The Last Lycan (On Hold)

Twenty

It was eerily quiet when the Lycan warriors reached the border of the Snow Stone territory.

Ava, Steele, Flynn, and Leo shifted into their human forms, once dressed then stood together. The warriors and scouts hidden amongst the bushes waiting to move in.

“I go in alone, they can’t smell me, I will come back out once I have John, then you guys can cross the border. Only cross if the soldiers start fighting”.

Steele didn’t like the idea of his mate going alone, but there was no option. For this plan to work he had to let her go.

Ava looked at Flynn and Leo and they turned and walked away knowing what she was asking.

Reaching for his hand she gripped it tightly, looking up she sees he’s already looking at her with an intense stare. “I mean it Steele, do not come after me, I won’t risk anyone’s life. Especially not yours” she says.

He smirks “I can handle myself” he says.

Ava shakes her head “You can handle yourself, but if it gets too much Tiberius will take over and no one will make it out alive”.

He knew what she was saying and reluctantly nodded. This past week he had been doing everything opposite to his normal routine and his wolf was getting agitated by it. Tiberius wasn’t one for following other people orders and since past events, he hasn’t been a wolf in control.

Leaning towards him she leaves a kiss on his jaw; it was the highest she could reach on tippy toes and Steele’s tall stance.

Taking a breath, Ava stepped over the territory and turned to give one last smile to Steele then vanished in the bushes.

As she creeped through the green, she saw that the pack warriors still weren’t patrolling, and for once she was grateful, she needed to get to John without alerting anyone.

Stealth mode was a game she used to play with her father when she first shifted. It was a way for Samuel to train his daughter to be quiet when spying and stalking. Though there was a lot of laughter to begin with, Ava quickly learned, and she would spend hours out in the woods of the Night Star territory while her father tried to find her. It was only when dark fell that she had to come out forfeiting the game.

Ava made her way to the pack house, it seemed John had everyone stay inside whilst this situation was happening. Which meant John was in the pack house too.

She saw four soldiers stationed outside. Two for each door into the pack house. She figured the back entrance would be more difficult and went for the front door.

They never saw her coming. Both necks were snapped before they could let out a warning.

That however wasn’t the hardest part. When she opened the door, Ava was greeted by the mass of teenage wolves, all the lounging around the living. She needed to pass that to get to the office.

She prepared herself to run, only Kyle’s w***e decided to make an appearance and spotted Ava. The she-wolf opened her mouth in shock. Ava took that as an opportunity to gag the girl. Jane began to fight against Ava’s hold.

“Stop it, if they the council find me here, I’m dead” she whispers but Jane kept fighting, she didn’t care for Ava.

“Kyle will die too” Ava spits.

Jane stops fighting and remains silent.

Ava removed her hands from Jane and the girl jumped backwards “This is all your fault” she whisper shouts.

Ava rolls her eyes. Like she didn’t already know that. “I don’t care what you think, I need to get to John, where is he?” she asks.

Jane crosses her arms over her chest, she wasn’t going to help a trader.

Ava growls, Jane automatically drops her head in submission. Ava smirks. “Where is Beta John?” Ava demands to know.

“Office” Jane whispers out.

Ava nods “You will not tell anyone I am here. Am I clear?” the tone still overpowering to Jane she nods again.

Ava swiftly left and moved to the office which surprisingly wasn’t occupied by any soldier.

She didn’t knock, in fact she opened the door, slipped in, and closed the door behind her, leaning on the door as she took a breath.

“Ava?” John says, when he looked up, he didn’t expect to find Ava stood there.

“Hi” she breathes out.

John gets to his feet and Ava panics thinking he was going to attack; she holds her hands up in surrender “Mason and everyone are fine” she rambles out.

John looks at her with a raised eyebrow, “Well okay, not fine, but their alive” she adds on.

John sighs, slumping back in his chair he runs his hands over his face.

“I need to know how many council soldiers you have on the territory?” Ava asks taking a few tentative steps towards John.

“Four” he replies.

Ava snorts, “Really, did they honestly think I wouldn’t come back” she mutters.

“Make that two now” Ava tells him, having just killed two.

“What’s going on Ava, and how do you know Mason is okay?” he queries.

“I linked my father who is with them, they’re chained up in the dungeons of the high councils place but I have a plan to get them out, I just needed the Snow Stone Pack and Night Star Pack free of their clutches and in one place for protection”.

John looks at her with a raised eyebrow “The Night Star Pack is coming here?” he asks.

