Chapter 4: Forced Hand

Three minutes later, after putting our clothes back on and dumping the rest of my coffee into a to-go mug, we closed the front door to my house and walked down the stone pathway towards Reed's old jeep wrangler.  

I inhaled deeply and let my heightened sense of smell pick up all the details in the air.  Summer was drawing to a close and hints of chimney smoke and mist from the mountains were colliding with the last remnants of the season.  Reed would have to put the top back on his jeep soon.

I climbed into the passenger seat as the Beta turned his key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. Before putting it in gear, he reached behind me to the backseat and grabbed a plastic container. He placed the box on my lap and said, "My mom made these for you."

My stomach growled in anticipation as I popped open the lid and saw a dozen of Mrs. Vonn's homeade apple cider muffins, my favorite.  She always used to make them for me whenever she babysat me as a child, which was often since my dad spent so much time on away on scouting missions or battling Phantom. When I no longer needed a babysitter, she would whip up a batch whenever I was over to study or lounge on the old plaid sofas with Reed.  In many ways, she took care of me as my own mother would have, had she not died giving birth to me. 

"So freaking good!" I exclaimed through a mouthful of muffin. "Want one?" I asked Reed while bringing a finger to my lips to push a stray crumb into my mouth. 

"I'm good without. You burned me out on those a long time ago." He chuckled, checking for oncoming cars before out on to the backroad that led to town.

"Your loss." I shoved the rest of the muffin in my mouth.

I let my arm fall over the side of the passenger door and stretched my fingers out into the breeze, feeling the slight promise of autumn in the briskness of the air.  My stretched out hand turned into a small wave as we passed a couple of my pack members mowing their lawns at the start of Main Street.  They waved back while bowing their heads as a sign of respect.  It was customary for everyone in my pack to bow to me, besides Reed on occasion.  I had told him when I became Luna that he didn't have to lower his head when it was just the two of us, mostly because we spent so much time together that I was sure he'd develop neck problems if he did. 

Reed pulled up and parked in front of the oldest brick building in town, the library.  While this place did house books on strategies, werewolf history and our records of the war, it was also our command center.  A sign hung out front of the two story building that read, Private Collection: Appointment Only just in case any humans were travelling through town and tried to enter. 

No humans lived in our town or territory. Pack land was never sold, which made it almost impossible for any outsiders to move here. Not that they would even if land were available. We were isolated out here in the woods. Thick, old-growth forests surrounded our sanctuary and stretched for hundreds of miles on all sides of our quaint home.  That's the reason my ancestors had originally chosen this land, to keep us safe and far from enemies. The jagged ridges and deep canyons provided a natural barrier of protection. The pristine creeks and cascading waterfalls were just a bonus.

We entered the command center and I directed Reed towards Joseph's office so I could put the container of muffins in mine.  I stepped through the door marked "Luna Briar" and was greeted by the familiar scent of my dad.  This had been his office for so many years that his presence still lingered in the air. I closed my eyes and breathed in tobacco smoke and spice, letting myself pretend for just a nanosecond that he was still here with me.  I shuffled to the white desk in the center of the room and set down my box of baked goods next to a towering stack of papers I would have to sort through later.  "I'll be back for you." I told my muffins as I exited my office, knowing full well that I'd finish the whole batch before the day was over.

"I'm here. What's so urgent?" I said, not bothering with greetings, while walking into Joseph's office. His study was almost as large as mine. Bookshelves and filing cabinets lined the mahogany paneled walls. 

Reed was standing by the open door and dipped his head as I entered, while Joseph stood from behind his wooden desk and did the same.

I pulled out one of two leather chairs opposite the strategy analyst and flopped down in it, leaning back and putting my feet on his desk. 

"Well, Luna." Joseph glanced at the white sneakers I had placed next to a neatly stacked pile of papers and ran his hands down the lapels of his corduroy blazer. Taking his seat, he continued, "As you know, we've been discussing the timeline for a new attack. Earlier this morning, we learned of new developments in the Phantom pack that will require our urgent attention."

"Continue." I prompted, narrowing my eyes. What were those bastards up to now?

