Xavier walked slowly, but confidently down the spacious corridor of the seventh floor of the pack house. His body face was stoic to fit the dangerous aura spewing from his muscled body. With every movement he took, his muscles flexed, straining at his tight, black shirt.
His heavily tattooed arms constricted as he clenched he clenched and unclenched his fists.
His jaw ticked and eyes darkened as he listened to the beta's report on the agenda of the meeting they were headed to.
More pack problems that he had to attend to. He would rather ignore each and every one of them, but that may cause worse problems, like a rebellion from the conjoined packs. He wasn't scared of any rebellion either and could vanquish whoever tried, but he didn't want more unnecessary blood on his head. The blood from the past had soaked his fur and perhaps oozed from his pores, and he was sick of it. Alas, he still kills everyday.
"Alpha," Ezekiel called carefully. His face was without an ounce of fear when he met the alpha's pitch black eyes. His beast was surfacing again.
Xavier turned away with an annoyed sigh and shut his eyes briefly, before they returned to their normal blue ones.
Ezekiel has been Xavier's closest friend and second in command for the past hundred years. He knew how Xavier's temper ran.
They turned left to another spacious hallway, and Ezekiel continued his report.
"The rogue attacks are still ongoing at the borders. Some were caught early this morning and after the interrogation, we found out that it's been Demitrey, the alpha of the shadow pack that has been hiring rogues to attack us." Ezekiel paused, but when Xavier said nothing, he continued, "there are still appearances of vampires close to the borders. They are hiding from the warriors, alpha, but they still attack at intervals."
Xavier growled deeply when he heard this. He had sent a clear warning to the leech king to keep his bloodsuckers away from his territory, but he just won't be submissive. He'll take care of him later.
They arrived in a short hallway, the door to the meeting room was at the end of it. Two warriors stood on each side of the door with the gamma casually leaning on the wall. Once they sensed the alpha's presence, the warriors stood straighter and the gamma gave a lazy smirk.
Xavier passed through, each warrior bowing low in respect. The beta and gamma joined him behind and Zain turned to Ezekiel and asked in a grumpy voice, "why are we both dressed up and he isn't?"
"Shut up," scolded Ezekiel as he shot the gamma a glare and walked into the meeting room.
As soon as Xavier entered the room, five strong looking men quickly stood up at once and bowed low in greeting. They were the different pack leaders of the five packs incorporated into Xavier's big pack.
Rohan, the oldest of the five and leader of the former full moon pack. It was the only peacefully conjoined acquired pack. The two alpha's had come to a mutual agreement which benefitted Rohan more. It was the smallest and easiest pack for outsiders to attack, therefore, the alliance was the only option.
Kayden, the leader of the former blue moon pack. Kayden and his pack members had surrendered after Xavier had attacked his pack. It was a great bloodbath and their number had reduced significantly, so Kayden had no option than to surrender, or have him, his mate and the entire pack vanquished.
Kennedy, the leader of the former shadow pack, had been made the new leader after Xavier had killed his former alpha, luna, and the entire family. The whole pack had surrendered which was a betrayal and bitter memory to their late alpha. They had to survive for the sake of the next generation.
James, the leader of the former dark night pack was also made a new leader after the alpha and luna were killed by Xavier. A division arose and the pack split in two; those that were ready to surrender and those that swore to fight to the death rather than be under Xavier's rule. It was admirable, Xavier had thought, but was still a foolish thing to do. The opposition was quickly wiped out.
Lastly, Trent, the youngest and perhaps the most inexperienced leader of the former red fang pack. He was the spoiled, only son of his parents and when he became alpha, the first thing he did was wage a senseless war on Xavier's pack, with the silly idea of conquering it and making history. However, as soon as Xavier had killed his parents, Trent threw himself at his feet and surrendered.
Ezekiel and Zain stood on both sides of Xavier's chair as he sat down, signalling the leaders to take their seats as well. The white long and wide table put a fair distance between them. The leaders were strong and built, and had alpha blood running through their veins, but they were nothing compared to Xavier's form or the dominant aura from his body.
