Chapter 4: The War Room

Azia was swift, barely registering the feel of grass and gravel under her boots before she made it to the injured wolf.

"Mack!" she cried, clutching at his arms, his shoulders. "What happened? Who did this?" she demanded.

Mack's face was milky white and covered in sweat. He looked at Azia with half closed eyes. "The rogues," he wheezed. "They jumped me in an alley. I didn't even have a chance to react before they were on me."

Gently, Azia pried at his fingers. He fought her off, keeping his wound hidden behind his forearms.

"I have to see, Mack!" she barked. "I have to assess the damage!"

Mack groaned and finally let her pull his arms away from his body. A deep gash ran from one side of his stomach to the other, through clothes and a dangerous amount of skin and muscle.

Cursing under her breath, Azia whipped her head around, and gave a soft, plaintive howl, urging the others to hurry without using words.

Mack's eyes, a deep russet brown, sought hers. "I'm sorry I let you down, Your Highness," he sputtered. "I'm sorry they got the best of me."

Azia let fury blossom up from her toes, and radiate through her body. It was the only way to keep herself from crying. "Hush now," she ordered, and pressed her hands firmly against Mack's wound. "Don't speak. We are going to get you to the healers."

Zeke had run alongside Vivian and his mother at the sound of Azia's call for help. They ran across the park, not sparing any energy for words. He took a deep breath, and pushed ahead, gaining ground ahead of the Alphas.

Zeke crested a small hill, and saw Azia and the injured wolf a few yards away. The Bronson heir was on her knees, her palms pressed into the man's stomach. Her hands were covered in blood, but she didn't seem to notice. All of her focus and energy was spent speaking to the man, trying to keep him calm.

Zeke didn't stop until he had skidded to a stop beside them. He assessed the volume of blood on the man's shirt and the pallor of his face.

"Your compound's too far, he won't make it," he said, turning to look at Azia. "Bring him to my compound. I'll run ahead and alert the healers."

"Yes," Azia said, nodding her head briskly. "Yes, thank you."

He didn't waste time replying. Zeke turned on his heel, and sprinted east, mentally mapping out the most direct route back to the Knowles compound. He imagined the injured wolf's heart beating with each long stride he took.

Everyone at the compound was on high alert when Azia, Vivian, Claudia, and the injured wolf appeared on the perimeter of the grounds. Zeke and two healers were already halfway across the grass to meet them, carrying a dark blue stretcher.

Azia remained fixed to the wolf's side, speaking softly to him as everyone bustled around them. Her moto jacket and her hands were covered in bright red blood, but she refused to let go until the healers insisted.

"He's in safe hands," the female healer reassured her, looking at the heir with kind, dark eyes. "You can let go now."

Gingerly, Azia lifted her hands. Zeke and the healers eased the injured wolf onto the stretcher. The moment he was onto the blue platform, the healers took off at an urgent pace, pushing the stretcher forward between them through the compound entrance.

Zeke turned back towards the others, catching the unchecked emotions on Azia's face when she thought nobody was looking. Her expression reflected what he knew he would have felt, had it been a member of his own pack: fury, despair, and a feeling of complete helplessness.

He walked up to her, and waited until she raised her tear soaked eyes to his. He wanted to comfort her, but he knew she would refuse. "Go home. Gather those you trust and bring them back here," he said, speaking softly to her. "We need to hold a war council."

***

An hour later, a small group of Bronson and Knowles wolves gathered around a long, rectangular table. Claudia, Zeke, and their Beta, Ralph, sank into chairs on one side, while Vivian, Azia, and Lowell, their Beta, sat opposite. The room itself was small, and void of decorations on the gray colored walls, save for a single map of the city and surrounding forests. This room was designed for war, and war alone.

Claudia leaned her forearms against the table and sighed. "I've been with the healers. Mack is expected to make a full recovery, but his wounds were severe," she informed the group. "Had he attempted to make it back to your compound, he would have bled out on the way."

"I'm sure that was their intention," Vivian said, lacing her fingers together on the table. "Had he died in the streets, the humans might have found him. They want to expose us."

"I don't get it," Ralph chimed in, shaking his head. "Exposing either of our packs runs the risk of exposing them as well. Why would they do that?" The Knowles Beta shook his blonde head as he leaned back against his chair.

"They don't want to hide anymore, I'm guessing," Lowell murmured, looking at each of them with his light brown eyes. "They probably think if they reveal themselves, they can gain power over the humans."

Vivian nodded. "I agree, cousin. And it is a fool's errand on their part," she quipped. "If any of our kind is exposed, the humans won't stop until we are wrangled up, and put into cages, like dogs. It is time to intervene."

"I agree," Claudia said, dipping her head towards the Bronson Alpha in acknowledgment. "Their attacks have only escalated and gotten more personal since we have formed our alliance. It is time to go on the offensive."

Everybody flinched in their chairs as Azia leapt to her feet. She stared at Claudia, her mouth slightly open in shock. "You're right," she whispered. "The attacks HAVE escalated since forming our alliance. Problem is, the only people who know about our pact so far are our security personnel, our Gammas...and everybody in this room."

Zeke gaped at her from his chair. "Oh, God," he said demurely. "We have a spy."