Fated

Chapter XXXII

Adrian

Half an hour before the pack breakfast, Adrian followed her scent to find his mate cooking in the kitchen, surrounded by their friends and the two Lycans. Adira's weary stance told Adrian that her combat practice had already finished. He smiled at her, before taking over stirring of the sauce, forcing her to sit down. 

A slightly heavy tension hung in the air. Today, the pack would know about Cassie and the Royals. 

Suddenly Cassie stood, her hand leaving Drystan's. She tooks a deep breath. She announced, "I'm going to have to challenge Lyracus."

A death pall spread across the room. Sebastian snarled. "What the fuck?"

"Look," She replied, turning to whiteboard and scribbling on it. We  have to acquire his blood to be able to properly strategise. "No stealth mission will work, for obvious reasons. This is the only way to acquire this and you all know it." She stared at them all, her eyes meeting Adrian's last. He sighed. 

"Yes," Drystan spoke softly, surprising Adrian. "This is the only way to achieve our goal. So, I'll do it. I will challenge him."

Cassie's eyes widened before she shook her head predictably. Adrian gathered himself to hear her self-destructive response. She surprised him. "Honestly, no joke, after the mess I made, I'd let you do it. But, we can't." 

Adrian spoke, annoyed, "Why the hell not?"

"Lyracus has their blood. He already knows how to stop your powers. The chance that he's figured out more ways to use it over the last decades is incredibly high. If a Lycan fights him, the fight will be expected to have supernatural powers. We could be at a huge disadvantage. However, if he fights a wolf, the laws dictate that he must fight like a wolf. No powers. This is the only way to get it and come home alive. Right now, we need to get ready. And this is the only way to ensure that we can start building up for the war."

Adrian gritted his teeth. She was right. Cassie was brilliant of course, but he hated that she was right. "I'll do it."

To his surprise, Adira sighed. "No you won't. It sucks but Cassie is right. She is the best fighter we have, no offence Ade, and she's already fought Drystan once. Plus, Adrian and Eden will need to start talking to allies. They cannot train. Seb could but, Cassie has better chances."

Cassie nodded, resolute. The atmosphere in the room thickened again.

"You die, I will kill you." Amor spoke flatly. Sebastian nodded. 

Drystan growled loudly, standing and slamming his hands on the table. The breeze in the room strengthened swirling around like a storm. "What is this?! Cowards. Hiding behind my mate! She is your friend, or did you speak empty words yesterday? How can you agree?!"

Adrian caught Adira's hand as she flinched at the Lycan's words. His eyes darkened at her hurt.

Amricus stood, whispering something to Drystan, who calmed slightly. The breeze lowered, settling in to warm air. 

Cassie turned to her mate. "You're only angry because I'm right and it scares you. But I need you to be on board with this, because I need you to teach me, Drys. We have to train if I have to make it out alive."

Drystan stared at her flatly before he gave the minutest nod.

Amricus stood. "I will deliver the challenge in the camp. That way he will have to accept or risk losing the respect of the wolves. It will be proper, with witnesses and neutral territory. A week's notice."

Amor reached across the table and grabbed Cassie's hand, as if she was reassuring herself. "After the pack breakfast, it would be great if Amricus could drop me to the Royal library. We need answers about these rituals and practices. Eden and Adrian need to start contacting allies. Many we will have to meet in person along with Adira. Sebastian must ready the pack. We'll save the actual strategising, but we still need to do something."