Faith in fate

Elijah’s Point of View

Atasha made the decision that morning to go to the Coliseum and see her pack mates for the last time, knowing that we would both be leaving East land by the evening with one aim in mind: to save everyone.

I was aware that this wasn’t my original plan, or perhaps to put it in another way, it wasn't something I usually do. I didn’t give a damn about what might happen to this town, but if Atasha was, knowing that it was her pack mates who were involved, then I should be too.

I kinda felt sympathetic with the people here and truthfully, I didn't want to be the real villain in this situation. I knew that I was tired of unending battles, which was one of the reasons why I didn’t want to marry Margaux. His father preferred to settle problems through war, which made me dislike him even more.

What else could it be besides bringing Atasha back? All I could think about was getting back to my mansion and laying down on my bed, seeing my wine collection, and yes, even disturbing Joaquin, whom I had been missing.

I remembered Atasha making comments about Clarence, a lady who I had dated in the past. Undeniably, my previous feelings for her could be compared to a romantic summer romance. It was interesting for a while. Besides the fact that she was stunning, it was fun while it lasted. The thought that I'd have to use her as an excuse for not marrying the were-woman whom my father arranged with me, made a part of myself uncomfortable since as time went by, I was starting to like her.

So when she broke up with me, I won’t deny that I got hurt because that was my first rejection. But as the months passed by, I was relieved that my feelings for her were over because I now have Atasha.

Over the course of the past few years, before I met Clarence, I haven't had a single day where I cursed, grabbed the whiskey bottles, and threw them against the wall. The Moon Goddess did not give me with a chance to meet my mate. An uncomfortable feeling in my stomach kept me awake one night when I went to bed. It made me want to curl up under the covers and tuck myself in for the night. I made a promise to myself that I would never drink again, however the other way around happened.

My addiction to drinking liquor began. The following day, I requested that Joaquin transport me to the town near our rival pack’s territory. There I met Clarence, who was very annoying at first. When I ran out of choice, I attempted to ask her to be my girlfriend. It was a sudden move I made out of frustration at not being able to find a good mate. In addition, I was so curious to know what it was like to have a girlfriend for the very first time. So I gave it a shot.

After that one fleeting moment with Clarence, my father began to give me some slaves. Having slaves was fun for a while, but afterward, I became sick of dealing with them.

When I first met Atasha, I was a little confused. There was something about her aura that actually made me feel comfortable doing things with her, so I did it. Even my wolf reacted harshly during the full moon, and that night in the forest, I was unable to maintain control over my wolf. I was astounded that it reacted possessively, like a predator who hunted for his prey. And so it happened, I took Atasha’s purity right there . . . a moment that for some unknown reason I couldn’t forget.

I was sipping my coffee and studying our escape route to kill time until Atasha arrived. When someone knocked at the door, I regained consciousness. I didn't make any noise when I sat on the couch. I cautiously approached the bedroom, and then I peeked out the window to see who it was.

I taught Atasha how to knock on the door in a certain pattern to let me know she was the one who was on the other side of the door. So I was quite sure that it wasn’t Atasha, since I expected her to arrive around two in the afternoon.

"Elijah, I'm aware that you're there inside. Please let me in.”

As soon as I heard my name, my eyes narrowed. Even though he sounded familiar, I was not going to let my guard down just yet. With Leo's man in the house, it would be tough for me and Atasha to leave. It was hard to imagine how they might have known I was already here. In my mind, the possibility that Atasha had betrayed me was absurd, so I shook my head.

Knowing how our conversation ended the night prior, it was not even possible. For her, returning to the Crimson Moon Pack territory was the only option to change our fate.

“Elijah, I’m here because of Veronica. Please open the door!”

I stood up and realized he was one of Veronica’s men but at the same time, I was having a second thought. What if this was only a trap? Atasha didn’t want me to be seen by anyone.

I didn’t want to break her trust in me.

“Elijah, please open the door. This is about your plan to escape with Atasha!”

I immediately went outside the bedroom and I prepared my venomous back pocket knife. I put my mask on and then I opened the door. I moved towards him right away, grabbed his shoulders to drag him inside, and then shoved him to the floor with my right leg, which swept his ankles and pushed him to the ground. I pulled out my back pocket knife and aimed it at his throat.

"Elijah, this is Val! The son of Glen Bishop, and I'd like to introduce myself! You may count on me as one of your sister, Veronica's, trusted men here in the East land!"

I slid my knife away from him and shut the door behind me.

“Come on. Get up,” I said as I pulled him to his feet. "Can you explain to me why you didn't tell me about this right away when we first met?" I queried, my gaze fell on his damp forehead.

