Why resist nature when it is a folly against the creators? To love or to hate, toss a coin to determine your fate. A game of chess you play.  A game of paths we play. The gods versus the mortals, a challenge we readily accept. Fifth prophecy.

☾︎.❦︎.☽︎

Aryn

"It's a fine piece of land you've got," Leto praised with a quick motion to our surroundings. "Pristine clear lakes, nicely designed cabins arranged all over in creative patterns and a picturesque hot-spring. All this belongs on a postcard," he turned around in his chair to survey the land with steel concentration.

Probably dividing it up for when he eventually got his hands on it.

"I guess it's allure pleases you greatly," I commented, bringing the wine up to my lips slowly.

"Of course. Who wouldn't admire such beauty?" He murmured still entranced by the surreality of the pack.

I had decided to set up the meeting at my pack. An exceedingly rare occurrence but I wouldn't have had it any other way. We were seated by the rooftop balcony, here you could get a bird's eye view of the pack. The burble of the fountain as it churned out water steadily mingled continuously with the breeze and the sunbeams shone down in soft streaks of light to warm the atmosphere. In a few hours’ time the sun would set and cast red hues into the horizon. It would encompass the whole pack in its colourful halo, glistening and sparkling brightly.

"How about dandelions, fairy lights, flower garlands and cute dainty cherubs to complete its picturesque beauty?" Orson sneered, mimicking Leto in a high puny voice. 

Come to think of it. It was still quite unbelievable how they had managed to work together.

"Everyone here knows that you're dumb so if you don't comment on any of the raised matters we won't hold it against you," Leto turned around slowly, unimpressed, and smirked at Orson. "So why don't you tell your brunette plaything to pleasure you the only way she knows how," he dismissed.

"Oh!" Orson feigned sympathy with a saccharine smile that showed off his partially elongated fangs. "Are you sad you forgot yours?" He caressed the head of the scantily clad lady and pulled at her leash. She rose from her crouched position and knelt uprightly with her head still bowed.

"I don't deal with last season's goods," Leto jeered in disgust before leaning comfortably into his seat. "New season's much better, skilled and freaky," he added, his eyes glazing over.

"Let the fight over who has the dirtiest and nastiest sex begin," Demetri mumbled, wryly, with his attention to the smartphone on which he typed rapidly.

"That's what you think," Orson motioned for the lady to stand and she did, rising slowly to her full height. 

She was dressed in a short ruby-coloured, strapless dress held together by the intertwined side laces. The shine in her hair caught the glow of the sun and with that her beauty was revealed as she lifted her head to look at Orson. The make-up on her face did little to hide the fact that she was no older than Dina. However, her voluptuous figure, further outlined by the dress, made her look a few years older than she was. 

The Alpha's, especially Orson and Leto, were no strangers to the underground world of human sex trafficking. It was something they relished in. The prey against the weak and vulnerable. Furthermore, the younger the human girl, the better. It was like a validation of their utmost power over those weaker than they were. 

However, at the rate at which our gene was diminishing we might just end up being weaker than they were.

My lack of affection towards humans and self-imposed distance from females saw that I never engaged in such activities. 

"You've been quite the good little thing, haven't you?" Orson cooed to the unnamed girl. She beamed brightly no doubt from his praise and her youthfulness was further enhanced. "Turn," he instructed, and she obeyed. 

Orson stood from his chair, his height was twice that of the girl and she looked tiny next to his powerfully built frame. He slowly unzipped her dress while holding Leto's hard gaze. Once she had shimmied out of the sad excuse for a dress, she turned to face Orson with big doe amber-coloured eyes. She was eager to please and this satisfied Orson greatly.

Leto smiled slowly as he eyed the girl's dainty form. The delicate arch of her neck was adorned with a rare jewelled collar and her caramel-coloured skin glistened radiantly. Her firm breasts, cupped up by a chest harness, led to a slightly toned stomach and on the soft curve of her hips lay a piece of red lace thong. 

Kali remained impassive to Orson's display and Demetri licked his lips in satisfaction. All was going according to plan and I threw a discrete nod to Roy who watched on from the corner of the balcony. I needed them to be as relaxed as possibly before I proceeded with my plan.

"Not bad," Leto commented with a low chuckle. "I can understand now where all your common sense has gone," he goaded as his eyes raked over her figure repetitively. "Down her throat," he added.

"If you'd like a show just say it," Orson taunted before he pulled at her collar gently. The action moved her closer to him and he traced her parted lips lightly while his fingers skimmed one side of her hip. "I don't mind," he added huskily.

