Chapter 4

"No!" Kai cursed out loud.

He had screamed and wailed asking himself what had happened with no one around to answer him. Who knew? There was no one. As for Kate she was left wordless. She had not said a word since they found him drowned in his own blood. She was seated in the corner of the room with her head between her legs. It was the saddest Kai had ever seen his mother.

"Where is everyone what do we do?" He asked.

"I think it's Alcott" Kate said getting up, "That son of a bitch had the motive to kill him" She added on walking aimlessly in the small room.

"But he can't just kill him when they are all seeing, these people don't hate dad that much" Argued Kai.

"He is dead Kai!" Kate screamed.

Her frustrations were starting to sink in now. She was coming head on with the reality that Arnold was gone for good. Unless she was dead and managed to enter the afterlife they were not going to see each other. It was an option too. Dying was an option. And yet she couldn't take the easy road. They had a son who was not yet ready. According to her and everyone else sensible enough Kai was not ready to rule the pack.

"Someone killed my husband and I have to find out who, kill them before they kill you. Run Kai, run" She said pushing him outside.

"Where do I go mum?" he complained trying to fight back.

"Go anywhere just far from here before they come back and kill us all" She said.

"No mum am not leaving you here we are a team now" Kai said overpowering his mother.

She stopped and started packing his clothes randomly in a bag pack. Kai realized she was actually serious about him running and leaving her behind. All alone with an angry pack of wolves. He was a coward but not to that extent. He could run away from a fight but not one that involved his own mother. They were a team, if it was dying he wanted it to be together or he would have wanted to die trying to save her.

"Don't give me the dying together bullshit you are my son, you still have a lot to learn a bright future Kai you are leaving" She said throwing into his face a bag full of clothes.

"Am not leaving mum if we run, lets run as a family. Whoever killed dad won't hesitate to kill you"

Kate had enough. The faint green glow of his iris was a clear indication he was going to use force. Instead of mourning their fallen tree in the middle of the garden they started brawling. Kate trying to push Kai away, drag him outside while Kai trying to salvage all he was left with. His mother. Their small confrontation stopped when Alcott and his cronies came back breathing heavily. When Kate saw him she stopped and went right after him. This time Arnold was not there to stop her. She was surely going to kill him. Except this time Alcott was innocent. He had no idea why she was marching towards him looking like death itself.

"It was you bastard!" Kate said her carnassial teeth sprouting.

Her sharp razor like claws also protruded leaving blood marks on the tip of her fingers. Her heart was throbbing in her thoracic region. They could all hear it pump blood full of hate and anger.

"Me? What have I done?" Alcott asked his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"You killed him!" She screamed pouncing on Alcott.

Clue less, Alcott received a thorough beating on the ground. He was not fighting back for obvious reasons. One, their last encounter he almost lost his life and the only person who saved him. Well he did not know if he was alive but he could tell was in no position to save him and two, he did not know why she was lashing out at him. It took Kai and three other wolves to separate the two.

"This woman is crazy!" Alcott shouted finally getting on his feet.

His clothes were soiled and his wounds were healing slowly.

"You killed him" Kate shouted.

"Killed who? I have no idea what you are talking about?"

"My dad is dead" Kai filled them in.

"What?" Alcott asked surprised.

The look on his face could say it all. He was just as surprised as anyone could have been. He didn't do it. The rest of the pack, one by one they started walking towards their alphas house. Kate collapsed on her knees sobbing in pain. Kai could not control himself too. He would have shed a tear or two. The pack needed a leader and he was the next in line. It was time to show them how strong he was. Yet at heart he was weeping basket full of tears, anger and sadness had created a wall around his heart and soul. He was not sure what he would have done to them if he found them.

"I didn't do it, you have no reason to believe me but trust me I didn't do it" Alcott begged.

"Then who did it?" Kate asked.

***A few minutes after Kate ran off***

Arnold asked Kai to run after his mother assuring him that he was fine. Kai hesitated but as usual, Arnold ordered him. When he left Alcott and his guys were seated at the door waiting to walk in. Kai did not say much. He just glared at Alcott and walked away.

"Alcott" Arnold called from the room.

"Yes Alpha" Alcott said rushing towards him.

Arnold was lying on his back with his head supported on a pillow. There was a basket of fruits by his bedside stool with a hot and cold water dispenser and a glass. The room was painted red with a crescent on the wall just above where his head was resting.

"Am sorry sir I handled that one poorly" Alcott said with his head was bowed in respect.

"No am sorry about my wife, the Luna of the pack" He stopped to cough.

Alcott passed the glass of water. Arnold drunk small successive gulps and handed it back.

"Take care of them Alcott, when am gone" He said.

"I will..."