Even with their hot blood, they involuntarily bent their necks slightly when Xavier's eyes fell on them. The aura was more evident today than before.
They were not alpha's in this pack; Xavier had made it clear that he was the one and only alpha as far as the pack was concerned. In order to keep their heads, they stepped down.
"Begin," was the short and clear instruction, and Kennedy rose.
"Greetings alpha Xavier and my fellow leaders," he began, "the number of vampires lurking around the borders of my territory are…"
"MY TERRITORY!" Xavier roared in a guttural voice. His eyes had turned black and his canines had elongated. Tension filled the room like thick smoke, enveloping everyone in fear. The beta and gamma exchanged worried looks with each other but said nothing.
"I'm…I'm sorry alpha. It was a mistake. Your territory I meant, forgive me," Kennedy rushed to apologize and bent his neck low. He wondered at Xavier's outburst just like everyone else, but he mostly wondered how he could make that mistake. On the contrary, it was the ruthless alpha of the blood moon pack he was talking to; anything could offend him.
Xavier shut his eyes hard and struggled to keep his wolf in. It had been scratching at the back of his head since this morning, and hearing Kennedy claim territory made it very angry. His canines slowly retracted to its normal size and Xavier took successive breaths to calm down. He needed to get it together and not ruin the meeting.
Xavier opened his eyes to reveal their normal colour. "Continue," he managed to say to a slightly embarrassed Kennedy. The alpha's wolf may be calm for now, but it was still angry and waited for another opportunity to break free.
"Yes alpha," Kennedy conceeded.
"The number of vampires lurking near my pack is rising. They are now feeding off our pack members. Just this morning, we found a dead child, bitten and drained of blood close to the borders. The child hasn't shifted yet so was completely defenseless and vulnerable. Alpha, if this keeps up, there won't be mat…"
Kennedy shut his mouth quickly when he realized that he had almost said the word 'mate' in front of Xavier. He watched with dread, Xavier's eyes flash from blue to black, and his jaw tick.
"There won't be what, Kennedy?" The alpha asked in a deadly tone, and his eyes flashed from blue to black.
"There…there won't be warriors to train to protect…and fight in the future," Kennedy corrected, his senses at alert.
"Sit down, Kennedy," Xavier commanded and with a silent sigh of relief, Kennedy took his seat. That was close.
"Greetings alpha, fellow leaders," Rohan began. "My pack members recently found a few unconscious members a few kilometers away from the borders. It is very strange, alpha, because the border patrols and warriors didn't notice any movements in or out of the borders.
There weren't Invaders of any kind lurking around and no one had noticed this situation until reports of missing persons came to me. Things are getting very dangerous, alpha Xavier, and I feel that we are dealing with something bigger here."
'That's also strange alpha. We have a case like that here. Two people were picked up during parole. The warriors found them unconscious, so they were taken to the pack clinic for medical attention.' Ezekiel's eyes glazed over as he mind linked the alpha.
'Why didn't you tell me this before?'
'I'm sorry Xavier, I dismissed it as not so serious.'
Xavier leaned forward and placed his arms on the table, drawing the attention of everyone. He watched everyone in silence, his face devoid of emotions, but inside his head, his beast banged its head against the walls of his brain. It was completely against the decision Xavier was about to make.
"I'm reinstating your titles as alpha's," Xavier declared. Their eyes widened in great surprise as they processed the words of the alpha; they were taken aback by this sudden decision. However, their surprise quickly faded away and was replaced with grateful smiles and bouts of thanks. They never thought that this could ever happen.
'Did I just hear right?' Zain mindlinked the beta, surprise in his voice. 'Yes, you did.' Ezekiel replied just as surprised. 'Huh…something is wrong with Xavier' Zain said. 'Shut up.'
Moreover, Xavier clenched his jaw in an attempt to fight back the displeased wolf that was trying to knock some sense into his brain. "But!" Xavier growled, cutting of the joyful vibes in the atmosphere, "you must swear your allegiance to me and answer only to me alone."
"We swear our loyalty to you alone, alpha Xavier," they chorused solemnly.
