Chapter 2: The war

Zev smirked leaping down to help him up "You're gonna do as I say, no questions asked," His eyes moved up when baldy gave him a grim look and grunted.

"How do we know we can trust you?" A grim woman who had grey dreadlocks with her hair tied up in a scarf said. She was holding a rolling pin looking for the next victim to whack after she had her tables broken. Zev stepped down.

"I said no questions asked. It's these Lobos we shouldn't count on," He pointed and their faces darkened at the thought of them.

"It's working," She said to him.

"Let's give them a run for their money."

"No," Zev said startling them and they grimaced.

"Why not? You're the one making a suggestion,"

"I know_"

"Zev!"

They all parted when a brawny man with thick white hair yelled at the doorway, he was one of the Lobisomem, he was passing through the crowd, and they growled, defiant eyes followed him his every movement in a threat to attack him when necessary.

This newcomer was a man who in any company would have seemed striking. […] He was smooth-faced, and his fresh skin and well-developed figure bespoke the man in good physical condition through active exercise, yet well discontent with the kingdom's apportionment.

Zev stiffened when he passed him a letter unfolding it to skim the handwriting and looked uninterested in the content. He was not in the mood for the Alpha's pretext of trying to resolve a conflict.

He said; "The Alpha wishes to invite you to a gathering to seal our agreement, he would also like me to know if you'll be attending or not," His eyes moved from the letter to him and Zev closed it.

"You might get the answer tonight," He compressed it into his belt and shook the scout's hand. Patting his back.

Luckily for him, he walked out the door alive. Zev closed it leaving the begrudged crew in the dimness of the shack. He saw that the scout had taken a left in the thick forest and hustled into obscurity.

"I don't like this game," Baldy named Connor said musing with a cold beer pressed to his forehead.

"We're rogues, we can do whatever the hell we want,"

His cape flapped as he trod over with brisk, heavy footsteps to the female who said that, she shrunk the instant he faced her, her eyes rolled down and she hardened. "What I mean is...we can't sit still while they plan to keel us over," She mumbled.

"Are you content?" He said after her complaint. She swallowed and held her shoulder.

"I'll be damned if I am,"

"We will give attention to this party," He concluded with a serious look and their faces changed at his statement. He took the invitation from his belt and pressed his hand against the walls made of thick logs. His body was illuminated in the warm orange heat of the fireplace, he tossed it into the pile of wood quickly transitioning into ash.

"We may want to rip each other's faces off but let's give our little angst a channel," Zev said reaching for a candle to a place near the fire and once it caught, he set it over the table with two men behind it.

---

At the packhouse, Beta Jackson set a candle on top of the mantle shelf, his gloved hand left the dusted mantle after rejoining the candles with the others. They burned and even melted on the rims of the shelf.

There was an old "dusty" portrait of a flower garden, the other walls were covered with obscure pictures in the dark.

The room was nearly engulfed by darkness if not for the burning candles and fireplace and there were faded green sofas pushed to the walls to create enough room for the guests.

At the centre of the gleaming polished wood floor, there was a crocheted carpet_ he raised a glass to his lips, he would like to throw that carpet away for the right reason. Jackson could almost see his mate entangled with another man, their naked bodies on the floor glowing in the yellow flames.

Beta Jackson was still pondering. Over everything was darkness and thick silence, and the smell of dust and sunflowers. He ran the drink under his nose to clear it out.

A scout met him inside the house and held his hands together meekly "Beta Jackson?" He called with expressive eyes remaining restrained and Jackson turned around, he could hear the clamour from outside and looked up at the bright crescent moon over the nostalgic silhouette of the forest canopies outside the window and sipped his drink without thinking, the muscle near his eye twitched and he closed them willing the ghastly image off his mind and he set the glass on a coffee table with a twisted stand and wolf paws as the foundation.

The scout swallowed hard when he tapped him on the back. Getting to the exit outside where the party was set up.

There were light torches, poised on the four corners of the open field, by the frontier of the valley near the forest.

Mouth-watering sustenance was displayed on a long table covered in a white table cloth.

He could see the repose of the Lobisomem's casual black and white clothes mingled with the rugged rogues' brown and white get-ups. Their open demeanour headlined that they were eager to get the ball rolling. His eyebrow rose at the tall redhead in a white fur dress. She was involved in a brisk conversation with whom appeared to be Zev, his raven hair was combed down to his nape with oil, and he was almost unrecognizable in his prim black clothing.

Amy stepped aside when Jackson held the small of her back and nodded at the towering rogue. Amy grimaced and Zev's eyes rounded looking pointedly at Jackson then at her and she nodded taking permission to leave. "Pardon me,"

"This is a more befitting establishment isn't it, Zev?," He said cleverly.

Everyone called him Zev, he took the drink a scout offered and the rest made an effort to relate with the rogues.

"I guess," He beamed and stretched his arms gesturing him to sit by the benches laid out.

"Alpha Efilian will be here in...right about now," He stood dutifully when Efilian made his way in a black robe and sandals.

"With all your years of experience as a leader, I wager you'd be more suitable as an Elder," He raised the glass to his mouth and glanced at both their faces then downed the glass.

Efilian held his hands together "I think of withdrawing from my position to give way to a new era, Jackson here has been my protégé since he was younger. No one has been able to replace him," He held Jackson's shoulder.

"Hmm," Zev feigned a prying look at the Beta burying his nose into his glass.

"Please, don't flatter me in front of the rogue," Jackson drawled with a devious look at Zev.

Amy peeked from left to right at the party of guests, no one was compelling any violence and Zev was preoccupied with the head, she sighed and roamed past the bushes, they recognized the rhythm of her heels and once the rogues saw her from the covers, they nodded and flicked on a light waving it. The next rogue from afar acknowledged.