My Daddie's Rejected Lover

False Security

Two weeks later, an official was able to negotiate a cease-fire in Dong'Gul. Council members from the joint supernatural alliance met with the ogres and dvergr to try to come to an agreement. The ogres refused to budge claiming that the ogres were the original owners of lands that had been stolen from them through underhanded tactics. The dvergr wanted their lands back and other species off it. Both were also claiming the intermixing of the species was ruining their traditional ways of life. Neither wanted to relinquish their claims or come to a reasonable compromise. It was only a matter of time before things went south.

We were busy prepping just in case. We'd been invited to Luna to celebrate the upcoming birth of two of the alphas' children but had to decline. I was so disappointed. Martem and his partners were going and two of the packs had alpha-subs my age. Most of the alpha-subs or co-alphas in Manabudh were in their late twenties and older. It would have been nice to meet a few on my level.

Not to mention there was the refugee situation to deal with. The refugees were temporarily divided among the pack, clan, Crystal Lake, and Dunkel. Even though Mun – my former pack, and Vula – Alpha Isi's pack were smack dab in between us and the council in Tu'men, they made no shows of aggression towards us or anyone else. Their allies were doing all the fighting. I counted that as a plus. We had enough worries.

Another shipment of specialized weapons went missing in transit from Dong'Gul to Luna as we entered October. No one knew what kind of weapons they were. The paper and digital records vanished into thin air. But that wasn't the strange part. The strange part was that the ship and the crew disappeared as well.  No debris, no transmissions, no satellite imagery - nothing. 

I hadn't had any dreams...of any sort. When I consulted the pack doctor, she told me no one had. An email was sent from the Aclora – the council division that deals with seers, oracles, fortune tellers and so on. It stated that 'the mind's eyes were closed.' That meant that every supernatural the 'age of knowing' with the ability to see or sense the future no longer could. It was alarming for several reasons.

The first, those that used their ability in their work no longer could. We're talking from the council down to the schools, small business owners, and supernatural defenses. Second, those organizations that used the ability for defense and protection, no longer had it. They had to rely on their senses and human technology. Third, the age of knowing is ten years old. That's when the ability appears strong enough to be recognized and the child taken for training. This meant no one would come into the ability from this point on. There would be no more seers in the future if this wasn't corrected.

Fourth, only a god or devil lord has the ability to take that away.

"Daniel."

I flinched at the sound of my name. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I slunk down in my chair. I'd blanked during yet another damn meeting. Was it necessary we meet every day? It seems like that's all we did these days. Meet, train, prepare. Anxiety was going to kill me before a war could.

"I know these meetings are boring," Ramiro began.

Lacy snorted earning herself a smack on the thigh. Kate and I snickered. Lacy glared at us.

"I'll tell on you."

That dirty little peasant! Marcus and Augustin burst into laughter as I glared at her. Ramiro pinched the bridge of his nose and began muttering something in Portuguese. The beta cleared his throat and we settled down.

"I know it's boring but this is important. The blood moon saps wolves of their strength leaving them vulnerable. Yes, you'll have access to your wolf but the ability to work as a unit, to fight with your abilities, to shift are all nullified. You're practically a wolf in human skin without all the toys. You must be vigilant."

I pursed my lips together and took in those words. Previously the blood moon meant nothing to me. I didn't have a wolf but now...things were serious. "What defenses do we have as a pack if we're so vulnerable?"

"We've all trained as humans. Hopefully it will be enough. Our wolves are quite primitive but they should be okay."

That was disturbing. During the blood moon the human sort of takes a back seat and the wolf takes over our bodies. We're weaker and our thoughts and actions are more wolf than human.

>Don't worry. I won't wreck your body,< my wolf snickered.

>Shut up!<

Ramiro shuffled his papers and continued.  "Anyway, patrols will be doubled for forty-eight hours. Younger and older wolves need to stay closer to the pack house and adhere to curfew. The younger warrior tier is in charge of taking care of them."

I sighed. Our defenses were well thought out. At the center of a circle was the packhouse and all the younger or weaker pack members. Protecting them were the newer warriors, usually the 18-22 year olds. Extending out from that circle were the warriors 22-26 that didn't have specialty jobs. The circle extended outward covering the entire packlands to our borders with incremental age and ability. The first line of defense was our strongest. If they fell, it gave us time to get those in the center to safety. It was the same for the clan.

For me, it was nerve-wracking. My two mates were on that front line. All the mysteries, secrets, lies, clashes were just so much. I wanted this to be over so I could go back to my boring life.  Little did I know boring would not be part of my life for many months to come. 

The attack on Dark Moon was just the beginning.