Under The Alpha's Protection

Chapter 6: The Council's Suggestion

Lucian had a hard time concentrating at the Council meeting.

Which, as Head Alpha, was terrible and very unprofessional of him.

As the seven Council members seated at the round table in the Council Room rattled on about their observations of the Pack from the past week, giving each other both metaphorical pats on the back and opposing opinions in a respectful manner, Lucian's mind would wander back to how that human's—Blue Emmetson's—scent tickled at his nose.

All the other times he'd caught a whiff of her scent, Lucian had never thought he'd be able to smell it up close. Though her natural scent had still been masked, with the smells of blood and an unknown alpha—an alpha from the Southern Pack.

Lucian was more than a little disturbed about having such an unfamiliar individual in his Territory, among his Pack, with his sister no less—because of his sister.

"Head Alpha Lucian," Lucian was brought back to the present by Marielle Levanter, who tilted her feline-like face at him in question. The beta had caught him zoning out. "Are you with us this evening?"

Now that everybody was looking at him, Lucian sat up a little straighter in his seat. "Yes, I apologize if it doesn't seem so." He leaned his elbows onto the table, hands clasping together like he was silently praying that this meeting would conclude soon. "I'm glad to hear that you all have such positive things to say tonight. Do you think there's anything that requires my immediate attention?"

Besides that bleeding, unconscious woman my sister had brought to the medical den, Lucian's mind supplied.

Seven pairs of eyes glanced at one another, making Lucian frown immediately.

The Northern Territory's Pack Council was currently comprised of three women; an alpha, beta, and omega, and four men; two alphas, a beta, and an omega. They were supposed to be the wisest of all the elders in their Pack, elected into their positions to give counsel to the Head Alpha whenever he may need.

The Council doesn't have any decision-making powers (fortunately). That's Lucian's responsibility—to hear all their sides, and to make the best possible decision at any given moment.

As soon as Elvis Dunn, one of the alphas in the Council, leaned closer to the center of the table in preparation for his next words, Lucian already said goodbye to his hope of this meeting ending soon.

"We want to discuss the recent attacks of the Southern Pack on the Eastern Pack," Elvis said slowly. The drawl of the other alpha's voice was somehow even more gruff to hear when paired with the scars on his face—all gotten from battle. "And how we keep sending more of our alpha and beta fighters to the Eastern Pack when we are also in danger of being attacked by Head Alpha Niall's werewolves."

Hearing Head Alpha Niall Ryder's name twice in one night made Lucian's jaw clench audibly. Laia had said earlier that the Head Alpha of the Southern Pack had personally arrived in Neutral Territory with another alpha just to hurt one small, female human.

Frankly, Lucian had no idea why the thought of that made him pissed. For all he knew, the woman he'd seen in Laia's arms was actually a bad person.

Lucian forcefully put aside all thoughts about that injured stranger, instead addressing the mentioned concern. "It was explicitly stated that part of our deal with the Eastern Pack is to provide reinforcements just as long as they kept their bi-weekly deliveries coming. The Eastern Pack has never once missed a delivery day. They are extremely generous with the products they give us, not to mention Head Luna Sorrel has the decency to always show her face to keep good faith."

Rose Rumi always had a perpetual serious face on her. Lucian had rarely seen the female alpha smile, but now, the pull of her eyebrows meant she was disappointed, and had expected a different answer from Lucian. "You sent out seven werewolves on top of the others that had already been temporarily staying in the Eastern Territory, Head Alpha."

Lucian nodded. "Yes, I did. And we will keep sending able-bodied alphas and betas for as long as the Eastern Pack requires us to do so. It's not as if I'm letting our Pack go unprotected. Unlike the Eastern Pack, we start training our werewolves from a young age to defend themselves and others."

Each Pack had its own thing that made it different from the other three in Clawsbrought State. The Northern Pack was known as the Warrior Pack. They raised fighters purposefully, not incidentally. Before a werewolf could even reach puberty, they were taught basic self-defense lessons. That was what set them apart from the other Packs, and that was what Lucian had used as an advantage to become long-term partners with the Eastern Pack.

Garrison Byrne was seated directly from Lucian at the round table. This was deliberate, and a must for every Council meeting. The beta made a small waving motion at Lucian, before bringing both hands up to sign.

