Chapter 3
1149 Words
Xander (POV)
"Alpha Rivers has sent his formal request, signed by the Elders."
"Get the teams ready."
"You're really going to do this?"
"I don't have a choice. How many?" I hissed at my little brother. He knew there was nothing I could do about it. The request was granted.
"He requested all the warriors at once, but we denied that request. We do not have five hundred warriors on hand. He will receive half now and the other half an hour later." I could hear the strain in his voice. He was not happy with this situation. To be honest, I wasn't either. I didn't trust Rivers.
"We have the proof of the attacks, we are going to have to trust him." The words came out like acid.
"At the cost of our warriors' lives," Riley hissed at me.
"Do you think I don't know that?" I yelled into the phone. "I f*****g know it, and I hate it, but I don't know what else to f*****g do. I can't declare war on his pack. We have a binding treaty. We have to help them." I yelled at him.
"I don't know what to do either, and I f*****g hate it. We know he is working with the vampires and his warriors were seen attacking packs. How can we trust this is not a set-up? I got to tell you Xan, it feels like one."
"You know I agree with you. I just can't seem to find a way to get out of sending them without breaking the treaty. I know Rivers is up to something, I just can't prove it to the Elders."
"They are covering their tracks well. They have to have more help than we think."
"Send a few look-outs to keep an eye out. I want them to report back to us on what is going on every five minutes. Assign someone to link with them and document everything. If this is a set-up, we will need proof to give to the Elders to justify the war."
"When will you be back?"
"We are heading home on Friday. I meet with Sophia at 8am, so as soon as I can get her to agree."
"That could take days. You know how stubborn she can be." Yes, I knew all too well how stubborn our baby sister could be. When her mind was set on something there was no changing it. And right now her mind was set on being mad at our father. She was refusing to come back to the pack. With all the attacks going on, she needs to be at home under our pack's protection. This is not something she can be stubborn about. Not with a war approaching.
"Dad, wants to go. He said he wants to see for himself, If it's a set-up. If it is, he wants to be there to help our men. He said he won't send them to die. Jay and Link plan to go with him," Riley says, letting out a breath. "Teddy and Chunk are staying behind to look after the pack. Dad wants warriors ready to come if they need them. He thinks this is the start of the war. Link has already started reaching out to our allies." I could hear the worry in his voice. No one wanted a war. It would mean the loss of many lives and breaking a treaty centuries long.
"I don't like leaving the pack without an Alpha. See if dad can find a way to delay until I can get home. I'll see if I can get Sophia to meet me sooner."
"Dad's not going to be happy when he finds out you went behind his back."
"I don't care. I'll deal with dad. I'm not losing my sister because he wants his way all the time."
"Do you know what started this fight?" he asked.
"Not a clue. All she said was she was tired of dad treating her like a baby. That could have started from anything." I said, frustrated with the two of them. They were always fighting about something. But this was the first time Sophia had actually left the pack. She has been gone for two months now. She would send a text every day telling us she was okay, but that was all she would say. She ignored all of our text back to her. I sent her a text every day asking her to talk to me. She never answered. So I thought she would ignore my message asking her to meet me while I was at the convention. It was on neutral territory. I was shocked when she agreed.
"I have to check in with mom. Let me know as soon as you meet with So. Love you, see you soon."
"Love you too."
I hung up the phone and fell onto the bed. I just want to get some sleep. I had been up for days before traveling here. And I didn't get much sleep last night. I can't keep going like this. If the war was starting, I needed to be at my strongest.
I woke up startled, covered in sweat. I jumped up and looked around the room. I didn't see anything, so I sat down on the bed. Why the f**k was it so hot in here? The thermostat was showing the heat being off. It had to be broken.
I called down to the front desk but no one answered. I grabbed a towel out of the bathroom and wiped the sweat off me. The air was getting heavy, making me struggle a little for each breath. My body feels like it's on fire. I have to get out of here. I need some fresh air. I grab the silk pajamas I keep with me, so I don't scare the staff by walking around naked. I throw them on as quickly as I can and grab the key card off the table.
The moment I step into the hallway, a gush of hot air hits me and takes my breath away. My mouth goes dry, and I struggle to get my breath back. The heat must be screwed up on the whole floor. My whole body is dripping with sweat. My eyes are stinging, and my silk shirt is no help.
The elevator ride takes forever to reach the bottom floor. So when the doors finally open up, I'm already standing there ready to jump out.
A cool breeze washes over me as I step into the lobby. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, breathing in the cool air. That's when the smell hits me making me stop in my tracks.
I would recognize that smell anywhere. I have dreamed of that smell every night for the last six years. I search for that scent everywhere I go.
- Writer
