Nathan lets out a low growl as he walks around the newly built throne room. It's only wood and plaster right now. The walls are plain and dull with no color and no decorations. The floor is rough wood, unpolished and unstained. There are boxed holes where windows should be and the doors haven't been placed yet. Materials and supplies are laid out along the side and Nathan ignores it all, pacing as he waits impatiently.
The sun is starting to rise. Light is slowly shedding through the dark tresses of the sky but even then, all Nathan can see is the storm approaching. A dark, ominous cloud comes towards them, looking menacing and dangerous. The air is chilled and the wind is starting to pick up. This storm might even come with a tornado, if it's strong enough. But tornado or not, he will get Audrey back.
"Roman and Gavin are on their way." Ralph states, leaning up against one of the bare walls while looking out towards the back of the house. "This is pretty big. Audrey's doing a good job of building it up."
Nathan looks up at the ceiling, seeing the wiring for a chandelier. "She said no chandeliers. She's going to be pissed."
Ralph snorts. "Where are your thrones going to be placed? At the end or on the balcony up there?"
"Wherever she wants them." He replies, looking out. The border patrols alerts him of Roman and Gavin coming with the two ex-Crowe wolves and Nathan calls out to the other ex-Crowe wolf who broke the border formation before the attack. Carter enters then, cautiously looking around. Nathan normally wouldn't have given his head guard to a new pack member so easily but Carter stood out from the rest. He's strong like an alpha but he isn't as relaxed as his previous alpha, Luke. He's silent, only speaking when spoken to and he's stern on himself. He takes his job very seriously and surprisingly, has an unspoken understanding with Nathan that the Kappa didn't need to be protected. This is all just formality for Audrey's sake and he's perfectly fine with that. He still takes it seriously, cooperating with Audrey's guards perfectly while always remaining close to Nathan.
"Audrey's guards are healed up. They'll be here shortly." Carter reports, folding his arms over his chest. "From their reports and their wounds, they didn't go up against normal alphas. It seems like they were alpha rogues."
Nathan lets out a growl. There's only a few differences between alphas and alpha rogues and they're honor and character. Alphas enjoy warfare like an art form, controlled and precise. They train and train to perfect techniques, to learn their weaknesses and strengthen their defense around them. They read their enemies and judge their next actions based on their enemies. Alpha rogues don't do that. They're wild and feral and go straight for the kill. They act fast and act first, saving any questions for later. They focus on power, striking with all of their strength rather than strategize and conserve their energy. If they manage to catch someone off guard, they'll kill. And even if they don't go for a surprise attack, being unreadable, uncontrolled and completely wild makes them a difficult ally to efficiently fight. Instead, their enemies usually have to match their power with strong defense or risk a wound to get a good shot with a single blow.
His pack is strong. They're warriors and warfare is their culture. But even he knows that alpha rogues are hard to face. The fact that they managed to defend against four of them makes him proud, even if they failed to keep Audrey away from them.
"No wonder Audrey shifted." Ralph comments, letting out a growl himself. "She knows better than to put herself at risk like that."
"Millis and her were cornered by two of them. She must've thought she could provide a distraction long enough for Millis to go for the kill. She underestimated them." Nathan sighs as the urge to hold his mate until she melts into him runs through his veins like poisonous blood. Even he doesn't believe his own words but he keeps telling himself that it's truth.
"No," Ralph sighs, arguing against Nathan's hopes. "She probably knew she wouldn't have made it out without a severe wound or being captured and killed completely. But she didn't care. It's just her nature to stick her nose into danger."
Nathan chokes down the anger he has with his mate. Audrey is smart enough to never underestimate someone and despite what he wants to believe, he knows that she deliberately put herself at risk, knowing that the chances of making it out were slim to none and it pisses him off. There's a reason he didn't want her to fight. Not only is losing her a major risk to him but to Wolf Country but she's reckless in her own way. She's too selfless and the moment someone else distracts her, she will put herself in harm's way. He makes a mental note to add more wolves to her personal guard.
The border patrols alert him of another guest and he lets out a snarl. Ralph and Carter eye him and his pacing picks up with anxiety. Of course, those two couldn't keep away. While it annoys him, he's also glad that she has so many people willing to protect and die for her. And kick his ass for messing up.
"Who is it?" Carter frowns, not recognizing the names.
"Blaze and Jasper, Audrey's...brothers. Her mentors." Nathan scowls while Ralph snorts.
"They're going to kill you." The royal smirks, watching as Nathan eagerly flickers his gaze at all entries. "Carter, you better tell Audrey's guards to stay as far away from here as possible unless they want to die a very slow and painful and possibly experimental death."