Alcott had not finished giving his word when the alarm sounded. A vampire invasion had been reported in the southern border and all the available warriors were being summoned.

"Go, we will talk later when you come back"

"Don't you dare get up...guys let's go all of you!" Alcott ordered leading the Calvary to the woods.

****

Alpha Elliot and Lord Gilbert were meeting again in a span of twenty four hours. It was not yet their agreed meeting time but Lord Gilbert for some reason was so quick to ask them to meet alone. Of course Elliot brought back up. He did not trust him there was a chance he would have been walking straight into a trap. His own death.

"Not a man of your word, we agreed to meet in like a week right?" Elliot asked his companions with a sick smile on his face.

Despite the backup he was feeling kind of free to tease him around. A part of his wolfs instinct trusted Lord Gilbert. He was not joking about the war if he was willing to go to all that trouble just to meet him.

"And you came didn't you? I knew you would come, your little ass is sacred about war and all that but am not here to gloat", Lord Gilbert said.

"Why are you here?" Elliot asked.

"Arnold is dead" Gilbert said happily.

To him it was like a gift. He was giving Elliot the moonstone on a silver plate. That way it might have been easier to take it away from him besides using him and his men for a war the other vampires were bringing. It was the part he was hiding from Elliot. Who was bringing the war?

"I know he was about to die but not this soon" Elliot brushed it off.

"I killed him" Gilbert said confidently.

"You kidding" Elliot said, "His pack is a fortress you can't get in and out without getting noticed":

Gilbert burst into laughter. With the aftermath of the war they had, Arnold was short on men. And without his leadership plus the rebellion he was facing in his own pack they were vulnerable to an attack from a veteran like Gilbert. He knew how to divide their attention and Arnold's wife and son made it even easier than he expected it to be.

"Typical you, laughing instead of explaining" Elliot said sounding agitated.

"His pack is weak, now no one is standing on your way to achieve greatness" Gilbert said getting closer to Elliot.

He stopped not moving an inch. Gilbert stalked him with his men and smiled broadly.

"And what do you expect in return for this huge favor?" Elliot asked cautiously.

From his perspective that was one big advantage he now had. Arnold dead was expected but they had feared he would have trained his son to take up after him. Dead that quick meant he had not laid down a foundation for his son.

"Consider this a favor to a friend" He said stretching his arm.

Elliot shook it, cold with a hidden feel of darkness. It was as though he could feel the screams of people the hand had killed, all of them asking for freedom. It took one of his men shaking him for Elliot to realize that Gilbert was long gone.

"Sir, He is gone" he said politely not to make a fool out of their Alpha.

"I know" Elliot said looking embarrassed and pocketing.

They walked back in the woods silently. Gilbert's words might have changed the complexion of the competition and he was planning to make use of the information before it got to the other Alphas. But he was too late. Wayne already knew and he couldn't keep quiet about it. He called Elliot first.

"You heard?" he asked happily from his end.

"Heard what?" Elliot asked sounding annoyed.

"Arnold is dead" Wayne finally said.

Elliot had to pretend he was surprised not to make a fool out of Wayne and also to build their trust. For Long Wayne had shown signs of being left out and it was not good for Elliot. He needed all hands on deck if he wanted to rule Astra.

"What! That's even better news" He feigned surprise with a nasty smile on his face.

"We are winning already, I just called Dylan lets meet at your place?" He said half suggesting half asking.

"Yeah am waiting" Elliot said and hang up.

******

Clyde's head felt heavy. The guard brought him his usual evening meal. It was much this time unlike the previous evening he was brought a small meal poorly prepared with no smell to tingle his test buds. This one was different, the aroma.

"Is there a party or something this room smells great" Clyde complemented looking at his host.

"There is a party" He said politely without hitting him.

That one was so unrealistic too. He usually used Clyde as a punching bag wherever he tried to say anything.

"Good for me, as long as I get to eat this great food" He said stretching his arms.

They were set free and he immediately started eating ravenously like he was doing so for the first time in a very long time. The first spoon went right into his belly, he was rarely chewing the second one too the third time he got up quickly and blind-sided his captor sending the spoon down his throat. As he struggled to breathe Clyde continued forcing him out of oxygen.

"Die you big ugly motherfucker!" He cursed.

"Clyde my friend how dare you try to escape the day I am planning to set you free?" Owens voice could be heard in the shadows.

Clyde stopped squeezing life out of him and concentrated on finding Owen. He was not back to his wolf form, it was hard to see him in the dark.

"Too bad you have nothing to go back to, Arnold is dead" Owen said.

"What! You..."

It was a perfect distraction, Owen appeared and kicked him in the throat then the head and knocking him out cold. Again. Poor Clyde.