Lucian watched Garrison's hands carefully. He'd been studying sign language ever since Garrison Byrne had been elected to the Council, and while Lucian could make out some of the words the beta had made, there were a few he wasn't familiar with.

"You agree with me, yes?" Lucian clarified, signing back the phrase think-same-you, which was what Lucian had understood. The rest of what Garrison signed unfortunately went over his head. Nonetheless, the beta nodded at Lucian with a warm smile on his face.

Seated to Garrison Byrne's right was Dominic Rising, the first male omega to have ever been elected to the Pack Council when Lucian had taken the role of Head Alpha. Dominic was the most fluent out of all of them in terms of sign language, and he helped out by translating, "Garry also said that we should honor the commitments we make."

Lucian repeated the unfamiliar sign he'd seen the beta do. "This is for honor?"

Garrison gave a thumbs-up.

"We have something else to talk about with you, Lucian," Lynx said. One of the two alphas elected to the Pack Council was seated to Lucian's left. His right hand was resting atop the table, his left arm—where his left hand had needed to be amputated after a gruel fight with another alpha—was on his lap, away from the others' view. "Since the attacks of the Southern Pack had become more and more frequent, we have brought up the importance of gaining more allies. Specifically, the Twin Suns of the Western Pack."

Lucian kept his face void of any reaction.

Truthfully, the title Twin Suns of the Western Pack was quite pretentious in Lucian's opinion. He'd never voice this out loud, for several reasons. But he at least agreed that twin suns were somewhat accurate to describe Tristan and Teesha Hornswood. Mostly because, in Lucian's perspective, the two felt as impossible to reach as the sun itself.

"Our prior conversations up to this point have had nothing to do with Head Alpha Tristan Hornswood and his twin sister, Teesha. I don't see why their names should suddenly be included?" Lucian asked, and was nearly tempted to accuse them of committing a filibuster when it was clear they all knew what Lynx was pertaining to when the other alpha mentioned gaining more allies.

Surprisingly, it was Althea Sheinstone, the female omega in the Council Pack, who answered, "We think that, with the whispers of a Pack War drawing closer–"

"Do not throw those words around so easily outside these walls," Lucian could not help but cut her off, his reminder directed to everyone in the room. "It will cause unnecessary panic within our Pack."

Next to Althea, Rose Rumi exhaled deeply. "Lucian, ever since Niall Ryder took over his father's position as Head Alpha, the Southern Pack has been provoking other Packs non-stop, and yet, they are not outright attacking with the force of their numbers."

Lynx Dashiell built upon her co-alpha's statement. "They are biding their time. Those werewolves are probably testing the waters, seeing how best to sneak into the other Packs Territories. It's possible they plan to go for the Eastern Pack first, since they have the smallest population."

The trio of alphas was completed when Elvis Dunn also chimed in, "Your insistence to keep sending our own werewolves to protect the Eastern Pack means that we will inevitably be caught in the crossfire, Head Alpha."

Pack War. Just those two words alone have the power to have dread settling into the pit of Lucian's stomach for hours.

He had no response to what Elvis had said, because it was true.

If the Southern Pack attempted to overtake the Easten Pack, then Lucian's Pack would be directly involved since they were helping protect the Eastern Pack.

That ugly feeling growing inside only worsened when Marielle Levanter picked up where the thread of conversation halted.

"We we want you to consider what we've been trying to tell you since you first became Head Alpha," The beta said, her voice soothing in nature but ultimately had zero effect on Lucian's tightening jaw. "If you manage to become mates with Teesha Hornswood, the twin sister of Western Pack's Head Alpha, that means we will have both the Eastern Pack and Western Pack undoubtedly on our sides in the event of a Pack War."

-----

Blue had woken up feeling like her body had been crushed under a rock landslide.

The panic had settled into her sore body when her eyes picked up on the unfamiliar surroundings—a small room with two windows covered with blinds, two doors both closed, and a tall man with long hair tied into a high bun, wearing a white coat, hovered near the bed Blue had been laid upon.

As it turned out, Blue had not been imagining the whole thing with Laia Steele rescuing her and taking her to her Pack's Territory—the Northern Territory.

The man inside the room had gently told Blue not to try and stand when the initial panic had hit her. He had introduced himself as Arlo Daggersap, the Northern Pack's physician, and the one who examined her ribs and treated the bruises on Blue's body, paying special attention to the ones on her abdomen.

