Chapter Thirty-Three

[POV: Clayton]

My Uncle, bless his heart, could be a real bonehead sometimes. Alpha Gabriel had been more of a dad to Ellie than anyone else, even though she’d only been with him for a short while.

They’d formed a bond, a strong one at that. It only grew stronger when she found out he’d never given up on getting her back. And then, thinking he was dead, only to discover he was alive.

I was a bit worried when Alexander took Ellie up into the mountains. Sure, he was her granddad, and the only link she had left to her past.

But he didn’t see Ellie as a kid who’d been through more than any kid should. He saw her as the heir to the throne. An heir everyone thought was lost.

He was so focused on seeing her as a symbol, he didn’t see the person behind the title.

I just hoped he hadn’t messed things up. There was a chance, given her current state of mind, she might just throw her heritage away.

Forget that if the war went our way, she’d be the next Alpha queen.

Because of this, I stepped back. Even though we were cousins, it was important for Ellie to spend time with Gabriel. He was more of a dad to her than either me or her granddad could be.

I hoped Alexander would get over it, but knowing him, he probably wouldn’t. He’d spent too long up in the mountains alone. It was understandable, in a way.

When his mate left with his child, and the king's only heir. Then when the queen was murdered and the King died shortly after. The old way of life died with him.

Alexander was a relic from the past, and refused to look to the future. That was until Ellie arrived. But Alexander wanted her future to be a continuation of the past.

I should’ve seen that this was a mistake.

Ellie was a force to be reckoned with. She had to be, given what she’d been through, and survived.

I personally thought that Gabriel was the right one to guide her.

That’s why I waited. Waited for Gabriel to heal, and become strong again.

Most Alphas would’ve seen him as a threat. I didn’t see him that way at all. I saw him as an asset.

As were the two pack members who came with him.

Emma was a brilliant tracker, and would be a fantastic Luna for my pack. She was quite a bit younger than me, but that didn’t bother us. We were mates after all.

Once we got through this war, we’d think about a family. An heir for the pack.

Murdoch had been training the warriors of the council-run packs. That would give us a huge advantage when the time came to attack.

The question was, should we contact the humans or start an assault on the packs.

Ellie was also the only heir to human royalty. Despite her youth, she could be the catalyst to peace with the humans.

On the other hand, the packs couldn’t fight a war on two fronts and win.

The problem was, if we attacked the packs, we’d still be enemies with the humans.

This wasn’t a decision for me to make alone. Even though I was the Alpha of the western pack. This was a decision that should be made with not only me and my beta, but also Alpha Gabriel and his Beta.

Although Ellie was young, I didn’t think she was too young to give us her view. Maybe if she was involved then she would be less likely to rescind the title of Alpha Queen when the time came.

So now we sat in my office. Alpha Gabriel, his Beta Murdoch. Seth and Emma, myself and Ellie. I was a little disappointed that my uncle wasn’t here.

His input would’ve been useful, but I couldn’t dwell on that, we had a war to fight.

“So,” I started, “We have a choice to make. We either attack the council run packs, or we choose to aid the humans. Both decisions have merit, and also disadvantages, but we can’t do both,” I finished.

Beta Murdoch stood up, and walked over to a map on the wall. It showed all the different territories including the human border.

“I trained the warriors for the council. I have an idea of numbers. Also the plan was to attack from the Crescent Moon Pack Territory. It’s closest to the border.”

He pointed to the area on the map.

“The warriors from all the packs would mass there, before they crossed the border. A small force would be left in Zagan’s territory, to guard the western border,” he paused.

“This may have all changed now though. They certainly weren’t expecting Alpha Gabriel to escape, nor myself and Emma to leave.”

Murdoch sat down, and I looked at Seth.

He stood up and walked over to the map.

“If we decide to aid the humans, we would have to approach them under a flag of truce. They have no idea what is currently going on this side of the border.

“We would send a small company of wolves, perhaps half a dozen. They would cross over, via the lake. That way we wouldn’t encroach on council run pack territory.

“The biggest problem will be not knowing what the council intends. Because of Alpha Gabriel’s sudden departure,” he smiled at Alpha Gabriel, “they may decide to attack us instead of the humans.”

I nodded. That made a lot of sense.

