Ethan
I wasn’t going to sit here all day wallowing in self-pity. She may not know that I’m here but she was counting on me and I wasn’t going to disappoint. I didn’t care that she’d left me, I didn’t care that she had crossed enemy lines and I didn’t care that she was with him. Adea was my mate, my Luna, and my Queen. I was going to take her home and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Not any of these pathetic excuses for warriors and definitely not that waste of space who thought he was an Alpha now.
Disregarding my fears as much as possible, I pushed the thoughts are far back as I could, I ignored the painful pang in my chest and the possibility that she wouldn’t want me. Looking to the skies, I impatiently watched the sun as it slowly started to set over the horizon. The cool breeze that only night could bring was melting into the hot humid air of the day.
The closer the sun got to the horizon the more anxious I became. My Beta was supposed to be here by sundown but I couldn’t mind-link him, which told me he was too far out. On top of that, I hadn’t received an update in over an hour. Time was ticking and I needed to figure out the best course of action if I didn’t hear back from Odis by the time the sun disappeared.
There were only two choices to consider. The first one would probably be the smartest choice. I could wait here for him and hope that he arrives before sunrise. I knew Odis would disagree with the second choice but right now, it sounded like the best one. I could go in first and when he shows up, he shows up.
One thing I knew for sure is that I would not stand idly by while I miss the most opportune moment to strike. I was guessing that these were the only warriors he had up and actively guarding.
The guards have been shifting from one foot to the other. They haven’t had any breaks and I was starting to doubt that there would be a shift change. Not once did I see anyone making rounds around the pack territory. They were lazy and they were getting tired.
The phone on the dash started vibrating violently as if demanding my attention. Leaning forward, I swiped it up, Odis was calling. Relief washed over me as I answered it, and held it to my ear.
“Alpha Ethan.”
“Thank fuck, Odis. Where are you? Why aren’t you here yet? Report.”
“Apologizes. There was a minor setback and we were delayed. It took a bit but I sorted it out and we are now leaving the packhouse with the warriors.”
“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath. “That’s why you called.”
“Yes, Alpha. We are still out of reach.”
“Dammit Odis,” I groaned.
“I apologize, Alpha. We are headed your way, going as fast as possible. We are driving, I wanted them to conserve their energy.”
“Yes, that’s fine. What do our numbers look like?” I asked.
“Thanks to the Deltas we gathered a little over two hundred of our warriors. That includes the new recruits. Did you scope them out? How many guards are stationed around the territory?” Odis asked.
“Yeah, there are sixty at the border. I’ve been running around this pack all day. I didn’t find any guards stationed on the borderline around the territory but at the back, I found eighty warriors. I can’t say anything about the inside but right now we’re looking at a total of about one hundred and forty enemy warriors.”
“We can work with those numbers. We have a man on the inside, if you linked Luna, we could get an idea of whether there are soldiers stationed inside or not,” Odis said.
“No. We are not mind-linking her.”
“I think that would be a poor decision on our part,-”
“I’ll make the decisions when it comes to her, Beta.” I couldn’t help the threatening growl that escaped.
“Understood. As I mentioned earlier, we are going as fast as possible and will be there as soon as possible. Our best move would be to hit from the middle. They would be expecting us to hit at the front.”
“I’m not waiting. I’m going in as soon as the sun goes down.”
“Alpha,” Odis started. I already knew what he was going to say.
“Don’t start, Beta. I can’t wait for you.”
“Alpha, I don’t think-”
“If I wanted your opinion on this matter, I would ask.”
“As your Beta, it is my job to help you in the decisions you make as the Alpha of Desert Moon. I’m the brains of this operation and I suggest waiting for us to arrive.”
“You won’t be here for a few hours! I can’t wait that long. I’ve already been waiting all day.”
“What are a few more hours?” Odis asked.
“I can’t. The troops stationed at their border are tired. I need to attack now, while they’re unaware. I have the element of surprise on my side.”
“And you will still have it if you wait for us. What are you going to do if they capture you before we arrive? What if they take you out? I can’t help you if I’m not there.”
“They’ll have to catch me first, won’t they?” I asked. The line was quiet and I knew I was pissing him off.
“I’ll link you when we’re close.”
Without another word, I ended the call just in time to watch as the sun dipped under the horizon. Night had finally fallen and I turned from the skies. I stared toward Half Moon, my body came alive with anticipation. The time had finally come. If Odis was so scared, he would have to hurry. Blood would spill today and I was going to bathe in it.