4. Surrender Or Die!

~Zella~

I walked calmly towards the iron gate. The gate that protected our pack from the outsiders. I was deeply worried about Martha. She must have taken all the blame and was the receiver of the men's rage. Too late to realize my mistake.

Sigh.

When I arrived at the gate, the men had their weapons ready in full combat mode.

The guards opened the gate and allowed me in.

Then two of my husband's men flanked me. The danger is real. I trembled in fear, my confidence wavering.

"Luna, where have you been? Your husband and Beta Arnold died of poison. Martha confessed that she put poison on their snack!" Third in command, Gamma Sean blurted the tragedy angrily. "We imprison Martha in your room to be executed tonight."

I met his gaze. "Calm down, Sean! Hear me out. It's not Martha's fault. I did it! I poison my husband and Beta Arnold because they don't want to surrender. They want to fight the Alpha King's men and we both know the end result if we don't surrender early. We all die today!" I immediately explained the reasons why things have to happen the way they are.

Shocked by my revelation, Gamma Sean stared at my face with disgust and resentment burning in his eyes. "W-why did you kill your own husband?"

"The reason why I disappeared for more than an hour is because I met the Alpha King's men in the forest to secure a peaceful deal with them. We will surrender peacefully. No one will die today!" I declared calmly.

"You still didn't answer my question, Luna. Why did you kill Alpha Parker?" Gamma Sean snarled, his gaze murderous.

I stood bravely in front of him, meeting his gaze, daring him to defy me. "Listen up, I am still the Luna of our pack. After my husband's death, I am the next in command. So you have to obey me. I will not allow your men to fight the invaders. I want to surrender peacefully. Inform your men to put down their weapons on the ground. As long as we surrender peacefully, the king's men will not harm us."

The expression of outraged and shocked on Gamma Sean's face continues. "Luna, I can't believe you have betrayed us! Why are you colluding with the enemy? Why did you kill Alpha Parker and Beta Arnold?"

I groaned in dismay. He was still refusing to listen to me.

"You are a murderer! You are a traitor!" he shouted at my face indignantly, his voice filled with disgust and contempt.

I sighed heavily. "Shut up, Sean! You know very well that my husband has abused me physically for five years. He has slapped my face many times, punched me and kicked me. I had bruises on my body and you sometimes witnessed those abuse with your own eyes but you didn't do anything to stop him. As for Beta Arnold, he brutally r*ped two of my maids last month. There is no justice in this world for me and my maids if I don't take matters into my own hands!"

He stared at my face in deep silence 'coz he knew I was right. He knew about my husband's gambling addiction. He knows about those abuses. He also knew how my husband gambled on the pack's money and hurt me physically each time he lost big in the gambling house.

"What can I do? I'm just an underling," he argued.

"Now you know why I did it. I did it for revenge and for a peaceful surrender of our pack so no one would die because of the war. If you are smart you will understand why I have to do it. If you are stupid, take your men to the forest now and kill the invaders. Let's see if you can make it out alive," I challenged him.

He stepped back, he was now hesitating to fight after I revealed everything to him.

"Sean, for your information, they surrounded our pack. They had sophisticated weapons, an endless supply of gunpowder, and destructive bombs inside their tents. They could easily pulverize our pack to the ground because all our weapons were outdated!" I put the final nail in the coffin.

Gamma Sean's eyes widen in fear after hearing about the bombs. He knew very well that bombs are difficult to deal with. Bombs would kill many innocent people and destroy houses and structures indiscriminately.

I saw fear gleamed in his eyes. That's when I know I succeeded in changing his mind about fighting. "What weapons your men are going to use to fight the invaders? Your swords, spears, daggers? Are you all going to shift into your wolf form and fight to the death? Are you ready to face their bullets? Trust me, you will get yourselves killed before you can even step into the forest. Their bombs and machine guns are ready to slaughter you all."

The harsh truth is hard to ignore. Gamma Sean knew it. He already lost the fight before the first shot was fired by the enemy.

"So please use your head wisely for our pack's survival. Please cooperate with me." I pleaded. "The entire pack depends on you now. The moment we surrender I'm no longer your Luna. You will become the leader of the pack. I will entrust the pack to your hands. Don't fight and resist the invaders. We have to live according to their terms. Everyone will be safe," I assured him.

