CHAPTER 44

Lyra's POV.

"Victory is lurking on the tip of our fingers but we are too weak and distracted to take it."

Camile rolled her eyes at my words, tossing the colourful magazine aside.

"I know we need to be tactical but a little patience will do." She said. "There is too much at stake. "

"And this is where we diverge." I snapped back at her, hoisting myself out of the chair and leaning on the window.

"Kael is now weak, taking him down will not cost as much. But rather, we choose to linger and prevaricate like sheep. We need to strike hard, strike now. "

"We are doing the best we can The Alpha is planning on leaving Kael unsuspecting. The moment we give him the hint that we are planning to attack, he is going to take countermeasures. And who knows who he will call on for help and if we are eventually going to be outnumbered. Patience my dear friend," she reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder. "This victory is already ours, like you said."

"There are other means to live, Keal, in the dar,k, older than folding our hands and keeping salad while the opportunities passed by."

It was becoming hard for me to keep my anger in control. I could already feel it, the people of that pack, subjugated and conquered. Lucius promised to elevate my status, and I could not help but savour the honour and respect that would come with it. I hated this tardiness.

"There are other hideouts and secret passageways to the pack. The library has a hatch that we could access through the chimney. Apart from that, there is another entryway in the dungeon. The warriors would normally go through this path. But it has been abandoned for a while. Kael's grandfather was the last person to make use of this entry. He has no idea that they exist. All we need to do is mobilise 100 men and sneak in through these open holes. Kael is dead and gone, and Lucius becomes an alpha King ruling over mighty packs. You need to see from my point of view Camilla. Patience and circumspection are not weapons of war. Violence and bravery are."

"You need to hold your peace Lyra. You are all but a warlord or commander."

The unexpected voice barged into my thoughts. I stiffened, nearly turning to stone when I turned around and found Alpha Lucius walking into the courtroom.

"We are right to say that Kael is weak but he still has an army of 15,000 Alpha wolves. We are rogues, we don't have that much and the last attack caused a huge dent to our standing. We still don't have enough strength to meet Kael's soldiers on an open field and the moon help us if they corner us on their premises. It will be bloody and we will lose. Camille is right, we need to take some time to restrategize. Do you understand?"

Lucius thought he had made sense, like honey of the usual statements I would hear from him. But, this was the most preposterous thing he had ever uttered. Kael was not a friend. The bridges between I've been collapsed pages ago. Kael admitted—made it clear that he didn't want to have anything to do with us rogues or our charity cases. And now Lucius is showing mercy? What was happening? Where was the man who gave me lessons on revenge and retribution? Whose raging voice gives me a hope of fulfilment in my times of despair.

The hope that Kael would someday be destroyed was the centre of my purpose—my identity, and I would live to fulfil it.

"Lyra, you haven't said anything." Lucius' voice broke into my thoughts again. "Do you understand me?"

It took a ton of strength to part my lips and lift my tongue but I did it anyway.

"Yes, I will not make plans to attack anymore."

"Good." He turned in the direction of the main house. "Now, you two should head out and continue your training. I have work to do."

Camille reached for the magazine on the table, but I kicked it further.

"Let's get on a few of them make some sense out of this."

With a loud, frustrated growl, she grabbed her spear and we walked out together.

We took the training seriously, determined to increase our skills and outmatch Caleb's soldiers. Lucius still didn't say anything about our impending attack or sending out spies. I was tempted to approach him and ask why, but a part of me decided to cut him some slack. Being a leader wasn't easy, and for all I taught myself, Lucious might have burnt out emotionally.

A full week into our training I noticed a change in Camille. It appeared subtle at first, but then I began to see clearly. The morning training stopped, and we no longer learnt archery and gun aiming.

Two days after this, I decided to speak out. I paid a visit to Camila's bedroom early in the morning. She hadhad a strict rule that no one wake her up whenever she was sleeping, not unless the world was ending or Lucius himself was dying. But I ignored this and questioned her anyway.

"Are you going to let Kael get everything and continue to enslave us?"

"I know you are concerned Lyra, but there is something I need to tell you now." She rose from the bed.

" Lucios deliberately paused the attack plans, and it is for a reason ."

"What reason could that be?" I asked.

She shrugged.

"Alpha Keal is gathering some people to come pay us a visit here in our Palace. Lucious is afraid that you would be enthralled by Kael's presence and go with him."

" What! I would never do such a thing is the one who betrayed me. I can never fall for his tricks again."

Camille didn't say anything else. I left the room, and an hour later, Lucius presented me with a dress and told me we were going out.