The One He Claimed

Chapter 172: Preparations for War

Hunter

“Are you sure you can handle him?” I ask Lucas. “He’s becoming more agitated.”

Lucas gives me a look. “Really, Alpha? Are you trying to insult me? You left him with Penny and Jaime in charge, and when we came back the pack clearly left their mark on him.”

“He wasn’t agitated then. He’s been escalating this week, especially after hearing about Amelia taking over as Alpha of her pack. Now he’s practically salivating to know where I’m going and why Sophie and I are leaving again.”

“Trust me, his guards are on alert. Hell, the entire pack is on alert. I know you’ve seen the extra patrols running near the Survivor’s Center. I didn’t tell them to do that, did you?”

“No. They’re just being protective.”

“Exactly. Worst case scenario, Alpha, is that you return and realize you’ll have to go to war again because we killed him.”

“Has anyone heard him on the phones? Do we know who he’s talking to or what he’s talking about?” I ask, Something feels off with Zahn. I feel like something’s about to happen, and it feels like he’ll take advantage of me being gone to do it.

“No. He’s been very quiet about it, but the warriors also haven’t made an effort to listen in,” Lucas says.

‘Jaime, Penny, can you come to my office please,’ I mind link my Ga*as.

“I have a gut feeling that something is going to happen, Lucas. He’s too agitated, too…angry at the changes that are happening and not being able to see Jocelyn.”

A moment later my G**as knock on the door and come in.

“I’m worried about leaving. I feel like Alpha Zahn is working up to doing something, but I don’t know what that could be. Have either of you heard anything about his conversations with his pack members?”

They look at each other, then turn back to me.

“What are you thinking, Alpha?” Lucas asks me.

“One of two things. He either wants to get Jocelyn out of here by force, or he wants to hurt me and Sophie for putting him in this situation, even though he was warned.”

“I think he’d go for Jocelyn first,” Jaime says.

“Why?” I ask.

“Because killing you and our Luna will only make the pack more angry, more willing to fight and more willing to protect Jocelyn. He’d never get her if he attacked the two of your first,” Lucas says, catching on to the thought.

“So, it’s Jocelyn he’s going to make a play for,” I murmur, before looking up. “Penny, run a drill this morning, before Sophie and I leave. I want everyone ready for an attack while we’re gone. Lucas, double the patrols and triple them around the Survivor Center. Jaime, see what you and the warriors can find out about what and who Zahn is talking to on the phone.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Maybe going to the pack competition is a bad idea.

“He’ll only bide his time if you don’t go now, Hunter,” Lucas says to me, reading my mind. “Next time, it could be both of us going, leaving Penny and Jaime here without either of us. Give him the opportunity he’s looking for. Hell, lie to him about how long you’ Il be gone. Tell him you’ll be gone longer than you intend to be gone, so he feels safer attacking now.”

“You realize it goes against everything in me to leave knowing there’s a potential attack on this pack?” I ask them.

“You leaving is the best chance he has to attack. Better to plan for an attack we know is coming than to risk being attacked when we’re not ready.”

“If his pack does attack, try to keep him alive and throw him in the cells. Kill anyone else that dares to attack us.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

I nod at Penny, and she heads out to prepare to alert the pack of an attack drill. It’s breakfast time, so it will be interesting to see how everyone does. Maybe, hopefully, seeing how ready our pack is will dissuade Zahn from attacking.

I know Zahn is up to something, I just don’t know what it is, but an attack to get Jocelyn out of my pack lands sounds right.

“We’ll keep the pack safe, Alpha,” Lucas says, just as Penny’s alert goes up in the mind link.

‘Everyone this is an attack drill. Get to your assigned safe rooms. Get into your fight positions. You have two minutes. This is a drill. I repeat, this IS a drill.”

The three of us walk out into the organized chaos of the pack rushing to get into position.

‘Hunter?’ Sophie’s worried voice flitters into my mind.

‘Just a drill, Soph. I’m worried about Zahn while we’re away. I want to make sure that everyone is ready in case we’re attacked,’ I say, feeling her and Kinsley helping others into the safe rooms as Jaime and Lucas go outside to check on our patrols.

“What’s going on? Is your pack under attack?” Alpha Zahn asks, rushing up to me.

“Just a drill, Alpha. We’ve been attacked so many times recently that it’s good for everyone to remember where they are supposed to be in the event of another attack.”

“What about Jocelyn? She’s not here,” he says, and he tries to make it seem like he’s concerned about her, but it falls short.

“The survivors have their own safe room,” I tell him vaguely. “Jocelyn is fine.”