"I meant to, but you were too busy asking me about the carnival on that particular day," he remarked as he wiped the sweat on his forehead with his forearm.

When he looked like he needed to regain his breath because of my sudden attack, I asked him to sit down on the couch, and I closed the window with its curtain. Then I mumbled, "I have to do that because no one should see me here.”

"It's alright, I completely understand,” he replied and took a deep breath, “Elijah, I'm here because Veronica asked me to look for you.” His gaze was fixed on the floor rather than on me. "She said that I must find you as soon as possible," he added, his voice shaking.

Meanwhile, this further validated that he was my sister's trusted man, and that he was the one who was dealing with Leo before we arrived here.

“I believe you're supposed to inform Leo that my father won't be able to make it here, Val." I went to my coffee and sipped on it. "Could perhaps you tell me what happened?"

I eyed him intently, waiting for his answer. He then started to tell me a lot of things. He said that he was successful in persuading some of his pack mates not to take part with Leo’s plan. He also negotiated with other rogues to persuade them to turn their back on Leo as soon as his plan to assassinate the Alpha didn’t pan out as planned.

Based on what transpired during the past, anyone who attempted to instigate a revolt against the Alpha was eliminated. He carried on that narrative and spread it out to the rogues which led to Leo losing some of his men. Val also heard from the other werewolves who abandon Leo’s back, that they have changed their mind about assassinating the Alpha.

"My, that's wonderful!" The moment I received the great news, I immediately raised my fist in glee. But I was puzzled as to why he had such a depressed grace.

Why, though? Was he not glad that we were able to carry out the initial plan?

"Elijah, Alpha Gregory has arrived here in the East land," he uttered as I looked him in the eyes.

I dropped my fist in disappointment and disbelief.

"There's no way, Val. How could something like this happen?!" I shouted.

I snatched his collar and screamed in his direction. When I realized he couldn't breathe as he'd been choked, I set him down and apologized.

It was only then that I got convinced by Val, that the Alpha had finally arrived as from the distance, I began to hear individuals shouting a familiar war chant which was only made by the Crimson Moon warriors.

***

Veronica’s Point of View

Just before Elijah sneaked into the gates of East land, he discussed his plan with us and commanded us to stay here and wait outside until he returned from taking Atasha back with us. I received a response from Val as a bird fluttered down in front of me, in response to the letter I sent for him, requesting a report on his mission to track down Leo's activities and guarantee that his men were persuaded to abandon their preparations for the masquerade party. I removed the small paper from the pigeon’s foot and started to decode the message.

As soon as Elijah entered the gates, I informed Val about Leo's intentions in organizing this masquerade party. Included on that piece of paper I sent him was my white lie about Alpha Gregory, and indicated that he decided not to proceed visiting the East land. Along with the necessary information he must learn about, I also apologized about this mishap as this wasn’t the initial plan we ever wanted for their territory.

After encrypting Val’s letter, I was able to read its content and found out a lot of things which happened behind the gates:

Dear Veronica,

I managed to track down your brother, Elijah, who was successful in finding Atasha Greene. Aside from that, I'm pleased to inform you that half of the rebels have been persuaded not to accept Leo's intentions after all. I've assigned someone to keep an eye on Leo, and I've also informed him that I've received words that Alpha Gregory will no longer be visiting the East Land. Like what you said to me the last time, I’ve informed them that one of his reasons for canceling his visit is because he already decided to grant the demand of the other rebels and laborers, that he will plan a better community for them, and laborers will have the same rights as other citizens. They are completely happy about it, especially knowing that the werewolves from Silver Moon Pack have always been treated badly despite the fact that some of them are in higher ranks like Leo.

With this news that we spread to his men and the people he formed alliance to, I believe that he no longer has enough men to battle the Alpha and he has no other choice other than to stop the assassination. Even some of the rebels were legitimately terrified of the Crimson Moon Pack.

With these being all said, the chief, Glen Bishop, who is managing our army here, spread out the news that the masquerade party will be pushed through even without the presence of the Alpha.

Right now, I have no plans to tell my father about Leo’s plan as I’m planning to fix this in my own way.

Lastly, I prayed for your safety and for the safety of everyone. May the Moon Goddess bless us all.

Best,

Val Bishop

I was relieved after reading Val’s letter for me. I was glad that he was able to pull off his task successfully. I am indebted to him in a major way. This made me grin, and it gave me a glimmer of hope. My coded message was scrawled on a small piece of paper which I then attached to the pigeon's foot, and let it fly back behind the gates to send my message to Val.

