Lucy’s POV
When fear struck, it was like ice, running throughout your whole body, making it hard to think, to feel, and even to move. But this fear that I felt wasn’t for what was currently happening. No, it was for the fear that was to come soon. “What’s happening? Why are all the packs threatened?”
“There’s no time to get into too much detail, but not too long ago, I and a few others accidentally stumbled across a rogue camp not too far away from where we settled to rebuild Bloodbath. At first, I just assumed that they were ordinary rogues, but as time went on, I came to the understanding that there was nothing ordinary about them.”
“They could speak, couldn’t they?” I asked, hopeful that she would agree, and at the same time scared of that very same hope.
Rosa nodded. “Yes. How’d you know”
“Because when we were in Moonstruck, the pack was attacked by one of them. And there happened to be someone who had also run into them, almost losing her life in the process,” I offered, already feeling some kind of exhaustion building inside my bones. “I saw them too with my own eyes, and it was a sight I will never forget.”
Rosa’s eyes went hard as she recalled the information she was to pass across. “They call themselves the Shadow Howl. I don’t know who their leader is, and it’s unlikely that I will at this point because not too long after our first encounter with them, they disappeared from that place where we had seen them. But, they kept referencing themselves using that name.”
“The Shadow Howl.” I tasted the name on my tongue, and if they had been going for a sinister name, they had succeeded. “What do they plan to do, and what is the reason for their attacks?”
“Their main aim seems to be about dominating the packs, from what I learnt, but I couldn’t gain further information from them before my group and I had to leave the place because they found out they were being watched.” She sighed. “I know that this information doesn’t look like a lot, but from what we saw, these rogues are ruthless, and if the attacks that have happened are any indication, I believe it’s important for every pack to take up arms. Some of my people lost theur lives in that attempt, and I don’t want things to get worse. Bloodbath remains very vulnerable, but somehow we have managed to not have suffered any attacks.” She brushed some of her hair out of her face ans behind her ear, which had a new metallic piercing that was neither silver nor gold. “I know not when they’ll strike next, but when and if they manage to, it will be completely devastating. I can just feel it.”
“Thank you for telling me this, Rosa. You risked your life to come all the way here. At least stay the night.”
But she was already shaking her head. “I can’t. My people-our people-need me. Rationing food has been difficult recently, since we’re trying to be cautious with our hunting, so I have to be there soon so that I can stop people from fighting themselves over meals.”
I nodded. “I understand. I’m much more certain now that selecting you to act as Luna in my stead was the best decision I could have made,” I said proudly, patting her slender shoulder. “I will give all the information you have just told me to the triplets. They will likely know what next we have to do to protect ourselves.”
Appearing content with herself she got up to her feet and threw the hood of her coat over her head. “It was wonderful seeing you again, Lucy. I hope we get to see more on the basis of better circumstances.”
I smiled. “I hope so too.”
And just as suddenly as she had come, she left, leaving me with the news of impending doom and a lingering cloud of poisoned anticipation.
This was exactly the kind of information that we had been seeking since we were in Moonstruck, and now, it had simply fallen into my lap out of nowhere.
I went back inside to find Shaun and break the news to him.
Back upstairs in my room, I saw that Tessa was no longer there. Shaun told me that she had gone off to see her friends, and he didn’t need to even complete the statement before I remembered Reed and the other boys. I had to check up on them soon as well.
I drew my mind out of those thoughts and took a seat on my bed, looking up at Shaun, who was clearly waiting for me to tell him who had been looking for me.
“It was Rosa, Shaun,” I said.
“Oh, that’s . . . interesting.” He observed the look on my face and came to join me on the bed, taking my hand. “Are you okay?”
“After what she told me, no, I’m not. And I don’t think anyone will be as well.”
“Lucy, please, just tell me what’s going on. What’s ruined your mood?”
And so I relayed the information I had gotten from Rosa, making sure to leave no details behind.
“So now, we have to make plans on how to protect the packs, Shaun. Rosa wouldn’t have come all the way here to tell me about this if it wasn’t important.”
The news I had passed on seemed to carry something that demanded seriousness from all who heard it. Shaun immediately became very serious as my words sank in.
After a little while of silence, he lurched to his feet, and ran his hand through his hair. “If this is true, then all pack leaders have to be made aware.”
