Alpha's wolfless Luna

Chapter 7.: Negotiations

“Where are they now?” Liam wanted to know the exact location of his unwanted guest, who was currently on the way to his territory. An unwelcome nuisance which made him ecstatic at the same time. According to the plan, they should have arrived half an hour ago, but until now Liam didn’t receive any information from the guards standing at the entrance to his territory.

“They should arrive in less than ten minutes, Alpha.” Abby informed him formally through the mind-link. With the Alpha of the Nightfall Bloodhound Pack coming to their land, she stopped being Liam’s friend and became a true Beta of Ice Nordic Pack, securing the safety of her people and especially her Alpha in face of the threat coming dangerously close.

“They had to make a stop a few miles south to adjust their cars for the conditions up here. They didn’t expect the land to be covered by ice.” Abby continued her report. Liam ordered the best trackers to follow the route which Dagon had to forcefully take. Liam’s territory encroached far to the north, covered in snow for most of the year with low temperatures. Territory like that provided a welcomed advantage in defense.

“Understand.” Liam dismissed Abby before he stood up from his chair as well and slowly headed outside of his office. Liam enjoyed the company of other wolves, but he needed some privacy as well. Most of his work he mostly handled from his home unless he had scheduled meetings or serious work to do. At that moment he chose the office in the pack house, equipped for accepting visitors. His home belonged only to him and no other person except his closest friends and family entered there the same as he never entered the home of any of his wolves unless they directly invited him.

Liam mind-linked with the guards at the entrance and with the warriors at the borders, checking the current security of the pack. He didn’t want anything to go wrong. Dagon’s group split into three big SUVs, so he had at least two dozen people with him. Not a big group but they could create commotion easily and with their training and strength they would give hell of a fight.

Just as he was receiving the reports, guards standing at the entrance informed him about approaching cars. Liam ordered them to open the gate without stopping them. Dagon was known for his brutality and unnatural strength in his human form and for the unbreakable grip of his wolf bite, not to mention his short temper.

Liam's confidence in his pack was well placed but he knew Dagon meant danger even with a small group. He didn’t plan to leave anything unnoticed while dealing with the deadliest Alpha currently walking on the surface of this planet.

“Welcome to my home.” Liam greeted him with a smile as he was welcoming an old friend, yet behind his smile was the face of a cautious person, carefully reading his opponent. Dagon looked around, scanning the area before he sniffed the cold air, getting information about the guards standing around the area. Counting over thirty guards brought a smirk on his face.

“Quite cold up here.” He commented once he turned his attention to Liam standing in front of him.

Liam offered a handshake but as he slowly approached Dagon in front of him to get closer, his eyes landed on a man standing right behind Dagon’s back. Damian. One of the best strategists in werewolves’ world. The only fault he had was his master. He was born in the wrong pack under the wrong Alpha.

“It is indeed. Please, come inside.” Liam’s eyes found Dagon once again and with a bright smile he invited him into a warm pack house.

Pack house was the biggest building in Liam’s pack. Although werewolves were social beings and used to live in packs, they preferred private living space, accompanied by their families and loved ones. Despite that, his pack still built a huge pack house for those who would need separate rooms or in case they would need to accommodate outsiders.

“Thank you.” Dagon answered, following Liam inside the pack-house. His warriors got out of their cars as well, following closely their Alpha. Especially Damian, who stood only a step away from Dagon, protecting him at all costs.

Liam led Dagon into a hallway leading to the stairs. After a long journey they might need some rest and refreshment before they could handle the business behind Dagon’s visit and Liam could proceed with his information gathering.

“How long are you going to stay?” Liam wanted to know. The main reason behind his question was to know how much time he had to gain the information he wanted from Dagon. At the same time, he must adjust the security around the pack to assure none of Dagon’s warriors makes a problem around and don’t mess with Liam’s people.

“Early morning tomorrow. I have only a small business of high importance to discuss with you.” Dagon replied to him, calmness radiating from his voice despite the boiling annoyance and discomfort in his thoughts. Dagon acted politely which bothered him. He wasn’t used to showing respect to outsiders and even in his own pack, only a few people deserved his respect and acknowledgement. Liam wasn’t different despite his position, yet Dagon couldn’t afford to anger him right now. Showing respect was a must for now.

“Alright then. Please follow beta Abby to your room. It’s the Alpha suite. I hope you will enjoy it.” Liam pointed up to the stairs in an inviting gesture. Abby took the initiative and led Dagon and his men upstairs to their designated rooms.

Liam waited until the entire group disappeared from his view before he finally stopped smiling. Dagon’s politeness and his smile especially bothered him. He knew Dagon more than anyone. His short temper and strict demand for respect, blind loyalty and full obedience. He might have treated Liam differently because right now he wanted something and not because of Liam’s rank. Liam was aware of it which made Dagon even more dangerous.

