestured for the maid to bring him another plate.

"What did he say?" He asked pointedly.

"He was worried about how their forces will be increasing now that they have the Council backing them up. I let him know we expected this, but he wasn't... pleased." Uriel's lips curled at the memory. He was still angry at the audacity.

"Pleasing him is not our concern. This is as important to him as it is for us. He'll get over it." He said dismissively. "Let's go over our strategy for now. The battle would likely take place near the forest closest to our pack. How is the terrain looking?" Cruxius ordered as he enjoyed his newly served dessert.

"The forest offers us opportunities that they may not fully comprehend. I believe we can exploit its terrain to our advantage."

"Go on."

"We should focus on utilizing the natural cover to conceal our movements and set up ambushes. The dense foliage will mask our approach, allowing us to strike swiftly and unexpectedly. We can divide our warriors into smaller squads and position them along key pathways. When they advance, we'll unleash coordinated attacks from multiple directions, overwhelming them before they can react. What do you think, Master?" He said, in anticipation. He had been coming up with ideas they could use to gain an advantage. They already had the numbers, but strategy in war was the most crucial part.

"Hmm, let's be careful and not forget about the element of surprise." The Alpha thought for a minute. "By launching hit-and-run attacks and disappearing back into the forest, we can keep them off balance and disrupt their formations." He paused, considering. "But we must also be mindful of our own mobility in the forest. The dense vegetation can hinder our movements as well. We should designate clear rallying points and establish communication channels to coordinate our steps effectively." He concluded with a smile. It was all coming together.

"Of course, my liege. I will make appropriate preparations." Uriel smirked as they wrapped up their conversation and devoured the delicious dessert.

Hello Bbiessss, 

Here is the next chapter! Lemme know what you think, and we are going back to Ivan and Kar in the next one! I'm excited!!!

Thank you for all the votes and comments, Love ya >.<