4: MISSING SENTINELS AND THE CRESCENT COURT

Six years on

ALPHA RYKER 

Becoming Alpha meant several things, including sitting for hours with grim-faced men old enough to be your grandfather, while trying to make sense of how five men mysteriously disappeared from their position of duty, and one returning unalived. 

We were seated in the spacious Crescent court in the Crescent Villa. The expansive room had a large mahogany rectangular shaped table that was about three hundred metres long. Thirty six elders and wolves of rank sat at each end of the table. I took my place at the top of it, by my right sat Caden, who was now my beta and by my left, Reid sat. Mason, who was supposed to be my second beta under Elder Lowell's advice, sat by Reid, his expression sour for a totally different reason. 

Tonight, the court had several intermingling reactions, and I could easily pick on the vibes, two of which were most prominent; Anger and fear. Everyone was right in their feelings. They had every right to be angry, five Sentinels missing all at once was no joke. Those who feared the incident were also right. Whatever had the potency of removing five men at once, within a second, and returning one three days later, brutally murdered, should be feared.

Now, it was more glaring and the timing was wrong because we were a few weeks away from celebrating the biggest ball in our pack’s history, and some Pack decided that it would be fun to kidnap and murder our sentinels.

“I think at this rate, it is quite obvious. The Greenwood pack did this” Elder Aiden was the first to speak above the murmurings. The table swung at him, several eyes shooting death glares his way. Garret scoffed. “What?” his voice rose defensively, his busy brows knitting into one straight rough line.

“You said ‘obvious’, then went ahead to mention the wrong pack” Garrett chided.

“Have you forgotten that Alpha Edgar left this court in a fit three months ago? He promised to declare war. This is war!” Aiden objected.

“Alpha Edgar might have the temper of a wild boar, and the IQ of a sloth, but one thing every Alpha knows is that the Crescent moon is one pack that shouldn’t be messed with. He wouldn’t dare. Not when the dispute we had was over a trivial matter” Aaron disagreed calmly.

“Yes,” Lucas concurred gingerly. “Whoever did this, must have been planning to war with us. And I would bet my money on the fact that a good number of us know who is responsible” At his statement, countering murmurs erupted. 

Give it to Lucas to stir up the people. 

When I visited the crime scene, I quickly picked on a strange scent. It had jolted my senses, digging up a twenty year old memory of carnage. I didn't need a seer to reveal these things, and by the dread that filled some of the elders, neither did they.

“You’re making assumptions.” Mason countered. This was the first time he'd spoken, after arriving late to find out I had commanded Reid to sit in his position. 

“Am I?” Lucas charged. “The last thing we want is any sort of boycotting. The message was clear”

“There was barely a message, just death,” Mason countered again.

“Isn't death itself a message?” Reid asked him. He shot Reid a glare, his lips thinning in anger. 

“It's simply death” He reiterated.

“Brutal death” Aaron contradicted solemnly, his expression was dark and drawn—and contagious. His words had easily provoked images, painful images of a torturous death.

I was going over a few papers in my study, when my Beta had come looking disturbed. Caden was barely rattled, his expression was always stoic. We were raised that way. However, whatever it was had gotten to him so bad his worry was visible. 

After the Sentinels went missing, the pack hunters had gone on a search for days unend. Despite how futile it turned out, we didn't relent on the search. Several security measures were equally taken to protect the people, like the trackers designed into several accessories which were activated by several technologies on the pack grounds. The pack’s safety was my priority, and I was accountable for each of them. We searched and waited three days, yet no sign of any of them until yesterday. 

When Caden had come with news, I refused to believe a word he said until I saw the dismembered body of one of the missing Sentinels. His upper body was haphazardly separated from the lower body, and his head was severed and partly burnt in a way that was unfathomable. His mother had collapsed upon seeing him. She had only recognised her son from his scent. 

 “This might be war, but we can not go to war in our current state” Mason spoke after a long silence. 

This was the only sensible thing he'd said in quite a long time. Surely, he had little hope. 

 "Why?" Amar questioned, “what is wrong with 'our current state’?” His bushy brows united in a rough line, his large nose snorted gasses, and his thin lips hid grimly underneath his disheveled mustache. He was clearly as pissed as he appeared, or even more. His sister’s son was amongst the missing men.

“A lot is at stake,” Raymond Sanders considered calmly.

“Is that it?” he questioned incredulously “There’s more to lose if we sit on our hands and let these people poke at us for fun. Did you see the body? Did you see what they did to one of us? And there are others, more to come!” This caused the others to shudder. I couldn't imagine seeing four more bodies like the one of yesterday. 