Abby flawlessly introduced everyone to their rooms before she briefed Alpha Dagon about the lunch with Liam in one hour. Damian silently entered the same room with his Alpha, ignoring Abby’s presence.

“I’ll be there. Now leave!” Dagon’s tone expresses disrespect and disgust towards a lower ranked wolf, not acknowledging her position. For him, Abby was a mere low rank wolf and outsider. Abby's lack of real respect towards Dagon helped her with ignoring his tone. She simply turned around without a word and left Dagon with Damian alone. Her attitude provoked Dagon to the point he slammed the door of his room.

Abby joined Liam in his office right away, reporting about their guests being settled in their rooms. She found Kayen sitting on the sofa, deeply lost in his thoughts. Abby left the room once she delivered the report, leaving Kayen and her Alpha alone to their business. On her way out she closed the door of the office and the sound of it brought Kayen back to reality. He turned his attention back to Liam sitting in his office chair, nervously awaiting what Kayen had in his mind but Kayen didn’t seem to start talking.

“Did you find any other options except the Dream spell?” Liam wanted to know, seeing the hesitation in his brother’s eyes. His entire consciousness focused on the task lying ahead of him. He was fully determined to get the information he needed about the girl from his dreams. His entire body craved the confirmation the girl from his girl existed. Fenris, his wolf pounced from side to side of his mind as well, increasing the level of his anxiety.

The hesitation in Kayen’s eyes deepened but Liam noticed something else crawling behind that hesitation. Something else found its place behind those hazel eyes. He must have found another way to get Liam the information he needed but for some reason he felt not only reluctant to share his findings with his brother but as well it aroused fear in him.

“Tell me.” Liam encouraged him, almost ordered him. Kayen took a deep breath, searching for inner balance, considering pros and cons of what he was about to disclose. He knew his brother would agree to anything if it would give him what he wanted but that’s exactly what scared him the most.

“There is mind control. Simple mind deceit but I am not sure whether this is something we could use on an Alpha, especially on an Alpha like Dagon. As you know Alpha’s mind is quite strong and unique, not to mention there are two of them inside. Alpha’s mind is a different construct than any other regular werewolf or any other being in general. With Dagon’s reputation I am afraid of what he might do if he finds out we played a trick on him.” Kayen shared his thoughts and fears with Liam.

Liam sighed loudly, weighing what Kayen just told him. Using Mind control could give him the answers he so desperately wanted with a higher chance of success instead of Dream spell, but it came out with risks. Kayen wasn’t the person to usually succumb to his fears, especially with a powerful magic in his hands but this time he feared the consequences and he lacked the confidence in his abilities when dealing with Alpha’s mind.

“What do you mean exactly?” Liam wanted more information to make knowledgeable decisions. Liam believed in magic. Especially since the one controlling the magic was no one else but his brother. Kayen’s immeasurable knowledge of his powers and the magic in general earned him the ability to understand a lot of things about himself and the others.

“To deceive someone, you need to present him with something he believes, with something he knows is real. The way you deliver the trick measures the success or failure.” Kayen tried to explain but the expression Liam showed only assured him about the dumbness of his little brother.

“English please.” Liam asked for translation, not understanding what Kayen said or what he meant. Kayen sighed hopelessly. Sometimes he really wished to change his brother.

“It means that if you want to deceive someone, you must find the person he trusts the most and use this against him. It technically means if you want to ask questions, you need to sound and look like that person. But the main problem is the person we are going to deceive. Dagon is well known for his brutality and distrust not to mention he killed his own brothers so how can there be someone he trusts the most?” Kayen’s tone contained the deep irritation growing inside as he spoke to his brother, trying to explain to him what they were supposed to do. Liam kept nodding his head as he thought about what his big brother just said.

“Damian. His Beta.” Liam suddenly exclaimed loudly. Kayen pouted as he considered Liam’s words. Damian never left his side and stood firmly right behind his Alpha but that didn’t make them close enough.

“Are you sure they are close enough?” Kayen asked reluctantly. Dream spell demanded less focus on deceiving the mind since everything happened during sleep, but mind control left nearly no room for mistakes. Everything needed to be executed with absolute precision if they wanted to succeed.

“There is barely any information about Dagon’s pack, and you know that, but we know that whenever he left his pack, Damian stood by his side every single time. He won’t do anything without him. I believe Damian knows everything about the pack and about his Alpha which shows Dagon’s trust in him.” Liam assured his brother. The logic behind Liam’s words seemed solid and made sense. Kayen put the spell under serious consideration. The only problem with mind control was the timing. They needed to choose the perfect time to use it against Dagon.

“Alright. Then mind control is it then.” Kayen replied but without any other word he stood up and left the office, leaving Liam confused about what they should do next. Kayen didn’t explain other details or how they were going to proceed next.

Liam shook his head, wondering about himself. It wasn’t the first time the actions of his brother confused him yet once again stood speechless and totally surprised by it.