It didn't come as a surprise that Orson was willing to display his sexual prowess for a willing audience. It was embedded in our nature anyway. But the way he handled the brunette with utmost concern was disconcerting. It was unlike Orson to be unusually gentle around his sex toys. Leto caught the slip and sought to capitalise on it.

"How about I give you a show?" Leto suggested with a low growl. "Let me try this so-called forbidden fruit of yours," his gaze narrowed to the girl and Orson stopped his movement to glare at Leto. "You wouldn't mind now, would you? It's not uncommon to share human whores," he smirked, eyeing the girl in pure, unadulterated lust. 

The girl hid her face slightly in the crook of Orson's arm and Leto smiled widely at the presence of fear that lurked in her hooded eyes.

"Or even better, a threesome," Demetri chimed in. "Between you, the whore" he said, pointing to Orson and the girl. "And Leto," he finished.

"In your dreams!" Orson growled, and the girl flinched ever so slightly. "Besides, I wouldn't like to get whatever diseases he's carrying," he amended, referring to Leto.

Quite suspicious, don't you think? I posed the question to Roy via the mind-link. He is never this defensive over anything other than who administers the first deadly blow to an enemy.

Do you think there's more to her? Roy asked, trying to interpret Orson's odd behaviour.

I know there's more to her, I affirmed, closing the link just in time to catch Demetri's suggestion.

"Then I could take his place," Demetri pushed, eyeing the girl lustfully with an ever-growing grin.

"I don't mind," Leto shrugged. "Since I carry the 'disease of wisdom' that you are greatly lacking in," he sassed with air quotes.

I watched on, patiently, wanting to know where this would lead to because if it so happened that the girl was worth more to Orson than he led on then I knew just where to exact my revenge. The same went for the rest. I would hit them all where it hurt for what they had attempted to do. Because nobody threatens the safety of my pack. Absolutely nobody.

"That's enough," Kali spoke up for the first time since he got here. His solemn voice cut into the discussion and all heads turned towards him. Finally, the mysterious, calm one. "Your show of sexual fetishes can wait till the real reason behind this meeting is unravelled," he said, staring intently at me.

"That's a shame. I was content to watch this drag out for as long as it needed to," I protested with a chuckle.

"I'm pretty sure this…." he stopped talking momentarily to motion to Orson and the unclad lady. "Isn't the reason behind this meeting," he emphasized. "We rarely step foot into your pack much less for meetings," he reasoned. "So, I ask again, what are you playing at?" 

Orson moved to take his seat and his human sex toy knelt inconspicuously at his feet.

"Maybe I felt the need to boast of the beauty and riches of my pack and Alpha Leto has been so generous with his utterances of praise," I shrugged, nonchalantly. 

"True! What else catches your fancy, princess?" Orson sneered, and Leto ignored him.

"That's only if you get to keep it?" Leto retorted before signalling for a refill from a nearby pack member, Lloyd.

She moved towards him with the wine bottle and poured it slowly into his stemware. The steady rush of the bottle's content was the only sound between us and I waited until she was finished before I began. 

"I'm sure you all know the Night Prowlers tried that. Want to know what happened?" I said before bringing the flute to my lips. I studied them carefully over the rim but they all bore the same unbothered look as they waited patiently for me to make my point.

Hollywood material, hey.

Besides it wasn't shocking that they were all unbothered. Rogues were after all rouges. Disposable, easily replaceable and worthless. A means to an end.

"Kodiak's dismembered body should have been unwrapped right about now," I drawled, frivolously.

"Unwrapped?" Demetri scoffed. "Was it packaged as a Christmas present?" he rolled his eyes and laughed. "Please don't exaggerate your level of brutality," he added, bringing a bottle of water to his lips. 

"Precisely," I winked. "With pretty green wrapping paper, pine tassels and a big nice pull bow. Rouges deserve some loving as well," I mused.

Demetri choked on his water, Leto looked like he didn't believe me, and Orson smiled widely. Kali was well…... unbothered.

"Couldn't have done it any better," Orson praised. "But you could have made the bow out of his eyeballs instead," 

"He didn't have any after I was done with him," I shrugged.

Orson's sudden rambunctious laughter enveloped the whole arena and he slammed his fist unto the table repeatedly. "You are actually a great chap anti-social Alpha," he hollered. "Not that bad," he repeated as he raised his glass of wine and downed it in one gulp. 

The wines' juice escaped the glass and trickled down his beard but his ever perceptive, or should I say well-trained, sex toy rose to lick it clean before it reached his chin.

Not bad? Oh, I am all bad just wait till I'm finished with you all. 