Ava nods her head “Yes, all of them, Beta Leon is taking out the council warriors there as we speak and then bringing the entire pack up here, I can’t have you all spread out, I’m already having to split the protection with the Lycan Shadow Pack”.

John automatically growls at the mention of the exiled pack, Ava responds protectively and growls back.

“They are good people Beta John, it was the high council that did this, not them, they were innocent” she calls to him.

John scoffs “Innocent? What about all the people they have killed in the last century?” he asks.

Ava sighs, “I can’t justify that, but I can tell you all of this happened because of the high council and now they have our alphas and they won’t hesitate to dispose of them” she informs him.

John shook his head in disbelief, there was no way the high council would do that “They wouldn’t, they are what keeps the werewolf community safe from the mundane and keep everything in check”.

Ava scoffs, “If I could show you what I saw you wouldn’t be saying that” she rolls her eyes.

“How do I know this isn’t some kind of ploy to get us to drop our guard and then the Lycan Shadow Pack attacks us”.

Ava looked at John like he had just killed her father, “You have known me my entire life John, do you honestly think I would hurt this pack, despite everything Kyle has done to me, have I ever put anyone in danger, or shown you I cant be trusted?” she asks him.

He was still in turmoil, “Mason told me to tell you about the night you and Mason left the territory with my father when he first found Sarah and explored no mans land and Mason got too excited and fell off a cliff into some water, that at the time he didn’t know was there and you and dad thought he died” she says.

He looked at Ava in shock, the three of them agreed never to tell anyone about that night, other things occurred that night, but those details were forbidden to be spoken about.

“What do you need?” he asks, his sudden fear vanishing.

“You and I are going to take out the other two council soldiers and then you need to get your pack ready to receive the Night Star Pack, I have Steele on the territory edge, you need to let him and his warriors in so they can case the grounds and secure it all for when we move out” Ava explains.

John was hesitant, but he trusted Ava and nodded his head.

She turns around to open the door and looks over her shoulder “I’m going to get them back John” she says with determination.

John followed Ava out the office and they headed to the back door, they didn’t expect an attack from inside and never saw it coming.

“Come on, Steele will be anxious by now” Ava says.

John looks at her but remains silent.

When they got to the border John held back and Ava left the territory, she rounded a tree and saw Flynn smirking at Steele as he paced back and forth, his fists clenched with anxiety and annoyance.

She smiles, he was worried, he would never admit that, but she knew.

“You okay?” she says.

Steele spins around to see Ava smiling at him and his shoulders relax.

“Bring them forward, John is ready to let you onto the territory” she tells them.

Steele rolls his eyes “I don’t need permission” he growls.

Ava chuckles “Apparently not, but we need them on side, and they are family, so were doing this right” she tells him as they make their way to the border where John was waiting for them.

The moment John saw Steele he stiffened and stood strong, even though it was not needed, but Steele was a very intimidating man.

“John” Ava says to grab his attention.

He looks over at Ava to see her give an encouraging smile.

“I Beta John of the Snow Stone Pack give you Alpha Steele of the Lycan Shadow Pack permission to enter the territory”.

This was the only way a pack could enter another without being attacked. This message sends out a feeling for better description to the entire pack to let them know those entering the ground aren’t a threat.

As Steele and Flynn cross the border the warriors soon follow suit.

The Snow Stone Pack felt the change, and many came outside to see what was going on.

Harris was the first one out the door of the pack house, when he saw his father walking towards the pack house with the Lycan Shadow Pack and Ava beside him, he growled in anger.

Ava growled right back, and he lowered his head in submission. When he looked back up, Harris scowled, “Why are they here, the high council need to be notified” he snarls looking directly at Ava.

Steele noticed and stepped forward; he didn’t like his mate being treated like that.

Ava reached out and grabbed his hand, linking her fingers with him, she rubs her thumb across the back of his hand to hopefully calm him down.

“We are only here to get the Alpha’s back; the high council have no right to hold them prisoner” Ava says.

Harris opens his mouth, but Ava continues “Did the high council announce under what law they were arresting them?”

Harris shook his head, the council when arresting a wolf must announce to the pack by law the reason behind their arrest, especially if it was a high-ranking wolf. Any other wolf being arrested, it was the Alpha’s job to announce it.

“That right there is against the law Harris, does that not tell you something, they are slipping, just like they did one hundred years ago when they slaughtered my pack” Ava yells, her emotions got the better of her.

Everyone looks at her in shock, even Steele rose a brow in shock at Ava’s outburst. She sighs, “This isn’t how I wanted everything to happen, but I will not let them kill my father”.

