Chapter 3

Zayde's Point of View "Really man? Again with the stalking? Why don't you just go over there and talk to her? You know you want too." My beta, Jason, says exasperated, slapping my shoulder as he comes to stand next to me at the window. I frown, glancing at him as I shrug his hand off of me. "I wasn't spying, I was just walking past the window and I just stopped to make sure Maya is okay." He smirks at me, wiggling his eyebrows. "Sure you were... Or maybe you weren't checking on Maya, maybe you were just checking out Chloe?" He teases and I frown again, punching his shoulder. "Shut it Jason. I don't know what you are talking about. I was just making sure my sister is okay." "Uh huh..." He says, his eyes twinkling with mischief, he opens his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it. "I have work to do. Don't you?" I say as I look down at my watch, arching one of my brows at him. "Training starts in ten minutes, doesn't it? This is your session. You wouldn't want to be late now, do you? What would your father think?" Jason rolls his eyes at me. "Fine. I'm heading out. Just wipe the drool from your chin before you go to your meeting." He teases one last time and I softly growl at him. He laughs as he turns and jogs out of the pack house. I stare after him for a second, shaking my head. Jason's dad and my father are best friends, leading to me and Jason being best friends since we were little kids. When I became Alpha, I named him my beta, even though he was from the Gamma family. He is like a brother to me and I love the dude, but honestly, at times like this, I don't know how I have put up with him for this long. I turn back, casting one last glance out of the window. My gaze lingers on the girls lounging around the pool. Actually, just one girl in particular captures my attention, like she has since the minute she was born. Her strawberry blonde hair shimmering in the sun, as she shakes her head at something my sister said to her. An all to familiar hankering fills me as my wolf pushes forward, to watch her as well. Our conversation from last night comes back to me, her words echoing in my head. “But I’m not going anywhere, Zayde. Not now. Not ever. So stop pushing me away.” As if feeling my eyes on her, her gaze moves towards the window and our eyes lock across the pool. My heart rate increases as we stare at each other. The pull I always feel towards her urging me to go to her. She gives me a little smile before turning her attention back to my sister and, just like that, the moment between us is broken. I sigh and run a hand down my face before quickly glancing at my watch. I need to get it together and clear my mind before the meeting. I shake my head, taking a deep breath and squaring my shoulders before making my way over to my office. I just reprimanded Jason about not being late, I can't be late for my own meeting. As I enter my office, I see my father, the previous Alpha, Zane, already seated at my desk. A disapproving frown on his face as he stares at me. "Cutting it a little close, aren't you?" He grumbles, and I sigh as I sink into my office chair. "I know dad. Don't start with me. I'm here aren't I?" I quickly glance at him, before looking back at the computer and entering the meeting room. My father sighs but doesn't say anything as he moves to sit closer to the computer. It doesn't take long before more windows open as a few more people join the meeting. As soon as everyone has logged in, I nod my head in greeting. "Good morning everyone. And thank you for attending the meeting." We quickly exchange greetings before I start the meeting. "This is just a short briefing, so I'll get straight to the point. As you all know, there has been another attack. They are becoming more frequent and each one is even more devastating than the last. By the time we heard about this attack and our team got there, it was already too late. They completely wiped out the pack. We have started cleanup and burying the dead." I say and a few of the men nod their head. "That's the second pack they have attacked and killed this month. What makes it even more unnerving is that this attack was kilometers away from the previous one, making it impossible to track a pattern. They are making it look like they are choosing packs at random. But there has to be a reason they are targeting those specific packs. Do we still have no idea where they are?" Alpha Caspian, from one of our ally packs asks. I sigh and shake my head. "No... Unfortunately, we still don't have a location for them. After our last attack on their hideout, our teams are still out searching for the other hideouts, but so far we still haven't found any clues that could lead us to where they are holding up. We have a few witches trying to narrow down the search grit, to see if we can try to locate them with magic. They think they are close. Oliver, your father doesn't have any other ideas about where they might be?" I ask, looking at a man about my age. His father, Elijah, is a vampire. Years ago, when we found out about the prophecy involving me, my father went to The Blue Moon Pack. They were in danger of being attacked by the vampires because they possessed information about the prophecy. During his time there, my father was informed that the prophecy was brought to them by a vampire. And unexpected ally that wanted to help us. Naturally, my father was suspicious and didn't trust him, but Elijah proved himself to my father and the rest. Over the years, he has helped packs train, taught our people how to kill vampires. Without his help, we would have had a lot more casualties. During the years, he also recruited some more vampires to our side, vampires who, like him, want to end the bloodshed. And now, his son, Oliver, is a part of our fight as well. "No, but he, Alpha Wayde and the rest of their team are still out there running down leads. We'll let you know if they find something." His voice draws my attention back to the present and I nod my head slowly. "Thank you, Oliver. Does anyone else have anything to share? Alpha Dwight, how is the security sytem coming along?" I ask, looking at one particular man on the screen. "Yes, I do have some updates about the security system for the pack borders. As you all know, we have been working on a new program with some of Elijah's vampire friends. We think it is ready. We will be testing it tonight. If it works, we will distribute it to all packs. As we all know, vampires don't show up on anything treated with silver. So, theoretically speaking, any modern technology not using silver treatments should still pick them up, but most of our cameras fail to detect them, and we have to use infrared. For the new system, we have used aluminum in the cameras, so we are pretty sure it will pick them up. We also incorporated some advanced sonar systems. They move fast and quiet, but they still make noise. If it works the way we think, this system will hear them coming from ten kilometers away. So, not only will we be able to pick them up on infrared, we will be able to hear them coming and capture their movements on our cameras." He finishes and excited murmurs erupt on the screen. As expected, everyone is excited about the new development. If it works, this system could help save packs. "Everyone, quite down. Alpha Dwight, if tested successfully, how soon will you be able to distribute it?" "We can start within the next two weeks. Some of our packs techs will come and install the systems and train your men in how to use it effectively." "That is great news. Thank you, Alpha Dwight. Please keep us updated about how the tests go. Anyone else have anything that they would like to share?" They shake their heads and I nod. "Then we are done for now. Thank you all for your time. Goodbye and stay safe. Meeting adjourned." The greetings are quick, everyone eager to get on with the rest of their responsibilities. I turn to my father. "You are quiet. What are you thinking?" He runs a hand through his hair before shaking his head. "Just about what Alpha Caspian said. How do they choose what packs to attack? Are they just doing it to keep us off balance? Are they hoping to catch us off guard when it is finally our pack they attack?" He murmurs, staring out of my office window. I lean back in my chair, my gaze following his. "I don't know... Let's hope Dwight's system works. At least that way none of the packs can be caught off guard again." My father nods his head and sighs. "Let's hope."