IVORY: The age of Gloarian

Chapter 12

    ‘Miss Genova, the Lycanthropes have initiated an attack by the border!’ yelled the tiny assistant, alerting the leader of the misfortunes that had unexpectedly started taking place. 

    Upon instinct, the confused leader rose from her seat, marching out the office towards the scene of the crime. She figured it would take her longer to run towards the border, and so she decided to aid herself with the form of her wolf which she promptly shifted into, dashing towards the exterior gates. As she neared the battlefield, she noticed her guards had already instigated the process of fighting, switching from one form to another to wear off the massive beasts. The other thing the leader noticed as she journeyed to join her fellow community members was the massive wolf, no doubt a werewolf, that ran beside her towards the scene of the crime. She didn’t have to think twice to identify the animal as she knew within the instant that the werewolf had been Razaar. His vision fell on the wolf beside him, who he soon realised was his own mate, and his temper rose at the recklessness of her actions. 

    Beside the Alpha, the body of another dark, large, wolf appeared, a wolf that belonged to the dear Demillo Marconte, who up until then, had buried himself within the cottage, working day and night as the Alpha had instructed him, staying in close contact with the Beta of the pack. It was a shame that Eliana did not get enough time to spend with Demillo, for she knew he was a great friend. Though the last thing she wished to do was to interfere in Razaar’s pack business, regardless of how much he had done so within her community grounds. 

    The three raced to the scene, diving straight into action. Eliana found herself slyly switching forms as she approached one of the Lycan’s slithering quickly up their back before poisoning the creature. As it thumped on to the ground, the woman ended up in the hands of a Lycan, the air being choked out of her in her snake form. She didn’t have to think twice before she converted yet again to her wolf form, successfully breaking out of the Lycan’s hands. The confused beast advanced towards the leader of the hybrids, at the very brink of attacking before the leader tactically reverted to her snake form, taking the opportunity the element of surprise conveyed to slither up the attacker and insert her poison into his system. 

    Razaar, on the other hand, had been too busy trying to look out for Eliana, that the poor man had forgotten to look out for himself. The Alpha looked out for the light brown wolf, who also possessed the form of a pitch black snake, as he vaguely fought off a few attackers, pushing them to the side before moving on to the next. It was only when the man felt the claws of a Lycan penetrate his back that Razaar growled in pain, victoriously gaining Eliana’s attention. The woman, who had been protecting a member of her community, roughly brushed off a Lycan before rushing to aid the mate that had rejected her. The Alpha turned around to face the attacker, his anger resurfacing for the best as he jumped up to take revenge on the beast who had caused him harm. His efforts were futile as the Lycan pushed him off, having the advantage of an already injured Alpha, however this very advantage had blocked the beast from noticing Eliana behind him. She took this opportunity to slither on his back and bit into his neck, the poison doing its job almost instantly as the body landed on the ground not a minute later. As the leader switched forms to her human one and dashed towards the Alpha, she noticed that there were only two beasts left and that her guards had been doing a decent job at taking them out. It was due to that the leader made her way to her mate, watching him turn into his human form, stark naked as he laid down on his belly. It wasn’t long before Eliana noticed the large, fleshy cut on her mate’s back that triggered her mate instinct. She picked the man up from the ground, averting her eyes from his body as she placed his hand around her shoulder and walked him gently back to his cottage. 

    ‘Thanks. For helping me back there.’ He managed to squeeze out before the door to the cottage opened, and Eiva ruined their first proper moment. As realisation dawned upon them that they weren’t, in fact together, the pair resumed their facade. Eliana dropped Razaar into the arms of the frail woman who barely managed to get her proclaimed mate on to her bed. The tender woman had thanked the leader of the hybrids before proceeding to close the door to be left to lonesome with her partner. 

    Eliana took the opportunity to rush back to the borders in an attempt to ensure her members had been safe throughout the fight. As it happens, all the members of her community had successfully maintained their lives, including Armelia, who embraced her best friend into a hug immediately after seeing her. 

    ‘You did good’ stated the leader, with pride as she held her friend’s hand. 

    ‘So did you, I’m glad you’re ok. I must go find Syllia before he goes insane.’ She finished, dashing off into the distance. The rest of the guards were formed in what seemed a circle of some sorts, looking down at a commotion in the middle. Eliana carefully approached them to investigate before her mouth fell open in shock at the sight ahead. 