"You will handle trivial matters concerning your various packs and will not disturb me with your chain of endless problems," Xavier charged them in a serious tone. That was the only reason he gave them back their titles.
"Double the training of warriors in your packs and make sure they are up to the task to attack and defend like ruthless warriors. If they are not, you will have yourselves to blame. This is a pack of savage killers, not a one of foolish weaklings," he ended with a warning growl and the alphas nodded firmly, the message loud and clear.
Xavier shut his eyes and mentally sighed. His beast had stopped torturing him, but still prowled the back of his head angrily. That was enough relief for him.
"You will each organise a party of your strongest warriors and trackers. We meet by sunset in the courtyard of my pack house. We'll patrol the borders for any threat whatsoever…"
'Alpha…'
'What?!' Xavier growled angrily in the mind link with his gamma.
'I'm sorry to interrupt you, but…the witch is here to see you,' Zain informed.
'Why?'
'I don't know, alpha. She wouldn't say the reason, but she stresses that it is very urgent. Life or death situation in her exact words.'
Xavier abruptly cut off the mind link and said curtly to the alphas, "this meeting is dismissed."
He quickly stood up to leave, his beta and alpha quickly following suit, leaving behind the confused alphas.
The men ascended another flight of stairs to the eight floor of the building. Xavier opened the door and stepped into the room. The witch stood beside the window behind his desk. She looked out at the scenery, her red hair blown softly by the wind.
Slowly, she turned around, grim faced and said, "there's trouble."
"Trouble is coming," Larissa the witch said, her voice mirroring the emotions on her face. Dread, shame, and anger. She abandoned her position by the window and came to stand before Xavier. "They have escaped," she whispered. The urgency in her voice caused confusion on the beta and gamma as they exchanged glances with a frown.Xavier, unaffected by her sudden utterances went over to his desk to take a seat. He leaned back on his chair and watched the witch silently. "Meaning?" He asked.Larissa sighed, deeply irritated with his calm demeanor. She turned to face him. "You know what I mean Xavier.""That isn't an answer to my question, witch," he bit out, his eyes darkening in the process, "and it's alpha to you." A growl escaped from his throat by the time he was done talking. Zain shifted his weight in discomfort while Ezekiel looked away. Xavier was always good at controlling his emotions, especially when it came to dealing with someone like Larissa, but now, he couldn't even keep
…they'll start with you Xavier."In a split second, Larissa was above the ground, legs kicking in all directions as she struggled to pry Xavier's hand that was choking her.His growl was loud and full of anger, and his eyes had turned to a bloody red. His fangs slowly creeped out from his bared teeth, as another growl slipped out. He tightened his grip around Larissa's neck, mercilessly strangling her as he roared, "how?!"Ezekiel and Zain stumbled on their feet as pain shot through their heads. Xavier wasn't conscious to limit his temper to himself, but now he didn't care. "Speak!" He ordered Larissa."Whether you…you like it or not, it remains the truth," Larissa managed to say. She scratched at Xavier's fingers in desperate need for air, but it was useless. "Is that a threat?" Growled Xavier. His nails began to grow longer which consequently dug into Larissa's neck.Seeing that he would soon cause major harm to her, the witch drew on her powers. Her hair that floated about her, sho
The calm breeze brushed the fallen leaves up from the empty road, and the magnificent twilight sky added to the serene environment.Violet's soft laugh filled the air with its soft Melody, as the two walked hand in hand, laughing at jokes and engaging in small talk.Nick had insisted on holding her hand with the excuse that she might fall due to the after effects of prolonged hunger, which Violet thought was a completely ridiculous reason. She had let him take her hand anyway, as he wouldn't budge."I feel bad for that lady Samantha body shamed. Samantha's an awful person for saying those kinds of things to her," Violet complained sadly. "Samantha could be a bitch sometimes, but I didn't know she'd go to that extent," replied Nick in a tired voice. "What she did was downright inhumane. No one deserves to be treated like that.""Absolutely. The poor lady knew what she wanted. She was ordering a salad and latte with almond milk for God's sake, but the waitress just had to talk," Violet