Steele had his warriors around the pack border, Leon would arrive in a few days with the Night Star Pack and two warrior packs will join together to go against the high council.

John had the Snow Stone Pack ready meals for the warriors; however, Steele denied them and send Leo out with his scouts and warriors to hunt animals for cooking.

Ava helped gather wood for the fire, she returned and saw Steele sat under a tree lost in thought. She didn’t want to disturb him, but her feet were already moving to his position.

He sat with one leg pulled up, his arm resting on his knee, the other led stretched out in front of him as his head is tipped back against the trunk.

Steele sensed her and didn’t bother to open his eyes, she stood there for a moment before walking up to him, she stepped between his legs and sat down, her back against his front. She felt him tense behind her, and suddenly regretted her decision.

Still in silence, Ava began to move to get up.

Steele moved his hand from his knee and snaked it around Ava’s waist, she jumped in shock and lands back into his chest.

She didn’t want to say anything they sat in comfortable silence, she leans her head against his chest and his grip tightens, tucking her arm underneath his she rest it on top of his, her fingers locking into his from the top.

She sighs in content. For the first time since this s**t has begun, she is finally alone with Steele. Then she was uncomfortable, the ground wasn’t exactly soft. Letting go of his grip she raises his arm to stand up.

Steele growls, making Ava chuckle, “Easy their tiger, I’m just turning around”.

She faces him and places her hands on his shoulders for balance before straddling him, he doesn’t move, only watching her with curiosity, “I’m sorry” she whispers to him. All of this was happening because she got involved, if she hadn’t, he would have exacted his revenge and her father and Mason with his family wouldn’t be in prison.

Steele wraps both his arms around Ava’s waist and pulls her flush against his chest. Her face buries in his neck, a single breath causing a shiver to run through Steele’s body. Just a slight touch from his mate had his body going haywire.

She lays a kiss on his collarbone and embraces his warmth. He kept her calm.

Ava Beta Leon rang through the mindlink.

She remained where she was Everything okay? She inquires.

Yeah, were heading out of the territory now, we’ll be there in four days Leon says.

Be careful, keep your eye out and keep the kids and women in the middle she tells Leon, he may be the Beta, but that didn’t stop Ava from being concerned and acting like an Alpha.

They ended their link and Ava looked up at Steele “My pack will be here in four days and then we can head out to the council, it will give us enough time to prepare and plan more” she says.

Steele once again remains silent. She smiles, lifting her head from his neck she places a kiss on his jaw.

“I need to check on my dad, can you see how the kids are doing please?” she had no idea if he was going to do as she asked but she focused on her own link.

Dad?

Ava. Everything okay?

Yeah, our pack will be in the Snow Stone territory in four days, I need you to stall them till then.

How am I supposed to do that Ava? Samuel didn’t want to give them anything.

Tell them about me.

No. That’s what they want.

You have to dad; they will hurt Jake.

Jake says he can take it.

Jake is an i***t, you have no idea the torture they can inflict, I know, to be a head warrior I was trained by them

What do you mean? Ava what did they do to you?

The high council made sure no one in first or second command of warriors never spoke about the training tactics, they train you until you break, until do turn into a soldier and only a soldier. Ava however was always a smart girl and evaded being broken, the council tortured you and scarred your body, but when you left for home, the scars would be gone; they had a serum to remove their abuse, but she still carried the memories of what happened to them.

That doesn’t matter now, but you need to keep everyone together, if Jake leaves he will not come back, so tell them anything, do what you have to, tell them Steele is my mate and that I am descended from the Lycan Shadow Pack, anything to by you time, I’ll message Leon and ask him to push on, the warriors can handle the run, the rest of the pack know how to defend themselves, I’ll get Leon to divert to another pack and have the pack be driven up, while the warriors continue. The sooner they are here the faster we can get to you.

Okay Ava, I will do as you asked, but when this is over, I need an explanation.

she sighs and links with Leon telling him the new plan, he didn’t like it, but there was no other option. There was a nearby allied pack that wouldn’t ask any questions. And they diverted there.

When Ava focused on everything around her, she was still in Steele’s grip against a tree, “They’re going to start hurting Jake in the morning, I told my father to tell them anything to stall. But we need to move out sooner, four days is too long.

John came out to make sure they were okay “Ava, your room is still available for you if you want it”.

She shakes her head, “No, I’ll stay outside, thanks though” she says with a small smile.

Steele lifts her to her feet “Go sleep” he mutters with a small shove.

She looks at him confused, only the other night he made her sleep in his bed, what changed?