Defiance

3.3

Chapter 33

A L D R I C

    "The witches took Alpha Jameer and Beta Cole. Their packs are worried sick - Cole's mate, Nayla is frantically terrified. You know who they're taking them to - that insane witch is going to torture them until -"

    "We're going to get them out," I said flatly before Alpha Lukas could continue talking. There were six Alphas of the wolf world - Maddox, Accius, Claude, Lukas, Jameer, who was now being tortured by witches, and me.

    "Alpha Aldric - I - I - offer a different proposition."

    I glared at Lukas, any insight from him was going to be useless and reckless, but then nodded, allowing him to answer.

    "We do the same. We torture their witches. If the witches have Heera to torture our wolves, we have Freya's illusions."

    "No."

    "Consider this, Alpha -"

    I glared at him and Alphas Lukas looked down.

"I will clarify this one last time: We will not be closer to victory if we torture witches or kill them in large numbers; if anything, we will ruin our chances of winning. When you torture hundreds of witches, the remaining army is no longer a small army of witches - it is an army of rage. And that rage to destroy in one witch or wizard is stronger than a legion of a hundred witches."
    Lukas was silent then.

    "Any more brilliant suggestions, Lukas?"

Lukas said nothing. Instead, he turned to the other Alphas at the table - Maddox, and Accius and Claude, all who snickered at Lukas.

    I stared at the replica of the battlefield on the table and explained the strategy I had designed for tomorrow's attack.

    "The witches would attack here first," I said, pointing to the center of the battlefield.

    "How can you be so sure?" Alpha Accius asked.

    "Because I will be here."

    "That is true," Lukas muttered. "They'll do anything to kill you first."

    "Accius and Claude are going to be in the back, hiding. Your pack soldiers will not be seen, understood? Freya can easily take care of that."

    "When enough witches attack, first, Accius and his soldiers come in, forming a perfect circle, locking the witches in. When more witches attack the outside, Claude will join, creating a system where witches are entrapped within wolves. We fight until they surrender. Lukas' pack will fight off whatever witches attempt to break our circles of entrapment."

"And if they do not surrender?" Maddox asked.

"Then we fight till they are dead. We fight until we win," I said, removing all hint of emotion in my voice.

    "Alpha Aldric - your plan is genius," Alpha Claude stared at me in what almost seemed like...awe? I wasn't sure but the recognition from the Alpha wasn't something I practically cared about. I wanted the wolves to win and it had been enough.

"I know."

    I had enough of this war. My wolves had suffered enough. One year of fighting and we were finally breaking the walls, destroying their power. I knew we were on the winning side and every Alpha in this pack knew it was because of me. But tomorrow - this might be my most ambitious strategy yet.

    "This attack will be enough to bring them down completely. It will be enough to break their power. The last pack - Maddox - this is when you come in - you and your pack will attack at once - destroying the Shield," I continued.