I notice he doesn’t ask me where I would want HIM in the event of an attack. It just reinforces my gut feeling that he’s going to do something. But Lucas is right, he’ll be more likely to attack while I’m gone.

“Are you sure now’s a good time for you to leave, Alpha Hunter. You haven’t mentioned how long you’ll be gone this time,” Zahn says, much too casually.

“A couple of days, three at the most,” I say, giving him the lie that Lucas suggested. I’ll be gone two days tops. Battles start this afternoon. By tonight, we’ll be down to our top twenty-five. The pack should be won by midday tomorrow, and then we’re coming home. “And Lucas is staying this time, so he’ll be in charge.”

“I see,” Zahn says. “Well, have a good trip, wherever you’re going.”

“I intend to,” I say, carefully keeping my voice neutral. When the drill is over, I pull Lucas, Penny, and Jaime aside.

“Alert the warriors, attack in imminent. We need to warn Jocelyn, but make sure those warriors are in place.”

“I’ll take her watch while you’re gone, Alpha,” Penny says.

“That will be good. If it were me, I’d send most of my warriors to distract the pack and my elite warriors to get my Luna. They’ll be the toughest fighters, Penny.”

“Good, I could use the practice,” she says, and her confidence makes me feel better about leaving.

“Hunter?” Sophie asks, walking up.

I pull her into a hug, now needing to pull her into my side as our son continues to grow bigger. “Let’s go say goodbye to Jocelyn, see how the drill went on their end, and then we can go, Sophie.”

She looks up, searching my face, then nods. “Okay. I wanted to check on her anyway, since I think Dr. Caspian is coming home Sunday to perform another operation on her Monday.”

I’d forgotten about Caspian and Brooklyn returning.

‘I’ll warn them,’ Lucas says in the mind link.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

I nod, letting him know that I agree before taking Sophie’s hand and heading to the Survivor Center.

When we get there, I can see their nerves as the warriors watching them have already increased.

“Jocelyn, everyone, we expect Alpha Zahn to attack while Sophie and I are gone. We think you are the target, Jocelyn,” I say, and her hand flutters to her chest.

“That’s why we have extra patrols, well, guards really?” Sandy asks, looking around.

“Yes, and Penny will be assigned to you exclusively, Jocelyn. We don’t expect you to fight, the pack will defend you, unless you tell me now that you want to leave with Alpha Zahn.”

“I do not, but I don’t want anyone to suffer…”

“My Beta and G**as have convinced me that Zahn will attack eventually. He knows I won’t allow him to take you against your will, so the only way is by force through an attack on our pack. This pack is strong, Jocelyn. You have nothing to worry about.”

She turns and looks at the women around her, their pups clinging to them. “I’m sorry I’ve brought this on you,” she says.

“Nonsense. You’re just as important as any of our other pack members, and in this pack, we protect our own,” Sandy says, and the others nod.

I crouch down, looking at the pups. “You’ll listen to your parents and the others if they tell you to hide, right? Now is not the time for games. We ran a drill this morning to make sure that everyone would be safe and knows where to go. Does anyone have any questions?”

“What if we’re in the packhouse when we’re attacked, Alpha? Do we come back here?” a young girl asks. It’s a good question since they’ve started bringing the older pups in for dinner with the pack a couple nights a week.

I look up at Sophie and wait for her eyes to refocus. “Beta Kinsley is going to give you assignments for your safe rooms tomorrow before you go to the packhouse. She’ll show you where your safe rooms are and who your room lead is in case the attack comes during dinner. I’m afraid that we’re going to cancel the run this weekend, but we’ll reschedule as soon as Hunter and I return,” Sophie tells them.

“If you’re closer to here than the packhouse, when the attack comes, run to this safe room,” I tell them. “I know this is a bit scary, but it will okay. The pack will protect you. Follow the directions from your parents, the ranked members, and the warriors if you’re out of this area. Don’t wander off by yourselves. Now is the time to be vigilant.”

Once I feel that everyone understands what to do and that they feel safe, I lead Sophie to the back of the packhouse where I’ve left our bags again. Lucas and Kinsley come out to say goodbye.

“I’ll call you tonight,” I tell him.

“Please be safe,” Sophie says to Kinsley.

“We’ve got this Luna. You have nothing to worry about,” she tells her.

Lucas helps Sophie onto Shaw’s back, and I begin to make my way to the pack border. Feeling eyes on me, I turn, looking back at the packhouse. There, in one of the windows on the third floor is Zahn, watching us leave.

I turn and begin to run, howling to my pack members that we’ll be back soon, and to stay alert for an attack.

I feel better when I hear the confident howls of my pack, letting me know that they are on high alert.