Fated to the war general

There is a problem

Kane

The automated steel doors of the army quarters slide open as I approach them. Inside the conference room, Ezekiel is standing beside the huge monitor screen displaying a map of Avalon, our kingdom.

"What's the status report?" I ask, walking over to him.

"A hundred and fifty-three rogues have escaped the facility. Thirty of them attacked our pack last night and the rest are reported to be heading in our direction."

I look closely at the map. A red sign outlining our borders continues to flash on the screen. It's a signal indicating a breach.

"They're not so far anymore. Are there any curables among them?"

"They're all curables. From the look of things their attack was planned and not as a result of their degrading psych."

I scoff. "Even with a distorted sense of reality they have succeeded in forming a union."

"Their hatred for you proves to be a strong driving force."

I give Ezekiel a knowing look and he shrugs. "The rogues we confiscated yesterday h started their treatment procedure. Two in their midst could speak and they kept repeating the fact that they wanted you destroyed."

"This is the exact reason why we should not bother with these rogues. They let themselves run wild, and the other law-abiding members of the kingdom suffer from their recklessness."

Ezekiel turns to face me fully. "This is the exact reason why they came. They want justice for one of the rogues you killed. He goes by the name, Richard Montgomery. He escaped the treatment facility to go see his sick daughter, and when you caught him, you ended him."

I take two towards Ezekiel and look at him in disbelief. "You were there, Ezekiel. Richard was extremely violent. If I hadn't taken matters into my hands he would have killed John."

Ezekiel turns his attention back to the screen. He doesn't speak for a couple of minutes as we both study the changing signs on the map.

"Does the Ultima know about this?"

"Not yet."

"Good, let's keep it that way." I turn around to leave when Ezekiel calls for my attention.

"Is it because of the girl?" he asks, and I stop in my tracks. "What do you plan on doing with her?"

I turn around to face him and state plainly, "my investigation."

"What about the mate bond? Have you finally accepted her?"

"No, and I never said I was going to." Turning around, I leave the conference room.

The impending attack on the pack is a huge distraction from my investigations on Delilah. I need to deal with this issue before it escalates and the Ultima begins to put his eyes on my territory.

I take giant strides, moving swiftly across the open space in front of the Alpha quarters. I disappear into the woods beside it and continue walking until I get to my private spot beside the pond.

My eyes meet the tree on which I cornered Delilah the previous day and memories of our brief encounter fill my mind. I shake the thoughts away, grateful to not find her here this time.

A pile of wood sits beside the pond. There's an axe at the top. I pick up the axe and begin tearing the logs into smaller pieces.

With each swing of the axe, I'm able to focus my mind and think clearly on how to get myself out of the problem at hand. In any other situation, I would've blocked the borders of the blood moon pack. But in this case, I have to leave the borders open so I can trap them here and deal with them.

Another option is to lead them away from the pack and have the fight somewhere else. But that would take a longer time to accomplish and the Ultima would certainly take the chance to step in. I've been trying to keep him out of my business for months now.

This is not the first time we've had war in the Blood Moon Pack. Almost every wolf here is a warrior. My major concern is Delilah. She won't be able to defend herself.

"And you won't be able to defend her," Alexander says within me.

I give one last forceful swing of the axe and it collides with the wood, dividing it completely. Sighing, I drop the axe and pull off my shirt due to the afternoon heat.

There's a sycamore tree just a short distance away from the pond. I go to sit underneath it for shade. "How can I help her? There must be a way," I say to Alexander.

"I've already told you the way out. Mate with her."

"Give me another solution."

"Wait and let the Ultima force her to unlock her powers."

"Alexander!" I call out angrily. He knows fully well that I detest even the thought of the Ultima having his way with Delilah. It reminds me of the injustice I fight every day to prevent. The injustice I desperately wish I had the power to prevent when I was younger.

"Mating with her is the only way out of this. I won't be giving you any more advice on her matter."

"I don't want your one-sided advice anyway. I will find a way to keep Delilah safe without taking such actions."

Alexander chuckles. "I wonder how long you plan on being Celibate."

I stand up with a loud groan and throw a punch into the sycamore tree. I feel like tearing myself apart from Alexander right now. He's pissing me off.

"You think this is only about my desires? You think I don't want to have the feel of a woman? You think as a man I don't want to take a woman to my bed and make love to her until all she can think of is me? You think I don't want that?"

"Then what's stopping you?" Alexander asks in a challenging tone.

I squeeze my lips, finding it hard to explain myself. The words burn in my heart but I can't let them out. "It's not just about getting s****l satisfaction. How do I trust that my partner is a worthy ally and won't leave me halfway? How do I know that the person I'm making love to won't try to kill me on that same bed? There's no love in this world. Everyone is self-seeking and only a very few are loyal."

Angrily, I go to the pond and jump into it, causing a splash. My body becomes submerged under the water. My mind goes still for a bit before Alexander's voice pierces into my subconscious.

"Do it as your duty. Make love to her because you need to."

I give a brief thought to his words. "We're fated mates, Alexander. It's already hard for me not to think of her sexually. There's no way we won't get attached."

Alexander doesn't speak again for some seconds, and I sense he's being secretive. "What are you not telling me?"

"I can help you distance yourself emotionally from her. Your mating act would only be a performance. Nothing more."

I think about it for a second. Just as I'm about to reply to Alexander, someone else jumps into the pond. I know it's a woman from the nature of her underwear. She has nothing else covering her body. Her face comes into view, and I recognise her as Delilah.