"Their Alpha is taking a life partner."

I brought my feet down off the desk and leaned forward in the chair, the leather squeaking beneath me. I had been expecting my strategist to to tell me the enemy ranks had increased in number, or that there was reason to believe they were about to launch an attack at us. The news that the enemy Alpha was getting married took me by surprise.

"He's found his mate?" I asked, hoping the sliver of jealousy I felt wasn't evident in my voice.

If that scumbag Alpha was lucky enough to find his mate within his own pack, he would be able to produce an heir much quicker than anticipated.  

It was difficult for wereolves to reproduce. It took submated pairs several years or trying to have a pup before conceiving, if ever. It was different for mate bonded pairs. A wolf's body and reproductive system responded more efficiently when trying to conceive with a fated partner. 

Even if the Phantom leader had found his mate, he'd only been Alpha for a little over a year. Most new leaders waited at least a couple of years before trying for an heir as a way to focus all of their attention on their inherited role. 

"I'm unable to say for certain. Our informant went silent after dispatching the message, so we have no way to know if he's taken a submate or not." Jospeh anwered my question while rummaging through folders. He found one marked Alpha Slade: Recent Activity and opened the binder to reveal only a few sheets of paper inside. We didn't know very much about our new rival. Phantom had tightened security after Slade came into power. Most of the spies we'd planted in or around his territory had gone missing or silent. What we did know about Alpha Slade is that he was brutal. We also knew he killed my father.

Jospeh, thumbed through the papers until he found the date he was looking for. "The unity ceremony is scheduled for two weeks from now."

The unity ceremony was the equivalent to a wedding for werewolves. It always took place under a full moon with the couple being surrounded by their pack. The Goddess of the Moon would fuse the pairs lives and powers together, solidifying their bond for life. If one half of a submated pair died, the other could live out the remainder of their days, albiet it a lonely existence. However, if a fated mate was killed, the other would be unable to live without the other half of thier soul. 

"That could give us an easier target when we attack." Reed spoke up from the corner he stood in.

Long ago, our ancestors would occasionally go after mates as a way to eliminate the Alpha or Luna they were tied to. For centuries, that approach had been considered archaic and cowardly.

"We will not go after her." I ordered, knowing that was not an honorable way to avenge my father's death.

"If we don't kill him before he has a child, we'd be dumping this war on the laps of the next generation." Reed said, his hands forming tight fists at his side. He had always wanted a family of his own and was already doing everything he could to protect his future pups.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. I did not want to pass this shit show onto the children of this pack. Every leader's life mission was to end this war, and my only opportunity was to do it before the enemy heir was born.

"There is another path if you'd like to push back an attack?" Joseph eyed me with trepadation. 

"What are you suggesting?" I leapt at the idea of a second option. If I could postpone a battle by a year, six months even, I would feel better prepared. I hadn't even fully processed my father's demise and wasn't too excited about the prospect of meeitng my own. 

Jospeh cleared his throat and pushed his round framed glasses up before beginning. "You could also produce an heir. By tradition, A Luna cannot be attacked for the duration of her pregnancy. It would buy us more time to learn about Alpha Slade. If he hasn't fathered a pup by the time you deliver, we could still attack and have the advantage." 

"We've been over this before, Joseph. It's not the time. And even if it was, I haven't found my mate!" I snapped at the old man who looked sheepishly down at his opened folder. 

Talking about my reproductive organs with an elder and my best-friend-with-benefits made me uncomfortable and my palms began to sweat. I felt my rage spike- how dare Jospeh make me, his Luna, feel embarrassed. 

"Maybe your mate is here." Reed spoke up from behind me and I whipped my head around to glare at him. His eyes locked with mine and I barely noticed as they flickered to my lips before returning to my heated gaze. He brought a muscular arm up to rub the back of his neck and shifted uncomfortably. "You might not be feeling the pull of the mate bond yet, but what if someone is feeling that way towards you."

Freaking hell. I had always known Reed thought we were fated to be together. We had never talked about it before and this was the closest he had ever come to revealing his true feelings for me- not that he even needed to say it out loud. I could see it in the way he looked at me. I could hear it in the way his heart started racing when he was near me. Reed wanted me in every way. And while part of me wanted Reed, there was something missing. 

