Chapter sixteen

“If we raise the barriers here, I am sure that it would stop the nightwalkers from jumping inside, at least for enough time for us to show up,” an Elder said, pointing on a draft book he had made some drawings on. “That would give us an advantage over them for some time.”

The other elders nodded and Alan stared at the plan book, thinking. He was still wondering how they would be able to get that ready before the next attack when he heard in his mind, ‘oh my God’ his eyes widened immediately as he recognized the voice as his daughter’s. He has never heard her again since she left the hall that day with Prince Edward and now he could suddenly hear her? He concentrated his energy and realized that he could feel her. What is she doing? Could she be coming home?

“Alpha?” Aton asked seeing that the man hasn’t said anything since the elder finished his presentation.

Glancing at Aton, Alan remembered Sean and he quickly searched for his presence with his daughter’s only to discover that he was with her. He wanted to tell Aton about his discovering but he knew he couldn’t in the presence of the elders, no one can be trusted since the deal with Maximus. “I’m fine,” he nodded and shook his head, “we will have the wolves building them immediately. No one knows when the next attack will be so whatever we are doing, we have to do it now and fast.”

“Yes alpha,” the men nodded and soon, they dispersed.

“I will check the perimeters alpha, make sure all is safe for the night. Also, I have given Luke the order to make sure that the women and children are well looked after and not allowed out of the panic room,” Aton said when they were alone. However, Alan waved him away and he frowned right before he heard the man’s voice in his head. ‘Aliyah and Sean are close by,’ “Alpha,” Aton shouted hearing that, proving Alan’s point for not telling him in the presence of the Elders as they would have wondered what his deals were.

Seeming to understand the situation of things, Aton suppressed his emotion and asked in the mind link. ‘Where?’

‘Twelve miles away.’

‘They can’t be coming home, right?’

‘I sure hope not but it’s the first time I am feeling them since this whole thing started.’

‘Are they alone?’

‘I don’t think so but they seemed to be safe with whoever they are with. There is no urgency in them.’

‘What should we do?’

‘I don’t know the reason they are suddenly close by but if the High howler wolves are still out there, it means they have not been spotted and we have to act natural to avoid them suspecting anything. You can go now, if you stay here for too long, they would know we are communicating using the mind links and you know they can listen to us if they want. Right now, there are not, which is good. So go.’

Aton turned around immediately and started walking away like he normally would and they refused communicating in the mind link just so if the High Howlers’ wolves attention have been directed at them. However, Aton walked away a happy man for he knows now that his son was safe and still alive. He may not be able to see him now, but the fact of knowing that he was living somewhere somehow brought him peace, although he knew if he was dead, Alan would have known with the mind link. Oh how he wished he can tell Emily and Monica.

***

“There are female wears in the wardrobe, they belonged to my great-great grandmother. It may be a little outdated but I’m sure you wouldn’t mind,” Steven said to Aliyah as they climbed out of the hole to find themselves in a beautiful modern room with a queen-sized bed. Red drapes covered the windows and there was a big wardrobe right at the end of the wall, facing the bed. The room almost looked like a royalty room. “Also Sean, I left some clothes there as well, you know,” he shrugged but Sean didn’t mind.

“I thought you said it has been inhabited for a long time?” Sean said, walking over to the wardrobe and grabbing a pair of jeans and a shirt to put on.

“Yes and I also said that I have been spending my time here since I discovered the tunnels, that gives me a lot of time to clean this whole place up,” he shrugged. “There is a living room and a kitchen and also, another bedroom but there is only one bathroom, I assume that won’t be a problem?”

“Definitely not,” Sean answered as he put on the jeans and Rasmus went to lay Irene on the bed.

Steven watched Rasmus and then nudged his elbow at Sean who was putting on the shirt before whispering, “you do know that’s a witch, right?”

Sean smiled just as Aliyah grabbed a dress from the wardrobe with her jaw now that he was done and disappeared from the room, using the open door to her advantage. “Yeah, but she is a good one.”

Steven shrugged, “so there are good kind of witches?”

Sean chuckled then and Rasmus walked over to them. “Rasmus, this is Steven, my friend, Steven, this is Rasmus, Prince Edward’s most trusted servant.”

Rasmus shook Steven’s hand before looking him directly in the eyes, “We can trust you, right?”

“I am already going out of my way doing this. If the High Alpha finds out that I am harboring you, he would more than take away my future alpha title.”

“About that, you still have your powers. I can sense them,” Sean said.

“Yeah, Alpha Damien was getting ready to prepare the ritual to take them off but the rogues had attacked and ever since then, he has a lot on his plate than just taking off my alpha powers. It doesn’t matter if I still have them, everyone knows I am not the future alpha anymore. And my future beta, well, my would have been future beta had insulted me and then walked out, never talked to me again.”

“I wouldn’t blame him, you never treated him nice,” Sean said.

“Yeah I know, I let the power get to my head the first few years of my life.”

“More like all your life,” Aliyah said then, walking back into the room.

Steven turned to her and a smile settled on his lips. Seeing his gaze, Aliyah frowned, “what now?” she asked.

“I just realized that the last time I saw you was that night that you were taken away by the Dark prince in the meadow,” he explained. “You know, after the fight with the Nebuzars and announcing to the whole pack that you are mates.”

“Yeah, I know the day you are talking about.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s nice seeing you again, too, I hope.”

Steven grinned, “you look beautiful pregnant.”

“Thanks,” she smiled.

However, Steven smile left his face as he sighed. “I um…I’m sorry for your loss.”

“It’s okay, I’m healing,” she smiled and walked over to the bed to sit beside Irene.

Sean sighed and turned to Steven, “it’s been hard on her.”

“I know,” Steven replied and Rasmus walked out of the room, probably to have a look around their surroundings. “What happened to the witch?”

“She got wounded trying to save us. We would never have gotten this far without her.”

Nodding, Steven asked, “what’s that about the Demon king?”

“That’s a long story, man,” Sean patted his shoulder and went to sit on the stool by the window.

Steven glanced around them jokingly and shrugged, “from the look of things, I think I have got time.”

Chuckling, Sean said, “then you might want to sit down because I am about to blow your mind.”

“Carry on,” Steven said, plopping on the floor without a care in the world, “you are the only ones I could trust with legit information about our world this time around.”

“And you got that right,” Sean said, as he began from the very beginning, the time of Dark prince and Princess Mariah just like Aliyah had told him, down to the mysterious woman that had attacked them in the human realm, putting Irene in the condition she was in now and how they were in the woods where he had found them. “So, that’s pretty much everything.”

Steven did nothing but sigh, his eyes going to Aliyah who did nothing but caress Irene’s face while ignoring them both. “After everything, you ended up being right Sean,” he turned to him, “the moon goddess really has a reason for mating them.”

“Told ya,” Sean replied.

“So, about the Demon king, Prince Edward is dead, why does he still want Aliyah, haven’t he gotten his revenge over his daughter’s death?”

“Sadly, that is one thing we don’t know till now. And since we don’t, we can’t let him have Aliyah, no matter what, the little Prince must be born. There must be something that have to do with them that would make that witch concoct those lies she had fed the high chiefs and high howlers which resulted to the death of Prince Edward.”

“You are right, it just doesn’t make sense now,” Steven nodded.

Rasmus entered the room again and his face was that of urgency, making Steven and Sean to stand on their feet immediately. “Your pack is under attack.”

“Fuck,” Steven said, running out of the room.