Chapter 43 - 42. Retaliation And Strategy

Silver Bloodhood was tense. His pack and his family had been through a lot for the last few weeks and things followed one after the other without giving him a break. When he learned about his son's fated mate, the leader thought the situation would probably be better from now on, given it was a blessing to be chosen by the Moon Goddess. However, everything was becoming more and more dangerous.

Eden's mate couldn't transform at will, but when he did, he switched to a thirsty monster of violence that he wasn't sure he could stop should something happen. When he walked through the threshold of Elma Softmane's residence, he intended to scold his son and Glen. He was furious that they didn't bother to wait for their return to their territory.

After all, they didn't know anything about this ancient ritual. He had enough of troubles without having them rushing headfirst to something that could endanger themselves and the pack. But when he faced them, he could only let out a bit of his frustration. The second he saw Glen, then his son Eden, the Bloodhood leader couldn't help the overwhelming feeling that took over his anger. The black werewolf with golden dots walked out of the place stomping his feet.

While everyone thought the man was in the throes of anger, only his mate sensed the confusion the alpha was feeling. The omega female walked away from the group and joined him. When he felt the pheromones from his omega just behind him, the dominant's shoulders relaxed slightly. Snow walked around his mate to come to stand right in front of him and rested her palms on his chest at the level of the golden spots.

The size of her hands wasn't large enough to cover the entire shape. She chose to speak to him by link so that the man could freely say what was on his mind.

[What's the matter? What happened? Is Eden okay?]

The alpha put his furry hand on the human hand of his mate and squeezed it gently.

[He's fine yes, don't worry.]

[So it's his mate who's not doing well? Did the marking go wrong?] Her face had subtly tensed as she asked the question.

[No, they're both safe. It's just… I think something is going to happen to Eden and his mate. When I faced them, there was this feeling…]

[What do you mean by something will happen to them? Do you think someone's going to come after them again?]

[No, not in that sense. It's just that. I wanted to do my duty and scold them for daring to override their right in another pack's territory. But I felt like I was the one in the wrong. When I looked at Eden, I couldn't help but give way. Why is that? He is my son and an omega in my pack.]

[But you always told him that being an omega had nothing to do with what he will be in the future.]

[Yeah but… We're still werewolves.]

[Then maybe the Moon Goddess decided to outlooked that fact when she chose him and we only start to realize what it means.]

The alpha fell silent upon hearing his mate's response. He lowered his head, bringing his forehead to meet that of the omega in front of him, and closed his eyes.

A few steps away, Connor and Greg observed the leader of the traditional pack and his mate. With narrowed eyes, the agent missed nothing from the scene and his lover fueled his curiosity by opposing arguments and hypotheses to each of his explanations about what was going on.

"Do you think he walked on Glen screwing his son?"

"That's not it. You heard Purple Eyes alpha's, she said they weren't mating. "

"Yeah, maybe she made a mistake. Maybe he did see them and he's pissed. That would be funny if that was what happened. "

"For us humans, but werewolves respect the bond between mates. At worst, I think he would be embarrassed to have caught them in the act but nothing more. "

"I know, but I have no clue. It couldn't be that something went wrong with the marking? " Connor was suddenly concerned and worried for the two werewolves.

Before they could speculate any longer, Glen and Eden came out of the house. They turned briefly to greet Elma Softmane who answered them with a strangely polite smile. The couple then turned to the three omegas that had left the house due to the pheromone explosion. They first froze when they noticed Glen's bit mark. Then, from their expressions that went from astonishment to relief, passing by embarrassment, the two men understood that their alpha friend and his mate were explaining what had happened to them.

"I guess we'll find out pretty quickly what this is about. Let's go." Connor moved away from the tree trunk he was leaning on and walked towards the villa followed closely by Greg.

Silver and Snow Bloodhood who had already joined their packmates were explaining what would happen now when the two humans arrived. They stood back a bit and heard the leader giving his instructions while they looked at the mark that protruded from the collar of the t-shirt.

"We're going back to the cave and gather some men to strike Grey Wolf. Their leader, two of their young alphas as well as several dozen of their fighters tried to attack us in the territory of another pack. Their pack must pay for what they have done. "

"Are you going to fight them?" Cherry had spoken with a hint of fear in her voice.

"That's right, Cherry. We can't let this go. They sent men to try to forcefully mark Eden, all that to take over our pack. Their way of doing things was deceitful and disloyal. We're going to show them how a pack fights. " A cold gleam shone in the eyes of the werewolf who then turned to his son and his mate.

"Eden and Glen are not going home us." He held up his hand to keep the female omega from interrupting him. "They have to go somewhere. Dante, you go with them. Cherry, are you coming home with us or are you staying with your mate? "

Surprised that the alpha gave her a choice, the female omega glanced at her fiancé who simply nodded in agreement. He knew she would never dare to come, being convinced she would bring troubles. The young beta meanwhile didn't want to be separated from his mate especially with a battle against another pack looming. Wherever Eden was to go, they would go together.

