Chapter 5

"I have some big news. I have finally found my mate," Ethan smiled to his best friend Ivan.

"Really?" Ivan asked, surprised. "That's amazing! Who is she?"

"I still don't know much about her, but I know she's a Lycan like me. Her name is Maya," Ethan explained.

"That's great, Ethan," Ivan said. "What's she like?"

"I'm not sure," Ethan admitted. "But I can tell you one thing, she was very shocked when I told her we were mates. I don't think she was expecting it."

"Well, that's understandable," Ivan said. "Finding out you have a mate can be overwhelming. But I'm sure she'll come around. When do I get to meet her?"

"I don't know yet," Ethan said. "We're still getting to know each other. But I'll definitely introduce you as soon as I can."

"I can't wait," Ivan said. "You deserve to be happy, Ethan. I'm glad you've found someone special. But I must caution you. According to what I have heard, Lucas, the Blood Moon pack's leader, has been causing a lot of trouble lately."

"What kind of trouble?" Ethan asked, his heart sinking.

Ivan retorted solemnly, "Well, the last time Lucas attacked, he killed many innocent people. It was a tragedy."

Ethan screamed, "That's awful," while squeezing his hands in rage. "We need to stop him."

Ivan replied, "I agree. "But we must be cautious. Lucas is strong and with a large army of warriors. It won't be a simple battle."

Ethan answered, "I understand. We must stop him from harming innocent people, though. We must take action."

Ethan inhaled deeply as ideas raced through his head. "Maybe we ought to approach the nearby packs. Find out if they want to work with us to fight the Blood Moon pack."

"That's a good idea," Ivan said. "It is better if we have more allies."

"Exactly," Ethan said. "I will talk to the other pack leaders to get their opinions."

Ethan struggled to escape the gravity of the situation. Lucas had always been a threat, but the news of his recent attack had hit close to home. Ethan was aware that he needed to take action to safeguard his partner and the people he cared about.

Ethan replied in an emotional tone, "I just hope we can stop him before anyone else gets hurt. What do you know about Lucas?"

Ivan sighed, looking solemn. "Ethan, Lucas is a perilous individual. He is the sort of alpha who is just concerned with himself and his pack. Even if it involves harming innocents, he is determined to do whatever it takes to keep his position of authority."

Ethan felt a surge of anger and frustration. He couldn't understand how someone could be so heartless.

"That's horrible," Ethan explained, stiffening his fists. "How did he get so much influence?"

"He has a lot of charisma," Ivan replied. "And he's a master manipulator. He has a lot of followers who believe in his cause, even though it's completely wrong."

Ethan said in a furious tone, "That's terrible." "We need to stop him."

Ivan replied, "I agree. But we need to approach it wisely. Lucas is shrewd and adept at using strategy. We have to be careful not to underestimate him."

Ethan nodded as he absorbed Ivan's advice. He was aware that they were against a tremendous foe, but he was still committed to guarding his pack.

"We'll work it out. Before he hurts anyone else, we must stop him," Ethan said.

Ivan placed a soothing hand on his friend's shoulder and murmured, "I'm with you, Ethan. We'll do whatever it takes to keep our pack safe."

Suddenly, Mark, one of their pack warriors, burst into the room, his face twisted in panic. "Alpha Ethan, Beta Ivan," he gasped, "you need to come quickly. Something terrible has happened."

Ethan and Ivan immediately stood up, their senses on high alert. "What is it, Mark?" Ethan asked, his voice low and urgent.

"It's the warehouse," Mark replied, his voice shaking. "Someone has set it on fire."

Ethan's heart sank as he realized the gravity of the situation. The warehouse contained most of their supplies and equipment. Losing it would be a major blow to the pack's resources.

"Are the firefighters on their way?" Ivan asked, attempting to maintain his composure.

"Yes, but it's a remote area, and it will take them some time to get here," Mark explained.

"We need to act fast," Ethan said, his mind already working out a plan. "Ivan, gather as many pack members as you can and head to the warehouse. Before the fire gets out of control, we need to put it out."

Ivan gave a quick nod before leaving the room to fetch the other pack members. Ethan turned to Mark. "Do you know how the fire started?" he asked.

Mark shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I saw some strange activity around the warehouse earlier this morning. I didn't think much of it at the time."

Ethan's brow furrowed as he considered this new information. "Keep an eye out for anything suspicious," he instructed Mark.

Ethan and Ivan dashed over to the blazing building and surveyed the damage. A sizable portion of the building had already been destroyed by the fire.

"We need to put this out before it spreads further," Ethan said, grabbing a bucket of water and dousing the flames.

Ivan followed suit and together they began to douse the flames. To stop the fire from spreading, they worked fast, sprinkling water on the nearby buildings and area.

The other members of the pack responded to Ivan's warning and helped put out the fire. As others were hauling buckets of water, some of them were using shovels and soil to make a fire break.

Everyone toiled nonstop, oblivious to the heat and the thick smoke filling their lungs. After an hour of relentless work, they were eventually able to put out the fire. It had been a lengthy and difficult task.

Both exhausted and covered in soot, Ethan and Ivan exchanged glances while simultaneously feeling relieved that they were able to save the building from further damage.

"Thank you for your help," Ethan said, turning to Mark.

Ethan found a scorched piece of cloth on the ground while examining the damage to the warehouse. Ethan could smell the odor of alcohol and noticed that it was charred around the edges. He gave the material a close look. He muttered indignantly, "This seems like it was set on fire on purpose." We must ascertain who committed this offense and why."

Ivan questioned, "Who could have done anything like this?"

Ethan was deep in thought. "I don't know. But I have a feeling Lucas might be behind this."

"What makes you say that?" Ivan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Think about it," Ethan said. "He's always been envious of our pack's success. And he knows that we're one of the strongest packs in the region. It wouldn't surprise me if he wanted to take us down a notch."

Ethan turned to Mark, who was standing nearby. "Mark, do you know if any of our scouts saw anything suspicious in the area?"

Mark shook his head. "No, Alpha. We didn't detect anything out of the ordinary. It's like they just appeared out of nowhere and started the fire."

Ethan clenched his fists. "We need to get to the bottom of this matter. We can't let Lucas get away with this."