Asher watched the dozens of his subordinates gather before him. From his high pedestal, he looked at them.
They all had curious looks, some had faces of awe. After all, it had been a while since they were able to witness his person. None of them knew of his scandal with Camilla, since it was contained, but it was soon going to be revealed by the council anyway.
‘I want to trust them… I wish I could tell them everything…’ Asher contemplated within.
His eyes darted to Dax, who stood in front of all of them, staring loyally at him. Damien was also by the side, showing his status as the 3rd highest position within the pack.
Since the majority of warriors were under his jurisdiction, it was only natural that the Gamma would be present.
No, there was no way it would be Dax. It wasn’t just his emotions speaking, but years of relationships he had built with his best friend and brother-in-law.
“I greet you all, werewolves of the Rockwood Pack.” He finally declared, gathering the attention of everyone present in an instant.
Immediately, they all gave cheers in response.
A smile formed on Asher’s face. He had missed this.
“This night, you would be sent as envoys to deliver a very important message throughout Oregon woods. You will pass a message across to the Alphas of each Pack, as well as the Royal residence of the previous Wolf King.” He stated.
This generated silence among everyone. They all hardened their faces and hearkened to his voice.
“The message is simple. There shall be an assembly right here, on my Alpha summit. They must all be present before the moon falls tomorrow. For at that time, I will reveal my decision to the entire Pack, no, to the whole Werewolf community…”
Asher paused for a few moments, taking in the silence he loved so much, then proceeded to the final statement.
“… I shall reveal my mate to everyone, the choice I have made!”
Confused expressions broke out of a few members, but none of them said anything.
“Dax, separate them into five squads. The first four will be sent to the respective packs within Oregon woods, while the last will be stationed at every corner of the village to watch and welcome the guests as they arrive tomorrow. As for you, you’ll personally deliver my message to the previous Wolf King, Klaus, while Damien will organize the group that will be welcoming our guests tomorrow.”
Dax nodded instantly, same with Damien.
“And as a final statement, I say this… it’s good to be see your faces. I’m grateful for your service.” Asher smiled.
This caused even greater confusion among the gathered warriors, but they didn’t dare speak. Instead, they bowed their heads to show subservience to their Alpha.
“That is all. Dismissed.”
They all stood uniformly, and Dax called them to him in order to designate roles to them. Damien took his squad and made for their location faster than everyone else, leaving the rest with the Beta.
Asher watched everything from afar and observed even till the tiniest detail.
‘No… the culprit isn’t here. None of them are guilty…’
These people were the closest to the information network, so it only made sense that the mastermind was in their midst. However, Asher trusted his senses more than suspicions or theories, so he was certain that they were innocent.
‘If they’re not here, then how are they-?!’
Suddenly, Asher’s eyes widened as he realized what could have happened.
‘Werewolf art… Link to be precise.’
At this point, nothing surprised Asher anymore. Usually, it would be impossible for anyone to possess Werewolf arts unless they were from royal lineage. However, there was no other feasible explanation.
If it was the case, then there was no one he could confide in within the village, not even Dax. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them, but they were all targets before the Art of ‘Link’.
“This is more complicated than I thought…” He whispered.
Still, Asher was just getting started.
It didn’t take Dax very long to assign the roles of every werewolf around, and after he was done, they all left.
It was only Dax and Asher that were left in the summit, with Asher seated on the cool rock as Dax approached him slowly.
“What’s on your mind?”
Asher was roused from his thoughts by his best friend’s voice.
He was tempted to just open his mouth and divulge everything to Dax. However, doing so would definitely not bode well on the long run, die to the culprit hiding in their midst.
So, instead of spilling what troubled him, Asher merely shrugged.
“Are you really going to be cold like that, Asher? You disappeared for days, and I had to clean up after you. Now you’re back and you won’t even talk to me?” Dax queried.
His role as Beta had been fulfilled, now he had to talk to his friend on equal grounds.
“Its nothing, Dax. You’ll see everything tomorrow…” Asher managed to speak.
“That’s it?”
Dax was surprised that Asher was behaving in such a way to him. However, he still had to pursue the matter. He wasn’t giving up so easily.
“At least tell me why you left… you owe me that much!”
Dax was right. However…
“Dax, I can’t… I just really want to be alone right now.” Asher responded coldly.
Dax’s eyes bulged, looking at Asher, who had turned his face and directly faced him. As both friends locked eyes together, there was silence for a few moments, coupled by the howling of the night wind.
“I see… very well then. You can have your alone time.” Dax smiled, displaying a hurt and betrayed expression.
Asher didn’t attempt to apologize or correct a misconception. There was no use. He merely just watched Dax look at him with an unbelievable look in his eyes, and not the good way.
“I’ll have to take my leave, then. I should hurry and deliver your message to the Wolf King.” Dax mumbled, turning away as he walked.
After traveling a shirt distance, he paused and looked behind him, only to see Asher’s face already gazing longingly into the darkness of night.
“Huu… this had better work.” He heaved a sigh.
Dax disappeared from sight, leaving him once again alone on the summit. His mind traveled to how eventful everything would be the next day.
It would be the final showdown! Just what manner of madness was bound to ensue?
“Come, you vultures… I’ll give you what you want!”
Larry stood in the corner as he watched the warriors descend from the Alpha summit one after the other. At this point the noises in their heads had gone down by a considerable amount, allowing him to read their minds.
Of course he was pretending to be inconspicuous, chopping up wood, while watching them and hearing their thoughts.
With this, he didn’t miss a single person, and managed to get quite the amount of information.
“He’s being a little impatient, that Asher. What a dark horse, nearly unpredictable.” He whispered to himself, bringing his axe down as it cut the wood apart in a single strike.
‘Well, it’s fine. Even if it’s tomorrow, nothing will go wrong. It’s just going to be bringing me a few days closer to my goals. There’s no ay I’ll fail.’
Dropping his axe, while stretching his arms, he noticed Dax coming down from the summit, looking annoyed and severely hurt. He scoured his mind and found out the cause. A smile formed on his face.
Everything was indeed going as planned.
“God is on my side!”