Cherry turned to the alpha for her answer and the leader finally looked at the two humans.

"I guess you'll report to the WIA even though you haven't officially started yet. What are you going to do next? Do you have to go there? "

"Well, like you just said, I'm not officially on board with you yet so I'll just report them over the phone. And I'm going to follow these two hotheads wherever they are going. " His index finger pointed to Eden and Glen who didn't protest the accusation of their impulsiveness.

Silver's gaze barely slid over Greg to see his expression. From the moment they sneaked into their territory, he had been able to see the two humans interacting, and although they hadn't made any obvious gestures in front of him, he understood that they were the equivalent of what mates were for the werewolves. The hand the doctor had placed on his boyfriend's shoulder confirmed that he was going to hit the road with them. Although he was unfamiliar with humans, the leader had surprised himself by placing his trust in the two men quite easily. They had gotten off to a very bad start by infiltrating his territory. However, their motivation as well as their determination had earned the alpha's respect.

"Good. Eden? When can we expect you to be back? " The werewolf had turned to his son. The rest of the pack feel that a strange tension had set in between the two. To be exact, each of them was disturbed by a strange impression that had come over them since Eden and Glen had left the house. The same that troubled their leader.

"Probably a few days after the full moon, but it's hard to predict precisely and also… I think Dante and Cherry should go back to the cave with you. If a battle looms with another pack, Dante is an element the pack shouldn't part with and Cherry must stay by his side. "

"But Eden…"

Cherry swallowed her words instantly when her omega friend's eyes turned to her. Never before has the young girl hesitated to give her opinion. Something had changed. It was as if she couldn't oppose what he had just said. Utterly unaware of what was happening to his family and packmates, Eden looked at her friend to reassure her.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. I'm with Glen. "

After what she had seen earlier today, the female omega couldn't deny that her friend's alpha was more than enough to protect him. Even though she was worried, she surrendered just as Silver didn't object to his son changing his orders. After a nod to show their agreement, Eden and Glen walked away from their packmates followed by Connor and Greg.

They walked for a while back to the stadium where the doctor had left his car. As they pulled into the parking lot, Greg scanned the space that had become almost presentable again thanks to the diligence of the Purple Eyes' members. The area had been evacuated and closed to traffic the day before for several blocks around the construction so that humans who live in the city don't come into contact with the werewolves who came to witness the dead-end.

Purple Eyes was a modern pack like Black Moon. Just like in the other pack, humans and werewolves rubbed shoulders without the former being aware of the existence of the latter. The organization of such an event on the territory of a pack coexisting with humans was a bold gamble that the pack succeeded despite Grey Wolf's surprise attack. No human had been closely or remotely involved in the incident and the clean-up of the stadium and its surroundings was nearing completion. Only the damage caused in the stadium and the building which housed Eden will remain to be repaired thereafter. The couple of werewolves followed the two humans to the black car that the doctor had the good idea to park in the part of the parking lot furthest from the entrance.

Greg opened the door for Connor who still had his arm locked in a cast. His other hand was busy with the phone he had pulled out to call the WIA and report. Glen opened the rear door on the driver's side and let his mate slide in before stepping inside and seated next to him. He groaned slightly as his knees touched the seat in front of him, but avoided any comment. Greg waited until everyone was seated before turning back to the two werewolves in the back.

"So where are we going?"

"Well I'm not sure," Eden started frowning to show his uncertainty as to what to do next.

The driver didn't fight his questioning expression and Glen intervened.

"I think I have an idea about who can tell us where to start," Glen announced. When he had known about his curse, the face of the old werewolf was the first thing that came to his mind. When he first met her he had refrained from asking questions, but now the alpha felt the time was right. "Do you know where the territory of these special healers is? Your father brought two of them when he saw that you still weren't waking up despite the days passing by. "

"The Soul Healers?" Eden questioned with astonishment. His father must have been very worried if he asked for their help. "Yes, I know where it is on a map, but what this has that to do with your curse?"

"While they were in the cave, the older healer came to talk to me. At first, I thought she was blabbering whatever came to her mind, but she knew I couldn't shift and she told me someone cursed me. "

"How could she know that?" The omega mumbled.

"Excuse me, did you just mention a curse?"

Connor, who had just hung up his phone before he was done with his interlocutor, turned to the werewolves whom he looked at one after the other. His phone vibrated. The man glared at the device and tried to ignore it. When he saw that the other three occupants of the vehicle were giving him annoyed looks, he clicked his tongue.

"You better explain this curse thing to me as soon as I'm done with that idiot."