MATE AND HIS LOVER 2

#23 Plan

The two days were like a dream, but I'm back in reality now. I teleport Leon and I to my room in the Red Peak's guest house.

Knees weak from worry, I sit down at the side of my bed. Leon kneels before me and says, "We got this."

I don't know who he is trying to convince with that. Him or me? We're unprepared for this.

Before I could reply him, I hear footsteps coming into the house. They climb up the stairs and move towards my room.

Jack and a couple of his friends appear in front of my room and walk in. "You guys are back. Good," Jack says before turning to me and saying, "Reagan called me. He said he couldn't reach you."

At the mention of Reagan's name, Leon's hand that is holding mine tightens its grip.

Jack continues, "He found Philip's location."

I immediately stand up. Leon does the same. Jack takes out his phone, opens his message app and gives it to me. "He said this is the location."

I look at the coordinates Reagan had texted Jack before going to my closet and searching for the map in the pockets of my most worn hoodie. I find it and spread it over the bed.

Leon and Jack flank me to take a look at the map while I direct it to show me the coordinates.

The location is one of the largest cave at the north of the cave system. Jack says beside me, "Reagan said the strength of your brother's men are twice than what you'd initially guessed. That's why he sent me the location even when you told him to keep it a secret: he was worried you found it already and had left for there by yourself before he could warn you."

"Why didn't you tell him I went to the Rumen's market?" I ask Jack. Jack knew where me and Leon were.

"Then he might've followed you there," Jack says. "We didn't want anyone disturbing you and Leon. Besides, telling Reagan we didn't know where you were turned out to be a good idea, because now we know where Philip is. I can't believe you hid the fact that you might've known where Philip was after we'd saved you from him."

I open my mouth to argue back to an overprotective Beta of Leon when Jack abruptly moves extremely close to me. His nose touches my hair as he sniffs me.

"What are you doing?" Leon says, confused by his best friend's behaviour.

Suddenly, Jack moves my hair.

I gasp and step back, and scramble to hide my neck again with my hair, but it's too late. The mischievous and proud smiles of Jack and the others tell me they saw it.

"You made us proud, brother," Jack says to Leon. With all my strength, I step on Jack's foot. He acts hurt. Only acts.

Leon stifles his laugh and says, "Alright guys, get out of your Luna's room. I'll be right behind you in a sec."

"No one is going anywhere. First promise me you guys are not going after my brother," I say.

Jack's face turns serious and apologetic. "I'm sorry, Cassie. One of the men saw the text." He looks at Leon and says, "They know."

I turn to Leon and see him looking worried.

"You can't go after my brother!"

"Cassandra, I promise you, I won't hurt your brother."

"How? How would that even work?"

"I'll only take my friends with me there. They won't harm him."

I shake my head. "You don't get it. My brother may not be able to hurt you and Jack with his spells, but he can seriously hurt the others, enough to kill them. And then there's the rogue army with him. Philip could easily distract you with them and go for one of your men, and you'll have no choice but to hurt Philip, lethally, to save your men. Because that's the only way he could be stopped by you."

"I'll think of some other way, then," Leon says quickly.

"What other way is there? Tell me now. There's none! There's no other way for you to fight him. You can't fight wizards and witches the same way you can fight werewolves, Leon. Let me tak—"

"No!" Leon says, his voice rising. "I'm not letting you go anywhere near him."

"I don't need your permission!" I say, rising my voice to match his. "I can go anywhere I want, anytime."

Knowing what I imply, Leon says, "I swear, Cassandra, if you teleport away over there like you left me at the resort, I'll hate your brother like I've never hated anyone in my life. Do you want that?"

I cross my arms and look away. Of course, I don't want that. But he can't just stop me from leaving like this.

He takes a deep breath. "How about we both go? My men and I go with you and your friends. We capture your brother and his men together. This way, we'll have each other's back."

Not seeing any other way around it, I nod.

"You go ahead and call for a meeting," Leon says to Jack, and Jack and his men leave.

Leon hugs me while I continue to be angry at him. "I'm sorry. I can't let you go after Philip alone after what he almost did to you last time. I don't trust him."

He plants a kiss on my lips before following his friends out.

Soon, Nara and Jenny return to the guest house from their walk and I fill them in on everything. If it weren't for the bad news at the last, me and my friends would be celebrating my mating with Leon.

"So we tell your mom about Philip's whereabout? Are we taking other witches?" Jenny asks.

"I don't know," I tell her. A small team of witches is always the best to work with when it comes to a fight, as it reduces cross firing mishaps. In our case, it's even more important that our number be less because all the witches in my coven, including me, do not have any experience fighting werewolves, and that could cause more harm than we could think of.

"What do you think?" I ask Nara. Nara is the one in charge of teaching trainees. She has a better idea of the capabilities of our fighters.

She shakes her head. "We can't take them there. Even your mom, the elders and us together can't take down the rogues."

"Leon and his men can take care of the rogues," I say.

Nara shakes her head again. "Some might still escape and try to hurt us. It's too risky. It's gotta be us three only, and we need a solid plan to avoid all the rogues. I and Jenny can hold back Philip's men while you try to restrain him, and you'll have to do that really fast, because me and Jenny won't be able to hold our positions for long."

Nara is right. We can't go head first into this one. We need a plan.