Chapter 20: On Guard

WILLOW

We journey through the night, a mix of anticipation and dread hanging in the air. We are on high alert, heading toward the pack we are assigned to protect.

As dawn breaks, we arrive, our trucks leading the way. I am in the first vehicle, and as we park, the alpha of the pack and his beta come forward to greet us.

“Princess Willow! What brings you to our humble pack?” The alpha bows slightly in respect.

“Have you heard about the recent vampire attacks on smaller packs like yours?” I ask, cutting straight to the point.

His eyes widen in surprise. “I thought we were at peace?” His confusion is evident.

“We were, especially under King Andrei’s rule. But he was forced to abdicate a few years ago, and his brother, who now sits on the throne, sees us all as expendable. He’s been wiping out small packs all the way from Scotland.

“King Boris has decided we need to intervene. Your pack, along with two others, is in the vampires’ path, and teams have been dispatched to all three to bolster defenses. My team and I are shadow wolves, trained by me, and we’ll be the first line of defense if an attack happens here.

“I’ll need all your fighters and warriors to meet me on your training field in an hour. I need to assess where we need to focus our efforts. I’ll also need to see your security schedules and meet with your pack guards.

“We’ll be here for a while, so please inform your pack that we’ll be making house calls to ensure everyone has a safe room or knows where to go in the event of an attack. The vampires are not leaving survivors.”

“Umm. Yes, of course. My beta can show you where to park your trucks and set up. I’m Alpha Silas McCall. This is beta Thorn Wallace. The Rolling Creek pack is at your disposal, Princess.”

“Just call me Willow. We’re not in the castle, and we need to be familiar with each other to fight effectively.” I give him a small smile. Thorn steps forward to show my team where to park and set up our camp.

Ruben helps me set up my tent before assisting others. Soon, we are ready, and I have Rueben, Victor, and Jenna join me on the training field while the rest set up security cameras and trip wires. Logan, our tech whiz, is in charge of all that.

“Hello!” I call out to the pack members who have gathered. “My name is Willow. I’m from the Royal Pack and have been sent here to train and protect this pack from a possible vampire attack.

“The Vampire King Mihai has declared open season on all species. He’s been systematically sending his vampires to attack and obliterate smaller packs all the way from Scotland. My brother, the alpha king, sent me and my team to work with you to make you stronger and better able to fight.

“We’re here to help protect the pack. We don’t know exactly when or if this pack is a target, but you fit the criteria, because many of you have taken human mates. I need everyone who is able-bodied to train. Humans as well.

“The vampires are not leaving survivors. They’re taking the lives of everyone they come into contact with and leaving only death and blood behind. We’ll begin training today. These are your trainers. This is Rueben, my right-hand man, the big guy beside him is Victor, and Jenna.

“She’ll be in charge of the women and humans. I’ll be working closely with your alpha and beta, but if anyone hears or sees, or even suspects something off, report immediately. We’re improving the security and will be adding more men to patrol the pack lines and borders.

“No one goes out alone. No one! All pack runs are called off for now. Training is the priority.”

Alpha Silas steps forward. “You heard Princess Willow. The king has sent his best guard. These are the shadow wolves.”

There is a moment of silence, then the pack moves into a training formation and my guys start with simple exercises to assess their skill levels.

We train all morning, breaking for lunch before I allow Alpha Silas to give me a tour of his pack. It is small, with maybe only fifty members, not counting the children.

“We’re actually growing,” he says as we walk around. They have a small infirmary, a tiny school with only a few classrooms, and a pack house that is only three stories high. The single wolves live there with the alpha and the beta families.

“Does the alpha king know why the vampires are doing this?” Alpha Silas asks.

“We believe the vampire king has gone mad. Apparently, it’s something that happens to old vampires and they become unmanageable,” I answer.

“It’s a shame they couldn’t just bring King Andrei back. I heard rumors that he was dead.”

“You heard rumors of that but not of the vampire attacks? How is that possible?” I ask, looking at him suspiciously.

He turns red-faced. “Well, there’s a she-wolf who works in a pub near London. She was the one who heard the rumor. She parties a lot at some club where some of the more isolated vampires also hang out.

“She heard that King Andrei was now dead, and she relayed it to her mother when she came to visit. Her mother is one of the human mates. Her daughter is unable to shift but carries the strength of her shifter father.”

He points toward a small hut where a round woman is tending to her garden. “That’s her mother. Her father is on patrol.”

“I see. So, you haven’t heard about the other packs at all?” I ask.

“Well, I did hear about one a couple of months back, but I had no idea it was vampires. I thought it was a dispute over land. That happens a lot out this way. Packs go through a growth spurt and need more land to hunt and run. The other packs take offense.” He shrugs.

“No,” I tell him more firmly. “It’s more deadly than that. And we have about a week to get this pack ready. Something awful is coming, and our nights need to be manned by the best warriors. The vampires can only move in the darkness.”