“We barely know who did this,” Elder Aiden reasoned.

“Oh, come off it!” Amar rose to his feet, anger emanating from his pores. “I can smell the fear ten miles away from you! No Greenwood wolf would rattle you this way.”

“I am not scared!” Elder Aiden refuted defensively. I watched both of them, picking their auras. One had a combustible anger, and the other had fear.

Of course he was afraid.

“Everyone knows that the Darkmoon pack did this!” Lucas announced, amidst the brewing chaos, successfully plunging the whole table into full blown panic mode. Caden shot a glance my way, I met his dark eyes. He knew right from the start. 

“You do not know that,” Mason disputed. “Weren’t they extinct for over fifteen years or so? We cannot begin to point fingers yet,” he added.

“Extinct, you say? It's no hidden knowledge that they went into hiding after their Vizier and his heir were killed, but his second son lives and has been regrouping” Lucas said. 

“Still doesn't mean this could be them” Mason argued. 

“Boy, my eyes have seen war, far more than whatever you’ve witnessed. This is the Darkmoon pack, the scent said it all. Evil.” Lucas deadpanned, his gaze fixated on Mason.

“Do not address me like a child. I know what war feels like” Mason was quick to defend himself.

No, you do not. 

“You do not know what it means to war against the rogues of Darkmoon. You cannot fathom” Jerome spoke up, directing a long look at Mason's way. Mason shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 

The murmurings heightened as the people began to talk amongst themselves. Fear swarmed the place.

“So you think we are no match for them?” Amar questioned in an accusatory tone. “Are you doubting the capabilities of our Deltas?” This time, his gaze was fixed on Jerome, the Chief Zeta, and general commander of Crescent Zetas and Deltas.

“ The Darkmoon pack has a rigid reputation built from a series of brutality and conquests. They are what they have claimed to be. For your question, no, our Zetas and Deltas are more than equipped to battle and conquer the Rogues and any other opposing pack “ Jerome spoke with a calmness that always had me appreciating his position as Chief Zeta “But I think Raymond is right. We can’t attack at this time” 

Jerome was smart and calculated. He knew the ways of war, what to say and how to say it. My father had never made a better choice in selection than this. 

“If the Zetas and Deltas are as capable as you’ve claimed, why the hesitation and emphasis on timing?” Amar prodded.

“Because we know the Darkmoon rogues.” Jerome quipped. I knew this. Hrolf will not attack us if he didn't believe he could war with us. I knew they were baiting us. “We also know how bloody of a war we would fight to have them retreat or be defeated. Now is not the time” he finished.

“They took five of our sentinels, and had one brutally murdered!” Amar spat. “Are we going to sit and watch them treat us like toothless dogs?” He growled.

“We are not sitting on our hands...” Jerome rebutted, a bit triggered by Amar's inability to see reason. 

“We are!” Amar cut him off.

“If only you’d listen...” Raymond intervened

“To what?” Amar thundered.

“Silence!” I ordered, totally irritated by Amar's blind rage. The hall went silent. I stood to my feet, towering above the whole table. Amar sat down grudgingly.

“The last thing we should do now is argue. We have to be more level headed, and calculated at this point now, more than ever. “ I watched the whole table watch me as I spoke. I had their full attention. “Elder Lowell, a penny for your thoughts?”

The old man who had silently observed the whole table, sat up slowly, then cleared his throat. I took my seat. “Thank you, Alpha '' He began in a hoarse voice. “The Darkmoon pack has always been a thorn in our flesh. Their attacks are glaring and insulting, and not retaliating may be interpreted as weakness." He paused, scanning the room. Amar nodded in agreement. “But," he continued, "retaliating at this time, when the Crescent ball is fast approaching will cost us the joy of the moon. We cannot afford such risky decisions and its consequences at this time "

“I agree.” Garret concurred.

“Well said, Elder Lowell” I commended, the old man bowed slightly “We can not go to war now. We have to investigate properly, prepare and properly strategize.” I spoke again. “General Jerome will continue to train our troops and prep them for the impending battle”

Jerome bowed slightly in acknowledgement “Yes Alpha”

“Chief Garrett will triple up security. Every movement should be monitored. Nothing should take us unaware.“

“Yes, Alpha” Garrett bowed.

“If there's another body” I paused watching the eyes that watched me “we would be ready”

We needed just one person. And, whoever it was, was going to curse the day they were born.