Chapter 50: Charlie’s Attack.
Charlie.
As soon as I got Alpha Warren’s call to attack, I did two things. I kissed Noelle and then I contacted Haynes. Noelle has been sleeping in my room since she arrived, which means, she’s barely slept here at all. I was thrilled to be able to lay down with her and curl up around her. I want her to get to know me and feel comfortable before we complete our bond. And now, I truly understand Warren’s frustration at waiting to mark his mate. I’m not sure how he can continue to wait. Gregor is going nuts, but we also know that Noelle is exhausted. She went through a lot in a very short amount of time.
Now, I’m going to war and I don’t want to leave without kissing my mate goodbye. Properly.
“What’s going on?” she asks me when I finish waking Haynes and telling him I need to speak with him. “Alpha Quinton and Alpha Simon are at Alpha Harold’s pack. Alpha Warren wants me to attack Quinton’s pack while he’s away.”
“Wil you be okay? What can I do?” she asks, worried. It feels really good to have someone worried about
me.
“Help get the hospital ready. I don’t know what we’ll find in Quinton’s pack, but if it’s anything like Thomas’ we’ll have mates who are suffering with the death of their other half.”
“What about you?” she asks, reaching up to cup my face.
I hold it against my cheek. “What about me?” I ask, watching the worry in her eyes.
“If Alpha Warren is away, that means that you…you’re in charge of this attack?”
“Yes. I’m a strong wolf. I’ll be okay.”
I watch as she fights her fear, fear that something will happen to me.
She finally straightens her shoulders and lifts her chin, making me smile.
“Well, of course you’re going to okay. You promised me that I could get to know you before you marked me. Wel, I haven’t had enough time yet, so you WILL win this fight, and you WILL return back here to me. I’m holding you to your promise, Beta,” she says seriously.
I do what any smart man would do, I lean in and kiss her, taking her strength and her passion into me to carry with me and give me the strength I need to defeat Quinton’s warriors. She’s right. I made her a promise and I’m not going to break it.
By the time I release her, she’s clinging to me. She sways a little as I step back, making me smile.
“And I want more of THAT when you get back,” she says, pointing her finger at me in much the same way that Luna Yara does to Warren.
“Yes ma’am,” I say smiling. I know I’m going into battle. I know there’s a chance that I won’t survive or that I’ll be badly injured. But having Noelle here, fighting my return, warms my heart and makes me want to fight even harder. I have a bigger reason to fight now. It’s not just to win for my pack and my Alpha. I have to win for her. I don’t ever want to disappoint her. Ever.
We walk out of the room and I go to find Haynes.
“Beta, what’s going on?” he asks, jogging up. The warriors have started to congregate so I can divide them into two, the ones staying and the ones going with me.
“Attention everyone. I received a call from Alpha Warren a few moments ago. Alpha Simon and Alpha Quinton are at Alpha Harold’s borders.”
There’s general murmuring as everyone assumes what I did, that we’re going to support that battle. “Alpha Warren has said that we won’t make it there in time to help fight, but instead, he wants me to take a group of warriors to attack Alpha Quinton’s pack while he’s gone.”
No one says anything. It’s basically the same as they expected, a battle, just in a different direction.
“I will be leading the attack. Haynes will remain here. He is in charge while Alpha Warren and I are gone.” “Wait, what?” Haynes asks.
I turn and look at him. “You’re in charge. Alphas orders. Don’t screw it up, Haynes. We need a Gamma. Make sure you continue to run patrols.
Brady is still out there and could attack,” I tell him, slapping him on the shoulder.
“Yes, Beta,” he says, looking stunned. Personally, Haynes has been on my shortlist for Gamma for a while. Now that he’s healthy, I think he has a really good chance of making the ranked member list, especially since he’s found his mate. Since both are strong warriors, they would make a powerful Gamma couple. And it doesn’t hurt that my mate’s sister would work directly with her. They already seem to work well together and since Yara and Noelle are both more in the medical area, it would be good to have a Gamma who is more of a warrior.
I divide up the warriors and prepare to leave.
“Charlie!” Noelle says, rushing over to me. She throws her arms around my neck and lifts up on her toes, kissing me. I take a moment to wrap my arms around her, taking her mouth in a desperate kiss, before pulling away, howling our attack, and leaping to shift into Gregor.
We run fast, but quietly to Quinton’s pack. When we get there, I can see that there are patrols running. ‘Spread out,’ I say in the mind link. ‘See if you can figure out who is in charge.’
As I watch, I realize that the pack is arrogant, complaisant. They aren’t expecting to be attacked so the patrols are merely going through the motions.
‘I think I’ve spotted the Beta,’ one of my warriors says.
‘Where?’
