Chapter 5

"When will they be arriving?" Kaine finally breaks the silence.

The solemn atmosphere isn't comforting, it's cold and fills me with a void of sadness. My pack mourn the loss of their brothers, and as hurt as I am, I can't show weakness. I have to be strong, so they don't have to be.

"Any minute." I murmur, staring blankly at the bodies wrapped in vines of bright green leaves, a tribute to nature even in death.

"Alpha..." Kaine trails off, lost for words. His need to comfort me is strong, but even he doesn't know how to heal such pain.

"I know what I must do, Kaine. I won't screw this up." I say softly, firmly with promise. Footsteps approach from my right, and Maison is quick to speak.

"The pack are angry, they want revenge. I think you should speak to them, Alpha." Maison murmurs, a sense of urgency in his voice.

Dammit! The Elders are due any second and my pack decide to act out now?

"Fine, both of you stay here and make sure everything stays calm." I mutter.

Vanishing from the front of the house, I head inside to the living area, where the last members of my pack pace around, antsy for blood.

"We can ambush them, just like they did us." One of the wolves finish saying just as I make my presence known.

"I want blood just as much as you do, I would love nothing more than to go outside and rip the heart out of every wolf in sight." I admit, walking further into the room.

My wolves nod, standing up from their seats, while others growl in anticipation. Holding up my hand, I silence them.

"But, I will not dishonour those who lost their lives fighting so that we could live." I state firmly, glancing at each and every male that surrounds me.

"They killed nineteen of us, Alpha. Do you expect us to sit back and allow them to do it again, because they will." Leon speaks up from the back of the room, having barely survived the ambush I understand his anger.

"If any of us retaliate today, it won't be another nineteen, it will be all of us. If we die today, that means our pack died for nothing...it means they fought for nothing!" I bellow, my tone harsh with bitterness and disappointment.

"We can be angry they are gone, or we can be better, we can do better. I know you're angry, and sad, and hurt, because I feel it, I understand! If we die today, then who will retrieve the ones taken from us? What do you think happens to them when our pack doesn't exist?" I question, shaking my head.

"They die." Luke whispers, the first voice to speak since Leon.

I nod my head slowly.

"They die." I confirm, staring at my wolves solemn eyes.

"Doing all the wrong things, for the right reasons...it will make you feel better for a moment. Until that sadness and pain creeps back in, and you realise they're still gone, and now you have to live with this darkness inside of you, a wound that can only be filled with suffering, and death." My voice is calm, truthful.

Deep down, they don't want that, no one does.

"I need you all to trust me, there will be no blood shed today." I state, peering at each of them with firm eyes.

Silence surrounds the room, a different silence to the one I walked in on. They're listening, and I know they're trusting me to know what's right, to lead them through this.

Heading out of the house, I leave the pack inside to gather their control as I approach Kaine and Maison.

"You must be the infamous Alpha Female." A mans voice echoes, immediately catching my eyes as he drops his cloak, revealing his face to me.

Black and gold attire, unmistakably one of the Elders. The aura that surrounds him is powerful, dangerous, and somehow trusting. The oldest wolves in history, and they don't look a day over forty.

I gaze at the others as they too drop their hoods, crossing the distance from the trees.

Unmoving from my wolves sides, I merely nod.

"I am." Is my blunt response.

The Elders eyes me with those black irises, taking me in for a few moments, intrigued that I'm standing before him, Alpha.

"We wish to know more about you, if we are to consider your alignment." The Elder voices, expecting me to submit and tell him whatever he wishes to know.

Any other female would.

"You will know what I wish for you to know, nothing more." I sharply respond, standing my ground as Alphas should.

The Elders eyes narrow, but his mouth twitches with a smile. Is he amused by this?

"Very well." He accepts.

"Where is the man that slaughtered my wolves?" I question without flinching, staring directly at the Elder without blinking.

For a moment they all seem taken back by my calm yet chilling response. If they expected a preppy school girl, they royally misunderstand what a Alpha Female stands for.

"You defended yourself well enough." Another man responds, growling at me as he steps out of the small crowd that still stands behind the Elders.

