"You need to beat the shit out of me.!"
"Sorry what?"
"Maybe Mira will try and run with Liam somewhere if she knew I was injured and not going North?" Zayn suggested.
"I vote that as the most idiotic idea of the century, and you held an Alpha's Mate off the edge of your own Packhouse roof."
Zayn scowled at the Beta of the Eastly Howl Pack. "I don't see you coming up with better ideas."
"Alright, look, we need to think about saving Liam. That is our main priority." The Beta of the Sea Claw Pack crouched by them both sitting hopelessly on the floor, surrounded by hundreds of wolves. He was older and listened to them squabble twice already.
"Over there, in that cave, is the pack that have given us so much fear over the past two years. We can't be desperate and end up killing people we love just to finally end this madness. At least we now know who is responsible and can track them down if they get away."
Zayn looked towards the sea. They had moved away from the cliff in case Mira slivered from her cave and smelt them. The Rogues were already tense, but they were stuck in the cave and too weak to leave to see the storm waiting above.
Thea's Beta suddenly appeared through the trees, out of breath and with a trail of her Omega's behind her. She paused, staring wide eyed at the number of wolves sitting around in the woods.
Hundreds stared back, all listening to Zayn and the Beta wolves discussing where to take their next steps.
"What's all this?" she asked.
"My allies," Zayn said, and the words never tasted so sweet. He used to marvel on the fact that he didn't need help, but only because it stopped the old loneliness from bleeding through.
"For uh-"
"Getting Liam back. A Rogue has told us everything." Zayn's eyes darkened, and Thea's beta suddenly perked up, stepping closer to him.
"I can help, Zayn" Her greedy eyes soaked up the glorious sight of so many wolves.
Zayn could see her fantasizing about being in charge. She must have really wanted power to work with Mira. "You should go home to your Alpha. We don't need you here"
"Oh, but I can definitely help-"
"Now you want to help?" Zayn hushed his tone, not wanting everyone to hear his sharpness. "Now that you're back on our side, and not plotting with Mira to help her take over the North."
She stammered on her words and turned as red as the autumn leaves around her. "I-"
"You're not loyal and your secret is not safe with me." Zayn smirked. "You should go. Maybe you'll get back in time to pack your own bags."
The Beta wolf said no more. She turned and scrambled through her Omega's paling by the second. The horror on her face was worth the smirk, until Zayn remembered that Liam was all alone, in danger and scared.
"Maybe we should get the Rogues out of the cave. Well, they're mostly human anyway." Zayn explained what Leo had said about Mira and Jaiden making humans work for them, humans who threatened to tell other werewolves about what they were up to.
"Half of them are too weak to get out, and the other half are probably there because they've lost hope for anything else. And that tunnel leading North is probably infested with Rogues."
"Zayn, Penelope and I have been talking about a rehabilitation Packhouse for a while now. After Junes' death, Penelope really had to rely on us to help her through, and at times we couldn't offer her the real guidance she needed. As you said, Rogues lose hope and follow anyone because it's the only way they'll get food or warmth. A rehabilitation Packhouse could sort out the ones we have now who will probably die if we leave them."
"Why should we help them like that? I thought we could just get them out of the cave and tell them to fuck of. They've followed Mira and wanted to be a part of her plan to overrule the North of England and form one big super pack of Rogues."
"They're just scared Zayn. We can at least give them a chance to help themselves, can't we?"
Zayn mulled over the idea. "Where would we take them?"
"For now, we can make the human authorities find us a place. They will if we tell them human lives are in danger."
"Who will arrange that?" Zayn asked. Once Rogues were out of the way, he would have an easier entrance into the cave if he didn't have to fight his way in. The only obstacle after that was keeping Mira calm enough not to kill Liam before he got inside.
"I will." the Sea Claw Packhouse Beta dug in his jeans pocket for his phone.
When he left, Zayn was back to thinking about his options. Liam was so close, but felt unreachable, all because of one evil little human. Zayn gripped the mud beneath him. Dead leaves crunched between his fingers.
"Now, back to us beating the fuck out of you, can I do that anyway?"
