The adrenaline coursed through Garrett's veins, his heart pounding hard in his chest. He stood amidst the chaos of the battleground, panting heavily, his wolf form still dominant. With a guttural growl, he crushed the last remaining hunter in his mouth.
Garrett's breaths came in ragged bursts as he released the lifeless body and turned to face Adam, his Beta, who looked ragged. The blade of a dagger was still stuck in his eye. He was surprised to see him as he assumed that Matthew would have remained with his mate.
"Adam," Garrett panted, his eyes wild with the remnants of the battle's frenzy. "How many casualties?"
Adam's golden eyes met Garrett's with an understanding that ran deeper than words. He nodded, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. "Many. Everyone has lost someone and some have been lucky. One of the prides that was closest to the bomb, the son only remains. The hunters have retreated. Whatever they came here for, they have gotten," he began.
Garrett shifted back into his human form. His fists clenched, his mind racing with a mixture of fury and fear. "What about Tiffany?" Garrett asked.
Adam's expression softened, and he offered a faint smile of reassurance. "Tiffany's okay," he replied.
"Good to hear it," Garrett responded. He frowned slightly wanting to ask about Lily but afraid to say it.
Adam realizing what Garrett was thinking, says, "She's worried about Lily, and she said she said she can still feel her but she's far away."
Garrett relaxed a little. There was hope then. Lily was still alive somewhere, but the question was where was she.
"No one has seen Matthew, Lily, or Alpha Kenneth. It's like they vanished into thin air. Brandy and Mandy are missing too," Adam said. "I think it's safe to assume that Matthew and Alpha Kenneth had something to do with this."
"I don't want to believe my brother would be this stupid to go along with something like this," Garrett replied. The thought of his younger brother being in league with the hunters was almost inconceivable. He would be branded as a murderer, a traitor, and executed.
'We know where she is! Kenneth or Matthew stole her away!' Berric growled within him.
'We don't know that,' Garrett countered.
'We do! Your idiotic brother would do anything to get Lily back. We already know he is working with Kenneth. What more proof do you need?' Berric argued. Garrett didn't want Berric to be right but it was clear that Matthew was working with Kenneth.
"We need to speak with the Alpha King," Garrett said, his voice firm. "He may have more information on the situation. He left to get evidence on Alpha Kenneth."
They made their way deeper into the sanctum, where Ethan, the Alpha King, stood like a sentinel. Moonlight filtered through the trees, illuminating his imposing figure. If Garrett didn't know Ethan personally, he would be intimidated by the display.
"Ethan..." Garrett started but stopped midsentencd when he noticed the female hunter pinned to the ground by Ethan's massive foot. Her terrified eyes darted between the two wolves as she struggled beneath his restraint.
"Why haven't you killed her yet?" Garrett asked, approaching. His blood lust hadn't been fulfilled and he glared at the woman. Normally, he wouldn't fight a woman, but this was different. She came with the intent to kill.
Ethan hesitated for a moment, his gaze fixed on the trembling captive beneath him. "We will keep her alive," he finally said, his voice low. "We need to question her, find out what she knows."
"We don't know if she has a tracking device on her. She could be a decoy or a lure to..." Garrett continued.
"Garrett!" Ethan snapped at him. His aura rolling off him in waves. Garrett immediately submitted to him.
"My apologies," Garrett said and Ethan relaxed. Though he didn't like the idea of showing mercy to the enemy, Garrett wasn't going to challenge Ethan's authority.
Ethan's warriors moved in to take the captive hunter away who began screaming for help and lashing out until she was knocked unconscious. Ethan growled, "No harm will come to her until I am ready to interrogate her. Do you understand?'
"Yes, my King," the warriors said before taking the hunter away. Garrett hoped that whatever information she possessed would lead them closer to his missing family.
Ethan turned his attention to Garrett and Adam. "Adam, your eye. You need a healer to tend to it."
"I will worry about it later. I'm going to lose the eye regardless. We have other things to worry about," Adam responded.
"We were not as prepared as we should have been. We've been too relaxed," Ethan stated.
"This is not your fault," Garrett said.
"But it is. It is my duty to keep our community safe. I hesitated and let my bias blind me. I will make this right and then step down as Alpha King," Ethan explained.
"All of us underestimated our enemy. We relaxed because we had peace for so long. You don't fully own the responsibility," Adam countered.
"I allowed Kenneth to skip under my radar. He has been working with the hunters for years," Ethan revealed. "And he's not alone. There's a small group of rogues that have been in cahoots with them."
"So, the rogue attacks were due to him?" Adam asked.
"Yes, Kenneth was trying to obtain land to increase his power. He didn't expect me to send lycans to packs that had been targeted. When he realized what I was doing, he decided to work with the Hunters. He is a fool. The Hunters will never honor any promises that they make with him," Ethan continued.
As the weight of Ethan's words settled over them, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Elder Richard. He was bloodied and beaten, but there was a glimmer of remorse in his eyes.
Garrett's instincts surged, and he prepared to maul the traitorous elder, but Ethan held him back with a firm hand. "Wait," Ethan said, his gaze never leaving Elder Richard. "Let him speak."
Elder Richard cleared his throat, his voice strained. "I'm sorry for what I've done," he admitted, his words heavy with regret. "I only want to help now. Lily saved my life from being crushed to death, and I want to return the favor."
Garrett considered the elder's words. Lily, his mate, had shown compassion even to someone who had once been her enemy. He clenched his fists, his resolve hardening. "Where's Lily?" he demanded.
Elder Richard took a deep breath and spoke, "Matthew took her," he confessed. "They're probably back in the Blue Creek Pack territory by now."