Chapter 136: PLAN IN MOTION
AUTHOR’S POV
The room was dimly lit, illuminated only by the soft glow of a fire that crackled lazily in the corner. Thick curtains covered the windows, shutting out both the moonlight and the world beyond.
Orin remained on both knees in the center of the room, his head bowed so low that his forehead nearly brushed the polished floor. Sweat trickled down the side of his face despite the cool evening air.
He didn’t dare look up. He didn’t dare speak unless spoken to. Even his breathing had become slow and steady, as though the slightest sound might provoke the woman seated several feet away whose face remained hidden in shadow.
Only the dark silhouette of her figure was visible against the high-backed chair she occupied, one hand resting lazily on the carved armrest while the other toyed with the stem of a crystal glass.
"So," she began at last, her voice smooth enough to make the silence around it feel even more dangerous. "Tell me something, Orin."
He swallowed.
"When I arranged for you to return to Ashveil..." she continued, "...was it because I wanted you chasing after some insignificant wench?"
The question hung in the air like a death knell and Orin squeezed his eyes shut.
"My lady—"
"No." She stopped him before he could continue. "Answer me."
"...No."
"Then perhaps I’ve misunderstood." There wasn’t a trace of anger in her voice, and it only made him shudder in fear even more. "Because from what I’ve been told, the first thing you did after stepping back inside pack territory was corner a pregnant woman behind the estate walls."
His shoulders tensed. "I only wanted to remind her that she couldn’t hide from me."
"And that was worth exposing yourself?"
"I made sure no one followed me."
"You made assumptions."
He lowered his head even further. "I apologize."
She let the silence stretch until it became unbearable. "You’ve always allowed your obsession with Keisha to cloud your judgment. I tolerated it before because it made you useful. Now..." She gave a quiet sigh. "...it’s becoming inconvenient."
"My lady, please." His voice cracked despite every effort to steady it. "Give me another chance. I won’t disappoint you again."
"You’ve already disappointed me."
"I can fix this."
"Can you?"
"I know the estate. I know Callum’s routines. I know Keisha. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it."
Another long pause followed before she finally spoke again. "You’d better."
Relief flooded his face so quickly it was almost pitiful.
"I have invested too much time in placing my pieces where they belong. The board is finally beginning to take shape, and I have no intention of replacing one because he couldn’t separate revenge from responsibility."
"I understand."
"I sincerely hope you do.". She made a dismissive gesture with one hand. "Now leave before I change my mind."
Orin didn’t need to be told twice.. He scrambled to his feet, bowed repeatedly without once lifting his eyes, and hurried out of the room. The heavy doors shut behind him with a dull thud, leaving the chamber silent once again.
For several moments, the woman remained exactly where she was, staring into the flames dancing inside the fireplace.
Only when another set of footsteps approached did she shift her attention as a female guard entered quietly before lowering her head. "My lady."
"The old wolf?"
"Elder Osric remains confined to his residence under guard."
A faint smile curved the woman’s lips. "So Callum truly believes removing him from the council is enough."
She reached for a sheet of parchment lying on the table beside her and uncapped a fountain pen. Without another word, she began writing, her handwriting graceful and beautiful as she wrote a letter quietly.
When she finished, she folded the letter carefully before pressing a dark wax seal onto it. "Deliver this personally."
"Yes, my lady."
"And make certain no one follows you."
The guard accepted the letter with both hands before disappearing as silently as she had arrived.
The woman leaned back in her chair, watching the fire consume another piece of wood. "It won’t be long now," she murmured to herself.
********
Across the city, Dane’s SUV rolled to a stop outside one of the busiest clubs in the entertainment district.
The tracker hadn’t moved in almost twenty minutes.
He checked the screen one final time before slipping the device back into his pocket.. "So this is where you’ve been hiding."
Music drifted from the building the moment he stepped inside. Bright lights flashed across the crowded dance floor while conversations, laughter and deafening music merged into one full chaotic place. The place was packed shoulder to shoulder, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead.