"Ms. Steele had brought you to the medical den, but we moved you into one of the isolation rooms," Arlo said in a smooth, placating tone; a good skill physicians could have in order to help patients calm down. "Typically, these rooms are used for werewolves who just hit puberty and are still getting the hang of controlling their ruts or heats. But, after Ms. Steele had informed me of your situation, I thought it would be better to treat you here where no other werewolf would be able to figure out that a human is in our Territory." Arlo gestured his long fingers at the walls. "The whole place has scent-blockers."

Blue's hands gripped the blanket underneath her. She took two deep inhales before her body fully registered that most of the pain was coming from her abdomen.

Arlo Daggersap must've known by the way Blue's face twisted. "I've treated the puncture wounds on your waist. You're lucky to not have any broken ribs, otherwise you could have needed surgery. The soreness and bruises on your stomach will take a while to heal, unfortunately. You have internal bruising, so I've asked Ms. Steele that we keep you here until I'm sure you won't show any signs of internal bleeding, such as vomiting or fainting."

The fact that Blue had been working in a clinic since she was eighteen helped ease her into this situation. This, at least, was familiar.

Blue swallowed. Her throat was dry, and it felt like her mouth was filled with cotton, making it harder to speak. "Thank you, doctor. Wh-where is Laia?"

Arlo had stepped outside to get Laia, telling Blue that he'd only be a second.

While the Pack's physician was out, Blue's eyes landed on her bag, placed on top of the drawer at the other end of the room.

Deciding not to disobey Arlo Daggersap by standing up, she slowly lifted her bloodied shirt to assess the damage with her own eyes.

It was not pretty. The white bandages taped over the wounds on her waist from where that werewolf had sunk her claws into her, together with the angry bruises from his fists...

Blue returned her shirt over her abdomen, closing her eyes and breathing out.

She was alive. That's what mattered.

Laia had come into the room like a whirlwind, but she was gentle when she hugged Blue's shoulders. "Goddess above, Blue. I thought you were going to die when you collapsed in my arms!"

Blue nestled her face into the crook of Laia's elbow, enjoying the comfort. "I'm so sorry to have put you in this position," Blue said as soon as they pulled away from the hug. "Those two werewolves... they just came out of nowhere."

Blue could still remember the terrible feeling of being dragged into an alleyway while she was rendered helpless because of that man's grip on her.

Laia sat near the end of the bed next to Blue's legs. She stared at Blue's face for a few seconds before saying, "Those two werewolves I saw with you in the alleyway? They're from the Southern Pack."

The Southern Pack.

Blue inhaled sharply, swallowing again. Arlo Daggersap was standing a few feet away, and another person's presence made Blue resort to mumbling, "I... I know."

Laia huffed. "Okay. Well, I assume you also knew that the one who'd been hurting you was Niall Ryder? Southern Pack's Head Alpha?"

Did Blue hear that right?

"What?"

Laia mirrored her shocked expression. "You didn't know? You only knew they were from the Southern Pack?"

Blue opened her mouth, but shut it again, looking at where Arlo Daggersap was still standing at the side. Although the physician had his head down, writing away on a chart, Blue still disliked the idea of having someone else present while she was about to explain her tragic backstory.

Arlo must've sensed eyes on him, because without looking up or stopping from writing, the physician said, "Everything said in the medical den remains confidential unless it becomes a life-or-death situation, or unless I have the patient's permission to share personal information."

Blue was not entirely mollified by that.

But then, Laia took Blue's right hand in hers, drawing Blue's attention to the alpha—the alpha who saved her life. "Blue, why were you in an alleyway getting beat up by the Head Alpha of the most dangerous Pack in Clawsbrought State?"

Well, when she put it like that...

Laia and Blue had never talked about Blue's family before. Not in detail at least. That was mostly because Blue had no idea how Laia would react to the truth: "My father used to work for the Southern Pack."

Many emotions passed over Laia's pretty features. It took her a good five seconds before she could ask, " Your father... he was human though, right?"

