The Path to Love

Chapter 21:The War- Part 2

A desperate man can be a dangerous one. Xerex anxiously paced back and forth, ruminating over his plan. A stream of thoughts plagued his mind . The actions he would soon take could cost him his life .

"But can Griffin be trusted ?" He thought. Xerex always had the tendency to make hasty decisions without thinking through the difficult details . He slumped on his bed and sighed.

"Caelan would surely forgive me .. eventually. Well, it's a risk that I am willing to take." He did not recognize the error of his plan. Any wolf that tampered with the destiny of two mates was bound to suffer.

Xerex remained resolute, his decision had been made and he quietly walked towards Whintar's house.

----
The wolves of the Silver Wind Pack and the White Water Pack got in formation. Caelan and Phoenix nodded at each other from behind the shadows of the tall trees. It was time.

But something didn't feel right . Caelan sensed that something was amiss, but it was too late to turn back.

Through the powers of telepathy, Phoenix told Luna that he loved her. She responded the way any mate would ,with utter love, admiration and fear for his safety .

He assured her that they would meet again, once Griffin and his army had been defeated .

The night air was still ,ominous and thick with mystery. A surprise was on the way . One that would create a deep disruption in the established plans of attack.

Time soundlessly passed and Griffin was still nowhere to be found. Phoenix began to become uneasy as he received confused questions from his pack members.

"What's going on?"  Meadow impatiently asked.

"Caelan and I are wondering the same thing." He replied. Without speaking, they continued to communicate. Caelan tried intercepting the moles he placed in Griffin's army, but they did not respond. He began to realize that they were tricked. But the sound of someone clapping distracted him from his thoughts.

"I'm actually quite impressed." Griffin spoke. The hairs on Phoenix's arms stood up and Caelan was filled with a looming sensation of unease. But nobody in his pack or Phoenix's pack spoke or moved. They remained in position, hidden from the enemy.

"I know you guys are there. You can come out now! I'm not here to kill anyone, as pleasing as that would have been. I can postpone murdering you all because I have had a change of heart." He said.

Caelan and Phoenix emerged from their hidden spots and walked towards Phoenix with utter disgust and hatred.

"There you are! I was beginning to wonder when you two would come out. What about the rest?" He asked, looking behind both Alpha's.

"What are you doing here?" Caelan hissed. Phoenix stood stiffly beside him, controlling himself from attacking Griffin.

"Let's form a truce. That way, we both get what we want." He started. The unease in Caelan's gut began to creep through him, rising within him. Claire's face flashed in his mind and at that moment, he angrily marched towards Griffin and held him in a chokehold, lifting him of the ground. 

"What did you do to her?!" He growled, squeezing his neck tighter. Griffin laughed as he choked. "If you kill me, you will never know the answer to that question." He answered, hoarsely.  

Enraged and in a growing state of disarray, Caelan loosened his grip whilst Phoenix waited for Griffin to continue.

"It was a simple trade. The girl or your pack. Obviously, I picked her. You killed my mate so its only fair, don't you think?" He smirked. Caelan had enough and within seconds, he had transformed into his wolf. Phoenix tried to hold him back but failed miserably. Whenever Caelan ran towards him, Griffin used his vampire speed to evade an attack.

"Remember, if you kill me, you kill her. If you don't, she will live, but you will still never know where she is." Griffin said.

"Don't attack him. He's just taunting you Caelan." Phoenix spoke.

"I assure you that he isn't." A voice spoke. Everyone looked behind them and watched as Delilah confidently walked towards them and beside Griffin . "Remember me?" Delilah was a spitting image of her mother with long black curly hair, sharp features, icy blue eyes and a tall slender figure. Meadow watched everything from a distance, remembering Jezebel and all the havoc she caused.

She snapped and so did Thane. Memories of their loved ones, gone because of Delilah and her mother, Jezebel filled their minds. They braced themselves for an attack before all hell broke loose.

 "Good thing I came prepared." Griffin muttered. From behind the trees, an army of rogues  and other outcast creatures ran towards both packs. In the flurry of commotion, Griffin slipped away and blood was shed. Through the struggle, Phoenix ripped anyone who attacked him in half. Caelan became a conduit of pain, hatred and rage. He felt no pain as he was punched and slashed.

Meadow was dragged by her tail, lifted into the air and smashed into a nearby rock. Both packs were outnumbered, all operating according to their own plans. There was no unity, all strategies were forgotten. A large vampire ran towards a middle ranking wolf in Caelan's pack and broke one of her hind legs and she howled in pain.

Griffins army was strong and used all their strength to advance, pushing both packs backwards. Delilah used the sound of her voice and her beauty to distract less powerful wolves before they were attached by vampires. She also slipped away in am unnoticeable fashion .

Thane used the gifts he had to draw droplets of water in the environment towards his enemies, at times turning the water into sharp pieces of ice and sending it flying towards his opponents. Large icicles  stabbed the skulls of some nearby rogues. 

Caelan could not think straight and with blood stained fur, he ran away from the commotion into the forest towards Whintar's house. When he got there, the structure that was once there, stood no more. All that remained was a pile of ashes. He encircled his surroundings, hoping that  somehow Claire and Whintar would still be there." I'm too late." He thought.

Griffins army was fraught with merciless creatures that often killed for fun. Some died at the hands of both Caelan and Phoenix's packs. Others, eventually became weak and retreated. The one's that currently remained were thrill killers, the most dangerous creatures left of the army. Some omega wolves were mercilessly  slaughtered, dismembered limb from limb.

With a broken spirit, Caelan returned to the frenzy, determined to kill. He detached himself from his pain, helping his pack members to defend themselves. Soon after, those that were left of Griffins army retreated and many of those that remained of the White Water Pack and Silver Wind pack struggled to move. Both Alphas and Betas helped wounded wolves stand and return to safety.