“Do you have a suggestion?” I asked Seth.

He nodded.

“We should contact the humans, offer them our support, but wait until the packs make the first move. Let the humans contact us for aid if they are attacked.”

I nodded then looked at Alpha Gabriel.

“I agree,” he said, “whatever happens we shouldn’t be the first to attack, We will however be prepared.

“If they attack us they only have two entry points, either the river, or through the mountains. Attempting to cross the mountains would be foolhardy.”

I glanced at Ellie, she was frowning.

“Is something bothering you, Ellie?” I asked.

“What happens if the humans don’t want our help? They never asked for it before, when everyone was starving,” she huffed.

I smiled.

“That’s where you come in Ellie. You’re half human. Not just that, but you’re also the only heir to their royal family.”

She let out a long sigh.

Gabriel put his arm around her.

“I know you don’t like it, pickle, but you have royal blood running through your veins, both human and werewolf. Not all wars are won with violence and bloodshed.

“Sometimes you need a little diplomacy.”

Ellie gave a nod of agreement, though I could tell she wasn’t thrilled about it. If it had been anyone other than Alpha Gabriel giving the orders, she might have put up a fight.

Even though they weren’t related by blood, their bond was clear. He treated her like a daughter, and she respected him like a father.

This connection could only help us as we tried to broker peace with the humans. I just hoped the humans would see this as an opportunity for unity.

“Alright,” I wrapped up, “we just need to decide who will be part of the delegation to the humans.”

Alpha Gabriel and I were in agreement that Ellie should be part of the group. Seth and Murdoch, however, weren’t so sure.

They were concerned about Ellie’s safety, fearing she could get hurt or worse if things went south. I had faith in Ellie’s ability to protect herself, but I proposed a compromise to ease their worries.

Murdoch would spend the next week training Ellie to fight in her wolf form. Then, Seth, Gabriel, and two other warriors would accompany Ellie by boat to the human camp at the lake’s edge.

Once the Wolfsbane was out of Gabriel’s system, his wolf’s healing abilities kicked in.

Murdoch and Emma were concerned about whether he was strong enough to fight if necessary. Gabriel insisted he was, and he was adamant about not letting Ellie cross the border without him. He’d lost her once before.

Just watching them together, it was clear he wouldn’t let that happen again.

This did present a small issue, though. Murdoch and Gabriel weren’t part of my pack. Emma became a pack member when I marked her.

Normally, having two Alphas in one pack was unheard of. But these were far from normal circumstances, and communication would be crucial in the days ahead.

Gabriel was initially hesitant. The Crescent Moon pack was still his, technically. He didn’t want to challenge his own nephew for the Alpha position.

That being said, once the war was over and the council was gone, things would inevitably change. Territories would still exist, but they’d be different.

They’d be governed by an Alpha Queen instead of a council.

If things went my way, Zagan and his beta would be out of the picture. I was confident no one would object to that. That territory would need a new Alpha. Maybe Gabriel could take it over.

At least that way, he’d be close to Ellie, or I would be. I had a hunch that once everything was over, Ellie would want to be near Gabriel.

But that was a conversation for another day. Right now, we needed to win over the humans and anticipate the council's next move.

So there I was, standing in the great hall. The last time I had initiated someone into the pack, it had been Ellie. She was in the front row, looking up at the stage. I had offered her a spot next to me and Seth.

I’d suggested we reveal her true identity to the pack. She’d declined. I wasn’t surprised. She wasn’t ready for the rest of the pack to know her secret. Only a select few knew.

We would wait until she came of age, or until the war was over. Then we would announce her true lineage.

Instead, she watched as I welcomed Emma, Gabriel, and Murdoch into the pack.

Emma was already connected through the mate bond, so this was more of a formality and a chance to introduce the pack to their new Luna.

Bringing Gabriel into the pack was a gamble. His old pack would feel the loss of him, Murdoch, and Emma.

The council would surely know by now that they were the ones who had freed Gabriel from their prison. His pack would undoubtedly have questions.

I doubted the council would admit to imprisoning him for five years. But they might be worried. The information that Murdoch, Emma, and Gabriel had could expose their vulnerabilities.

That’s why I half expected them to change their plans. They might attack the western pack before the humans. When they did, we would be ready.