Page 77 of Fated to the Rogue

“They assumed they were alive, and decided to send a single soldier to finish the job,” I concluded, my eyes wide.

“Because of the curse, they also have enhanced abilities,” another of the Elders continued. “Even if your sentinels couldn’t smell the girls, they certainly could. Still, if your theory iscorrect, it would probably take them a while to catch their scent when it was mixed with their own. That’s likely why the beast only attacked yesterday. His plan must have been to sneak in, get rid of the girl who was the only evidence of their most recent bloodbath, and leave before he was seen. He knew he was strong enough to eliminate any pack members who got in his way, but he probably wasn’t expecting to face the Alpha and Luna.”

“The two of you having been able to kill him might just give us enough information to figure out a way of stopping them,” the head of the council observed. “Thank you, Alpha Zephyr and Luna Valentina.”

“We must leave now and will be taking the body with us so we can investigate further,” another Elder said. “We trust you’ll make good use of the information we gave you, Alpha. However, try not to worry too much, as there is no reason for any more attacks to happen. For now, at least,” he finished, walking past me with the rest of the council behind him.

“I’ll be staying a little longer,” Cass announced, taking us all by surprise. The head of the council frowned at her, but didn’t argue as he continued to make his way to the car. Then, she turned to me. “I believe I have something that might be of your interest, Alpha. Can we go somewhere more private to talk?”

I exchanged quick glances with my men and my Luna before facing the witch again. “Let’s go to my office.”

After seeing our illustrious guests out, the five of us headed to the top floor of the pack house. I opened the door to my office for them, and just as I was locking it, Cassiopeia’s voice echoed from behind me.

“What kinds of traps do you have around your borders at the moment?”

“That’s classified information,” my Gamma promptly replied, scrunching his eyebrows.

“Zach!” I yelled, but all I got from him was awhat?face.

“Fine. Just answer yes or no then.” She approached him. “Do you have any magic-detecting traps?”

Zach looked at me, and I nodded at him. “No.”

“Thought so.” Cass smirked. At the snap of her fingers, a very peculiar device magically appeared in her hands. “I’ve invented this trap specifically to catch supernatural beings. It’s basically an alarm that will stun whatever magical creature steps within its range by emitting an ear-piercing sound combined with a blinding light. I mostly sell them to human clients, since it has a relatively large range. It would be counter-effective for you to have it in your lands, since your own pack would trigger it all the time.”

“Your point?” Zach arched an eyebrow at her.

“A nervous one, aren’t ya?” she scoffed. “Now that we have the DNA sample of a Fallen, I can definitely adapt this trap to only be activated by them. It won’t stop them in the long run, but if used by the packs we suspect will be targeted - like yours, young Zephyr - it should take away their main advantage by giving you time to act.”

My Beta and I immediately looked at each other with wide eyes before asking in unison, “Where can we get those?”

“I make them myself. If I can modify them by tonight, I should have at least 30 ready for you by tomorrow,” Cass explained. “But I must warn you, they’re quite expensive to make.”

“Money’s not a problem,” I reassured her.

“Alright. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. The total is a million,” she informed casually.

“Dollars?!” Zach exclaimed, eyes wide.

I had to do a double-take when I heard her price. Malin choked on his own saliva, while Tina’s jaw dropped. When Cassiopeia said it would be expensive, I didn’t expect the value to be astronomical. After we absorbed Silent Rivers, we prettymuch doubled the amount of money in our pack bank account, since we inherited everything that previously belonged to them. Still, what she was asking for was half of what we had in total.

“The pack’s treasury is supposed to be used to protect the pack,” Valentina’s voice echoed in my head, as if she could read my thoughts. “After what we saw yesterday, I think these traps would be game-changing.”

“I agree, but damn, that’s a lot,” I told her, ending the mindlink before turning to face Cass. “Alright, deal.”

“Great. I’ll have the traps sent to your office as soon as they’re ready,” the mysterious woman promised as she moved her hands in a circular motion to open a portal in the middle of my office.

“Wait! Should we pay in advance or…?”

“I’ll take the payment once you’re satisfied with your product. I’m sure the Elder Council won’t mind me borrowing some of their funds on behalf of the survival of your species,” she said playfully.

“Do we have to sign anything?” I couldn’t help but ask. It was my first time making negotiations with a witch, and it was different from any pack treaties I had ever signed.

“I’ll take your word for it, Alpha.” Cass winked at me in what was proving to be a recurrent habit. “Wolves tend to be trustworthy; it’s foxes I’m usually concerned about.” With that last line, she took her leave.

For the next few seconds after the witch disappeared, the rest of us just kept staring at the spot where the portal had closed in silence. It took us all a moment to process everything that had gone down since the National Elder Council’s arrival, from the mind-blowing information we got, to the discovery of an item that could be our hope in a war against the Fallen.

“Well, I guess you’re dismissed.” I turned to my Beta and Gamma. “I’ll call you later once I’ve organized my thoughts so we can discuss our next course of action.”

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