Regardless, there was neither the time or the place for him to profess his love for and claim me as his own.  I would not have ANY subject in my pack thinking I was theirs. I belonged to no one.

The lack of control I had over the conversation made my temper flare and I lashed out. Turning my back to the hunk behind me, I chose to speak directly to my analyst instead. "Maybe Reed is right," I started, knowing it would get the Beta's hopes high, before sending them plummeting down by adding, "Maybe my mate is here in this pack and I haven't met him yet."

Reed let a low rumble erupt from his chest and I was out of my chair and inches from his face within seconds. I slammed his body into the wall and took his throat in my hands, letting my claws surface and begin to pierce through the tanned skin of his neck. 

"You dare to growl at your Luna?" I spat out, my tone pure ice. 

Shame appeared on his face and blood rushed to the apples of his cheeks. "You know I didn't mean it like that." He choked out.

The old, rational part of me did know that. Reed's reaction was one of hurt. However the new part of me, the part formed by the inheritance, did not care. The only thing the new part cared about was my Beta had just had the nerve to challenge his Luna. Even worse, he had done so in the presence of another pack member.

"Get. Out. Now!" I spat at him through gritted teeth, which were beginning to lengthen from rage. I released my hold on him, pointing towards the door. "Go start the training session early. Make sure the class is ready to show me what you've taught them by the time I get there. Do not forget your place again."

Reed lingered for a moment, his eyes searching my face for any sign of my affection for him. When he realized he wouldn't find what he was so desperately seeking, he let out the shaky breath he had been holding. Backing away, he dipped his head low and walked out of the office. 

I turned back to Joseph, not bothering to take my seat since I was planning on ending this meeting.

"So those are my options? Take a life partner and get busy or attack Phantom before two weeks time?" I asked.

He nodded his head, his aged brown eyes conveying his understanding for my temper tantrum. "I belive so, Luna. I do apologize that our options are limited. I know this is hard on you. I promised your father that I would try my best to make this transition as easy as possible for you, but the enemy Alpha has forced our hand." 

The gray haired man did look sincerely sorry. Jospeh had spent his entire life in our service as our strategic expert. He had worked alongside my father, and my grandfather before that. He was lucky enough to make it to this age because he was never a warrior. He never once had to sink his fangs into another. He was on the sidelines, running data and doing his best to suggest his plans for victory. So I had to trust that that's what he was doing now.

"I'll consider these options, then." I said in defeat. "When would we depart troops if I choose to attack?"

"Six days." Jo answered. He was back to shuffling through his folder and opened one labeled Mission Moonlight. Moonlight was the plan we had been working on the last six months, but it was lacking some details. We had estimated that we'd have at least another half a year to iron out the wrinkles.

The strategy hinged on us surrounding Phantom territory whithout our presence being detected. We'd then surpisethe enemy from all angles and enter the heart of their land.

During previous operations, we had gone in balls to the wall. Hundreds of our warriors and descended upon the enemy at the same time. Sending the full strength of our army in at once was intimidating. We were a force, a hammer. And this approach had worked numerous times over the centuries. We had been able to cross their barriers, overwhlem thier lines,  and kill the Alpha, only to await the coming of age of the next. Last time Dad rolled his pack out for war, he was prepared to do the same, only to be ambushed halfway to enemy territory. 

So this time, we would not be a hammer. Instead, we would be a hundred tiny nails puncturing the heart of those fuckers. 

Our game plan was to send in smaller groups of wolves over a weeks time that would stay just outside of enemy territory. They'd be close enough to attack their predetermined zones when given the signal, but far enough away to not raise suspicion. Without our spies and scouts reporting back to us, it was difficult to plan around a terrain that the enemey regularly changed by camoufalging and setting deathtraps.

I inahled a sharp breath. In six short days I could be sending my pack to war. Were they ready? Was I ready to lead them? Would I be strong enough to defeat Alpha Slade?

Shit. Maybe taking a submate was the better choice.