    Below her gaze, was the beaten and battered body of Demillo Marconte. Impulsively, she bent down, making sure the man still had a pulse. She sighed with relief when she did manage to find a faint one, then shouted out orders for the guards to rush him to the community doctor, running manically behind them. Upon their arrival, the doctor stormed out, coming into action immediately as she dismissed everyone but the medical professional from the room to proceed with her duty. Instructing one of the guards to remain at the hospital, the leader of the hybrids hurriedly made her way back to the cottage of her mate, to check on his progress and inform him of the unfortunate incident. 

    As expected, Eiva opened the door, looking more exhausted than ever, and welcomed Eliana in without a word, taking her straight to the Alpha’s room, as if sensing that was why the leader had come in the first place. Eliana’s eyes soon met Razaar’s, who was sitting upright and seemed alright. The bottom half of his body had now been covered by an item of clothing though his chest remained bare, aside from the bandage that covered the hideous cut on the Alpha’s back, now hidden from sight.

    ‘Alpha Solonov, how are you feeling?’ she questioned politely. 

    ‘I’m alright, thanks to you. Just a graze’ he responded, placing his feet firmly on the ground before standing up. ‘What’s wrong Eliana? You look distraught’ he then added, taking in the features that the worried woman carried. The leader had finally come to notice her trembling hands before she pulled herself together and took in a deep breath. 

    ‘Demillo, he’s in bad shape. We’ve taken him to the doctor, they are still treating him, but it’s not looking so good’ Eliana managed to say, before Razaar picked up concerns of his own and rapidly fetched a garment to cover his top half and headed straight towards the door. Eiva made no effort to stop the two, neither did she wish to follow, for she was too fragile to envision the horrific scene. 

    The pair had made it to the doctors just in time for the petite female to step outside and face the great Alpha of Gloarian. 

    ‘The good news is that he’s alright. The bad news is that he might be out for a good week before he awakens. His body needs time to heal. If he’s well enough in a week, he'll be able to shift and recover faster as a wolf’ the doctor mentioned, a breath of relief being released by both mates at once. 

    ‘Thank you doctor’ appreciated Eliana, turning to face her mate. ‘I think you and I need to go have a chat in my office’ she stated, leading the Alpha straight to her office, where the tiny assistant had been waiting to see if his leader would return safely. The man gleamed with pride as he visualised his leader walk through the doors, though the moment was short lived before he returned to his duties. ‘Get a letter out to Alpha Solonov’s pack, ask their Beta if the pack was attacked or not. Let me know as soon as you get a response.’ She instructed on her way into the office. 

    Razaar watched the woman who had not only proved how incredible of a fighter she had been, but also how great of a leader she was. The man couldn’t take his eyes off his mate, who in that moment, he admired. His eyes followed hers as she took a seat on her chair, and signalled him to do so in front of her. Complying with the wishes, the Alpha decided to get back to business. 

    ‘You’re a brave fighter’ he started. It was a complement that Eliana had most certainly not been expecting, but one she appreciated nevertheless. 

    ‘Thank you. Although we have bigger concerns to discuss right now. If the Lycan’s have attacked, Balthazar surely knows that you’re working with me. He probably doesn’t know how, but it is certain that the hybrid population will now be on his radar. The only question is, how did he find out that you were here?’ the woman placed her hand on her forehead, closing her eyes for a brief moment to try and understand the entirety of the situation. 

    ‘Perhaps you have a mole in your community?’ suggested the Alpha, an expression of innocence on his face. Eliana, however, could not maintain her calm at the comment and released a growl from the depths of her chest. One that the Alpha had never encountered. 

    ‘How dare you make such insinuations about my community? Everyone in my community is loyal to me, and none of them would ever dare to snitch about community problems to anyone outside. Not even if it would cost them their life’ spoke the leader, anger consuming her at the allegations. ‘This is your mess to begin with Razaar, so don’t come to my lands and accuse my people of something that is clearly your doing. Members of my community were put in danger today because of your silly vendetta. So if I were you, I would watch my mouth.’ she completed, taking the Alpha by surprise. 

