Dax did as his Alpha instructed and gathered the workforce in no time. Some were perplexed by the absurdity of his summon, some were even more surprised that it was Asher that was personally calling for them.
After his inactivity for a while, the wolves were curious as to what their leader wanted to say. Some were excited, some nervous, some indifferent. Still, they all answered the call and gathered at the Alpha’s summit.
Amid of the commotion, Larry watched from the shadows. He narrowed his eyes, a little displeased by the events that he witnessed. Trying to read minds in such a rowdy area was impossible.
“Too much noise…” He whispered.
Even he had his limits.
Still, he wondered what they were all riled up about. Usually, Larry would just ask, but the appearance on their faces and their frantic attempt to reach the Alpha’s peak left a sour taste in his mouth.
“What’s going on?”
Larry was an Omega, so most of the information the higher ranked werewolves received was not accessible by him. He would often resort to his mind-reading Art and his cunning to gain information, though this time both proved to be no good.
Even his werewolf senses weren’t helpful, as all Larry got were distorted and mixed sounds from the dozens of werewolves that dashed. In the first place, it wasn’t as though he had exceedingly great senses as a Werewolf. He was merely an Omega, after all.
“Larry!” One of the other Omegas rushed toward him, panting heavily as he ran.
The boy was one of his closest allies, and another source of his information.
“What’s going on, Gary?” Larry asked, going straight to the point.
The boy wheezed as he finally reached his destination, squatting before the other Omega. Gary was one who lived with his uncle, aunt and cousins. His mother dies while giving birth to him, and his father left the Pack when he was still young.
Ever since he was little, he grew up with his extended family. However, he never once felt like he belonged. Why? Because unlike them, he was frail.
His uncle was a high ranking member of the Gamma squad, the warriors of the Pack. His aunt was a proper guardian, and his two cousins had also joined the warriors, doing well in their regiment respectively.
However, Gary was not cut out for any of that. Both his parents were Omegas, and it appeared he had inherited their genes. Having no talent for excessive labor due to his weak physiology, Gary often ran mild errands and did laundry.
This built a complex in Gary, causing him to give into low-self esteem, while cursing his powerlessness. Larry heard the inner cries of this boy and decided to take advantage of it, shaping him into the perfect tool.
Gary was one of Larry’s most indispensable comrades. Since he was living with such established members of the Pack, Gary was privy to information that Larry didn’t have access to. The perfect spy!
The fact that Gary ran to meet him meant the situation was dire.
“It’s… it’s an emergency summon of all the warriors and guardians. They’re all to report to the Alpha summit.” He said, looking worried.
“An emergency summon? Why? What’s happening?” Larry asked, still confused about the whole thing.
“I’m not really sure, since I didn’t hear anything and my parents were in a hurry… but, apparently it’s an order from the Alpha.”
Larry’s eyes bulged the moment he heard the final statement Gary made.
“A-Alpha?! Did you just say… Alpha?” Larry repeated himself.
Gary nodded innocently, failing to take note of Larry’s change in expression. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he was too exhausted to mind Larry’s face, or he was simply clueless.
Larry’s body trembled slightly, feeling a mix of frustration and fear. He gritted his teeth in annoyance and clenched his fists.
‘This isn’t supposed to happen… not yet! What’s the meaning of this…?!’ His mind rang.
“I figured it was important news, so I rushed to tell you.” Gary continued.
Larry quickly pulled himself together and smiled at his young pawn. He had to pull himself together. After all, to the powerless and weak Omegas, he was their champion and hope. There was no way he could show them even a speck of weakness.
“I see…” Larry muttered, stroking his chin.
The situation was certainly unexpected. To think something so unprecedented would occur this far down the line.
“He’s supposed to still be searching for Roxanne, though. The time limit hasn’t even been exhausted yet.” Larry thought aloud, ignoring Gary’s confused gaze.
“… Thank you, Gary. I’ll take it from here.”
Upon seeing the reassuring grin of his leader, he nodded and returned the gesture. Running back to the warm cottage he left behind, Gary took to his heels and disappeared from sight.
“Something’s off… Asher isn’t supposed to be here. I made sure to ensure that both he and Rita wouldn’t be here. Does that mean… noz that can’t be. There’s no way he would find her so easily. Even if her did, she should be able to come back with him…” Larry whispered to himself.
After the whole experience with the Hunters, Roxanne was meant to have suffered a form of trauma and self-blame, allowing her to refuse assistance and association from the Werewolf community. Plus, she had her thing going for her already.
Asher couldn’t have brought her with him. If he did, then his plans would have a massive hole in it, one he would most likely suffer from. Then why was he back?
‘Did he give up already? No, that’s not like Asher… he still has time…’
Larry bit his nails as he was lost in thought.
Had he perhaps… already gotten wind of the fact that a traitor was among the members of the pack? Larry had made sure he didn’t leave any concrete reason for anyone to suspect him, or even anyone around for that matter.
Then, if he didn’t, was it someone else? Was there someone in cahoots with Asher, assisting him from the shadows? Larry examined every possibility.
“No, I’m just overthinking things…” He finally sighed.
Larry had a plan. It was flawless. A little changes here and there wasn’t going to threaten the entire thing.
“He’s not with Roxanne… if that’s the case, and he’s back already, then it won’t be long anymore… it’s nearly time.” He smiled to himself.
Camila’s role would soon come. Then there was Klaus, and the members of the council. While they weren’t directly being manipulated by him, except Camilla, Larry had ensured that they all followed a script. One that would make him Alpha of the Rockwood Pack.
He had come too far to relent now.
“No matter what… I’ll win!”