The Alpha's Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger. - Chapter 292

Chapter 292: Kill us first…

Nathan

I paced furiously around the war room, trying to suppress the rage building within me every second, threatening to blow at any moment. Five Alphas—the Core Alphas of the South—stood before me in a straight line. Each of them wore a mask of indifference, or should I say doubt.

I could smell their fear – and worse, their doubt.

I couldn’t believe that the men I had sent after Lyla let her slip through their fingers, only to discover that, according to the spies, she was at the Moon Temple and had healed properly.

“Incompetence!” I slammed my fist on the large table in the room, scattering maps and markers. “I’m surrounded by absolute incompetence!”

Behind me, a guard knelt, trembling. He was pathetic. His fear-scent fouled the air, making my nostrils flare in disgust.

“I watched from afar,” he stammered, eyes fixed on the floor. “She sang strangely, and the Ferals stopped attacking the women.”

“Of course they would,” I snapped, whirling to face him. “She’s a Moonsinger. That’s what she does best.” Something inside me twisted painfully at the mention of Lyla. That voice was now my constant companion. It was urging more violence, more chaos. “I never wanted her to get healed, at least not until that fool Ramsey was pressured into marrying Cassidy. Now I’m back to square one because I have incompetent fools around me!”

I sighed. “Here, if I don’t get things done myself, no one will. Where is Luna Vanessa?” I shouted, looking at the door. I’d been looking for her for over an hour, but she had yet to answer my call.

I need Clarissa.

I’ve been searching for her for a few days now, but each time I try to contact her, her maid and her mother tell me she’s not well and is recovering quietly inside her room.

Clarissa was the only one who could meet me halfway and understand every bit of my intentions. If I didn’t make a move within today and tomorrow, Ramsey would regroup and launch an attack on us.

I know this because he has yet to retaliate to any of the fights we’ve sent to him.

A guard ran into the room, bowing in reverence. “She’ll be here soon. She’s taking care of a lot of her baby’s needs.”

I flicked my hand to dismiss the guard and the one kneeling before turning my attention to the assembled Alphas.

“Didn’t you get my order?” I hissed, pacing before them like a caged animal. “Didn’t I ask you to attack Golden Gates Pack? Why does the pack still stand?”

The Alphas exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, Alpha Calder of Stone Hill Pack stepped forward. Amongst the Alphas, he was the wisest.

“Never in the history of our fathers, or their fathers before them, has a pack with a Moon temple been invaded,” he said quietly but firmly. “It is unheard of, Alpha Nathan.” His spine remained straight. “Perhaps it’s time you go back to the drawing board and reevaluate your needs and your true purpose.”

“When you asked us…” Calder continued..

“Forced us,” Alpha Renwick of Black River Pack interjected with an angry tone. He was Logan’s best friend.

A small part of me flinched at his words. Had I really forced them?

“You told us you simply wanted to take power back from White Mountain, to cut us off from Lycans,” Calder continued. “Why then are you going after your own kind?”

“The Golden Gates Pack has always been neutral ground for all wars,” Alpha Grant added, his massive frame shifting forward. “They do not participate in wars, neither do they form alliances. And so it has always been.” His voice dropped, heavy with finality. “I’m sorry, but we cannot.”

The pressure inside my skull increased. I crossed to the small kitchenette and poured myself whiskey, downing it in one burning swallow before refilling the glass. The alcohol did nothing to quiet the voice, to ease the headache that had become my constant companion.

“You all must really have a lot of guts,” I said finally, turning back to face the Alphas. “Have you forgotten your oath to me? You took the blood oath—”

“You forced us,” Alpha Renwick repeated, stepping out of line. His eyes burned with a defiance that made something primal in me want to tear out his throat. “And that’s because we had no choice. We had a duty to protect Lyla Woodland from the Courts of the West. Now you have gone totally insane, fighting wars with no cause.” His voice rose. “And how on earth are you on the side of the Dark One?”

“The Dark One?” I echoed, genuine surprise momentarily overtaking the rage. Was that what they called Xander? The entity that everyone, even Lyla, had accused of attaching itself to me. In reality, I was not attached to anything. This is me, still the same person I was before.”

“Yes,” Renwick continued, straightening to his full height. “They may be afraid to say it, but I won’t keep quiet. The Dark One is a common enemy, but you’re using his army—the Ferals—to fight now?” He shook his head in disgust. “This is not how things are supposed to work. Believe it or not, I do not care about the Lycan Leader; we are not humans. Those ones start heedless wars and kill women and children. We fight wars, but we do not destroy legacy—and you’ve managed to do so within this short period.”

I stalked toward Renwick, towering over him easily. Inside, I was at war with myself. Part of me recognized the truth in his words. Hadn’t I once sworn to protect the packs, to uphold our traditions?

“Are you talking to me?” I asked, pointing my index finger at my chest.

Alpha Triston stepped forward, coming to stand beside Renwick. Though he was younger than most of the Alphas in the room and a few years older than me, his voice carried a commanding tone.

“Everything Renwick said is the truth,” he stated clearly. “You have to stop this madness. There’s still time to make things right. We will apologize to the White Moon Council and receive our punishment.”

Never! The voice screamed inside my head. They would subjugate us! Make us bow!

“We cannot afford to fight wars now when the Dark One is lurking,” Triston continued. “Perhaps after we take out the Dark One, we can continue our feud with the Lycan Leader. For now, we must be a united front to save our world.”

I nodded slowly, pretending to consider their words. I walked back to the kitchenette, lifted the whiskey decanter to my lips, and drank deeply. For a brief, blessed moment, the burn of alcohol drowned out the nagging voice in my head.

“Who else thinks we should do as Renwick and Triston suggest?” I asked, fighting to keep my voice even.

At first, there was silence. Then, slowly, the remaining Alphas joined them, coming to stand in front of me. Calder, Myra, Grant. One by one, they made their choice—against me.

They are betrayers. Do you remember how they all fought to prevent you from becoming an Alpha? The voice whispered. They have always resented your power and vision.

I circled them, studying each face. Had they always harbored this disloyalty? Or had I driven them to this with actions that, in my more lucid moments, I barely recognized as my own?

“So you all think I am mad?”

The Alphas remained silent, their positions making their answer clear.

“SOMEONE ANSWER ME!” I barked, “OR I’LL HAVE YOUR HEADS AND FEED THEM TO YOUR WIDOWS!”

Renwick faced me directly, unflinching. “Nathan, you do not scare us. The worst thing you can do to us is not death. We will speak our truth in the face of it.” His voice softened slightly. “Call off the troops you’re sending to Golden Gates, and we’ll gladly join you and throw ourselves at the mercy of the White Moon Throne.”

I laughed, the sound strange even to my own ears. It wasn’t my laugh—it was high and hysterical and lacked mirth. “If I don’t, what will you do?”

None of them responded. “I am listening, guys,” I prompted again. “If if don’t do what you tell me, what will you do? Who will you report to me? Instead of you all being grateful for the provisions, all I get is this constant judgment of what I know is right.”

“And it is not our duty to sugarcoat the truth,” Alpha Myra said quietly. “We tell yu the truth.”

I shrugged. “Well, I must have Golden Gates for myself because Ramsey is there, and I cannot stand for it. So, I must attack.”

“You’re making a big mistake!” Grant murmured and then one by one, they removed their outer clothing in unison, revealing battle suits beneath. They had come prepared for this confrontation. They had anticipated violence.

“Then you’ll have to kill us first, Nathan Tanner,” Alpha Calder said.