Chapter Six

Divine arrived at the pack house after day break. He wanted to use the back road but had gone to Mik's house which had one way in, through the village. Orion found them there and accompanied him. 

Everyone they passed bowed to him and smiled. He wanted to tell them he was not their alpha so he did not deserve that kind of respect. He could not though, something was wrong. The people looked uneasy about something and he saw hope in their eyes when they saw him.

Did they think he had come to claim his title? He did not have a mate for heaven's sake.

"Yes you do" Orion said

He wanted to smack him across the face but just growled at him instead. "One more comment and i will kick you out of the mind link." Divine said.

Orion made a gesture of zipping his mouth while laughing.

They entered the pack house and could not believe how different it looked. It barely seemed people lived there. The younger boys and girls were scrubbing a wall clean while the children looked a bit underweight. Divine wondered if the people had caught some sort of disease that drained their energy.

"Whats wrong Vines?" Orion asked through the link.

"Do the people look okay to you?"

Mik sighed." I have been getting reports that things are changing everyday. I am not sure what." He said.

They walked through the court and saw a woman being dragged across the slab by three men. She was crying for them to stop. His mind instantly went to the night he found Aliyah and angercoursed through him. It was a raging fire that even the whole ocean could not put out. They were supposed to protect the weak and not hurt them!

As if on instinct, Divine got down from his horse and ran to her as the other two followed.

"What the hell are you doing? You are hurting her!" He shouted and pushed the two men holding her.

She clung to him after they were pushed off. She had  bruises on her arms and that made him mad. He growled and looked up at the three. One of them he knew well

"Divine?! How...how...?" His cousin asked eyes so wide and with fear that he almost looked like he saw a ghost.

"Arwin?! What the hell are you doing?" He grabbed his cousin by the neck and shoved him to the wall.

"Cousin! It's not what you think! She was stealing from the pack!" Arwin said.

"That is still too extreme of a punishment for that." He said.

"What is going on here?" They all turned to see the alpha, his uncle and Arwin's father standing there.

"This woman who has been stealing was caught and being dealt with as per your laws Alpha when Divine and his friends here interrupted." Arwin said with a smug.

"You authorised this?" Divine asked his uncle in disbelief.

"When laws are broken, there must be punishment ain't it?" His uncle stated matter of factly.

Orion and Mik shook their heads.

"Very well. in that case, I will take on her punishment. She is obviously not strong enough for it." Divine said and they all looked at him like he was insane.

"What?!" Arwin asked.

"It is not against your law to take over someone's punishment by willing wolves right?" He said looking straight at his uncle.

"I guess not...."

At that, Divine guided the woman to Orion's hold and he squatted down ready to be whipped. Several people other people surrounded them forming a small crowd in the pack compound.

"You know what my dear nephew, I feel very generous and merciful today so this woman is hence released and forgiven." The alpha declared.

Divine wanted to smirk at this so bad but he held himself back. 

"Get up nephew, we have a long way to go." His uncle said walking to the palace common room.

"Why are you treating your own pack like this?" Divine seethed at his uncle.

"This is my pack! And I will run it the way I want. It is not your place to tell me how!" He yelled.

"Don't get me wrong uncle, I am not challenging your authority. But this is not right." He said.

"I heard you. Now let's leave immediately. The other packs are waiting." His uncle dismissed him.

"Oh and alpha, let this be the last time you yell at me. I abide by laws but don't push me." He said and walked past him.

"Is that a threat?!" Ivan asked in a low voice.

"Take is as it us uncle."

He walked out on him. He found Orion and Mik outside waiting for him.

"She is safe and fine with Giselle now." Mik mind linked him.

"Thank your wife for me." He said back.

Divine thought about how Aliyah was doing in the house alone. He had asked Giselle to check on her once in the day. He would not admit to his friends but he actually liked spending time with her. It was like he could do anything, he was invincible.

"You could turn down your thoughts about her you know." Orion teased in the mind link.

"Get out of my head O."

"He is not wrong though..." Mik said with a chuckle.

Divine immediately shut the mind link off.

They rode their horses through the western border to the  Rainbow pack. Divine was looking forward to seeing Quentin's wife who left their pack when her mate went missing years ago. It had devastated Mik too who was Quentin's brother but they had to let her heal. Many people believed he had died.

After a while they came to the low grass path and slowed down. They were almost there.

"So Divine the fallen, how is guard life?" He heard Arwin sneer. He started to think he had a death wish.

"It's very much adventurous. How about being least best, cousin?" Mik answered before Divine could.

"I was not talking to you sasquatch!" Arwin retorted.

"Of course not little mouse." Orion said.

"Do the two of you still hope he will find a mate and be the Alpha? Is that why you still hang around him?" Arwin said then started laughing like he had just been told the best joke in the world.

"Can I just push him off his horse now." Orion asked through their mind link.

"No. Ignore him."