Roman and Gavin come in at that moment, dragging two unconscious ex-Crowe wolf pups with them. Barely teenagers, the wolves are limp and both of their elders can carry them with one hand without a problem. Roman throws the pup in his hand inelegantly in front of him. The pup stirs awake, letting out a groan and a string of curse words. Gavin sets his down gently and then nudges him awake with his foot. He sits up straight away, gasping in shock and taking in his surroundings slowly. His eyes lock on Nathan's and the Kappa sees his skin paling with realization. The pup's wolf, he sees, is growling at his human partner while bowing low to Nathan's mere presence. The other wolf looks around, taking in Gavin and Roman slowly. His eyes find Ralph and he crawls back instantly until he runs into Nathan's legs. He freezes as Nathan drops his Kappa force over him and he slowly looks up to meet his eyes. Instantly, his friend pulls on his leg as he starts to hyperventilate, dragging him away from the Kappa and in the center of the group that now surrounds them.
"Names?" Nathan asks calmly, sounding as if he was making casual conversation. His expression tells a different story entirely.
"J-J-Jessie, s-sire." The first pup stutters out, shaking but keeping eye contact. Nathan is amused by it and lets his Kappa force out a little stronger. Instantly, the wolf bows his head, whimpering. He's barely an omega in Nathan's eyes even though in a normal pack, he'd rank a regular warrior.
Nathan looks to the other who is so shocked, he hasn't moved since saving his friend. "Eric, Kappa."
"Do you know why you're here?" Nathan watches as the two shake and try to keep their cool. Eric, the older one but still young enough to be considered a pup, manages to maintain control much better than Jessie.
"...We messed up."
"Fuck messing up!" Nathan shouts, making both of the pups flinch. "You both failed your pack! You failed your Alpha and your Luna! You failed your Iota! And you royally pissed off your Kappa!"
Ralph chuckles from his side loudly, ignoring the bewildered looks he gets from Carter and the pups. Roman joins in a moment later although his is more subtle, hidden behind his hand. Nathan ignores them both and continues.
"Carter, bring me Darren Locke along with Brittany and her grandfather. Then bring me Zachary." Nathan demands, his black eyes staring right into the souls of the pups in front of him. They whimper, avoiding eye contact and look to the others for some kind of reassurance.
Carter steps out of the unfinished room just as Blaze and Jasper arrive behind a shirtless Benjamin. Benjamin takes in the scene and then leaves quietly, returning to border patrols as quickly as possible. The ex-Crowe wolves' spirits fall after that.
Blaze steps into the room, his Kappa force pouring out of him and Jasper follows silently behind him. Jasper's always been dark, Nathan knows and both of the alphas are strong. But he knows they're both pissed when they both walk in so unlike themselves.
Jasper is smiling. He isn't smirking or scowling or glaring. He's smiling and Nathan knows he's on the brink of destruction. His eyes are dark, deadly and empty and Nathan feels like he's meeting his half brother, seeing his own rage personified in the alpha. Ralph and Roman notice too and both hesitantly step back to let the alphas closer.
In front of him, Blaze is pissed. A look of rage is over his face and there isn't the slightest amusement in him. He isn't acting out either. He's not shoving people off, cursing up a storm or giving threats. He's silent and quiet, his dark eyes taking in everything around him. The pups briefly catch his attention but then he eyes Nathan and lets out a snarl. He knows Audrey is fine but the fact that she was at risk remains a breaking point for him.
"Where is she?"
Nathan, not surprised by the hatred in his voice, calmly looks down at the pups. "Would you two like to explain to him why his sister is not here?"
Both of the pups whimper and Blaze closes in on them mercilessly. He doesn't play with them like Nathan does. He doesn't try to purposely freak them out or mess with them until they've melted into blobs of nothing. He goes straight for the kill shot, cornering them in and hovering over them like the demon he is.
"Did you do it?" His wolf is in control, snarling out with a deep, raspy voice that shifts between a wolf like sound and a human voice. Eric and Jessie don't know what to do. They look lost and terrified, completely frozen to the spot as they tremble uncontrollably.
"W-W-W-We...We're...s-s-s-s-" Jessie starts.
"I swear to Fenrir, if you say sorry, I will slit your throat." Blaze promises, his eyes shifting red.
Carter returns with Brittany and her grandfather, one of the older warrior wolves named Danny. He has a gash across his chest that's covered with bandages. Due to his old age, he can't heal as fast as before and it makes moving harder and more painful. Brittany is still wearing a blood stained shirt from when she was bitten on the arm. Her wound is mostly healed by now but there's a slight pink line running over her skin, showing that it did exist more prominently than now. Both were wounded trying to defend themselves against the intruding wolves. Carter is carrying Darren who is still shivering with fear as he grips the man by the neck, hiding his face. There's a small wound on his arm that's wrapped tightly with bandages. His genes haven't woken up completely yet and the healing process is the same as a human's: slow and painful. Blaze turns to greet them, making Danny give out a low growl, moving to standing in front of his granddaughter and Darren instantly whimpers.