Blue nodded. "He was. And honestly? I'm not too sure what he did for the Southern Pack. He was out of the house a lot, so I assumed, besides his day job, he was also running errands for them? Maybe he was a... a spy of some sort? Giving the werewolves information about the towns in the Neutral Territory? Dad never told me anything about it, no matter how much I begged him to." The memories of Blue's father came rushing back, and it had her gripping the blanket again. "All I know was that he was working directly for the Head Alpha and Head Luna at the time. He and mom used to fight about that a lot."

Laia's features were carefully schooled in a neutral expression. "You told me before your father died when you were thirteen years old."

Nine years had passed since Blue lost both her parents. That grief had never shrunk—she only learned how to become bigger than that grief, so it wouldn't continue to suffocate every waking moment of her life.

"He and my mother were killed by the Southern Pack."

"Are you serious?" Laia couldn't quite mask her shock that time. "Why–"

"I don't know." Blue felt tears prickling at her eyes, shaking her head vigorously. "I swear, Laia, I don't know. All of a sudden, these werewolves just invaded my family's home and killed my parents. The most traumatizing experience of my life and nearly a decade later, I still don't know why it happened."

That's what had made losing her parents even harder to process; the fact that Blue's entire world had been ruined, her only family murdered, and she had absolutely no clue why.

Laia scooted closer towards Blue's torso, now holding Blue's hand with both of hers. "I'm sorry that that happened to you. I know what it's like to lose both parents." The alpha had mentioned to Blue before that her own mother and father were no longer here with them. "And I'm sorry I'm pestering you about this now, but I need to justify that you staying here while you recover will not bring trouble to my Pack. My brother thinks the Southern Pack is after you because you're involved directly with them."

Blue nodded, the first tears falling from her ducts. She used her free hand to wipe them away, sniffling before she could speak, "No, I understand. I'm just..." Blue couldn't even begin to describe it.

Laia nodded, as if she understood anyway. "Your father was working for Niall Ryder's parents, not Niall. Do you know why he'd go after you now, when his parents had spared your life for all those years?"

Niall Ryder's voice replayed in Blue's head, the white scars all over the werewolf's face would only feed the nightmares Blue would undoubtedly have until the day she died.

"That werewolf—Niall Ryder?" Blue started, "He said my father took something from their Pack, and he only found out recently. He thinks I have it, but I have zero clue about what my father stole."

Blue also had no idea what in the world her father thought was valuable enough to risk his life stealing from the Southern Pack. Lloyd Emmetson was both smart and sensible, he was not the kind of man who would steal an item just to sell it and gain some extra money. He liked earning a fair living, never once having complained about the odd jobs he'd pick up here and there for his family to get by.

And yet... the doubt that maybe Blue did not know her father as well as she thought she did was like a weed in her brain that kept popping up no matter how many times she had tried to pluck it before.

Laia was in deep thought. Her blue eyes were on the floor, brows creased as she slowly began to say, "Since Niall Ryder told you he only recently found out that your father had stolen something, it means the Southern Pack killed him and your mother for a completely different reason."

That was probably the only thing Blue was also sure about. "The police barely did anything to investigate. The distant aunt I lived with until I turned eighteen had told me nobody in Neutral Territory liked getting involved with the Packs, which is why they only told me that it was a home invasion resulting in devastating loss of lives. I was thirteen at the time, it wasn't like I was going to ask the Southern Pack directly why they killed my parents."

The alpha squeezed her hand. "Blue, could it be possible that your father betrayed Niall's parents, the Head Alpha and Head Luna of the Southern Pack at the time? Is it possible they went after both him and your mother because of that?"

"I... suppose?" Blue rubbed a hand over her eyes when her vision started to become too blurry to even see definite shapes. "I'm sorry, Laia. I'm so sorry."

"Hey, take a deep breath, alright?" Laia murmured soothingly. "Thank you for telling me all this, I know it wasn't easy to relive any of it, especially after what happened tonight. I'll go get you something to eat, and some more water, okay?"

Blue nodded, feeling like she could fall back asleep and not wake up for a week at least.

Laia stood, gently placing Blue's hand back on her side. "I'll be right back."

The door shut softly behind the alpha.

When Blue's eyes instinctively met Arlo's gaze across the room, she saw how the physician's brown orbs were filled with commiseration.

"I'm truly sorry about your parents, Ms. Emmetson," he said, sounding heartbroken.

Blue looked down at her lap. The tears that fell from her eyes made wet spots on the blanket covering her lower body. "Me too."