Karizma: Unleased

Chapter 16

Lukas

Lukas stood between Liam and Grayson in Ryan's conference room as the rest of the Lycans filed back in. The Maryland and Richmond packs had been contacted, and swore that their armies would move during the night. Jackson assured Lukas that their army would arrive some time tomorrow, but could not guarantee if it would be first thing in the morning due to the journey. The army was too large to fit into vehicles to make the forty-hour drive, and the army would be exhausted if they attempted to make the journey completely on foot, regardless of their wolves. Lukas gave Jackson freedom over his personal credit card to buyout a plane or two for his people to arrive; a flight would take approximately six hours, which would guarantee that his army would be present and accounted for tomorrow.

Grayson stood on Lukas' left, his ash blonde hair spiked in different directions while his grey-red eyes flared defensively. Like Kristopher would have done, Grayson and Liam wore black button up dress shirts with a pair of black slacks. Grayson clasped his arms behind his back with his legs shoulder-width apart. Liam mimicked his companion, but his brown hair had been combed neatly, and his blue eyes remained calm as he surveyed the room. Lukas crossed his arms over his chest between the two vampires, allowing himself to exude dominance while they offered submission. The vampires needed to appear as peaceful as possible, but Lukas remained alert in case one of the Lycans in the room threatened to break that peace.

Ryan sat at the head of the table while Lukas and the vampires stood against the wall nearest to the conference room door. Victor sat beside Ryan, but the other Alphas and Betas remained standing. It says a lot about mine and Ryan's newfound relationship, if he can sit during a meeting with vampires. Lukas longed for Ryleigh to be present during the meeting, but she needed her rest after the journey she that she traveled today. Lukas restrained himself from joining her as she curled up in bed. He felt the ache of his wolf with the need to comfort her, and his denial to do so, but the meeting needed to occur. The Lycans in this room needed to know the vampires that would be fighting with them, if only to guarantee that these two vampires would not be fought in the war. As the last Lycan, Richard, entered the room, Ryan nodded toward Lukas, and he closed the door.

Ryan leaned on his elbows against the table. "Lukas says you fight with us, not against us in this war. Are we to understand that correctly?"

"If we were going to fight against you, we would have done so by now," Grayson responded bitterly.

"What my colleague means to say is yes, we are fighting with you," Liam said with annoyance in his voice. Lukas heard the light growls of the Betas in the room, while the Alphas remained silent and observant. "I know it seems rather unlikely—"

"Why?" Trey interrupted Liam. "Your kind is about to rule the planet. Why would you fight against that?"

"Because we quite enjoy the freedom of living in it," Grayson snapped. "You can't be so naive into thinking that the Master and Mistress will allow free reign to us."

"She knows that they are with me and Ryleigh," Lukas added. "When Ryleigh projected, Naomi followed her back and found them. They have jeopardized their own safety by joining us."

"But before that," Trey continued. "Why would you turn your back on your people?

"Kristopher meant more to us than our Master did," Liam flinched as he spoke, and Lukas understood why. Vampires were servants of their Master, and whatever their Master commanded, they executed. For a vampire to say that someone, or something, mattered more than the Master would be an automatic death sentence. "And Ryleigh mattered to Kristopher more than the Master mattered to him. He turned his back on our people for her, and it got him killed."