Dion’s POV
Thalia was finally starting to come out of her shell again.
She would come around to the festivals and the meeting grounds, and even though she wasn’t really participating, at least she was smiling and communicating with the pack members.
But after that night, a lot of questions were raised about Eric’s sudden disappearance.
I knew I had to address them all before any of it could get to Thalia.
“Eric left the pack…” I announced to the pack during the morning briefing.
“He was sent on a mission to deliver a barrel of precious stones, and he ran away with it.
No one was aware of this arrangement because it was supposed to be a secret operation.” I scanned the room, watching as shock and disgust flickered across the faces of my warriors.
I glanced toward the back of the hall where Thalia stood, and watched as her eyes became glossy with tears.
I fought the urge to walk over and wrap my arms around her, but there was only so much I could do for her.
The rest of her healing process was up to her.
Deep down, I knew I was taking things a bit far with how overprotective I had become.
I had moved her out of her old cabin and into my own building.
I even cleared out our main war room and turned it into a secure living space just for her.
Since the war room was only two doors down from my own bedroom, it was incredibly easy for me to get to her if anything happened.
I stationed two guards in front of her room and ordered one to be with her wherever she went.
I wasn’t taking any chances when it came to her anymore.
“Don’t you think you’re doing a bit too much?” my beta asked me, looking over the guard schedules.
“She needs protection, Devon.” I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
“I’m having a really bad feeling.”
”What if people start talking?
Asking questions?
What do you plan to tell them?”
I stood up from my desk, narrowing my eyes at him.
“I will tell them nothing.
And since when does anyone in this pack question the command of their Alpha?” I shifted the topic before he could push further.
“What about the ambush?
Any word yet?”
”Our ambush was successful, and we actually managed to get a pack name from their scouts,” Devon replied.
“BlackFang.
They’re headed by an Alpha called Adonis.”
My ears perked up the exact second he uttered that name.
“What did you just say?” I asked, forcing him to repeat it even though I was sure of what I’d just heard.
“Alpha Adonis,” Devon repeated.
“He’s a very brutal Alpha who was rumored to have been killed in battle, but then revived by the Moon Goddess.”
Revived by the Moon Goddess, my ass. Get faster updates on g.com.
According to the seers, he took what wasn’t his.
He stole Thalia’s wolf from her and left her to die alone when their pack was attacked two years ago.
What a sick bastard.
People like him needed to be wiped off the surface of this realm, and I would gladly be the one to do it.
“Watch the borders, day and night,” I ordered.
“Increase the weapons and the men on duty.
If you see any suspicious movement, don’t hesitate to take action.”
”And by taking action, you mean…”
”Kill anyone who threatens the peace of this pack,” I replied bluntly.
Devon lingered by the door of my study, watching me closely.
“I dare not question your actions or your decisions, Alpha Dion…
But don’t you think going to war is too much?
Especially for a female you barely know?”
I didn’t answer him.
I couldn’t, because deep down, a part of me knew there was a level of truth in what he’d just said.
Was Thalia really worth going to war for?
My wolf raged the exact moment doubt started creeping into my mind.
“Because…” Devon paused, his grip tightening as he grabbed his sword.
“If she ever tries to betray you, even if it’s just a thought, I’d kill her right on the spot.
I refuse to watch what happened all those years ago repeat itself.” His jaw clenched tightly.
“And I’d do it even if it meant going against you.”
With that, he walked out of the room without looking back.
I tried to be reasonable and find a better way to handle the situation, but there just wasn’t one.
It was either them or us, and I would never let anything happen to my people again.
Especially now that Thalia was in the mix.
The message from the seers wouldn’t leave my head either.
The fact that Thalia had been surviving with a split wolf, a wolf that was dormant, was mind-blowing.
I wanted to tell her, to help her unleash that sleeping power, but this was the worst possible time for that.
I was terrified that anything I said or did would trigger her, and I wanted to be the least of her problems right now.
I returned from the morning hunt exhausted and slightly pissed off.
I pushed open my chamber door, only to find Thalia standing beside my table.
A table that held the exact plans for ambushing the BlackFang pack.
The moment she saw me walk in, she raised the map toward me.
“What is this?” she questioned, her eyes demanding an answer.
“Thalia… let me explain…” She didn’t even let me finish.
“When were you going to tell me about this?
Was I ever going to find out?!” She squeezed the map into a tight ball and tossed it at me.
“Thalia, you’re not in your right frame of mind right now.
I need you to calm down.” I spoke calmly.
I could already smell the anger dripping off her.
Fuck.
How could I have been so reckless?
I had been in such a hurry to lead the dawn hunting party that I’d forgotten to clear my desk.
“Calm down?!” Her voice increased.
“YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN?!” she finally screamed.
“How would you feel if there was an elaborate plan to ambush your people right under your nose?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she paused and bit her lip.
I could tell that she already regretted saying it.
BlackFang wasn’t her pack anymore, but her instincts hadn’t caught up yet.
“I’m doing this for your own good.” I remained calm even though all my wolf wanted to do was growl.
“I never asked for your protection!
I never asked for your goddamn help!” She marched toward me, poking her fingers into my chest repeatedly.
“I want you to call off your troops.
Now!”
At this point in my life, I would give Thalia the world if she asked for it.
Hell, I had literally covered up a murder for her, dragged a corpse into the woods, and lied to my entire pack, including my own Beta, to keep her safe.
I was that far gone for her.
I was so down for her that I would willingly go to war just to keep her safe.
So, because of that, I caught her hand, stopped her from poking me, and forced her eyes to meet mine.
“No,” I growled, finally letting my wolf take charge.
“And if you decide to stand in my way, I will chain your feet to the floor again.”