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"Between the betas and loyalists that left with Pierce, the band of rogues recruited by Mordred, and now these twenty-eight victims of the New Moon, we're looking at a pretty big army to deal with," Joaquin stated, leaning against the wall behind me.
"Not to mention we may also have to face Kai and his Berserker Wolf if he's under the effects of the New Moon as well," Kao added solemnly.
I let my head fall to the desk with a loud thump, struggling to figure out how we were going to get ourselves out of this mess. Pierce and Mordred weren't pulling any punches. We were going to have our work cut out for us. "There's no way we're going to have enough pack members to combat however large their army is," I stated.
"But remember, it's not just your pack that's fighting in this war," Del commented. She and Javier sat across from my desk while Caleb sat off to the side, texting with Malcolm and Nash back in New York to make sure everybody was fine back in the Blue Moon Pack. Aside from their group and my men, the only other people who crowded my office were Rowan, Roxanne and Sabina. It was crowded as hell in here. Byron would've been here too, but he chose to stay out and work with the betas on their training.
"Del is right, Rosa. Ten fe," Javier said. "Our pack will come and assist you when the time comes. You know this."
"And we already have former hunters patrolling the borders around Kingsrose," Del added, then turned to Roxanne. "By the way, do you think you'll be able to create enchanted weapons for my men? If we're dealing with supercharged wolves, it's best to have them upgrade their gear as well."
Roxanne stood by the door, listening to our conversation in silence. "That's going to take a lot of time, Delphinium. And money."
"And you know I'm good for it. Would two-point-five million dollars cover the cost to gear thirty of my men with enchanted weapons?"
I raised my head up so fast when I heard the amount of money Del was offering without hesitation. I looked to Javier, jaw slacking and flabbergasted, wondering how he felt about this. His only response was as shrug. I looked to Del. "Two and a half million dollars? Are you shitting me right now?"
Del looked smug as she arched back in her seat, one leg draped over the other. "Don't worry, Rosie. This is money that came from my father's savings. He has no use for it now that he's dead. Plus, my company has new sponsors that want to help us make sure we put the rest of the wolf hunting branches out of business. We can cover it."
"That's still a lot of money," Joaquin said.
"Well magic isn't cheap," Roxanne retorted. "You've seen Del's favorite enchanted weapon, right?"
"Artemis?" I recalled. "The staff with the wolf heads on each end."
"Correct. The materials needed to have that weapon forged and enchant it with enough magic to detonate an army of wolves within a five-foot radius was expensive."
"Money well spent, I'd say." Del pulled out the weapon in question from the holster strapped to her right side. She twirled it around her fingers before holding it up. "On top of it being a powerful weapon, it only responds to my aura signature. It came in handy when I had to kill my old man."
I had vague memories of that night when Del, Javier, and the others infiltrated her father's organization to rescue me, and to put an end to her father's reign of terror on wolf packs. I never witnessed her fight, but the way she spoke of killing her own father so nonchalantly, it made me wonder if her emotions ran deeper than what she was openly showing. It wasn't my place to ask about it, so I didn't. Besides, it was all in the past now.
"There is one other thing we need to take into consideration," Joaquin announced. "Even if we have an army big enough to rival Pierce's, we'd still be fighting here in Kingsrose."
I quickly gathered where he was going with his assessment. "The civilians. They may be caught in the crossfire"
"With a war like this, it could become a blood bath. It's not safe for the humans," Kao added his thoughts.
"What can we do? It's not like we can tell everyone to leave town because an army of wolf shifters are coming to kill them all."
"Leave that part to me." Roxanne stood up straight and stepped closer to us. "I can use my mind magic to manipulate them into leaving town. Either to stay in hotels or to stay with relatives."
I regarded her questioningly. "Not to doubt your skills or anything, but mind altering an entire town sounds like a difficult feat even for you."
"It is," Roxanne agreed. "It won't be easy, but I may know a way I can amplify my magic so it would spread throughout town. There is one caveat, however. Once I do this, my magic will be completely drained for at least twenty-four hours. I won't be able to fight."
"I can guard you when that happens." Rowan stood from his feet. "It would be an honor to protect the Pink Moon's Chosen."
I may have given Rowan the stink eye, and I may have wanted Roxanne to pull a disappearing act right now because how dare she try to get cozy with Rowan! Okay, yes, slightly over the top. But fuck, I didn't like the idea of Rowan going all noble for Roxanne. Yes, I was jealous. So what?
Deciding to be a grown up, I begrudgingly approved of Rowan volunteering to watch over Roxanne when she would be at her weakest. We also planned for her to use her magic the day before the Wolf Moon in hopes she would recover sooner. There was no telling if Mordred would actually fight himself, and if so, she would likely be our best chance to fight him. Not to mention he's already stated wanting to get his hands on the Pink Moon's gift more. If she was vulnerable the night of the Wolf Moon, Mordred may see it as an opportunity to try and take it from her.
We spent the next hour going over the town map and setting up plans for when the day of reckoning would arrive. By then I was mentally drained, and having so many people in my office was making me feel claustrophobic. "All right, let's wrap it up for today. I need to get some air."
I sluggishly pulled myself out of my chair, my ass sore from sitting for too long. Giving myself a stretch as everyone began departing, I tied my hair back and left the office last, closing and locking the door behind me. Before heading out, I went off into the kitchen in search of my grandmother. It seemed as if I rarely got the chance to see her since coming home. With her spending most of her time in the kitchen or in her room, and me learning the ropes of being a pack alpha, our time together was almost nonexistent.
The smell of food invited me before I heard Abuelita's shouting in Spanish. Grinning, I stepped through the entrance into the large kitchen where shifters were moving frantically to get the dinner buffet ready in time. Grandma moved around barking orders like a drill sergeant, sometimes stopping to taste the food to make sure it was to her liking. Music could be heard from the speakers mounted on the walls. Listening to Shakira singing about how her hips don't lie had my hips moving. When Grandma finally noticed me, the light from her smile lit up the entire room. When she saw that I was slightly dancing to the music, she held out her hand to me. "NeNe, come over and dance with me."
I covered my mouth to hide my smile as I politely rejected her offer. Of course, Abuelita wouldn't let it slide. "Come dance with me! You know you want to."
