The Council’s Orders
1377 Words
The war room emptied fast.
Within minutes, the Carter brothers, Luke, Noah, and the three women were heading toward Northern Ridge.
The attackers were still unconscious.
For now.
Will led the group through the trees, moving quickly but cautiously.
Trey stayed beside Rae.
Elijah walked with Del.
Remi stayed near Will.
Luke and Noah spread out ahead of them.
Rae looked around.
“So…”
Trey glanced at her.
“What?”
“Are we just going to stand around and stare at them when we get there?”
Will answered without looking back.
“We’re going to question them.”
Rae smiled.
“Good.”
Trey frowned.
“Why do I feel like you have a plan?”
“Because I usually do.”
Elijah laughed.
“That’s what worries me.”
They reached the clearing.
Fifteen men lay scattered across the ground.
Their weapons had already been secured.
Their wrists were bound.
Noah checked each one.
“All alive.”
Luke nodded.
“Let’s wake one.”
Will pointed toward the nearest attacker.
“That one.”
Noah pulled him upright.
The man groaned.
His eyes opened.
He looked around.
Then his expression hardened.
“Where am I?”
Trey crouched in front of him.
“You’re in our territory.”
The man’s jaw tightened.
“I’m not telling you anything.”
Rae stepped forward.
“That’s okay.”
Everyone looked at her.
She pulled out her phone.
“I can work with that.”
The attacker stared.
“What are you doing?”
Rae smiled.
“Looking at your search history.”
The man’s face changed.
“What?”
Rae tapped her screen.
“Interesting.”
She tilted her phone toward him.
“You seem to spend a lot of time searching for…”
She paused dramatically.
“Porn.”
The man’s face turned red.
Trey covered his mouth.
Elijah looked away, shoulders shaking.
Will stared at Rae.
“Rae.”
“What?”
She looked innocent.
“I’m interrogating him.”
Luke shook his head.
“This is not an interrogation.”
Rae pointed at the attacker.
“He’s talking now.”
The man looked horrified.
“You hacked my phone?”
Rae smiled.
“Your phone was easy.”
She leaned closer.
“And your search history is embarrassing.”
The attacker looked around.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Someone who knows what you searched for at two in the morning.”
The man swallowed.
Rae smiled.
“So…”
She tapped the screen again.
“Are we going to talk?”
The attacker looked at her.
Then at the Alphas.
Then back at Rae.
“What do you want to know?”
Trey burst out laughing.
Elijah shook his head.
“That was fast.”
Rae smiled.
“I told you.”
Will crossed his arms.
“Who sent you?”
The attacker hesitated.
Rae lifted her phone.
“Do I need to pull up the embarrassing stuff again?”
“No!”
He sighed.
“We were ordered.”
“By who?” Will demanded.
The attacker swallowed.
“Council member Marvin.”
The entire group went silent.
Luke’s expression hardened.
“Marvin?”
The attacker nodded.
“Marvin gave us the orders.”
“What orders?” Noah asked.
The attacker looked at them.
“Attack the townspeople.”
Remi’s eyes widened.
“What?”
The man continued.
“Not just the pack. Everyone.”
Trey stepped closer.
“Why?”
“To scare them.”
Will’s voice dropped.
“Scare them into doing what?”
“Leaving.”
Remi felt a chill run down her spine.
“Leaving Bayou Falls?”
The attacker nodded.
“Marvin wanted the townspeople gone.”
Rae’s expression changed.
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
Rae stared at him.
The man looked terrified.
“He said the women needed to leave too.”
Remi froze.
Rae’s expression hardened.
“Which women?”
“You three.”
He looked at Remi, Rae, and Del.
“Marvin said you shouldn’t be anywhere near the Alphas.”
Del stepped forward.
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
The attacker shook his head.
“But he was very clear.”
Remi looked at Will.
Will’s jaw tightened.
“Keep talking.”
“He said if the women stayed close to the Alphas, things would get worse.”
Trey frowned.
“Worse how?”
The man shook his head.
“He didn’t say.”
Another attacker suddenly groaned from the ground.
Elijah turned.
“Wake him.”
Noah pulled the second man upright.
Elijah crouched in front of him.
“You’re going to tell us something different.”
The attacker glared.
Elijah’s voice remained calm.
“Who is Marvin working with?”
Silence.
Elijah waited.
“Nightshade.”
The word came out quietly.
Everyone froze.
Will stepped closer.
“What did you say?”
The attacker looked frightened.
“Nightshade.”
Luke’s face hardened.
Elijah leaned forward.
“Explain.”
“Marvin isn’t working alone.”
“Who else?”
“I don’t know.”
Elijah grabbed the man’s collar.
“Then tell me what you do know.”
The attacker swallowed.
“Nightshade has been behind the attacks.”
Trey looked at Will.
The pieces were beginning to connect.
The disappearances.
The attacks on packs.
The surveillance.
The wolfsbane ammunition.
The threats.
The attempt to take an Alpha.
Elijah released the man’s collar.
“How long?”
The attacker hesitated.
“Months.”
Luke’s eyes widened.
“Months?”
He nodded.
“Things happening around the Bayou…”
He swallowed.
“Those weren’t random.”
Will’s expression became cold.
“They were testing us.”
The attacker nodded.
“Nightshade has been testing the territories.”
Noah looked toward the forest.
“And Marvin was helping them.”
“Yes.”
Rae slowly lowered her phone.
“So the council member ordered attacks on innocent people…”
She looked at Remi and Del.
“And tried to scare us away from the Alphas.”
Elijah looked at her.
“Because they know something about you.”
Rae’s eyes narrowed.
“Or they’re afraid of what happens if we stay.”
A long silence settled over the clearing.
Luke finally broke it.
“Then we’re done waiting.”
Will looked at him.
“For what?”
Luke pointed toward the pack house.
“Rae’s technology.”
Rae raised an eyebrow.
“My technology?”
“Yes.”
Luke looked at the brothers.
“We need those thermal sensors, cameras, drones, and whatever else she has installed throughout the territory.”
He looked back at Rae.
“Immediately.”
Rae grinned.
“Now you’re thinking.”
Noah nodded.
“How quickly can you get everything set up?”
Rae shrugged.
“Depends how much help I get.”
Del laughed.
“Please.”
She looked at the others.
“Give her an hour and she’ll have a truckload of gadgets sitting in the middle of the pack house.”
Rae pointed at Del.
“Exactly.”
Trey shook his head.
“Do you actually have a truckload?”
Rae smiled.
“Maybe.”
Elijah looked at Trey.
“Why am I not surprised?”
Trey sighed.
“At this point, I’m not either.”
Will looked at Rae.
“Do it.”
Rae nodded.
“Gladly.”
Luke looked at the attackers lying on the ground.
“Because if Nightshade has been watching us for months…”
He looked toward the Bayou.
“We need to start watching back.”
Rae smiled.
Her fingers tightened around her phone.
“Trust me.”
She glanced at the three Carter brothers.
“They’re about to find out what happens when they pick a fight with a hacker, a trauma surgeon, and a woman with a truckload of very expensive toys.”
Del grinned.
“And apparently a witch.”
Rae stopped.
Her smile faded slightly.
Everyone stared at her.
“What?” Trey asked.
Rae looked down at her hands.
“I don’t know.”
A faint shimmer flickered across her fingertips.
“But I’m starting to think…”
She swallowed.
“…she might be right.”
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