"But back to Alpha Kali's question," I said, averting my gaze from Orson to Kali who sat opposite me at the end of the long oak table. "There is a purpose behind this meeting. One that binds us all," I explained.

Their attention was solely on me and even Demetri stopped typing on his smartphone to listen. 

Bring it in, I mind-linked Fred.

Roy wheeled in a mini table to the middle of the balcony and I stood up and strode towards him. Fred entered a few seconds later with Star behind him and he placed the hidden object on the table before stepping backwards.

"What's that?" Demetri enquired, intrigued.

"It's the manifestation of your nonsensical theories," I replied, and Roy pulled the cloth away from the object to reveal its identity.

Their collective gasps were like sweet music to my ears. 

"Is that what I think it is?" Demetri asked.

"You mean you don't know the ancient white-wolf power box if it stared you in the face?" Roy quirked an eyebrow in disbelief. 

Auditions for overall worse reaction king is over, green-haired frog. You all are just a bunch of fake bastards with rotten attitudes, he seethed down the mind-link.

Patience, I shushed, relishing in their stunned expression. They would never have thought in a million years that I would willingly show them the power box. However, it was time to turn this game right on its head.

"Why have you decided to show us now?" Leto chimed in. "Surely you didn't just find it now," he said, unconvinced, as he tried to wrap his head around the mysterious game I was playing.

"Someone did say I shouldn't be selfish when I find the power box," I countered, peering at Demetri who avoided my gaze. "I decided to take that advice but from the looks of it I should have just kept to my selfish ways," 

"Still it's pretty suspicious," Orson reasoned. 

"My point exactly big brute," Leto echoed and Orson snarled warningly at him, but he continued unfazed. "I'm sure that power box has always been with you," he re-emphasized.

I cracked a small smile and traced the drawings of the power box slowly. It really did look like the original.

"How would you know?" I challenged. "Unless what Kodiak said about you all being knowledgeable about its whereabouts is true?" I mused.

"You wouldn't believe that mad hatter, now would you?" He laughed.

"A mad hatter desperate to save his life," I corrected. "Desperation is a survival instinct, one that prompts an individual to divulge all necessary information especially when one's life is dangled tauntingly before his eyes," I narrowed my gaze at him, secretly awaiting his every slip. 

Something, anything that would give me the legitimate reason to end his life right there and now.

"That's absolute nonsense," Kali dismissed, addressing Leto's claim before he stood up to inspect the intricate drawings. 

Leto reigned in whatever remark he wanted to make, and I turned my attention back to the power box. He might think he got out of a close call, but boy was he wrong.

"It's the one," Kali announced, gazing in awe at the power box.

Of course, it is. The fake one, Fred sneered down the mind-link.

You know nothing Alpha Kali, Roy added in a menacing stage-whisper. 

Both wolves tried hard to control their amusement but if you were perceptive enough you would notice the slight curl of their lips as they laughed internally at the folly of the unsuspecting Alpha's.

"So, have you got anything on it?" Orson asked.

"Yeah, how's this thing..." Demetri trailed off, eyeing the power box in confusion. “...going to help us with the regressing lycanthrope gene," he continued, unsure.

"Now that's the second part of this meeting," I announced, motioning to Star who came to stand beside me. "We as a collective..." I said, gesturing to each Alpha. "...will work on the meaning behind the power box. The dilemma affects us all and for once, even if it's going to be the last, we should solve this hurdle together," 

I could have continued to keep the power box a secret from them, especially after I was able to defeat the Night Prowlers. However, my pack would always be a target. There were many other options that they could employ: more rogues, human decoys, even possibly kidnapping Star. In the game of Alpha’s, one had to be as calm as the sea at times and other times as ferocious as a rabid werewolf. Now was the time to be the calm grand master puppeteer in the show of fools.

"Contrary to widespread belief, the white-wolf power box is not magical," Star explained in her airy but strong voice. 

"How come?" Orson enquired with a furrow of his forehead.

"It is a highly efficient tool that will help us in unravelling the secret location of the white-wolves," she answered. "Further research has to be done to determine for sure what it is, however, since your lineage is the only known clan to ever have relations with the white-wolves, the calculations would have to be conducted in your pack," she said, turning to address Kali.

"That makes sense," he agreed. "But how do my mathematicians get your input then," 

"Through an online database that we have set-up, our packs will be able to connect more easily together. Each mathematician and technologist will be provided with a passcode that will grant access into this database and this will enable them with the ability to store their findings unto it. In addition, technological affordances like video conference meetings and the like will fill the void of distance when further interaction is needed," Roy explained.

