Nicklaus’s POV
I was resting in the garden when Martins called, and I quickly switched to a video call. “I miss my home so much,” I said, looking at my mansion through the video call.
“Tell me everything,” he urged.
“The war is still ongoing, and many pack members are losing hope, claiming you abandoned them.”
“What? That’s not true at all. I would never do such a thing,” I replied, but deep down, I knew I had failed my pack as their alpha. Now that I had my mate and daughter, I would return to protect them.
“The elders refused to have a meeting with me. They insisted on meeting with you. I tried to convince them, but they were adamant.”
“I hate doing this. Call for the meeting and project me on a large screen. I’ll head to the woods now.”
“Alright, Alpha, but there’s a rumor spreading here that you left your pack because of a woman.” I ended the call and felt a surge of frustration, destroying a chair in front of me.
“Easy, Nate. The chair isn’t the source of your problems,” Lethal cautioned.
“Lethal, am I a womanizer? Did I forget my responsibilities to my pack because of a woman?”
“Why would you say such a thing? She’s our mate, and it’s our responsibility to protect her and the pack. The search took time, but now everything is set. We can return home and set things right. With our mate, the pack will be stronger.”
“Gabby is still an omega. I don’t want her involved in this war. I lost her once, and I don’t want to lose her again.”
“We won’t lose her. That’s certain.”
“Do you think there’s a spy among us?”
“I can’t tell, but word travels quickly. Let’s hope the meeting goes well. Also, we need to inform our mate that we need to return home soon.”
“I’ll do that when Martins is back. If we’re going to return home, we need a plan. We can’t just return without a strategy to reclaim our territory from the Black Moon Pack and Silver Moon Pack. We need to conquer as the Blood Moon Pack.”
I stood in the woods, my claws out. “What kind of fate is this?” I muttered.
“They’re here,” I received a text from Martins. I quickly opened a video call app for the meeting, and everyone was present. “Greetings, Alpha Nate.”
“Greetings, everyone. You all wanted to speak with me. Feel free to talk,” I said, granting them the floor.
“It’s been a long time, Alpha Nate. It’s been months since you abandoned your pack.”
“Is it true that you left your responsibilities for a woman? You’ve been gone for a while, leaving your beta and a few selected members to cover for you.”
“Watch your tongue, Elder Wilson. I’m still your alpha, and I won’t allow you to speak to me like that.”
“Or what? Will you have your beta tear out my heart? A pack crumbles when its leader abandons it for too long. Everything happening now started because of you. You have a choice to make-clean up this mess by winning the war and reclaiming the territories taken by the Black Moon Pack and Silver Moon Pack. If they succeed in taking the last ten territories and our businesses, the Blood Moon Pack is finished. You must either return or relinquish your title and stay with a woman. The decision is yours now.”
I was speechless, feeling the world tremble. It seemed there was nothing I could do.
“How dare you suggest the alpha dropping his title? Are you trying to sow discord in this meeting?” Martins tried to defend me.
“Enough. Let him talk,” I interrupted. “Elder Wilson, you’re right. Each one of you is right. This is my decision, effective immediately: Send more troops to protect the remaining territories. Inform the pack that I’ll be returning with my mate and daughter. We’ll have a wedding ceremony and perform the ritual for our new Luna. When everything is done, the war with the Silver Moon Pack will likely end. A father won’t harm his own daughter when he learns she’s the new Luna.”
I ended the call and texted Martins to return when the first order was carried out. “Are you out of your mind? Using our mate to settle a war?” Lethal shouted.
“What do you expect me to do? Besides, I’m not using her. I’m marrying her because I love her.”
“You’re risking your daughter too? Now everyone will know you have a daughter, and your enemies will strike and keep striking until they win. Where’s the real Alpha Nate?” He ended the conversation, and in my anger, I shifted into a huge gray wolf.