Chapter 4

Michael

"The hunters just killed alpha Morgan and his wife who's three months pregnant." I can hear the commotion inside the hall as Kayden's pack tracker is telling us what happened during the battle between Morgan's pack and the werewolf hunters. We are now in Kayden's pack, he is the alpha of the Black Shadow pack–the largest pack in North America and it's the only reason why we choose Kayden as the leader of the werewolf council. Werewolf council is basically just a group of alpha's all over North America and our main goal in this council is to create unity among us and also to aid our neighboring pack in case of hunters and rogue attacks. The werewolf council was founded decades ago when the fight for power was brewing between the werewolves, vampires, and witches. No one remembers what happened in the fight but rumor has it that Catalina–the most powerful witch alive at that time, used all of her powers to erase the memories of the werewolves, vampires, and the witches to stop the bloodbath that was bound to happen. Until now no one knows if that was true or if it was just a pure myth, because if it was indeed true then maybe Catalina wasn't that powerful as they claim and her spell has loopholes.

"Alpha Michael,"

"Michael." I immediately turned to face Lincoln when I heard him call my name.

"Hmm?" I hum.

"Alpha Kayden was asking you if what was your plan," Lincoln said causing me to raise my eyebrows at him. I noticed that almost everyone here in the hall was looking at me and it seems that they're waiting for me to say anything.

"How the fuck did the hunters kill Alpha Morgan?" I asked the tracker instead of telling Kayden what's my plan.

"The Raven clan orchestrated the attack with the help of other hunters and the rogues." The tracker responded and I couldn't help but clenched my fist when I heard him mention the rogues, the intense feeling of anger and hatred is slowly creeping into my body.

"What happened to the warriors that we sent to rescue them?" I asked the tracker again and for some unknown reason, the tracker suddenly took a deep breath, he look towards his alpha Kayden as if he's asking for help. Kayden just sparingly smiled at him and then tapped the tracker's shoulder trying to comfort him.

"Half of the warriors are dead and the rest are wounded," Kayden replied and I don't know what should I feel in this situation now. I've only met Morgan once in this very hall since he always sends his beta every time we have council meetings. The only thing I know is that Morgan is very protective of his wife to the point that he never leaves his wife alone. I can't help but curse as I tried to imagine the horror that Morgan and his wife whose only three months pregnant have faced from the hands of those sick hunters and feral rogues.

"What do you think should we do about this, Michael? We certainly cannot be complacent knowing that the hunters are working now with the rogues." Kayden suddenly asked me. I can feel his anger and grief over Morgan's death and it was obvious on his face, they're friends after all.

"Alpha Morgan has 57 pack members, all dead. They killed Morgan's wife and unborn child, clearly, they don't have even the tiniest moral left in them. I think it's high time that we play their game, let's stop locking the rogues in our cellar and feeding them as if they deserve it. I say we kill them all and hang their heads as a warning sign to the hunters and rogues that they shouldn't mess up with us. " I said in conviction and stared intently at Kayden to let him know that I am not joking around.

"Michael," Lincoln called my name for the second time and patted my back to get my attention.

"Hmm?"

"I think it's too much. If we kill all the rogues we have in the cellar, then what has become of us? We're no different from the hunters and the rogues then." Lincoln's said and base on the tone of his voice, it seems like he doesn't like my idea at all.

"What do you suggest then? Should we just sit and wait for the hunters and the rogues to attack our pack? No, I won't give those fuckers the satisfaction just because they managed to kill Morgan." I replied to Lincoln but he just look at me with a bored face and turns his gaze towards the other direction.

I just took a deep breath as I look intently at Lincoln, I was trying to talk to him through our mind-link but he just shut me off.

"Lincoln," I called his name.

"Are you really suggesting it for alpha Morgan and his pack? Or you're suggesting it for yourself?" Lincoln asked me and my body suddenly tense upon hearing his question.

"Don't push it, Lincoln," I replied to him emphatically and shut him off. I tried to focus on listening to what Kayden was talking about.

About three and a half hours later, the council meeting has ended and Lincoln and I were walking out of the hall. We were just ignoring each other as we walk towards the parking lot, no one wants to break the silence between us which is so fucking deafening. Even when we got into the car, he still didn't talk to me. I decided to just turn on the stereo because I don't want to listen to the deafening silence that circling between us. I was driving the car for a while now and Lincoln still didn't budge so I just open the window in the car and I can't help but smile meekly as the strong but fresh wind caress my cheeks.

"Stop doing that to yourself, Michael." Lincoln suddenly said breaking the silence between us. I turned off the stereo and look at him with a frown on my face.

"What do you mean? Stop exactly what?" I asked him with a confused face but Lincoln just raise his brow.

"What happened to mom and dad wasn't your fault, Michael."

"And what happened to Kylie on that day wasn't your fault, stop blaming yourself for something that you don't have control over, Michael," Lincoln said with a concerned tone of his voice. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel as I feel the rage I was feeling right now keeps on growing. I abruptly stopped the car in the middle of the road and look at Lincoln with an annoyed face.

"I said don't push it, Lincoln. I am not having this conversation with you." I said emphatically but he only raised an eyebrow at me.

"It's been two years, Michael. You need to move on and be the alpha that our pack needs." Suddenly my eyes darkened when I heard what he just said. I can't control myself anymore and out of rage, I pulled the sleeve of Lincoln's polo shirt and snarl at him angrily, but instead of getting scared at me he just fucking smirk at me.

"Then why don't you step up and be the alpha instead? You know that I am more than willing to step down and give the alpha title to you." I shouted in front of his face and pushed him causing his head to bumped on the window, he looks at me with teary eyes, he was hurt not because he bumped his head on the window but because of what I just said to him.

"You know that I never dreamed to be the alpha, Michael," Lincoln said softly and I saw the sadness reflecting in his eyes but it disappear immediately and was replaced by a blank expression. The anger I felt immediately subsided when I saw the sadness in his eyes.

Fuck! I messed this up big time, of course, Lincoln doesn't want to be an alpha. If there's one person who knows why Lincoln despises the idea of being an alpha, then it's me and I am such a prick for telling him to step up and be the alpha instead.

"I'm sorry," I sincerely apologize to my brother.

"It's okay, Michael," Lincoln replied and sparingly smiled at me. I just took a deep breath as I turned on the engine again and start driving, there is a deafening silence between us as we were on our way back to the pack house.