Andre’s POV
I was in a spare room in the house. Doran had left, and I was alone with the allies I had gathered.
“It means a lot to me that all of you are here and that you have decided to help with this battle.”
The Beta of thirteen packs I had allied with sat around the table and nodded as I spoke.
In front of us was a map of Elvis Pine and across were big X’s marking important landmarks and houses.
There was a large X over the site where Jonas’ house used to be and two more over the houses of the other Royal families.
“We have pulled down the house of Reiss, but I fear that his men have scattered and joined forces with the other Royal families.”
I tapped on the other two X’s, and the thirteen generals leaned forward.
“I did some digging, and we have realized that the house of Vadala has the biggest stronghold of the three Royal families. Her army is large because she makes it compulsory for all her wolves to go for training once they are of age.”
“So what you are saying,” one of the generals quipped in, ” is that everyone that lives within the house of Vadala territory is a warrior.”
“Exactly.”
There was a murmur around the table as well as heads turning to whisper to their colleagues.
I could sense the doubt. I had to find a way to rectify the situation.
“The house of Vadala might be a problem, but we shouldn’t worry. They are not stupid enough to send all their people to fight. We will only be dealing with a select few, probably the best warriors there, some of which are females.”
There was a loud murmur, and I saw a sly look ripple through the room. I was unimpressed.
“Let me make it clear. No fraternizing with the enemy. I expect that Lady Vadala will use her female warriors to her advantage. You can’t let your guard down by even a second. Sephora?”
Sephora stepped forward, decked in her leather armor and her hair in a high ponytail.
A few of the men gave her approving nods and smiles. I shook my head. Men would always be men, even in the face of danger.
Sephora felt the discomfort in the room, and Pierre moved to her side and gave an icy glare that silenced everyone.
I smiled; she smiled as well. She was really rubbing off on Pierre.
“Sephora?”
“I will make sure I slay every female warrior I come across.”
Her voice was cold and oozing with blood lust. The stares of admiration slowly turned to ones of fear. Pierre smiled.
“Good. That is the kind of attitude that we need to have,” I encouraged.
A general leaned forward and pointed to the other red X.
“And what’s here?” He asked.
“The House of Rios was third in the hierarchy when we considered the full might of Jonas’ family.”
“Any perks that we should know about them?”
I shook my head.
“Nothing important at the moment. They are easily bossed around by the other two Royal families.”
There was a slight murmur as everyone in the room considered what I had said.
There were a few nods and whispers of affirmation. I knew that I had thoroughly convinced them that we could win.
“Where is your Beta, Alpha Andre?” One of the generals asked curiously.
I smirked.
“How do you think I got the information?” I said with a smirk. “He is doing recon and is feeding us information.”
They all seemed impressed, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Thank you all once again for being part of this. You won’t regret the outcome of this war. The Goddess will guide us, and we will be victorious.”
There was a cheer in the room, and a wave of my hand motioned for silence.
“I also understand that this war will be heavy on some pockets so I am settling the expense for all the necessities required by all our men. My assistant, Pierre, will help us stock up on supplies. So would you please kindly follow him and he will get you all briefed on the finances of this entire operation.”
I saw Pierre’s face harden as all eyes turned to him. He was going to have to face the men who made eyes at his girl a few minutes ago.
I wasn’t worried, though. I knew that he was fully capable of keeping them all in line.
“Follow me, please,” he said coldly, and they all stood up and trooped behind him.
Sephora and I watched them disappear into another room, the door closing gently behind them.
“Alpha?”
My attention turned to Sephora. Her face was grave, and I could see worry written all over it.
“Is there a problem?” I asked her gently
She looked hesitant, but she soon eased up.
“Forgive me, but I didn’t hear you talk about a strategy for this battle.”
I looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and she was urged to talk a bit more.
“Sir, Jonas and the rest of the Royal families know where we are. We have lost the element of surprise. They can spring up on us at any time.”
I saw the concern in her eyes but I couldn’t help but break into a smile.
“Well, we will use it to our advantage. The generals and I already discussed this.”
She looked offended that I left her out of such an important meeting. I couldn’t blame her, so I gave her a briefing.
“Behind this building, there is a space wide enough for a battle. We have decided to camp there when the time is right. But all routes leading there will be cluttered with traps. We are leaving no stone unturned. One of the Beta’s is a master in traps and he has volunteered to help us create the stealthiest ones. We will bait the Royal families to us.”
Sephora smiled warmly at me.
“I am honored to serve you, Alpha.”
Her eyes glistened with tears of gratitude.
“I can’t imagine how much all of this is costing you. Your companies are really pumping a whole lot of money to find all this.”
I looked at her with a raised brow.
“Who told you this?”
Her face went pink, and she stuttered, fear eclipsing her warm smile and gratitude.
“I… I… I… forgive me. Pierre and I were talking about it last night.”
She lowered her head, but my anger sizzled away.
“Pierre cares deeply about you. I’m happy that he has you.”
She raised her head and smiled.
“Thank you. I will protect him with my life.”
“I know you will.”
“Alpha, I have one more question,” Sephora added as she approached the door. “What will happen to Olivia? Where will we keep her? We are going to hide her from the battle, right?”
My heart skipped a beat. I hadn’t thought about it yet.