I walk downstairs to find Theo after I finish talking to Mom. The castle is so big that I think I'm lost. I'm about to ask one of the guards if he's seen Theo when I smell his scent in the door across from me. I walk toward the door, and I'm about to open it when I smell someone else's scent inside. He must be in a meeting. I'll come back later. I turn around to walk back to my room when I hear their conversation, and it pricks my interest. Werewolf hearing abilities make it hard not to hear everyone's conversations.
"We cannot afford war right now, my King. We don't have the numbers," the person with Theo says.
"What would you have us do? Surrender to the vampire king?"
"Of course not."
"Then what the hell are you saying, Jeremy?" Theo yells and I hear a bang on the table.
"There are other ways. We can offer a peace treaty. Maybe talk to him and find out why he's suddenly killing our kind. If he wants something from us, and we have it, we should give it to him. It would spare a lot of lives."
"You want us to offer the vampires a peace treaty? You believe the vampire king will obey a treaty if we form one?"
"Yes, I do."
"If that's true, you don't deserve a seat on my council."
"Why would you say that?"
"Everyone knows vampires are untrustworthy. They'll never obey the peace treaty. They'll pretend to, and the minute we let our guards down, they'll attack us. We won't be expecting it because we would think they're obeying the peace treaty. Then they'll wipe out all werewolves off the surface of the earth."
"What about asking him why."
"What good would that do?"
"Maybe we have something that he wants?"
"I doubt it," I say.
"You don't know that," Jeremy scoffs.
"I do and stop worrying, Jeremy. The vampire king might be turning humans every day, but they're no match for our soldiers."
"I know that, but it's still good to try as much as possible to avoid the death of hundreds of werewolves."
"Sometimes conflict is needed for greater peace."
"If you say so, my king, I'll take my leave now."
I walk away from the door when I hear Jeremy walking toward it.
The vampire king is turning humans to increase his army? The werewolf kingdom is already low on warriors because of the packs he destroyed. The witches are helping him, and now this. There's no way we're a match for the vampire king's army if he has new vampires and witches with him. He'll wipe out the whole werewolf clan.
I need to do something, and I need to do it fast. I suspect Theo knows the vampire king is killing our kind because of me, but he's trying his best to prevent others from finding out. He must have already asked the vampire king why he's suddenly killing werewolves after hundreds of years.
I wonder if he told Theo why he wants me. I doubt because if he did, Theo would've asked me if I was a hybrid or not. It seems like my visit to Mom will be sooner than I planned. I need to speak to her about my plan I have to save the werewolf clan.
***
The following morning Theo drives me to the airport. I asked him if I could move my trip to visit Mom a few days earlier. He wasn't excited to be separated from me, but he was allowing me to go.
"I'm going to miss you," Theo says, with his arms around me.
"Me too," I say, with mine around him. I wish I didn't have to leave him.
"Make sure to call me every day."
"I will."
"Goodbye, sweetheart. Have a lovely flight."
"Thank you, goodbye," I say and kiss him one last time before I walk over to join the boarding line.
I wave at him and Ekaterina one last time before boarding the plane. I'm going to miss Theo these following days we're going to be separated.
An hour later, I arrive in my hometown. My old Alpha arranged for someone to pick me up from the airport. I find the person with ease, and he drives us back to my old pack. On the drive, I find myself going down memory lane. The last time I was here, I had escaped from Theo 's territory and was looking for Mom. Now, Mom is back home safe, and things are wonderful with Theo . I'm so happy things worked out the way they did. The only thing I need to do is stop the vampire king from killing my kind and break Theo's curse.
"Thank you," I say to the pack member who drove me from the airport when he helps me unload my bags from the trunk.
"You're welcome, Luna."
"Anastasia ," Mom says from behind me.
"Mom," I say, smiling. I walk over to her and pull her in for a hug. I really need a hug from my Mom with everything I'm facing in my life right now.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asks. She must have noticed my mood.
"Let's go inside. I'll explain everything," I say, pulling away from her so I can carry my bag inside the house.
"Okay," she says, walking inside the house with me.