"My pack members can also help with the technology," Demetri offered. "Besides I have one of the best IT personnel’s," he added with a smug smile.

"You wish," Roy murmured, disapprovingly, under his breath. Demetri caught that, and he smiled further, daring Roy to say it aloud.

"What of face-to-face meetings twice a month depending on the time it takes to find the white-wolves whereabouts?" Leto suggested. "That way we can all be in the know of the real progress and not a fake representation of it," he leaned forward in his seat and tilted his head to peer at the power box from another angle.

The untrusting bat!!

"That can be arranged," I assured him with a tight smile. "Any more suggestions?"

"Not a suggestion but it will be needed anyway," Orson toyed with the lease of his sex pet before he shrugged nonchalantly. "When we do find them, my pack will track them down," he stated with finality. "It would be my utmost pleasure," he smirked.

"We are not trying to scare them off with your pack of barbarians," Leto snapped. "So, thanks but no thanks for your services," he waved off. 

"I'll take that into consideration," I laughed, addressing an infuriated Orson who eyed the base of Leto's neck in a thirst for blood. "We might just need your help to discipline any unruly white-wolf," I mused. "Seeing as that is your speciality," I remarked, eyeing his submissive sex toy and he grinned in return.

"So, if that'll be all..." I said, clasping my hands together and looking at them one more time for any inputs that they may have. “...this meeting is adjourned," I finished, seeing as nobody had anything else to say.

Over to you, I mind-linked Roy and he understood my words. I wanted him to oversee every Alpha's exit from the pack. 

And then I strolled out of the balcony leaving behind their low chatter.

"Alpha where are you going in such a hurry?"

I stopped to see Tina running behind me. I was unnaturally tall, if I do say so myself, so a normal paced stroll to me was a full-on sprint for someone shorter than I was.

"I want to be alone for the time being," I ground out with finality. "And I'll only return when they are all out of my pack and back to where they belong," I growled, and she nodded in understanding.

This pack was my haven. My escape. Mine. And having them here was like welcoming dirt into your well-designed garden.

I walked briskly out of the cabin and headed straight for the flower maze garden. It was Dina's favourite place and I was hoping to bump into her. Her pure essence could do me good right now. 

The sun had set some time ago, I couldn't be sure of the exact time, and all that remained of its bright fiery colour where the fading embers of its fire. The tinge of purple-red coloured the horizon and I could sight the moon peeking from behind a cloud.

I laid down on one of the stone benches and closed my eyes. The breath of the breeze caressed my ears, whispering of the secrets of faraway destinations that it had travelled to and the sounds of the creatures of the night merged together to compose tunes sweeter than man-made music. 

Deep within the stillness of the maze was the ever-growing whooshing sound of gathering wind. I slowly sat down upright, surprised that the once dimly lighted surroundings had given way to total darkness which was now illuminated by the overhead string of lights.

The dull sound caught my attention again and I moved deeper into the maze, following the growing bright sparks that lighted my foot path. I made it into another part of the garden and before me was an amassing essence of blue sparks that twirled to form a suspended vortex. The hole grew and grew till it became large enough to accommodate a person. I moved back slightly confused as to what it was and strangely my heart rate had sped up erratically. Almost as if it awaited the presence that would emerge from whatever this was.

It is mate. I can feel her. She came back to us, Adolf rambled on, excitedly and halted my actions. Move closer to mate not far away from her, you twit, he snarled. 

I'll let it be known that we only need 'mate' for one thing, nothing other than that, I retorted with a roll of my eyes.

Keep lying to yourself, he said before turning his attention back to the now still vortex.

As much as my feelings were engaged in an anticipatory dance and all my nerve ends eagerly anticipated the arrival of my mate, I still denied the feelings. It was just the mate bond nothing I couldn't handle.

However, my thoughts came to an abrupt halt when she stepped out of the portal. Her silvery-white hair caught the moon's light and it flittered about her, softly in the air. I continued to gaze at her unaware of her other companions. I drowned in the depths of her green, enchanting eyes and with each stare I felt her pull against my very soul.

"What a wonderful surprise," I breathed, moving closer to her as Adolf urged me on. "I didn't have to go looking for you. You came back to me," I whispered and stopped a few inches from caressing her lovely face.

It was all so surreal. She couldn't possibly be here. Maybe this was all a dream.

I heard her sharp intake of breath and felt her resistance against the mate pull but regardless of what I needed her for I would not let her think she could ever deny me again.

"Do you want to know why you came back?" I asked, bending to look her in the eyes. "Because you are mine," I growled, huskily.
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