Violet and Nick had gone a fair distance into the forest. They were now surrounded by the dense trees that prevented any ray of light from penetrating it, therefore, neither of them knew if the sun was still out there or what time it was. They had both left their phones in Violet's sitting room. There was no noise of swaying trees or chirping birds. Or rustling leaves and hooting owls. It was like the forest trees had stilled and the animals ceased to exist; like the entire forest was holding its breath. The only sound that echoed through the forest was the sound of dry leaves and twigs being crushed by their feet. Violet nervously looked around her, searching for what she didn't know, but darkness in the forest limited her vision.Her skin crawled and her throat constricted with rising fear. Why was she feeling so anxious all of a sudden? She felt her heart beat faster with every step she took, and dread washed over her like cold water. Was her decision
"Violet…" Nick whispered helplessly. The girl he liked or perhaps, loved so much was standing face to face with a big wolf, and it felt like he was living through a nightmare at that moment. Never had Nick seen a wolf so up close before, but now, here he was not more than seven feet away from one, and Violet, not more than eight inches away. He warily watched her as she stood petrified with fear and suddenly felt the painful stab of regret. Regret for ever making her come with him."Violet…step back," he whispered louder, desperation laced in his voice, but Violet couldn't register his words. She sobbed internally, tears staining her pale face and blurring her vision. The grey wolf seemed to observe her for a while, seemingly confused at something, but when she stepped backwards, the beast bared its teeth and growled. Warning her to not take any more steps. Nick felt the blood drain from his face and Violet froze in place. A choking sob rose in her throat as realization hit her hard.
Violet was struck by a foreboding feeling of her imminent death, which sent her scurrying backwards as far away from the wolf as possible. She took another pained glance at what remained of Nick, then broke into tears.The horrific sight of Nick's mutilated body was engraved in her mind, and now, whether she liked it or not, she was going to die the same way Nick did. Probably even worse.Violet whimpered as the wolf prawled towards her with slow and decisive steps. It wasn't in any hurry as it was confident that Violet had nowhere to run. Its golden eyes locked on her crying form, watching her every move and growling on intervals. The terror Violet felt did well to feed the wolf's ego.Violet on the other hand brought her knees to her chest and covered her ears with her hands in an attempt to drown away those savage growls. She knew entering this forest was a bad thing, but now, it was by far the worst mistake of her life."Just go away! Leave me alone!" Violet
Frantic breaths and quick steps were the only sounds that echoed through the forest as she ran deeper and faster, frequently looking behind her. She couldn't remember when or how she had gotten into the forest, but she was absolutely sure something was after her. Something big and scary.Fatigue quickly took its toll on her body and Violet slowed down to a stop behind a tree to catch her breath. She panted heavily and crouched down at the base of the tree, then wiped away the tears she hadn't realized were there. She just wanted to go home?Sounds of snapping sticks came from behind the tree Violet hid making her hold her breath. She nervously placed her hand on her chest to calm her beating heart, before she leaned back and carefully peeped from behind the tree. She saw nothing. Only darkness and thick nature loomed in the distance.Violet sighed in relief and almost laughed. Whatever had been chasing her had either stopped or lost its way. "Thank goodness," Violet breathed gratefull
Violet carefully watched the door handle turn and the door slowly move forward. The painful sound of rushing blood filled her ears, and light perspiration hung on her forehead. Her throat was tight with raw fear, but she wasn't backing out now. She had to leave this place, so the moment a head peeked from behind the door, Violet used her whole strength plus adrenaline rush and sent the chair crashing on whoever had stepped inside.The wooden chair shattered into pieces and the man staggered for a moment, caught off guard by the attack. He steadied himself almost immediately and turned to his attacker, ready to beat the shit out of them, but his angry look fell and was replaced by one of confusion. "Luna?" He started but Violet had no interest in listening to him as she grabbed a piece of broken chair and swung it at him. "Get away from me!" She screamed and swung the wood at his face, but he dodged it effortlessly. His face still had that confused look as he tried to reason with her.