Our mission now, along with Zach's, was to keep Alpha Gregory from reaching this place. I was well aware of the half lies I told Val– about the Alpha’s reason for not proceeding to visit the East land and deciding to grant its people's demands and wishes. But once we return to our territory safe and sound, I planned to make it all happen. I would do my best to negotiate with my father about the laborers and rebels, and discuss the challenges they were facing that needed to be addressed once and for all. For sure, Elijah would be a great help in order for the Alpha to take good actions for the sake of this land.

Which is why our father should not be cognizant that we were playing our parts in this fictitious war, as it would be a complete and utter disaster for us. For sure that once he found out that we were the mastermind for this mess, we would be detained in a dungeon as a punishment, and only the Moon Goddess would know what was bound to happen to Atasha by that time. Certainly, she would be dead by then.

Shiver ran down my spine as I thought about the possible scenarios that might happen if we failed this plan. That’s why we won’t allow another war to arise between the Alpha, the rebels and the survivors of the Silver Moon Pack. Many lives would be sacrificed and that included Atasha’s life.

"This is a complete and utter disarray, and I'm concerned our father will be furious once he finds out the truth. I don't want to be locked up in that cage for several months," Zach stated which made me glance his way.

He was sitting on the ground filled with grass, eyes looking at the far road.

I knew to myself that we should have not included Zacharius in this situation. However, it was evident that his desire to be with Atasha was the driving force behind his decision to come with us.

I let out a huge sigh. “I don’t want to be locked up too. That’s why we have to follow Elijah’s command.”

He started pulling his hair out in frustration. "I don't understand why Elijah is taking so long. Our father might arrive here any minute now!" he exclaimed.

“Zach, calm down, alright? Let’s trust Elijah and his plans. Maybe he has reasons why they are still inside,” I said but he only rolled his eyes and looked away.

I ran my fingers through my hair, hiding the frustration building up inside my chest.

Elijah, what is it that is taking you so long?

I didn’t want to overthink but I was too afraid that the original plan had failed, that perhaps, Atasha picked Leo’s side and the rebels instead of coming with us.

“There’s no way it would happen. I shouldn’t think about it. Our plan will work out,” I told myself as I tried to stop the hot tears wanting to fall from my eyes.

I just had to put my trust in Elijah. We could do this altogether. We could surpass this situation.

I massaged the bridge of my nose, still sitting on the ground but when I noticed that Zach was already attempting to get close to the gates, I felt a bit irritated. This man, really!

“Zach! What are you doing? They might see you!" I yelled at him.

He made a complete stop and turned around, walking closer to me with a faint look in his face. He then knelt in front of me as if he was trying to hide himself.

"They are already here!”

What he said left me baffled for a moment.

When I heard the heavy footsteps of men approaching from a distance, my eyes widened in suspense. The entire place was engulfed in a deafening howl. From our place, we could see and hear the troops marching and singing the war chant of the Crimson Moon Pack. We were both astounded, as we were aware that they would arrive here shortly.

I didn’t even know how to react at this point. The sight of dead people that could be the result of this new war made me burst into tears.

“Veronica!” Zach shook my shoulders. "Get your shits together! Do you see what I’m seeing? If all else fails, we have already decided to take the blame for this. But right now, we have to take action!”

I regained my sanity and rose to my feet. Zach was absolutely correct. In the event that we are unable to prevent our pack from starting another war, we would have to take the blame and accept all the collateral damages.

I breathed sharply and looked up at the sky.

We, the children of Montreal, were in desperate need of your assistance, Moon Goddess!

****

Leo’s Point of View

“Is this enough to kill the Alpha?” I asked the witch that I met in my office as she gave me a jar with a potion.

“No, but a small drop is more than enough to put him into a deep sleep,” she said.

I gasped. I didn’t intend for him to fall asleep but to be killed right away. I was disappointed and disgusted that half of my men abandoned our pack. They were a disgrace to the Silver Moon Pack. As the son of the Silver Moon pack’s Beta who had also died in the war, I wouldn’t be able to forgive what the Crimson Moon pack did to us.

I heard from Val Bishop that the Alpha wouldn’t be able to come here but I was surprised that some of the Alpha’s men were already near the gates, and that was my signal to prepare.

I took a deep breath. Without the full support of the other survivors, my only way to conduct this plan was to cast a spell to the Alpha.

“Is there a way you can cast a spell that will kill him in an instance?” I asked her.

She only shook her head. “Only the dark wizard from the mountains is capable of casting those kinds of black magic,” she said and began to ask me for money.