I watched him pace the room, feeling as the wheels in his head turned. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to call an urgent meeting tomorrow where all the pack leaders must be present.”
–
The next day came in a flash, and the general assembly became a reality. In less than twelve hours after Shaun dutifully sent out invites to all packs, they arrived in Moongrowl, prepared to have a meeting that could very well dictate the future of us all.
I saw a few familiar faces, but most of the people who came were complete strangers. Alphas came with their Lunas, although there were exceptions who didn’t have partners, like the pack from the northwest, which was led by a young man no older than I was.
Since Moongrowl was seen as the currently safe territory, its selection as the host pack was a strategic choice that the triplets came up with.
Shaun had also vaguely mentioned something about us getting married at that time, as we had put it off for far too long, and no one knew what the next day was going to bring. The news brought me equal parts joy and anxiety, because for some reason, I just felt that things weren’t going to go as planned.
Shaun welcomed the visitors as they settled down inside the venue for the meeting. His deep voice carried over the walls, echoing slightly. As he stood before them, I felt a little sense of pride that I could call him mine unabashedly, and that I no longer had to hide because I had gained so much more confidence in who I was, and the strength that I carried.
Pack leaders weren’t the only ones that came for the general assembly, some of them also came with their children and relatives, likely for transparency reasons, or to show the upcoming leaders how such events went. Either way, we had more visitors than we had anticipated. But Shaun took it all in stride, addressing them all with confidence that could only belong to those who were true leaders.
After we expressed pleasantries, we had to delve into the main issue of the day. The Shadow Howl and their plans.
Someone’s hand touched my shoulder, and I turned to see Rosa, who was dressed differently than she had the day before. The warmth pouring out from her body, and her active breathing indicated that she just came inside.
I reached behind to touch her hand, pleasantly surprised. “Rosa? What are you doing here?”
“I heard about the meeting, and I knew I just had to be here. I couldn’t stay back when I knew that this was going to be discussed.”
Some people behind us were getting agitated since she was standing in their line of sight. I offered a quick apology and patter the empty seat beside me. It was Shaun’s, but I doubted he’d mind since he was the ine going to be overseeing the meeting.
With a quickly worded thanks, she settled in beside me and together, we started to watch the meeting as it fully began.
As Shaun got to the main point of the meeting, and relayed to those present the state of things regarding the rogues, people started to voice their discontent.
“How do we even know that this information is true?” One man asked, rising to his feet. He had short hair and a very visible scar running down the side of his face. “What is the guarantee that this isn’t just sime ruse to get our attention from the real problem?”
“At this point if the rogues don’t get to us, the lack of belief will,” Rosa whispered as her eyes scanned the room. Something about her had changed. The Rosa I grew up with was very calm and soft-hearted, but this woman beside me had a new energy about her. Calculating and strategic.
“He’s just telling them what they need to know,” I said, watching the conversation unfolding between the man and Shaun.
“I have a reliable source,” said Shaun. “It’d be best if we start to pool our resources together, so that we can obtain the best outcome possible . . .”
I got distracted when Rosa kept looking around the hall as though she was looking for someone or something. “What’s the matter?”
She looked around again before taking my hand. “Come with me, there was something I noticed when I was coming here, and I wanted to show you so that I can be sure if it’s nothing to worry about.”
“Okay, lead the way. Just let me put on my shoes first.” I reached down to properly wear my shoes, which I had removed earlier because they were a little tight and kept putting pressure on the balls of my feet. Exactly the reason why I usually avoided high heels.
When I finished putting on the shoes, I made hand gestures to signal to Shaun, who at that moment had glanced in my direction, that I wouldn’t take long before coming back. He nodded slightly in my direction before focusing on the man asking questions once again.
I followed after Rosa quickly. We headed out of the hall and went past the stairs, heading towards the highest level of the villa.
“Where are we going?” I asked her as we reached the topmost floor.
She pulled me to the edge of the hall at the other end of the stairs, where there was a small, round opening in the wall that was solely there for the purpose of letting in light-or stray birds. It was just as big as an adult’s head.
She looked out of it quickly, before calling me over. Her voice dropped by a decibel, becoming more serious. “You should come and see this, Lucy.”