Did they bring a small army to kill us off?

"You may collect your fallen." I state, glancing to my left at the bodies neatly lined up, wrapped in vines just like my own.

All of them show surprise when they see the bodies treated with as much honour and care as I have my own. The Alpha didn't speak, appearing too taken back to have words.

"What do you want in return?" The Alpha narrows his eyes at me, like I expect the world in return for his dead wolves.

"I am honouring your dead by allowing this, don't question my intentions. Take them, and get off my land." I order with a vicious growl, my eyes burning bright red.

Rip him apart while you have the chance. The voice whispers, calling on my bloodlust and anger.

"Mercy is for the weak." The Elder comments, turning his eyes to me as the Alpha allows his people to collect the bodies.

My eyes grow dark at their ignorance, and blunt disregard for the DNA that runs through my veins. It's clear that a title isn't enough for them, they want to see a merciless monster.

"I show mercy for my pack, not for the Alpha or his dead." My voice is stone cold, even while I force every cell in my body to remain calm.

The Elders peer at me.

"You are truly remarkable!" One of the Elders towards the back exclaims with delight, eyes bright with wonder as he comes forwards.

The rest glare at him like he's grown another head, perhaps he's experiencing a mid life crisis, because even I am weary of his attitude.

"Pay no mind to my brothers, they are too proud to admit that your very existence is astounding." The Elders moves closer, stopping a foot away from us as he glances at the other Elders.

"That's close enough." I bite harshly, placing my hands on the two wolves standing tall at my sides. My posture rising as I take a protective stance, eyeing the Elder without a flicker of trust.

Black eyes glance over Kaine and Maison, to my hands resting on my wolves forearms, before returning to my face.

"I understand the distrust, we have given you no reason to have faith in us." The Elder nods, appearing solemn for a brief moment.

"You may call me Cassius." The Elder wolf offers out his hand.

My beast bares itself in anger, causing my skin to prickle as my gut warns me against it. His bare hand, not wearing the glove he had been minutes ago, the gloves Elders always wear to welcome wolves. It shows trust.

Cassius. The Elder gifted with the hollow, a wolf that is capable of consuming another through a mere touch.

"How disappointing." I state, sighing as I stare coldly at the Elder. He talks of distrust, and here he stands offering his hand so he may consume my beast.

"Excuse me?" Cassius frowns, staring at me like I'm the stupid one.

"I know exactly who I invited to the dinner table, the question is...do you?" I couldn't help but arch my eyebrow, smug that I know more about him and his brothers, than they do me.

The tension grows thick in the open air, even my own pack feel unnerved, as they had no idea that I have the advantage. I knew that if I told my wolves of this, they'd have been egotistical, which would surely get them killed.

"Is this your marvellous plan? Invite us all here, to have us killed?" Cassius grows amused, but I'd already seen his reaction, the moment he realised I know exactly what I'm doing.

The moment he realised just how dangerous I am.

Nobody in the world knows of the Elders gifts, only one another. The fact that I know exactly what he is, rattled him to his very core. Information is power, I've always believed that.

"Kill you? No, you're more use to me alive than dead." I bite with bitter honesty.

My word means nothing to them, if anything they see me as a bigger threat knowing that I'm aware of what they are. Realistically, it could be a good thing and a bad thing.

"You do want something then?" The previous Elder pipes up, his tone bemused, clipped with arrogance.

My red eyes glower at the old man that still continues glaring, a failing attempt of intimidation.

"I want to make sure that what happened today, doesn't happen again." I quip sharply.

"You wish to take oath?" Elder Eros questions, beady eyes sparkling with laughter.

Instead of unleashing my anger, I decide on another approach. It's clear the Elder don't see any importance in me, perhaps they never will, however it's not their approval I want.

"I do." I reply.

"Every Alpha that serves in our honour, brings something to the table." Eros responds, shaking his head at me, looking me up and down with absolutely no interest.

"You are female, your pack is weak, you are merciful, you lack respect and obedience. The list goes on, child." Eros sighs, his tone scolding, without hope.