“Here, and don’t I don’t ever want to see your face again,” I uttered and gave her what she wanted.

As she left my office using a secret exit door, I scanned through some documents and reviewed each profile of the werewolves who left me in this plan. As soon as I became a ruler of the East land, they would be thrown into fire. What they did was unforgivable.

I heard a knock on a door which made me hide the documents in the cabinet.

“Come in!”

I stood up as I saw the Chief enter the office.

“Hi, Leo. Can I speak with you for a moment?” Glen Bishop said and smiled at me.

He was the Chief Commander of the East Land’s military government. I bowed my head, showing him respect.

“Sure, Chief.” I followed him and we went to his room.

He was the one responsible for giving me a position here. When we arrived at his office, he asked me to sit down.

“You can sit here.” He then pointed to the chair at his table.

I was afraid to walk towards him but since he commanded me to do so I walked up towards him.

“Go on. Sit,” he commanded calmly.

I was not sure why he wanted to talk to me when I should be preparing to kill the Alpha right now. He was behind me and both of his hands held my shoulders.

“Open the folder in front of you,” he ordered.

I cleared my throat and took the folder he was referring to. As I opened the folder, it showed me a document showing East Land’s map with development plans.

“Leo, I know you also talked to my son, Val, regarding the masquerade party that you suggested for us to have and celebrate a fake war that we’ve won. I don’t know if it’s necessary but for years I was handling East Land, it’s the best option we have for the rebels and laborers’ sake who came from the Silver Moon Pack and was treated like slaves,” he uttered. “That’s the future of the East Land, “ he added.

I heard him walking towards his bookshelves and he took one out.

“Look at this,” he put the book on the table, opened a certain page then pointed to a family portrait that was printed on that page. “This is Montreal's forefathers. Their bloodline was the strongest that even if you stab them to death a million times they would not be killed.”

My eyes widened and I took a deep breath, confused as to why he was telling me all of these.

“You know what could possibly end their bloodline?” he asked. I remained silent then he closed the book and put it back on his bookshelves. He chuckled and coughed a bit.

“Leo, I know that Atasha Greene, the slave of Elijah Montreal, was here.” I was shocked that she knew Atasha. “I bumped into her last time at the market. Even though she was listed here using a different identity such as Atasha Fleece from the Black Claws Pack who came from the mountains, I knew that she was Atasha Green from the Silver Moon pack.”

His statement alone almost jumped me out of this seat. As expected from the Chief, his intels was top notch. I put my guard down on him. He knew this all along. Atasha was vital to restore the patriotism of the rebels. I always include her father’s story and how she was vital for our revolution in the form of essays, letters and poems that I have written for the pack. He probably was able to read them or heard about Atasha from the people who she interacted with.

The reason why I hid her identity was to protect her from any harm against the Crimson Moon’s men here in the East land.

“Listen to me kid. If you want to end Montreal’s ruling, you need to give up whatever you’re plotting against the Alpha right now. There’s another way to do it. I’ll tell you at the right time, if you’re still alive by that time of course,” he said calmly and he stared at me, waiting to agree on what he said.

I stood up to his chair and suddenly walked towards him.

“Chief, I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this?”

At this moment, I could really confirm that he knew what I was planning all along here in the East land.

“Why did you stand up? That’s the place you wanted, right?” He chuckled. I looked at the ground as I felt humiliated at this moment.

“Come on. Let’s go back to work. I heard Alpha Gregory will arrive here in the office,” he added.

He opened the door and I followed him outside. I was already in great terror that he knew this all along.

“Chief, I apologize. Please, don’t hurt Atasha. She’s important to the Silver Moon Pack. His father’s legacy should be continued by her. I’m only an instrument for this revolution!” I exclaimed and I knelt down to my knees and begged him. “I’m sorry! Please, let me talk to her one last time before you kill me.”

“Leo, get up. You’re ruining your uniform. It’s all crumpled now!” he exclaimed. “Come on, get up. I don’t have plans to kill you. I’m not even mad at you,” he added.

“Chief, may I know exactly why? I’m against the Alpha! The leader of the Crimson Moon Pack” I exclaimed and waited for him to answer me.

At this moment, I was expecting his punishment or removing me from this office or yet the worst, was to order his men to kill me. He only shrugged his shoulders and said he only wanted me to succeed but in another way.

“Think of this as fatherly advice. You know what, you have a resemblance of my older son, Hans.” His smile faded away. “He was very determined, righteous and his life was taken because of a war. I dearly miss him.” He smiled, nodded his head and walked past me.