Divine said and rode ahead of them beside his uncle.

"Alpha, why exactly are we riding to the Rainbow pack?" He asked his uncle.

"Just interpack business. The other packs are being attacked by rogues."

"I thought most rogues were put down a few years ago?"

"These aren't from around here it seems. They seem to have other connections too." Ivan said.

"Rogues attacking wolves in their packs? They would not even dare! Have they grown that bold?!!"

"I have no idea nephew, that's why we are going there."

"Alright."

"Can you and those two be on your best behavior around Alpha Romulus? " his uncle gestured to his two friends.

"Can you tell Arwin to shut it if he wants his head to stay in its place?" Divine shot back with a smile.

"Just don't cause any trouble."

"I don't cause trouble uncle Ivan."

"Good. We are here."

They were all led to the pack compound where alpha Romulus was standing. He smiled widely when his eyes landed on Divine.

"I thought I smelled you somehow." He said when they got closer.

Divine got down from his horse and approached the man who was walking to him. He hugged him.

"Hello to you too Poppop." He said to the silver haired alpha who grinned at him. It only grew bigger when he let go of Divine and saw Mik. He embraced him too.

After he had acknowledged the other alpha and son's presence he sighed and motioned them to follow. They walked to the common room and sat at the round table.

He had to admit, Pop-pop,who was his mother's  and Mik's father's father was physically fine but with a troubled mind. The frown lines on his forehead were deeper and he had a few dark circles under  his eyes. Divine knew he would have to talk to him privately.

"So Ivan, why did you ask for this meeting?  Where is your Beta anyway?"" Alpha Romulus said as soon as they finished exchanging greetings.

"He is not feeling well." Arwin said quickly and cowered back into himself when Alpha Romulus gave him a murderous look.

"I'm sorry for his behavior. I am here because there have been frequent attacks by rogues recently." Uncle Ivan said.

"Have there now?" Romulus said cocking his head.

"Yes. I was hoping we could unite our three packs with a treaty to protect all of us."

"Three packs? Who else?"

"The Red Sun pack has put great measures...."

"The Red Sun pack?" Divine and Alpha Romulus said at once.

"They have protected their people by using brute force. They have not been attacked like other packs near us. A triple treaty would be good."

"And how sure are you that this will guarantee our safety?" Beta Tyron asked.

"But the Red Sun pack? Of all packs surrounding us?"  Alpha Romulus said.

"I know their recent alpha has a reputation but they have not been attacked like other packs." Ivan said.

"Divine my boy, what do you think? Is this something we should consider?" Romulus asked and all eyes turned to him.

'It's a trap!' He heard Orion say in their mind link.

His uncle glared at him while Arwin threw daggers at him and Mik smiled wickedly as he discreetly shook his head.

"Well Alpha Romulus, I should say I do not feel it would be a good idea but maybe Alpha Ivan has carefully analyzed the situation or he would not suggest it." Divine said.

"Very well then, let me look into it. But I would have suggested the Misty pack not the Red Sun."

"I will wait on you Alpha." Ivan said.

"Right. Mik, Divine and Orion, can I see you privately." Alpha Romulus said.

Pop-pop, how are you?" Divine asked as he and Mik sat on either side.

"I'm fine my sons. Getting old is not as glamorous as they tell you."

They all laughed.

"You know we will be there for you."

"Did you know that Quentin was meant to be my heir?" Romulus said with sad eyes but a smile on his lips.

"I am sorry Pop-pop." Mik said looking down.

"I don't think he is really gone. And I think you two feel it too." He said looking at each of them.

They both nodded. He was right. They had never found his body for them to bury anyway. They hoped he was not held somewhere against his will.

"If he is alive, the Moon goddess will bring him back to us." Divine said.

"She will."

"I hope so too."

"Mik and I will come see you at the end of this week." Divine said.

"I look forward to it. Bring Orion with you,the boy needs to stay out of trouble." He said and they laughed.

Divine really wanted to tell his grand father about Aliya but knew Ivan was listening in so he let it be.

Alpha Romulus gave Orion an earful on his recent misbehaviour. They all knew it was out of love.They bid the Rainbow pack farewell and left on their horses.

They rode in silence till they came to the the road that went to the pack house.

"Divine a word." Ivan said.

"What is it?"

"I know you did not want to take sides back there. I appreciate but it's time you chose where your loyalties lie. You must chos....." Ivan said in a harsh whisper but was cut off by Divine raising his hand.

"I advise you to chose your next words carefully Alpha. I respect you, don't make me lose it here and now." Divine said smiling.

"How dare you?"

"How dare I? How dare you? This is my fathers pack and my pack. Don't cross me, you won't like me. Stay in your line uncle." He said and started riding away from him.

"You still don't have a mate boy!" Ivan yelled.

Divine did not answer. He just smiled and rode away to his house wanting to see the person who had been on his mind, Aliyah.

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