Chapter 5 The Plan of the Rogues

Muted moonlight shrouded the Darkwood, cloaking its depths where the rogues had congregated in secret. Anticipation hung thick in the air, the stench of violence imminently to be perpetrated. Cade said nothing, his eyes aglow with callous intent as he listened to Axel, the rogue Alpha, reveal the plan that would topple Bloodfang.

His deep voice rumbled through the gathering, a growl from a hungry wolf. "Bloodfang is no ordinary pack," he started, his long strides marking the floor as he moved before the tattered assembly of rogue wolves. "It's one of the strongest, well-guarded, and disciplined in this territory. If we strike with a half-cocked plan, we're dead meat.

His eyes scanned the group of eager and hardened rogues, long abandoned to the pack laws. Violence ran in their veins, but even they knew that taking down a pack like Bloodfang needed brains behind the brawn.

Cade's ears drummed as he listened intently. This was more than just revenge for him; this was about destruction, about tearing down everything Jessie had built with Lucas. He fisted his hands at the very thought of her smiling with Lucas, the happiness she had stolen from him.

Axel pressed on with his plan, "We have got to weaken them from the inside. Their strength is in their unity, their loyalty to Lucas. But even the strongest pack has its weak points."

A rogue, somewhat smaller than the rest but with sharp eyes, spoke out, "How do we find those weak points?

Axel smiled, flashing pointed teeth. "Bloodfang may be united, but their Luna-that Jessie Miller-she's not one of them by birth. She's the outsider. If we can spread discord about her, make the pack question her loyalty and worthiness, we'll start weakening their morale.

Cade stepped forward. "I know Jessie. She's strong now but her past is full of cracks. Use them. Remind the pack who she was before Lucas-let the doubt creep into their minds over her being capable of leading."

Axel nodded, his eyes narrowed down in thought as he spoke, "We begin with rumors. Let doubt seep into the pack about her commitment to Lucas, if she is truly capable of being their Luna.

Another rogue grunted. "Rumors won't bring down Bloodfang. How do we get past their defenses?"

Axel smirked. "We attack from within and without. While the bond of their trust in their Luna starts to crack, we strike from the borders. Bloodfang can be strong, but no pack is invincible when they are under pressure inside and out.

The gleam in his eyes relayed how well he thought of himself. This was just the way things needed to be: Jessie on the hot seat, her whole new life crumbling around her. And when the pack turned against her and Lucas could no longer protect her, she would have no other choice but to come crawling back to him. She would have to remember that she belonged to him, not to Lucas.

Axel's voice brought Cade out of his musings. "We'll strike their southern border first, near the river. That's where they guard the least. We'll send in a small contingent to test their defenses. Once we get them to spread thin, we'll move in with the full force of our attack.

Mumbling in agreement, the excitement of the impending battle fluttered in the eyes of the rogues. Bloodfang was not to expect this. Complacency had set in with their strength, their unyielding reputation as an indomitable force blinding them to the threat lurking in the shadows.

Cade grinned. Game on. Soon, Bloodfang would be his, and Jessie no more than a broken shell of the woman she had become. He couldn't wait to see the look in Lucas's eyes when he realized he'd failed to protect her.

But as the rogues continued their planning, one in the back of the crowd had a different idea. Vanessa, her face hidden behind her hooded cloak, listened to every word. Cade may have been consumed by revenge, but Vanessa had another motive for wanting Jessie's demise. Something Jessie had taken from her was something she would never forgive.

A second chance with a powerful Alpha had placed Jessie on a pedestal, but Vanessa was bound and determined to knock her off. She had an alliance with the rogues, one Cade knew nothing about. She would let him play his little game with Jessie, but when the time was right, she'd be the one to deliver the final blow.

Meanwhile, back at Bloodfang, Jessie sat beside Lucas in their packhouse, none the wiser about the dark forces gathering against them. Of late, she had felt a hauntingly I-am-being-watched sense, as if something watched from just out of reach. Lucas reassured her all was well and that Bloodfang was mighty. Yet Jessie could not shake off this gnawing feeling that something was coming, something dangerous.

The rogues dissolved into the night, ready to charge into battle. Cade's heart was as cold and calculating as the cool night air that caressed him while he watched them vanish among the trees. Already, he could savor the victory, the sweet satisfaction of a world going up in flames-a world named Jessie.

Little did he know, however, that this was only but the beginning of the plan. The real challenge came later, when Jessie's strength would be put to test, when she would have to face not only the rogues, but also the betrayal and the pain that still clung to her past.

The night was quiet, too quiet, as if the forest itself held its breath as though it waited for that one thing to break through the stillness. Jessie sat on the balcony of the Bloodfang packhouse, her face cast upwards to the moon. She could feel an impending storm and couldn't explain why. But it had been a nagging feeling all day long, gnawing at her chest.

Besides her, Alpha Lucas paced restlessly. He, too, had sensed it-the shift in the air, the tension seeping into their territory like a ghost. His instincts, whetted from years of leading Bloodfang, told him that something was about to happen, and he wasn't one to disregard those instincts.

Just as Jessie was about to say something, a knock came at the door. One of Lucas's warriors, Gregor, filled the doorway with a face knotted in concern.

"Alpha, we have received intelligence," Gregor said quietly yet urgently. "The rogues. they're planning an attack."