‘Eating and drinking on the porch behind the packhouse. There are several others hanging out as if they’re relaxing and partying.’
‘Multiple couples in the packhouse having sex,’ another warrior says.
‘Don’t these fucking people sleep? You’d think they’d want to be ready for an attack,’ another warrior says.
‘If they’re in an alliance with two other packs and Quinton is at Harold’s pack watching Warren, who’s going to attack them?’ I ask, realizing that this might be easier than I expected.
‘We are!’ my warriors say as one.
“Only fighters die. Everyone else is given a chance to prove they either didn’t want to be here or they won’t fight having a new Alpha,” I say.
‘Yes, Beta,’ they say and I can feel the tension, their readiness to attack.
‘NOW!’ I say in the mind link, not giving Quinton’s pack the announcement that we’re attacking. We rush in, taking out the patrols quickly and easily.
‘The Beta still doesn’t realize anything is wrong,’ a warrior says. We’ve spread out into an arc and we’re closing in on the packhouse.
He’s not worth his title. What Beta doesn’t keep tabs on his patrols, especially when his Alpha is away? The moment we break through the forest line, the Beta leaps up. Oh yeah, asshole. You’re mine.
He snarls and leaps, shifting to come after me. Even from here I can smell the alcohol on him. ‘How fast should I make this?’ Gregor asks me.
Take him out,’ I say and Gregor leaps, landing on top of the tipsy Beta.
Gregor slams his teeth on the back of the Beta’s neck and I hear the snap of bones as his neck breaks. He howls as his body collapses, but it’s a muted sound, one that doesn’t raise any alarms.
‘Rip his head off. I want this done quickly,’ I tell Gregor as my warriors begin to easily take out the warriors around us.
We race into the packhouse, and I realize that they still haven’t announced our attack. Everyone is either partying or sleeping. When I burst into a room with two people having sex, the first alert finally goes up, but it’s only a moment before Gregor’s rips the warrior’s throat out and then turns to rip out the throat of his bedmate.
He’s out the door before he spits the warrior’s flesh from his mouth. When we get back to the hallway, I smell the strong scent of fear.
There are two, small people standing in the hall, pressed tightly against the wall.
“Please, please, we’re omegas,” the woman says. Gregor slowly walks toward her, assessing her and male with her. The brave omega pushes the boy behind her.
‘Her pup,’ Gregor says, confirming my suspicion.
I shift, standing over her. “What’s your name, omega?” I ask. I’m not gentle. The adrenaline of battle is still flowing through my body. She lifts her neck in submission.
“Tally, Beta.”
“Tally, is that your pup?” I say, my voice still growly.
“Please! He’s a good boy. He’s not a warrior.”
I look at the pup. He’s a young teen and I can tell he’s not happy about his mother trying to protect him, but he’s also terrified.
One of my warriors come rushing out of another room in the hallway, stopping when he sees me. “What’s your name, pup?” I ask him.
“Sean, Beta,” he says. His voice wavers, but he answers, lifting his neck in submission as well.
I hear snarling behind me and I turn, putting myself between the omegas and the threat rushing up to me.
A young wolf comes racing at me. When he leaps, I grab him by the throat.
He begins thrashing in my arms and I extend my claws. Warren and I are in agreement that we don’t kill pups, but he did say that anyone who lifted a fist should die. However, this pup is ranked.
A she-wolf comes rushing into the hallway, snarling viciously when she sees me.
“Luna, no!” the woman behind me screams.
The warrior who came out of the room down the hall tackles the Luna, grabbing the back on her neck and holding her to the ground.
“Don’t kill her,” I say, looking at the pup in my hand.
“If that’s your mom, and she’s the Luna, that makes you the Alpha heir.
My Alpha will want to meet you.”
I reach out in the mind link and realize that my warriors have taken out Quinton’s warriors. They’re rounding up the omegas.
‘Find a couple of vans. I’m not going to try to get these people back to our pack through the woods. Especially when we have Quinton’s Luna and Alpha heir,’ I tell the warriors.
Yes, Beta.’
I look at the wolf who is still snarling in my arms. “SHIFT!” I command, putting every bit of my Beta command behind it. He’s a pup, but he’s an Alpha so it’s not guaranteed that my command will work. Thankfully, it does.
“Stop fighting me and go sit with your mother,” I say, nodding at the warrior who still has her pinned to the ground. When he steps back she shifts and as soon as I put her son back on the ground, she snatches him to her, trying to push him behind her.
“What’s your name, young Alpha?” I ask him.
“Quirin, Beta. And my father will kill you for attacking us.”
“Your father will be lucky if he survives attacking my Alpha,” I say before raising my voice.
“Round them up! We’re heading out!”