"Blaze," Ralph says, catching the wolf's attention. He shakes his head and Blaze lets out a low sigh while stepping out of the way. The two pups look at the three newcomers with confusion and fear and Nathan steps closer.
"Your mess up caused this." Nathan explains menacingly. "Wounds of all kinds - physically, mentally and emotionally were given to your family and your pack by you."
Brittany growls, glaring at the two with hatred in her eyes. She's shaking and despite her grandfather's hold on her, she's threatening to shift. Her control isn't anywhere as good as the rest of them and the line between man and beast is still fuzzy to her teenaged mind. Still, she's one of Nathan's and a warrior at heart. But her honor stops when her family is hurt and she doesn't care if she commits murder on someone she possibly goes to school with. The pups look afraid of her wrath but not enough to get the point.
Nathan knows now that he has to come out with the false truth. He eyes Ralph and Blaze who both nod and Nathan lets out a loud sigh.
"Your mess up caused your Iota's death."
Brittany stops shaking. Her anger is gone, replaced by grief. Danny, in front of her, fails to his knees and Darren, for the first time, looks up in complete disbelief. Ralph and Roman try to look glum but their anger stays in place and Blaze and Jasper only let out low growls. Jessie and Eric stop shaking. Nathan can hear their hearts racing faster than before and their fear is replaced by shame and self loathing.
Nathan can hear his pack mourning as the news reach them. Thoughts of anger, pain, grief and denial reach his mind and he is bombarded with all kinds of questions. Leon, guarding Karmen and giving out orders from outside, lets out a string of curse words, scolding all of them and taking care of the unanswered questions. Despite hating the fact that he's lying to his pack, Nathan goes along with it. He needs them all to act like she's dead and he needs R to believe it. He blocks out the link and focuses his attention on the room in front of him.
Both of the pups are looking at him with the same question in their expressions. What is going to happen to them now?
"Blaze and Jasper have agreed to take you in." Nathan watches a look of relief cross over their features. "Don't get the wrong idea. You're no longer in my pack. You aren't dying by my hand but you'll wish I killed you. As Kappa, I give them my permission to run any kind of experiments, use any kind of torturing methods or kill you in any method they see fit."
Jasper's smiling face is the first thing they see when they turn around. His dark eyes are lit up with a burning fire and his smile is reaching Cheshire cat level, stretching from ear to ear. Blaze is behind him, scowling deeply with his arms folded across his chest and a look of pure hatred in his empty eyes. There is no compassion or pity. There is no hope. Both of the wolves turn back to Nathan instantly.
"Please, my Kappa!"
"Give us another chance!"
Nathan ignores them, locking his gaze on Blaze. "Will you be back for the battle?"
Blaze snorts. "I'm only dropping my toys off at home."
Jessie and Eric flinch as Jasper grabs the back of their collars and looks up at Nathan as he slowly starts dragging them out. Over their shouts and pleas for help, he grins up at him. "Save us a few rogue alphas, will you? My wolf likes their blood."
Blaze follows him out, the sounds of their screaming helplessness slowly fading out and Nathan turns his attention to the little pup who's wrapped around his legs. Looking up at Carter who shrugs, he tries to reign in his anger. Darren is shaking against his legs, gripping the ends of the gym shorts with white knuckles and Nathan feels a few fallen tears hit his legs.
Fuck!
He lets out a sigh and bends down, easily picking up Darren. The kid grips his neck, hiding his face and mumbling a mess.
"Where's Luna?"
Nathan listens in, trying his best to come up with something to say. He wants to tell the kid she's fine and that she'll be back but he has to make everyone believe she's dead in order to fool R.
"When's Luna coming back?"
Nathan looks at Brittany who's crying in her hands now, hiding her face from them. Danny is comforting her, looking up at Nathan with sorrow and pity. He looks at Roman who stares blankly ahead at the walls and Ralph has moved to the window, his back towards the rest of them. Carter stares back with an unending blank expression. He knows the plan just as well as Millis, Leon, Simon, Ralph, Roman, Blaze and Jasper.
Darren rubs his face against Nathan's shoulder, crying harder than ever. He keeps muttering the word no and Nathan opens up the link again to find many more were in denial. He feels his heart swell even more. He knew Audrey had won his pack but he didn't think she won it this much.
"Hey," Nathan pulls Darren away from him, trying to speak as softly as possible. Darren fights him, rubbing at his already red eyes. Nathan struggles. Between his rage and trying to fake grief and trying not to scare this pup, he has no idea what to do when it comes to a crying kid.
Audrey, help.
He can hear his mate laugh in his mind. The sound of it is so beautiful, he feels himself letting out a growl of approval. But Darren only mistakes it with annoyance and begins to get wilder.
With what?