    ‘I apologise, I am aware that I am the cause of the issue. What I can’t understand, however, is how Balthazar would have found out my location. The only reason I suggested it is because the only three werewolves on this territory are Eiva, Demillo and I, and I doubt any of us three have been the snitch’ he retorted, joining his mate in the dimension of confusion as the two searched for a likely response to match their situation. 

    ‘Perhaps it has nothing to do with a mole’ though Eliana, leaning forward in her chair. ‘What if he’s simply hired someone to spy on you?’ she questioned, mostly to herself. 

    ‘I think I would notice if I had a spy following me, don’t you think? I am the great Alpha of Gloarian. Besides, how would any creature get into your territory to begin with considering all the guards you have on the borders. Even if they did, where would they be living? Surely someone would notice if there was a rogue Lycan on the loose in the pack.’ responded Razaar, clearing the doubt from the leaders head. 

    As the pair dived deep into thought, the door opened slightly as the tiny assistant stuck his head in through the gap. 

    ‘Letter for you from the werewolves, Miss Genova’ he stated, rushing inside on his tiny legs to deliver the scroll. Eliana grabbed it desperately with her hands as she impatiently unravelled the contents and began reading aloud. 

Miss Eliana Genova and Alpha Razaar Solonov,

I’m writing to report that there have been no attacks or any form of suspicious activity around the packs in the past week. Patrols have doubled and guards have been more on alert. 

The pack will stay on high alert and will send out word at the first sign of any suspicious activity. 

Let me know if there is anything I can do to aid in this investigation. Rest assured, the pack is safe and everything is running smoothly in the absence of the great Alpha Solonov. 

Beta Enzo Berne.

    The leader of the hybrids groaned in confusion as she handed Razaar the letter. 

    ‘I don’t get it. Why attack just my community if Balthazar wants to get to you so bad? Wouldn’t it be worse if he had attacked both your and my lands?’ she questioned in confusion. The great Alpha, however, remained silent for a minute as he gathered his thoughts and put them together before responding. 

    ‘No, by attacking you, he’s sending a message. He’s trying to say that your pack has only been harmed because of me, and if you don’t join him, he will keep hurting you, regardless of if I return to my pack or not. This attack had nothing to do with me, it had to do with you, he’s trying to threaten you and get you on his side.’ Spoke the Alpha, the intentions of his enemy finally becoming transparent to him. Eliana shook her head trying to comprehend the severity of the situation. 

    ‘You’re saying that if I don’t pick a side, he’s going to keep attacking my community?’ he asked to reassure herself of what was going on. The Alpha nodded before the leader continued. ‘If that is the case, there is no way you can leave my territory now. You got us into this mess and now you have to stay here and help us get out of it. Balthazar won’t attack your pack because he’s trying to get to us, and if you leave, that means more danger to my pack. So I recommend you call over your best warriors and remain until we can solve this issue.’ responded the leader. 

    ‘Eliana, I’m about to go to war with him tomorrow, there’s no point-’

    ‘Of course there is!’ she interrupted ‘Razaar, don’t you get it? If he knows that you’re on my grounds he knows why. He probably has it figured out that you sent Evia here for safekeeping. So no matter what your plan is, he’s probably already aware of it, and what’s worse, I suspect as you storm into war he will send another attack to my community to capture Eiva, and that will put my people in danger too. He can then use her as bait and your plan will be nothing but ash.’ Implied Eliana, convincing Razaar that his enemy most certainly was a step ahead of him. 

    ‘What happens if he does attack my pack?’ acknowledged Razaar, who by now had been analysing all the case scenarios. 

    ‘You still have the numbers Raaar. The werewolf population is the biggest in all of Gloarian. If you manage to get us even 1000 warriors, you’d still have a couple hundred thousand to yourself. Think about it, the werewolf population is 200,000, the hybrid population is only 100,000. Within your packs you have several Alpha’s who are more than capable of protecting the packs they lead, the hybrids only have me. As much courage as I have to fight, it’s unrealistic for me to believe that you and I alone can defeat any upcoming Lycan attack. Just look at what happened today, Demillo barely made it out and the great Alpha of Gloarian is injured’ she finalised, making an incredibly convincing case for her mate. 

