Chapter 55 - Conversation With The Clan Elder

"What brings you to my quarters, clan elder? Do not tell me that I was only gone for a day but the entire pack is in disarray under your orders."

"Contrary to your expectations, we have fulfilled our responsibility and done our part for the pack. We shall arrive in Hastings in about a week's journey and that is where Duke Romanov makes his appearance."

Leland fell silent as he did believe in his pack's resourcefulness, but even then he showed only modest interest. "What of the baron from Hastings? What has become of his fate when you traveled there?"

A smile formed on the elder's lips and Leland detected a scent in the older man, he was still bathed in the odor of human blood. "Naturally, we obtained the ownership of the castle and even killed his companion."

Leland's expression only rose at that and his lips curled into a tiny smile. "Duke Ferdinand is related to the Queen of the kingdom, isn't that, right? I am satisfied that we are coming closer to our goals in extinguishing them all."

"Yes, he is one of the many relatives of the queen scattered across the kingdom." the clan elder informed him. "He was returning from the capital but our men intercepted him along with his young relative."

Even without Leland's presence, the clan elder truly decided to push on with the mission irrespective of his presence. Normally, the Alpha would have problems with such a thing, but in a way, Leland gave permission and nothing bad happened.

At least nothing terrible happened to the Lycans compared to the humans.

Leland would look over this just once since it was a successful mission.

Instead, there was something else on his mind that filled him with a sense of purpose. The real reason why he was here in the human kingdom and the very enemies of the lycan pack all centered on a very specific group of individuals.

The royal family.

"Is there any chance that this young man assassinated is the crown prince himself? Surely there is a certain amount of news about the young prince wandering from one relative to another, isn't there?" Leland tapped a finger idly on the balcony. "What are the chances?"

"That is right, Alpha. Unfortunately, it was not the direct descendant of the king that joined the Duke to his death. The young man was probably a nephew of a lesser house although I think the bodies are too mutilated to actually tell which is which." 

The clan elder narrowed his gaze at Leland's finger and the insistent tapping the Alpha was doing, but he held back from speaking. 

"Then it seems that we must slowly make our way to the capital of the kingdom after we controlled Hastings," Leland said as he glanced downwards at their hill. Right below the mansion was a village that feared this place for hosting a wicked witch.

Their fear was not really baseless because Leland did borrow this mansion from an old friend, a real witch who had been supporting his cause for a long time.

However, those dumb humans didn't know that they should fear werewolves more than they feared witches. You see… most witches he knew didn't like blood. Werewolves did.

Perhaps, they thought after the last war, the werewolf tribes had greatly reduced because their king hunted and killed many of such monsters. Well… they were in for a surprise.

All this time, the werewolves tribe lay low, but they were not defeated nor gone. They were actually exerting power and got ready for the next big war, where they would get their revenge.

Leland's pack was the largest on their continent because they had been working so hard to gather the several Lycan packs across the entire continent who found themselves traveling and nomadic.

Right now, humans settled in their lands. However, it was only a matter of time before everything changed.

Soon enough, Leland knew that these people would understand what true fear was like and it was not in witches, ghouls, or spooky ghosts that haunted forests or so they believed. These people will soon realize what it was like to be treated as nothing more than lesser individuals.

"Yes, Alpha." The older man bowed lowly at him. 

"You may leave," Leland grunted and he heard the clan elder's sharp intake of air. The old lycan was probably shocked and infuriated at his attitude, but he did not care for any whispers, deceits, and lies.

"Before I do leave, my highly esteemed Alpha, I wish to give my advice as an elder within this pack," the older man said and found the Alpha silent. 

Leland ignored him and simply awaited this older lycan to depart from his chambers. 

The 'advice' often given to him was always wrong, or rather, it shared the power of an Alpha amongst the elders and Leland refused to do so. The clan elder didn't wait for any moment and simply narrowed his gaze. 

"The rest of the pack will be livid to hear that you visited Blackwoods. Especially your dear mother," he said.

Silence overtook the balcony and it was something that the elder soon regretted. His gaze focused on Leland's fingernails lengthening as fur covered his entire hand. 

It was a miracle to have someone like Leland do a partial transformation. This allowed him to retain sharpness of mind and more acumen in most things. One of them turned out to be talking back against his elders. 

"Is that a threat?" Leland asked coldly.

Even without facing the older man, Leland's aura was powerful enough that it made the man swallow his words and hesitate. He was supposed to have the upper hand, but Leland's sheer power made him uneasy.

"No, Alpha. It is simply a reminder of the sins of those people," the clan elder said. "The betrayal that she did is not worth reminiscing about at all and is not looked on too kindly."

"Shut your mouth if you wish to retain your tongue," Leland narrowed his eyes dangerously at the man.

The elder shrank because he could feel a murderous aura engulf their Alpha. He had witnessed Leland looking like this, right before he killed one of the elders last year who dared talk back to him.

"As the Alpha, it is my decision that will rule in this matter," Leland said. "You are dismissed."

Without another word, the clan elder left.