Zayn turned to the Eastly Howl Beta. "We don't have time to waste. We need to think of something else"
Zayn gazed at the many glowing eyes looking back. "I can't believe all these wolves came just to fight off one insignificant human."
"She's not insignificant though. She's devious, and manipulative. She has to be to cause so much fear for this long. Not everything was Jaiden's planning. Without him, she's thought of rebuilding her pack of Rogues who have spied on us, she knew your mate would want to visit her again in the town, she just didn't know when. She knew to make the attack public so when you go after Liam, she'd go after your Packhouse and you'd be divided on what to do. Though there is one major flaw in her plan."
"What?"
"Her bond with Jaiden was fucked up. They spent so much time apart and we now know that was most likely Jaiden's doing. Liam has been gone from you for what, twenty-four hours? And no offence Zayn, but you're a mess because of it. She honestly thought you'd run back home to defend your Packhouse and leave Liam. We know you'd never do that, so what now? What will she do if you don't go home?"
"She won't kill him while I'm here," Zayn mumbled. "Will she?"
"No, because she doesn't want to die before she honours Jaiden's death by taking over the North. She's a mad human, but she knows exactly what she's doing."
"We just have to lure her out of the cave so I can kill her. Maybe we can fake some sort of deal. Maybe we can pretend that all these wolves are for her because they want to form the weird super Pack she envisions." Zayn's mind was ticking away.
Mira had been clever to take Liam into the cave, but stupid to cut herself off from the outside world. She thought she knew Zayn enough to think he would try to claim his power rather than his mate.
Mira knew the old Zayn who wasn't capable of making friends, and who cared immensely about his status. She didn't know the Zayn that wanted to save the man he loved, even if it cost him everything.
"I don't know if she'll take the bait. What if she smells a trap?"
"Well what shall we do? Wait for the tide to go out and-"
"No," the Beta interrupted, "maybe you should try and find that entrance now. She'll probably be waiting for the tide to go out to make her move in this corrupt chess game."
Zayn rubbed his stubbly chin with a thoughtful frown.
"I need that Rogue, Leo. I bet he knows where the entrance is." Zayn looked around again at all the watching eyes.
Zayn's Omegas worked together to help Leo out. Judging by his awed staring at the trees around him, he hadn't been on the cliffs for quite some time. He was far too weak to climb and depended on the long tunnel to the North.
"Wow" he breathed, touching the nearest tree trunk, "these have grown loads. This was barely a forest the last time I was here." His face froze when he noticed the hundreds of wolves blanketing the woodland floor.
"I could smell them, but I didn't know there were this many. Why am I up here?"
"You need to help us find the other entrance to the cave. Do you know where it is?" Zayn asked.
Leo smoothed his blond greasy hair back from his sunken eyes. "You can't get in when the tide is in."
"But do you know where it is?"
Leo nodded. "If Mira knows I'm doing this, she'll kill me"
"Not if I kill her first." Zayn stood, and the hundreds of Omega wolves stood too. He wasn't their Alpha, but he was the only Alpha around for miles.
They followed Len through the woods and to the left side of the cave. He leaned over the edge and pointed to where the water rubbed the cliff.
Large seaweed-covered rocks sat in the sun at the bottom. Zayn would have to take only a few wolves down with him, and the way down was steeper than the other side.
"How does Mira climb out?"
"She doesn't. When the tide is out, she walks around the outside of the cave and goes through the tunnel. She couldn't risk anyone seeing her in the South."
As Zayn watched the black water bobbing up and down, an idea struck him, but it was risky. The idea meant that he had to count on Leo lying to Mira.
"When all of this is over, what would you do for me now if I could guarantee your freedom later?"
Leo was quiet, and Zayn didn't bother to look at his reaction. Freedom meant a lot to a trapped Rogue.
Zayn didn't want to see tears of gratitude. Leo was not safe yet, especially if he agreed to play along.
"What do I have to do?" Leo asked.
"You have to punch me in the face, come with me into the cave, and claim that you and her Rogues have captured Zayn Malik."