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16

16 - The Secrets Beneath The Flames

HADEN

Dimmed lights caressed the room as we all sat in my office. The atmosphere was heavy with tension and thoughtful looks clouded our faces as we gathered to discuss our strategy. Bryon, James, Conner, Alex, and I sat around the table by the window, each of us deeply immersed in our thoughts. The Rogue King's threat loomed over us like a storm cloud, with thunder and lightning waiting to strike at us at any moment. We had to think of something - a plan to draw him out into the open; something unexpected, something that he wouldn't be prepared for.

Then vengeance would be mine.

In the center of the table was a map of all the werewolf territories, kindly provided by Abigale. Pride swelled within me at the size of our lands, hell even Alex was impressed at how it had grown since he left.

Bryon, always the strategist, began outlining possible scenarios, his fingers tapping at different sections of the map. "His last sighting was right about here. That's where he destroyed the Pinecrest Pack. Before that, it was the Zeni Clan, the other was the Dawn Drifted. All these packs are in the north so it's safe to say that he's targeting northern packs before he ventures down and takes over all of the Americas. We need to find a way to expose the Rogue King's vulnerabilities," he stated, his eyes darting from one face to another.

I nodded in agreement.

"To draw him out somehow."

James chimed in, his expression serious. "But how do we find those weaknesses? No one has ever fought him and lived to tell the tale."

"Our father has," Alex added looking at me.

I immediately shook my head.

"No, dad has been through enough with the Rogue King. I'm not going to make him relive everything he went through."

"It's not entirely up to you now is it, little brother,"

I growled softly at him and he matched it.

Conner leaned forward, his brows furrowed in thought as he looked down at the two areas where the destroyed packs were. "What's so special about those packs? See this here? He left this area untouched. The... Saros Shadows Pack. It just doesn't make any sense. If his mission is to fully destroy all packs, why leave them to travel all the way down here to attack the Pinecrest Pack? It doesn't add up. We need to dig deeper into his connections. He must have allies, people he trusts. If we can find a way to exploit those relationships, we might have an edge."

I followed his fingers as they moved across the map.

"And you think this Saros pack is one of his allies?"

Conner nodded. "It's not a bad place to start looking."

Alexander nodded in agreement, his gaze fixed on the table. "Agreed, but we need concrete information. We can't afford to make any mistakes. The Crown will weigh in on this, but only if this information checks out. We can't attack without more information."

Hours passed as we dissected every possible angle, every potential weakness, but the answers remained elusive. The Rogue King was a ghost and his tracks were untraceable. The information we collected united was only rumours and shared secrets. He hid in the shadows, only coming out to rule in chaos and confusion. And fire. Packs he destroyed were often burnt to the ground, letting others know what had been done and who did it.

Finally, we decided to adjourn the meeting, our heads filled with more questions than answers. We were all dismissed, and I remained in the room, mentally asking Conner to stay behind.