Darren is hitting him with little balled fists. They pound on his chest and his shoulder and for a moment, he even managed to take a swipe at Nathan's face. Nathan grabs his hands in one second and the kid starts to shake and scream.
"Where's Luna!?"
Darren.
Tell him I'm with him. Make him believe I haven't left.
"Darren." Nathan says sternly, making Darren stop his fussing and hiccup. "Your Luna is here. With us."
"Where?" He sobs, looking at Nathan with hope.
Nathan struggles. What is he supposed to answer to that? His mind runs over everything he's seen from the pack mothers and children and then he points to Darren's head and his heart. "She's always here. And she'll never leave. Right?"
Darren's lip quivers as he tries to fight his tears. He points to himself, wiping away furiously at his eyes again. "She's here?"
"Yes. And she needs you to be brave and help keep the pack safe, okay?"
This plan is killing them.
Darren nods his head, trying to stop himself from crying while he grips his shirt at his chest. Nathan even hears him whispering to himself. "I'll protect the pack, Luna."
It's killing me. I can feel their pain. Even from over here.
They all love you, Audrey.
Darren sits up straighter, gasping with wide eyes. A smile breaks on his face and he puts his hands on Nathan's cheeks. "I hear her! Alpha! I hear her!"
Nathan frowns.
Audrey...
I couldn't help it! He's just a kid! Just wait! I'll fix it!
Nathan watches as Darren slowly calms down and then sinks, hugging Nathan's neck again with dejection. "Never mind."
Millis, Frankie, Lance, Leon and Karmen comes in and Nathan gratefully hands Darren off to Karmen. Darren clings to his older sister, sobbing quietly in her shoulder while she stares back at their alpha, waiting to see what he might say. Leon stands close to her, his hand on her back and Nathan can see she's trying hard not to break down in front of him too.
"How long until the alphas get here?" He asks Ralph.
"Thirty more minutes at the most. Some are already waiting for you."
Luke walks in next. An expression of anger is all over his face while he shoves another young ex-Crowe wolf in front of him. Nathan realizes this is the wolf who broke the formation before the attack, when Audrey was walking.
"Blaze and Jasper took the other two?" Luke asks and at Nathan's nod, continues. "I want this one then."
"Fine. Just make sure he learns his lesson." Nathan replies. "Frankie and Lance, the two of you take Karmen and Darren out. Brittany and Danny, you're free to go too."
Leon growls as Lance reaches for Karmen and she moves around the two, heading out first while Frankie and Lance follow. Leon watches her leave and then sighs, returning his attention to the rest.
"Omega got your balls, beta?" Ralph teases and Leon growls at him. "Isn't that against your pack's ranking order?"
"Ralph," Nathan warns and the royal chuckles.
"What's the plan?" Roman asks, getting their attention to the subject at hand.
Nathan thinks about it. He needs to convince R that Audrey is dead and he is out of his mind with grief. But he also needs to prepare his armies and kill the bastard. At the same time, he needs to keep his pack together and keep their spirits up enough to fight R. Audrey's sudden death is enough to motivate them but grief can be reckless and he knows they need to mourn. He also needs to find time to separate himself and Ralph to start strategizing the best places for attack and take down R.
"Audrey's funeral is today. Have everyone rest except for those on border patrols, make sure those wounded are looked after. I want everyone locked down to the pack house. The warriors coming in from other packs will be checked to ensure no rogue is trying to sneak in and they will stay out of the pack house and in the currently empty homes while every Moore wolf is locked down here. Roman, you will see to that. Leon, you will help me set things up with Audrey's funeral. Millis, keep an eye on the pack and Ralph, when everything is calm, you and I will start planning in my office." Nathan orders, looking at them carefully. "If anyone disobeys the limits or tries to learn more than they need to know, mark them. I want to know the moment someone starts to act traitorous."
"What about the body?" Leon frowns, trying to think of ways to make the funeral look as real as possible.
"I already buried it." Nathan answers.
They break apart and Nathan looks around the incomplete throne room. Audrey was doing a good job before they were interrupted. He's sure that the walls would be painted and the floors completed by the end of tomorrow. Still, he can't get over the chandelier. He can see her walking in here, looking at everything in awe and then looking up to have it drop and her blue eyes darkening with anger and disappointment. He smirks at the idea of it, needing to feel her near him whether angry or not. He can catch a distant drift of her scent and the entire time, he can hear her thinking miles away and it's torturous. He wonders if she's doing that on purpose - if she's leaving the mental door opened just so he can hear her or if she can hear him. Either way, he misses her and he needs her next to him.
They added chandeliers, babe.
In the throne room? They didn't!
Nathan chuckles, enjoying the sound of her angry as she goes off.
I've told them a thousand times I didn't want chandeliers! Damn it! I bet Jenna had something to do with this! She's wanted them since they were first mentioned!