Most people would’ve needed several minutes to find the person they were looking for but Dane only needed one.
Near the center of the dance floor, Orin stood with a drink in one hand and a woman draped over his shoulder, laughing as though the world hadn’t a care in it.
For a brief moment, Dane simply watched him and all he could think about was Keisha’s fear — the way she’d instinctively wrapped her arms around herself while describing Orin’s threats toward the unborn pups.
Anger boiled through him as he crossed the dance floor without hesitation, grabbed Orin by the back of his shirt and yanked him away so violently that the glass shattered across the floor.
Before Orin could even recover from the shock, Dane’s fist slammed into his jaw and the impact sent him crashing into a nearby table.
People screamed and someone shouted for security but Dane ignored all of it.
He hauled Orin upright again and dragged him through the back exit, throwing him into the narrow alley behind the club.
Orin hit the ground hard, coughing as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"You’ve got nerve," Dane said, advancing slowly. "Threatening a pregnant woman inside my territory."
Orin laughed weakly as he wiped the blood away.. "I wondered how long it’d take you."
Dane grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the brick wall. "Who brought you back into Ashveil?"
Orin didn’t answer so another punch landed.
"I asked you a question!"
Orin winced but smiled anyway. "You’ll have to do better than that."
Dane’s patience snapped. He drove another blow into Orin’s ribs before pinning him harder against the wall. "Nobody crosses those borders without help. Tell me who opened them."
Orin looked him directly in the eye. "I’d rather die."
The words had barely left his mouth when movement flickered at the edge of Dane’s vision. Years of training made him react instantly and he twisted just as a masked attacker lunged from the darkness, narrowly avoiding a blade that would’ve buried itself in his side.
Then, another figure emerged. Followed by another. Within seconds, the alley had filled with masked men.
They moved with ease, surrounding Dane from every direction.
Orin smiled.. "You really thought I’d come alone?"
The first attacker charged and Dane met him head-on, driving an elbow into the man’s throat before spinning to strike another across the temple. Two more rushed him together, forcing him backward as fists, boots and metal batons came at him from every angle.
He fought with everything he had, dropping one man after another, but each time one fell another immediately stepped forward.
A baton crashed against his shoulder, a knife sliced across his forearm and someone drove a knee into his ribs from behind.
His breathing became heavier with every passing second, yet he refused to stop. Not while Orin was still within reach.
He broke free long enough to lunge toward him, but another attacker caught him across the back of the head with a steel pipe and his vision went black with a full second as his knees crashed onto the pavement.
Through blurred vision, he saw two masked men pulling Orin toward a waiting vehicle before the doors slammed shut and the van disappeared into the night.
By the time the alley fell silent again, Dane was alone.
Blood trickled from a cut above his brow as he forced himself onto one knee, watching the taillights vanish into the distance.
"They planned this... " he muttered hoarsely.
****************
Miles away in another part of the pack, a guard quietly stepped into Elder Osric’s residence and presented him with a sealed envelope.
"It arrived for you a few moments ago."
Osric accepted it with a puzzled expression. He waited until the guard had withdrawn before breaking the seal and unfolding the letter and his eyes moved slowly across the page.
Then he began to smile, reading The contents. "Callum has started removing our supporters one by one. His influence over the council grows stronger with every passing day. If we wait any longer, there will be no one left inside the court willing to stand with us. The time for patience has passed. We proceed immediately. Prepare Yourself, Old Wolf, because the first move begins now."
Osric lowered the letter slowly and for several long seconds, he simply stared at the parchment before a low chuckle escaped him, then the chuckle grew louder, until the entire room echoed with his loud maniacal laughter.
"So..." he whispered once he finally caught his breath. "It begins."
His fingers tightened around the letter as his smile stretched into something deeply unsettling.
"Callum believes he’s putting this pack back together." He looked toward the darkened window overlooking Ashveil. "He has no idea he’s about to watch it tear itself apart."