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Leaning against the door frame, Tessa was oblivious of what was happening around her. She was lost in thoughts again like she's been doing for days now, occasionally drifting off unconsciously. She didn't have interest in anything or anyone. Everything seemed plain and boring now. It was as though she never lived like that before Kieran. Such feeling made her wonder just how deeply she was in love with him that he had unknowingly changed her life. "Hey!" A voice brought her back to reality.

"Hey" She turned to see Nate standing there beside her. She looked around and realized she was still at the pack meeting, with everyone gathered to hear the Alpha's message.

"You kind of zoned out there for a minute, I've been calling you" He gave her a gentle smile.

"Sorry. I have a lot on my mind that's why" She sighed, looking over at where the Alpha and Beta Maynard were standing, addressing the pack.

"Yeah. Aren't you supposed to be up there with your father?"

"I am not in the mood to display myself up there"

"I see....i do feel like that sometimes too" He stated. He could tell she wasn't in a good mood and he knew the reason, they all did. He stood there nervously and in silence, just observing her. There is something about her that draws him to her. "I am sorry about the Omega" He finally broke the silence.

"Thanks" She replied, not peeling her eyes away from the pack of wolves in front of her. She was done with a lot of things and all that occupied her mind now was exerting revenge on Devils Eyes. "I am sorry, I have to go" She said to him before leaving the hall.

***

Sitting on the hard earth and leaning back against a tree, he rested his arm on his knee, staring at his palm silently. Images of him placing that palm on Tessa's face kept flashing in his mind. He could tell he wasn't the only one that made an impact in her life, she did on his too. As much as he was disappointed in him not finding what he went there for, he was glad Derek took a step to try and take him out. Staying there with her any longer would be dangerous to him, so he thought.

He sighed, tilting his head toward the sky, gazing at it through his mask. He could feel the strain in his eyes getting worse and affecting him too. That was a reminder that they had to move up with the plan before things got worse. He couldn't help but think about how all that was about to unfold was going to affect Tessa. As much as he tried to convince himself he wasn't worried, he kept finding himself doing just that.

"You look lost in thoughts" Adan pointed out, appearing in front him. "It's her, isn't it?"

Kreed shifted his gaze to him. Adan has always been a good observer, not even the little things escape him. Unlike Silas, he wasn't that hard to read seeing as he had only one mood, but he was also the most unpredictable when the situation desires it. "You don't have to worry about. All that is there is doing what we initially set off to do"

"I am not worried about it. I believe you will make the right decision...but only if you are in control of that decision" He explained

"And what does that mean?"

"It means you know the gravity of things that comes with bonding with her but you still did" Adan explained calmly.

"I never told you I did that" Kreed stared at him with furrowed brows.

"You didn't have to. It almost happened at the cabin right before we showed up and interrupted. You might want to say it was the plan and you were playing along waiting for us to interrupt, who knows, maybe it was...but what about after that? I can tell. Your mask doesn't hide the truth, just your identity" He informed, putting on his hood.

Kreed scoffed lightly on listening to all he said. He stood up from the floor, staring directly into Adan's eyes. He stared at him for almost half a minute before turning to leave. "Come on...we have important things to take care of" He called, walking away.

***

Watching the Alpha cough heavily as it rocked his whole body, Beta Maynard realized he didn't have much longer. He was looking weaker and weaker by the day and it was a surprise how no one else seemed to have noticed, not even his daughter. "Do you think setting a curfew was the right move to make right now?" The Alpha's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"It's the only move we can make right now to avoid any more casualties. The dead aren't just from our pack, there are missing humans being reported every day. We have to assume their visit is just a distraction from what they are actually doing"

"And what is that?"

"Gathering humans, turning them and making them into their soldiers" The Beta explained

"That might be true but we don't know that for sure" Alpha Darius argued.

"Well we have to be prepared for it in case my findings are correct"

"I'll leave that you" He stated, climbing up into his bed and laying against the backrest.

Beta Maynard fell into silence, running through the thoughts in his head. He knew the time for chaos was fast approaching. As much he would have liked to hold back some more, circumstances and events unfolding were forcing his hand. "And Tessa?" He asked with serious expression.

"What about her?" The Alpha gave him a curious look.

"When are you going to tell her the truth? That she isn't your daughter, your blood? And that she shares the same clan as our enemies? The same people she's sworn to take vengeance on" The Beta questioned.

"Where is this coming from? And why the hell will I do that? She's better off not knowing if she's going to succeed me and lead the pack after I am gone" He replied, not feeling good with the look the Beta had on his face at that moment. He was still having suspicion about him having a hand in the death of the Omega and now this question, a sentence he never thought he would utter. It was clear to him then that he shouldn't be wary of just The Black Lotus but also his right hand.

"I see" Beta Maynard bobbed his head. "I just thought it would be best for her to know the truth but if that's not what you want then, I understand" He bowed slightly, turning to leave after realizing it was time to start putting his pieces in place if he was going to achieve his goal.

***

Sounds of bones breaking, cries of pain and angry growls filled the woods. Freya turned swiftly and caught the approaching wolf by his neck, catching his hand midair to stop his claws from touching her. She twisted his arm out of position, drawing a painful growl from him. She let go his dislocated arm, took off her mask half way up her face so her fangs were exposed. With her fingers still wrapped around his neck, choking him, she sank her fangs into his shoulder, her eyes glowing red.

She dropped him on the floor, wiped his blood from her lips before fixing her mask properly on her face. She glanced over at Silas and saw him running through the few wolves left standing. She looked around her, at all the passed out bodies on the floor, all of them having a mark where her fangs had sank into. "I think that's all of them" Silas stated, walking toward her, his robe stained with blood. "You should go bite the ones I just finished putting down"

Freya nodded and made her way over to the injured wolves on the floor. She sank her fangs into them one after the other until she was sure every single wolf they had put down had her mark on them. They all lay passed out all over the floor. They should be no less than fifteen of them. "The full moon is in five days' time. Which means you have control of them for five days until the bond is broken by the full moon...that should give us enough time to get back to the others" He pointed out. Freya nodded, confirming it just before her eyes stopped glowing.

"Good. Now we wait till they are awake and we can leave this place. There is no honor in fighting people much weaker than you are" He added, sitting down on one of the fallen trees.

***

Beta Maynard climbed down the stairs leading into the bunker. The more he climbed down, the darker it got. After some few seconds, he got to the bottom of the stairs and then began making his way down the passageway. It's been a week since he was down there. He looked around and it looked as abandoned as usual. There wasn't much he was using the space for except keeping one of his most valuable assets.

Getting closer to the end of the passageway, he began to hear chains rattling slowly and quietly on the floor. He gave an evil smirk, coming up to last room at the end of the passageway. A room that was built more like a prison. The heavy and thick steel door had a little hole cut where one could look in through and also get food through. There was no window or space where sunlight could sip in through and as such, it was as dark as It could get.

Beta Maynard's eyes began glowing, looking into the room with his wolf eyes. His evil smile got wider when he saw his prisoner still there, weak but still moving. He was shirtless, putting on just a pair of dirty trousers. His long, dark and shabby hair covered the whole of his face. The heavy chains cuffing his hands and legs were slowly eating into his flesh. Though he was healing but he was healing very slowly.

"I hope you are getting ready, it'll be time to introduce you to the world soon. War is fast upon us, civil war and an inter race war. I am going to need you to be in your full strength" He said just before throwing an apple to him where he was sitting against the wall. The Beta watched as he eagerly grabbed the apple and began munching on it hungrily. "Don't worry, I am going to get you back to full strength before setting you lose on a killing spree" He concluded and began walking away, laughing quietly.