I merely watch the four Elders, my eyebrows still raised a little as I listen to him list every excuse to deny me.

"I won't beg you to accept me, nor will I defend any of what you say. However, I will make it perfectly clear that I have every intention of expanding my pack, and my land. I will be Alpha, with or without your approval, and I will tear down any wolf that dares to stop me." I enforce with menace.

I stood as hard, as unwavering as the strongest iron. Meaning every word, every promise I have every made to my wolves, to the Elders and to myself.

"It would be foolish to go after him, he's been Alpha for over fifteen years." Cassius states, joining his brothers, staring at me with mere disregard.

"His wolves are strong, but doesn't it strike you as a little strange that he would send his best wolves, to kill off a mere few amateurs?" I press, holding the eerily calm approach as I glance at my fallen wolves laying on the ground before me.

"Are you blind to the fact that he didn't bother leading his wolves across my border himself?" I mock.

Their silence is loud, they hadn't thought about how the battle went down, only that a woman had defended herself.

"Perhaps you didn't see how many of his people died, at the hands of my 'amateur' wolves." I glare.

"No one said-"

"Fifteen years of training, and his wolves didn't make it past my borders. My pack have been training for only a year, and already they are capable of defending off wolves with far more experience than they do. In fact, that was their first real taste of battle, now tell me how weak we are." I speak with a calm, professional and commanding voice.

Eros shares glances with his brothers, each one having the exact same look in their eyes. They're undecided, weary, and rattled, yet they know my words ring with truth. As much as they hate it, as much as they will try to deny it, I'm stronger than they'd imagined.

"Should you find your mate, what then?" Cassius finally speaks for the group.

"My mate won't be of any issue." I declare, trying not to chuckle sourly. No, my mate didn't even bat an eye in my presence.

"You have met him." Cassius' eyebrows raise up in surprise.

Even as Alpha female, I'm expected to step aside when I find my mate, as females do. However, I'm not ordinary she-wolf, even if my mate was interested, there is no way in hell I would hand over everything I have worked my ass off to build.

"I have, it didn't work out." I reply rather bluntly.

"I see." Cassius murmurs, frowning as he returns glance with the other Elders.

There are certain gifts that come with being recognised as Alpha. Once the Elders accept you, there is a ritual they perform before the mother moon, a sacred passage that allows our wolves to soak up a tiny fraction of the moons essence, providing gifts beyond the average wolf.

"If you wish to be aligned with the moon, then you will challenge one Alpha of our choosing in six months time." Elder Eros finalises, eyes narrowing at me as if daring me to back out.

I wanted to grin, knowing I've convinced them enough to give me a shot. I'm not stupid, I know they're expecting me to fail, they're probably already placing bets on it.

"Done." I agree. "No more attacks until then, and I want my people back."

"Agreed, you will be expected to provide income for your pack, preferably near humans. It's good to mingle, they don't get suspicious." Cassius responds, his demand clear.

Gritting my teeth, I swallow back my anger and pride, and nod.

"Fine." I growl. "But I do things my way, that means you don't intervene with my rules, or my methods."

"Very well, have it in writing by next week." Elder Eros gives me a nod, having nothing more to add to the demands for now.

"I will, I expect my wolves home before midnight." I state, gesturing towards the fallen wolves on the soil.

The Elders understand such rituals, and even they honour a wolfs funeral as much as they dislike me. Each of the the Elders nod in silent agreement, and Cassius slips his glove back on before turning for the woods and exiting just as they had arrived.

The aroma of death quickly overpowers the lingering danger of ancient wolves, reminding us all of what we have lost.

The moment I know they're off my land, I immediately allow my shoulders to relax. My head falls back, and I blow out of breath of air.

A quiet chuckle echos, and hands grasp my shoulders, giving me a reassuring squeeze.

"You did it, Alpha." Maison grins, happy that we're all still alive.

"Barely, the fuckers were about to kill me." I muse, glancing at my wolves as we head into the pack house to finish preparations for tonight.

"Oh, definitely." Kaine nods in agreement.

Laughing it off like it's nothing, I break free from Kaine and Maison, heading to my office.