Gamma Sean's prolonged silence was a clear indication that I got the upper hand in our debate. He digested my words carefully and weighed his options. He took a deep breath and asked, "And what will happen to you, Luna?"

"The invaders will bring me to the capital and I will become the Alpha King's concubine," I replied calmly, resigning to my fate.

"But you don't have to go there. You can stay here and continue to become our leader," Gamma Sean insisted.

I shook my head. "Nah, my time here is over. Time to move on and follow my destiny."

His forehead creased. He couldn't understand why I mentioned moving on and following my destiny. "You belong to the Iron Fist Pack. You will always be our Luna. You can't abandon us!" he insisted.

I sighed heavily because he will never understand why I'm doing this. I'm just a passerby in this pack.

Time is running out. I need to act fast. "As your Luna, accept my order. I want you to instruct your men to gather all their weapons and put them on display outside the gate for a peaceful surrender and no one will make a move to harm the invaders. They are in the forest waiting for my signal. Do it before the two-hour deadline is over. If I can't come back there on time they will bomb this place to smithereens. We have to do it now!" I said urgently.

"Copy!" Gamma Sean finally moved into action, barking orders to his men.

I went to the house to find Martha. I found her in my room, both hands and feet bound by a rope.

I rushed to her side, removing the rope from her hands and feet and helping her to sit on the bed.

"Luna, your husband and Beta Arnold died because of poison. I took the blame. You should leave now and save yourself!" Martha said urgently, fearing for my safety.

"Calm down, no need to be scared anymore. I already confessed that I'm the one who poisoned my husband and Arnold. We are safe now. I have already surrendered to the invading forces. No one will die today," I said reassuringly, comforting my frightened assistant.

"But Luna, what will happen to us now that Alpha Parker is already dead?" Martha asked in a distraught tone.

"Gamma Sean will take over the pack as the temporary leader because the Alpha King's men will assign their own people to manage the pack soon. In short, he will assist the person that is assigned here to lead the pack," I explained. "We are now under the Alpha King's command and we must obey the rules they wish to implement in our pack," I added calmly.

"But how about you? What will happen to you?" Martha asked worriedly.

I took a deep breath. "The Alpha's son is the current leader of the invaders. He will bring me to the capital so I will become the Alpha King's concubine. Don't worry about me, once I become a concubine my future will be good," I said optimistically.

Martha broke into sobs. "I'm scared of what kind of future is waiting for us under the Alpha King's mandate," she said, feeling anxious.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright, trust me," I assured her. "Stop crying now, there are still a lot of things to be done before the new management comes in. Please calm down and compose yourself. A big change has finally come to our pack, we must adapt to it quickly."

"Copy Luna," Martha said, gathering strength.

I rubbed Martha's back, comforting her.

In my mind, I was already imagining a happy reunion with my older sister. I hoped Becca was still alive in the Alpha King's palace.

After Martha felt better and stopped crying, we both left the room.

I left the house and looked for Gamma Sean. I found him giving instructions to his men to arrange all the weapons neatly on the ground outside the gate.

Gamma Sean looked at me and said, "Luna, we have finished putting the weapons on the ground."

"Good!" I responded, pleased with his cooperation. "Now gather all your men here and wait for Alpha Declan and his men to arrive. Tell your men to stand by," I ordered.

"Copy that, Luna," Gamma Sean replied.

"By the way, did you already assign some of your men to dig a grave in the pack's cemetery for my husband and Beta Arnold's burial ground?" I inquired.

"Yes Luna," Gamma Sean replied. "They are digging the grave at this very moment."

"Good. I'm going back to the forest," I said, ready to leave.

Gamma Sean nodded his head. "We will wait for your safe return, Luna."

"OK." I turned around, walking past the gate and moving towards the direction of the forest to inform Alpha Declan that I had successfully convinced my men to surrender peacefully.

When I arrived at the entrance to the forest, Alpha Declan and his men were already waiting for me. They are holding weapons in their hands ready to attack.

Sporting a triumphant smile on my face, I met his fierce arrogant gaze.