Page 327 of Alpha Mates

A day ago, I wouldn’t have batted an eye at that statement, but that was before I knew Oliver was one of those wolves.

“We’re eliminating the threat,” I state as I step aside to point to the valley on the map pinned to the wall. “The rogues are here. Every pack on this path”—I point to the stretch from our pack to the rogues—“has reported the sighting of rogues, all heading in this direction. There are hundreds of them, and they are not out in the open. They’ve built homes.”

“We might run into rogues on the way, and we’ll face those as we go,” Aiden continues as he folds his arms over his chest. “With the help of the other packs, we will need to kill every rogue we see so that none gets away to warn the others at the base. Got it?”

Nods return, but when Aiden’s eyes narrow, a firm “Yes, Alpha,” follows.

“Now, for the main event,” I continue as I eye the map. “They are located in a valley, which means they will see us coming the moment we climb over the edges of it, but it also means they won’t have many routes to escape. We’ll need to come in from all sides to keep every single one caged in. To hit them hard, I’ll be proposing that we attack at the brink of dawn when the rest of the warriors arrive.”

“Dawn?” a voice interrupts, and I turn to meet the steely gaze of an older warrior.

Jamerson. He was one of my father’s closest advisers, but he’d never been afraid to oppose him, which was the only reason I let him retain his position.

“When the moon is down and our strength with it?” he says as he readjusts his stance. “We attack at night. Always have and always will.”

“Always have,” I correct as I stare blankly at him. “Wolves attack at night—they know that. That’s when they will be on higher alert, with tighter patrols and sentries. If we go at dawn, their first line of defence will likely be tired and ill-prepared. Our greatest weapon is that they think they’re safe and hidden, and I plan to take full advantage of that.”

When no further opposition arises, Aiden continues.

“Now, the plan is simple; nothing we haven’t been trained for. But we have to treat this like we are attacking another werewolf pack. The majority of them aren’t feral enough to make mistakes, and it’s no longer for the kill,” he states, looking pointedly at the wolves he knows best. “Each wolf out there has the potential to take your life. This is serious.”

“Forgive me, Alpha, but how do you know so much about them?” another elder asks, voicing the unspoken question I’d hoped would remain just that. “If this is information from other packs, how can we be sure that it is accurate?”

I meet Aiden’s gaze as he glances at me. I nod slightly, and he breathes in deeply before continuing.

“A witch told us,” he says, and the bomb erupts just as expected in the form of alarm, loud protests, and horror.

Aiden and I had spoken about a large number of things before we’d left the roof.

First, we’d be keeping the news of Oliver a secret. It wasn’t for my parents, and it wasn’t for me. There were just too many unanswered questions to share that news now. I needed to speak to him first, if I could, to understand why he’d left and let me believe that I’d lost him forever. Me, over the rest of them, because we’d always been in it together.

Until I knew for sure who the man masquerading as my brother was, we’d keep it quiet.

Second, we couldn’t keep hiding Katerina’s existence.

With each passing day, she seemed to grow more entangled with us, and the witch who’d helped us once or twice was now undeniably an ally. One who’d come here to warn us when she didn’t have to, and helped us identify just how big the threat was.

So, we agreed to introduce her involvement with the truth. As a witch who’d helped our bond when it was at its weakest, and was now an ally who had given us vital information on the rogues since she lived out in the uncharted zones.

Kat wasn’t too fond of the idea, but she was more than tired of sneaking around the pack all the time, and while she didn’t say it outright, I was certain that the promise of being able to see us as she pleased had won her over.

“A witch,” the elder sneers with open disgust. “We do not consort with witches.”

“They’re deceptive and untrustworthy,” another ratifies. “A stench to the earth.”

“Most, perhaps, but not all,” I argue, and I can’t believe I’m defending a witch, but here I am. “I met her when I was first looking for Aiden. She is strong enough that she could’ve killed me—she did not. We sought her out when we needed help, and again, she did not attack. She helped us.”

“At what price?” Jamerson asks. “Witches always have a price.”

“And why were you sneaking around with witches?” another, Stone, asks.

I’d never liked Stone. He was one of the lead warriors from my old pack who should’ve been born in Aiden’s. Quick to kill. He should’ve been a liability, but he was smart and usually respectful.

“You should’ve killed her while she was weak, not given her the chance to get stronger,” he states gruffly. “That’s what we do with vermin.”

“We were notsneaking aroundwith witches. We simply did not make you all privy to information you did not need to know, but our betas knew,” Aiden snaps with a growl riding his words. “And yes, witches always have a price. Hers was company. Company, because she’s alone and in a world that’s only tried to kill her. She had and has every reason to be everything witches are supposed to be, and yet, she is not.”

“I do not like witches, but even I can attest that Katerina is better than her species’ reputation,” I add calmly, hoping to settle the quickly rising tension. “Even after our business was settled, she came here,today,to warn us about the rogues. It’s because of her that we understand the magnitude of this threat. It’s because of her that we’ve already saved many lives we would’ve surely lost striding into a fight we would’ve been ill-prepared for.”