Chapter 012

Roman POV:

“This is bad,” Jacob said, his expression grim. I'd called for a meeting with him and Julian, and had just finished explaining the situation of things.

Julian unfolded his arms and pushed himself off the wall. “You think?”

My Gamma frowned, and I could see that he terribly wanted to punch him, but he kept a stoic face and focused on me. “Can I see the note?”

Wordlessly, I pulled it out of a file and showed him. His expression turned grimmer still.

“Shit.”

I nodded. “Shit is real.”

In the corner, Julian let out a snort. Jacob and I ignored him.

“What do you have in mind, Alpha?”

I rubbed my chin. “I have an idea of who these people are, but I'm not sure. Have you heard of the Crimson Wolves?”

He furrowed his brows and then released them. “They're the ones rumored to have killed the last national pack chairman, yes?”

I nodded, slightly impressed. “They are. But that's not all there is to them. They’ve been known to head assassination attempts in various packs around America, and they've infiltrated human societies, too. Most of the time, they don't mind attention, but if they lie low like this, turning rogues to bounty hunters, it most likely means they don't want this to be traced to them.”

He looked puzzled. “How does this relate to you?”

“He’s the Alpha of one of the most powerful packs in the district,” Julian snarled behind us. “If they are unwilling to expose themselves, then it means they're giving someone else assistance. Someone else wants to kill him and has required their help.”

“Precisely,” I said, retrieving the note from him and placing it back into the file. “That means we're targeting two sets of people.”

“What if-” Jacob paused for a moment. “What if someone else is using their usual method of concealment to frame them?”

I raised a brow, curious. “How do you mean?”

“If many of the Alphas are aware of the methods the Crimson Wolves act, they'd suspect them whenever such a method is attempted. But what if someone else is using that thought process against them, and the Crimson Wolves are not involved at all?”

For a moment, the office was silent. Then Julian began to clap behind us.

“Interesting,” he said, his voice holding a little bit of admiration. “The guy actually has brains.”

Jacob's face went dark, and I told my Beta to quit the teasing before turning back to him.

“It came to mind, and we're also considering that possibility. But I’m glad you were able to think of it. Thank you.”

He nodded. “It's my job.”

“Speaking of which, how many soldiers have been adequately trained this past year?”

“About forty, sir.”

I exchanged glances with Julian. “And the remaining?”

“Two.” His gaze dropped to the table. “I'm thinking of taking them out instead.”

“Why's that?”

“If I’m being honest, it’s out of pity, sir. They've been bruised by the machines more than they've bruised their fighting dummies, and they've been unable to reach the passing quota more than twice now.”

“What are their strengths?”

“Stealth, and creativity. And don’t get me wrong, it’s admirable. It's worked in their favor during training a few times. But that's it. We’re werewolves, and those are not as important as bruteness and power in their attacks.”

He looked genuinely concerned, and I was once again impressed by the fact that he'd recognized those strengths instead of just tossing them away.

“Hmm…can you hand them over to me?”

He raised his head, surprise coating his features. “To you, sir?”

Julian raised a brow. “What are you up to?” he whispered in my mind.

“They'll be our spies,” I responded before turning back to my confused Gamma. “I’ll train them myself, Jake. With some help from the Beta, of course.”

It was necessary for every pack to have their own set of spies, as there were a lot of cases of power tussle that usually needed destroying from the start. My father hadn't really cared for that, though, because Bernard Gatrix-Hill had struck too much fear into everyone's hearts for them to come against us.

But it'd been just about three years since I assumed the position of Alpha, so many were plotting my demise. I had to form a set of spies, with these two rejects as the first intakes.

He still looked perplexed, but he nodded nonetheless. “As you wish, Alpha.”

“Wonderful then. Thank you. You're dismissed, Jacob.”

Just as Jacob closed the door behind him, Julian plopped in the chair he'd just vacated. “You mean I'm going to train them all the time, don't you?”

“Definitely,” I responded, sure that amusement shone in my eyes. “You're the better spy here.”

“You've gone on more spy missions than I have, idiot.”

“True, but I'm getting married soon. I can’t be training people during my honeymoon.” I grinned at him. “Hey, maybe if you weren't so irritable, you'd be making this excuse instead.”

He scoffed and picked a pen from my desk before beginning to twirl it around. “Love is too fickle an emotion.”

“Please. You're saying that because of your numerous heartbreaks.”

He groaned. “It was only two, bastard.”

In times like this, there was no Alpha, no Beta. Just two boys who'd grown up to be pushed into situations that many times seemed to be beyond their control. I adored these moments, and though Julian pretended to gag whenever I acknowledged it, I knew he secretly loved them, too. We were brothers-in-arms, after all.

“So, have you decided what the color of your suit will be?” he asked all of a sudden, returning the pen.

I nodded. “Tanya's wearing a blue dress and apparently has a suit she wishes me to match her dress with. That's what I'm wearing.”

His eyes had returned to their dullness. “Interesting. And what do I wear?”