Alex’s pov:
It was close to 6 pm when Alpha Kade arrived. He came with his third-in-command and a couple of warriors. And he was the first one out of the two allies.
Jade was slightly stiff, as she stood next to me, while we welcomed him onto our land.
His hazel eyes weren’t guarded, as I would have expected them to be. On the contrary, he sported an easy smile and gave me a sideways hug.
“Always been a hugger,” I let out teasingly.
“It is good to see you, alpha Alexander,” he began in a nostalgic tone of voice, before focusing his gaze on my beautiful mate, “You must be his Luna.”
“I am indeed,” she offered him a little bit of an awkward smile. “Welcome to the pack.”
“Thank you,” he said, observing her for a moment longer than I appreciated, before telling me, “You’re in quite the situation, Xander.”
“Let’s take this to my office,” I said at once with a small smile.
His third-in-command followed us to the office whereas Jade, Eli and Tyler spoke to the warriors, who were handling the luggage and whatnots.
Luc, who had been arranging papers, soon proceeded to explain the situation in a flat tone, “As you know, our beloved Luna is a born healer, and that seems to be creating tension already among the packs. Crimson Moon Pack, the luna’s former pack, is already making threats. Midnight Moon Pack is making preparations but has yet to issue any kind of threat, though that’s not necessarily a good thing.”
“Agreed,” Kade let out in a pensive tone.
“Crimson Moon Pack is not of a consequent threat considering the distance. If they were coming, you’d know it,” Mason, his third-in-command, went on, “On the other hand, Midnight Moon Pack is a neighboring pack, and that could pose a problem.”
“Absolutely,” I declared matter-of-factly. “I had sent a missive to the Alpha King the moment I realized that Jade was a born healer, but we didn’t receive any reply.”
“That’s concerning,” Mason sighed, even as his eyebrows shot up into his hairline.
I debated over telling them everything, but then reasoned that since they were willing to risk everything by being my allies, they deserved to know the whole truth. Besides, Trevor’s absence was bound to raise questions.
“Trevor, my third-in-command, is on his way there as we speak,” I announced after a beat. “Considering the situation, I couldn’t go there myself, but we’re hoping for some kind of answer this time around.”
“Amen to this,” Kade let out with a small smile.
“We have also gotten word that the traitor who escaped has joined the Midnight Moon Pack,” Luc added almost in an afterthought.
Indeed, the Stevens brat had decided to go all out, instead of laying low.
“Have you tried negotiating with the Midnight Moon Pack?” Kade then asked, tilting his head to the side ever so slightly.
I shook my head negatively, “My efforts were in vain. The alpha was so courteous that his animosity was masked, but not completely.”
“Admittedly, it’s hard not to covet a born healer,” Kade then nodded before letting out a sigh.
Soon, as we continued discussing the current situation, there was a knock on the door, and I let out a “Come in.”
Jade opened the door, and soon Alpha Ian and his beta appeared behind her. We rose to our feet, welcoming him in. It was also known that no alpha liked to have someone tower over them… it made them vulnerable to attacks. No matter if this was an amical setting, old habits died hard.
After bumping fists with us, Ian settled into a nearby chair, and announced, “You have a lovely mate.”
“Indeed I do. I am lucky to call her mine,” was my response, while my gaze followed Jade out of the office, till she closed the door behind her with a soft clicking sound.
“So what did I miss?” Ian asked after a moment.
Luc explained the situation once again, as patiently as ever, while the alpha and beta listened with rapt attention, keeping their input for when he was done.
“You are in a tricky position,” Ian let out after a beat. “On the plus side, seeing as the village is for werewolves only, you can gather allies without humans getting triggered. On the down side, if war were to break out unexpectedly, there would be basically no stopping it, till someone emerged victorious.”
“Agreed,” Kade nodded at once, his hazel eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
“I know,” I assured them. “The pack has always had to make it work around this.”
“We are aware, alpha Alexander, but fighting off rogues or vampires isn’t quite the same as fighting off a couple of packs or more.”
“Absolutely,” I nodded, “and that is why you’re here. We need to talk about strategy.”
“True,” Kade let out. “But before that, I must say that I am famished, and I don’t work well on an empty stomach.”
I didn’t hesitate to mind-link Jade at that, and she was quick to tell me that everything was ready for the visitors’ dinner.
“Let us head to the dining room,” I announced, a faint smirk on my face.
“That was quick,” Kade let out in a joking tone of voice.
“Naturally, we were prepared for your arrival,” I chuckled.
If only we had been prepared for what was soon going to unfold.