Chapter 6 FIVE

Vincent pov

I reach for my shirt and pull it over the bulletproof vest I ordered for everyone to wear tonight. I'm not here to risk any lives, especially when the pack has to deal with the Alliance. There are many different hunters out there, but the Alliance ones are a different breed. All of their members are trained to perfection; their only goal is to kill. Their hunters use silver bullets, and if there's one thing I am absolutely sure of - they don't miss. Ever. Besides, that son of a bitch Red is going to lead the attack on my pack. Better safe than sorry.

I button the last button as Aros invites himself into my bedroom. I stare at him, but I don't say a word. I know what he's like.

My Beta raises his hands and grins. "It's not like I haven't seen that booty before," he laughs. It's just another comment I roll my eyes at.

"Is everyone ready for tonight? We should be leaving in a few minutes." My decision to avoid any sort of confrontation works out, as Aros' expression instantly turns serious.

He nods his head and sits on my bed. Great, now I have to change the sheets; only the Goddess knows where this man has been. "We have managed to warn everyone in time. They come prepared; everyone's wearing bulletproof vests in case the Alliance really does attack us. I feel like we have a mole here; we won't see the results until later tonight. If someone warns the Alliance that we are expecting them, there might be no attack on us. Either way, we are ready to fight them." Aros declares as he stares into the distance. I understand his doubt and the hint of fear that flashes in his eyes. Everyone has someone in our pack, and we're all afraid of the outcome. I can only beg the Goddess to protect us and show mercy, so no one loses their loved ones tonight. Hell, this was supposed to be the best night for young wolves, and maybe even for me; we were all hoping to find a mate. I can't focus on the thought alone, and to my surprise, I hope I don't see them tonight.

"Alright, tell everyone we are leaving. When the shit hits the fan tonight, we will be ready for it. Stay safe, brother." I watch Aros get up and walk toward me for a hug. Whenever we are in danger, he hugs me, and after the threat is over, he comes up to me and tells me he's glad we didn't embrace for the last time. He's annoying, but Aros is as close to me as a real brother. I wouldn't know since I'm an only child, but I am glad I found a family in him.

Without a word, Aros lets go of me and walks away. He looks at me for a moment, nods his head, and leaves my bedroom. I follow his lead and trudge out of my bedroom straight for the main entrance. Part of me wants to stay aside and see if the fight actually happens. But the leader in me demands the blood of those who killed our people. And that's exactly the part I'll follow- a part that craves blood and vengeance. If Red shows his face around my people tonight, this will be the last night he has any face at all.

Masses of wolves walk past my packhouse and head for the clearing in the middle of the forest. It's where we hold our moon rituals every year. My eyes follow the group of women giggling and sharing their dreams about the man who will be their mate. If only I could feel a little of their happiness, but the big day became the centre of my anxiety within a few hours.

Once I ensure that everyone is on their way, I follow the crowd. Yes, I am the pack leader, but unlike other Alphas, I have made my own rules. I see other Alphas on the front line, while I am the only one who always walks behind his people. The front line of my pack is made up of our best warriors, and I walk behind everyone else to make sure no member is left behind and no danger that comes at us from behind.

When the fire appears in my sight, I sign. There's no sign of humans near the clearing, so my body relaxes. I stop clenching my fists and gritting my teeth. Maybe, just maybe, this night won't be as bad as I feared.

Only after walking a few laps around the ceremonial territory do I sit down and watch the wolves mingle. Many have found their mates, so the number of participants has dwindled within half an hour, if not less. I sit on the bench near the campfire and gladly accept the bottle of beer offered to me by one of my warriors. I pretend that nothing has changed while I notice the stench of the hunters from the first sip of my beer. Half a bottle later, I have given everyone the news about our uninvited guests. Thankfully, they follow my order and act as if nothing has happened. Alliance members or not, this lot must be stupid if they think we didn't see this coming. Even if we weren't prepared, we'd pick up their scent.

Aros sits down beside me and leans closer. "Do you feel it?" He whispers, and a few wolves turn their heads toward us. I hum in response and take another sip of the beer. I act unbothered even though everything seems to be falling apart before my eyes. Such a wonderful celebration, literally ruined by the goddamn humans. "What do we do next?" Aros asks as his eyes scan our surroundings. I can see he's looking in many directions, which can only mean one thing - the Alliance has us surrounded.

I shrug and chuckle, trying to make it seem like we have an ordinary conversation. "We wait, brother. If they attack, we strike back. No wolf will make the first move; we don't want any unnecessary bloodshed in this place. Besides, we don't know if they are planning an attack or just watching us to develop a plan later. Either way, we should wait until things escalate."

And at the very moment when these words pass my lips, we hear a movement from the shadows. Hunters, one after another, running straight at us. Our men hide women behind their backs, and some order them to leave as more and more humans appear around us. There is only one way free of them, and the she-wolves chose it as an escape route, while we all hope they don't run into the hunters still hiding there. I scan the crowds, but my eyes don't find the infamous red cloak, which angers me even more. Not only did they ruin a sacred ceremony, but the coward Red didn't give me a chance to kill him myself. I howl at the top of my lungs as the hunters raise their weapons. Only a minute has passed, and the whole place is covered in blood, both ours and theirs. My howl is all my pack needs to attack. Some warriors decide to take them down in human form, while others shift. I stand with those who choose to shift, for I won't allow the Alliance the luxury of an easy victory. They came here to fight monsters, so the monsters are what they get.

The sound of breaking bones almost drowns out the chaos of screams and cries of agonizing pain. As an Alpha, I stand proud to be, I am much larger and more massive than my pack members. As soon as someone catches a glimpse of my wolf, they know I hold the highest rank. My wolf and I have polar opposite personalities. I scan the crowd and attack those who endanger my people the most, but he will never be nearly as selective. He charges and slashes bodies along the way, ripping out throats and leaving deadly injuries with his claws. The Alliance doesn't have enough time to get medical help for those who are bound to die.

A loud cry for help catches our attention, and we immediately turn to the source of the sound. We see Aros pushing a young woman to the ground. She's a human, dressed in Alliance colours, far too young to be one of them. No wonder he mentioned that the Alliance is taking in children now, those lowly bastards. As the girl struggles under Aros' paws, another voice appears in the background, and we turn our head in its direction. That's when we see him- that damn red cape freak. The bastard's here, and he's about to attack Aros. Over our fucking dead body. We take off and lunge at the bastard, jamming our claw into his ribs. Now the bastard definitely won't survive - the injury is way too deep, and he's losing too much blood. The fight ends right before our eyes. The Alliance doesn't seem to be showing the loyalty it claims to offer, as every human around us backs away and disappears into the shadows. We watch Red fall to his knees and smile inwardly. Finally, the secret weapon is out of our game.

We walk toward the trembling body of the fucker and shift to the human form. I grab the hood and pull it off his face, cursing in disbelief. It's a woman, not Red. This must be some sick joke, or worse, a trap. "Retreat, that's not him! That's not Red; go to the packhouse; he could be there attacking our women and children!" I command the wolves around me, grab the woman, throw her over my shoulder, and run for the packhouse. If she survives, she will give us some answers.