Batards
Drew’s POV
Fear gripped my insides as I walked out of the study. I couldn’t help but continuously blame myself. Why did we leave them both alone? We should have been around, at least we would have been able to stop them before they went too far. But we didn’t. And now Nikolai would not stop blaming himself for everything. We were all at fault… we should have been more watchful. If a spy had slipped into our territory unnoticed, it was because we had all let our guard down whilst making preparations for the wedding and the engagement party.
I tried to hold myself steady, looking in Nikolai’s direction every now and then to make sure he was okay. I couldn’t imagine how he must be feeling. As we halted at the entrance of the hall where he had ordered every single pack member to assemble, Nikolai stepped forward. He had already masked his expression as that of anger, and I marveled at how well he was keeping it together.
“A couple of minutes ago, I found out that my would-be Luna has been kidnapped, right under our noses. A piece of jewelry bearing the Monhowl seal was found at the suspected point of abduction…”
As Nikolai spoke, my eyes roved through the hall cautiously. I needed to somehow fish the odd person out. The omegas were generally not noticed, so it must have been easy for the spy to slip in unnoticed. I kept watchful eyes all over the room, trying to be as discreet as possible. If the spy realized we were on the lookout, our plan would be ruined.
“And we need to make sure we bring her back, unharmed. We all know it’s me Verbeck wants and not her. So we need to be prepared. We need to be ready for war, fully trained, to enable us put an end to this once and for all. On that note, every warrior shall assemble at the training ground at the break of dawn. We need to train, fish out our best men, and then when night falls, we strike! When they least expect it. And we’ll bring her back.”
I knew Nikolai could put on a show, but I didn’t expect him to do it so well. He was lying through his teeth without batting an eyelid. For someone going through an emotional turmoil at the moment, it was pretty impressive.
“Get some rest, we all have a long day tomorrow. Dismissed!”
As they all filed out, I slipped into the common room, watching carefully through the windows which gave a good view of the area. For a few moments, nothing happened. I creeped round to the other windows to check for any movements. When I found the perfect spot, I stood and I waited. A few minutes after Nikolai disappeared back into his room and the mansion quieted down, a figure covered in a cloak slipped out from the shadows. After surveying the area, the figure transformed, and fled.
‘I’m following behind him now. Ready the men to march in ten minutes,’ I mindlinked Nikolai and Annie.
‘Okay. Be careful.’Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.
Quickly, I raced after the spy at a good distance. And just as I had suspected, he was taking the route to the Monhowl territory. I stayed behind, stealthily taking steps when he had gone a good distance away. He was doing exactly as I had predicted, reporting the fake orders Nikolai had given to Jonas. Which was why I told him to make the announcement.
Finally, I made it. I hid myself in-between the trees and watched as the spy walked toward the front of the mansion. I nearly fell back in shock when I saw the hordes of guards that were assembled all around the mansion. They were awaiting us. I knew it. After a few moments of waiting, I saw Jonas emerge.
“He just made an announcement. He wants to be ready for war because he knows it’s dangerous, so he’s training his men first thing at dawn,” I heard the spy say. He had taken off his cloak now and I took note of his face.
Jonas burst out laughing. “Meaning they attack at dusk later today?” He asked.
“Right. He feels that it’s better when night falls. When we’re least expecting it.”
Jonas roared with laughter. “That fool! How did he react when he saw our seal?”
I frowned. Had they left the necklace there on purpose?
“He was furious beyond reason, and he looked pretty torn up later on.”
“I knew leaving the seal was a perfect idea. The fear and shock when he realizes I took the woman he loved. Again,” He laughed.
Jonas was even more despicable than I thought. I couldn’t wait to take him down. He had been a menace for way too long. It was time to put an end to all this.
“Good, good. The first step had been achieved. Now, while he’s busy preparing his best men, we’ll do the same. And when he thinks he can strike with an ambush, we’ll be waiting for them,” Jonas rubbed both hands together, slapping the spy at the back.
I felt anger surge through me. Bastard.
Turning, Jonas waved all the guards away. “Inside! Take all the rest you want while you can, because we have a bloodbath to plan. Any man who weakens from a so-called lack of sleep will be cut up, courtesy of your Alpha.”
As I watched all the guards scramble back into the mansion at his words, I shut my eyes in relief. The second part of our plan had worked. Good.
“The last mission you have before you return back here is to stay. Get up at the same time they do, watch them train, bring information about their strategy, their plan… and then just before they’re ready to attack, report back here.”
The spy nodded, putting his cloak over his head and bowing as he headed back. I hid in the shadows long enough to let him go a long way. And when the coast was clear, I followed behind.