    ‘I am alright. I only got distracted because I was trying to look out for you!’ he exclaimed defensively, surprising his mate, who had not been expecting the man to care about her as much due to their prior incidents. 

    ‘Well as much as I appreciate you looking out for me, I need you to watch your own back. As you’ve clearly seen today I’m more than capable of taking care of myself, and if there is going to be any upcoming battles I recommend you work on your own strategies’ she responded. 

    A slight knock on the door shook them both as Eliana ordered whoever it was to come in. As the door opened, a shaking figure trotted in: Eiva. She weakly smiled at the two brave leaders and made her way to the chair next to Razaars. 

    ‘I just wanted to make sure everything was ok. Is there anything I can help with?’ she questioned, her voice trembling with fear. It was a quality that Eiva had hated about herself. It was that even if she tried she was incapable of washing away her fears, and in turn, remained the damsel in distress she fully knew she was. She wished she would mirror the actions of the brave Eliana Genova, and storm into battle without batting an eyelash, but the feeble woman knew that the mere thought of a fight scared the woman to her core. Looking up at Eliana, her eyes found themselves averting instantly at the envy and intimidation she felt. Instead, she looked into the eyes of her proclaimed mate, a choice that didn’t help her confidence much either. Razaar grabbed the delicate woman’s hand and kept it to himself. 

    ‘Don’t worry, love. Everything is taken care of. My trip here is going to be longer than anticipated, there’s a few things that Miss Genova and I have to go through to figure out how this attack came to the hybrids and what we can do to prevent it happening again’ he explained, causing her to nod her head gently. 

    ‘What about the pack?’ she questioned with concern, a second wave of fear consuming her. 

    ‘They’re alright Eiva. No harm came to them. I think at this point Balthazar is just concerned about getting the hybrids on his side. We just need to work out a few more details and I’ll be back at the cottage before you know it’ responded Razaar as a clear sign to usher his proclaimed mate out of the room. Eiva figured she had no choice, and so she nodded, taking her leave as she strolled out of the office. 

    ‘You shouldn't treat her like that, you know?’ Eliana found herself saying, confusing her mate.

    ‘Like what? He asked, his eyes scrambled up. 

‘Like she’s a porcelain doll that’s going to break at any minute’ clarified the leader. 

    ‘She is though. Eiva isn’t strong enough for topics such as war. She was raised around governesses, all she knows how to do is be polite and make people feel welcomed. Not saying that it’s a bad thing, but Eiva wasn’t born for the war life’ he mentioned. Eliana had agreed with his statement, however knew better than to allow that kind of treatment to happen on her lands. 

    ‘I am aware of that, but if the poor girl is trying to be a part of something, don’t shove out insensitively. It will only make her feel worse than she probably already does’ she finished, knocking some sense into the big headed Alpha. 

    ‘I’m surprised you respect her this much’ he commented out of the blue, a smile taking over his face as he watched his mate lean back in her chair. 

    ‘I told you, I don’t hold grudges against the past. What’s done is done, you are with Eiva, I have acknowledged that much, and I have a life of my own that I am perfectly happy with’ responded the leader. ‘Now, back to business’ she diverted, wishing no longer to remain on the topic ‘I think we could try to arrange for a truce with Balthazar. It might take a lot of convincing, but if we get him to the Galon temple we can probably arrange for this to end in a peaceful way rather than spending the next couple months in battle.’ She completed, looking for a document in one of her drawers. 

    ‘You really think Balthazar will succumb to  truce? The man is as evil as evil gets, he-’

    ‘I get that Razaar’ she cut in, having located the document she had been scavenging for. “But right now our aim is to try and avoid a war at all costs. The hybrids didn’t sign up to this, it’s your own personal revenge. So if try we can, then try we must’ she demanded, clearly having the last word as Razaar simply nodded at her. ‘In the meantime, I think you should get some rest. I’ll look over the Truce Acts and see if I can spot anything that will be of use and can help us convince  Balthazar to surrender’ she said, elevating from her seat at the same time as her mate. 

    ‘Very well’ he managed to say before the both walked out of the office, heading towards their corresponding cottages. 

    Phase one of the flame’s plan had gone exactly how it wanted it to go, and now it was only a matter of time before the rest of the plan emerged, and the tables of fate would turn against the rebellious pair.