Our generals stood with our Betas, all trying to grasp the situation while we waited for Lucien to make his appearance. He had disappeared as soon as he left his tent, leaving Adrian and I to go to the meeting with no clue what his thought process was.
"Why does he want to take the Luna as his prize? He already has his mate, and many concubines…" My Beta, Ezra whispered to me. However, in such close proximity, whispering meant nothing as everyone could hear him.
"Lucien has never been satisfied with one woman alone, why he would declare war just to have another woman doesn't make sense to me." I rubbed my jaw and reviewed the drawings our men had made of the city, the defenses listed along the walls. It seemed their Eastern walls had the lesser defenses and patrols, which would allow my small group of warriors and trackers to sneak into the city and open one of their gates for our forces.
I looked over to Adrian and mind linked him my thoughts, to which he shook his head.
We want to convince Lucien to not attack, providing him or the generals with that information, it would show we are on his side.
Are we not on his side? I linked back with a frown. We're his blood, the leaders of this army.
You're the leader of a ragtag group of warriors and trackers, hardly a battalion of this army. I want this over quickly with minimal bloodshed. Adrian's voice was cold, and he severed the link as Lucien walked into the tent at last.
"You're all assembled, good. They have sent at least one spy into our midst; we cannot allow that to pass. We have not made any threatening moves against them, however they try to weasel their way in. We will attack their Southern gate here," he pointed on the map, "with all our might. Even though we have been camping here for a week, they have not increased their defenses; their army must be weak."
"Your Majesty, why are we attacking in the first place? A spy when we have refused their armies is not unreasonable, if anyt-" Lucien cut off his general with a raise of his hand, "Do not defend their actions, Sorren. They have slighted us, and they will pay for it."
"I heard that you want to take their Luna as your prize," stated Samuel , Adrian's Beta, curiously, "why do you need another concubine? And why do we need to go to war because of it?" Lucien looked up from the map to give him a glare, which made Adrian growl, forcing Lucien's eyes to him.
"I will make an example of her is all. No Alpha or Luna throughout this region will ever dare slight us, the royal family, after this." Lucien began giving orders on who would lead their forces at specific times, to hit them with our full might and bring down their walls. My warriors would be going in as support, my trackers would be sent ahead to sniff out the Luna. He dispatched us to inform our troops, and I dutifully went to the singular long tent that held my entire group.
"Are you serious? Does he not have enough women?" Huffed Atlas, my closest friend.
"A war over a woman who's not even his?" Keira scoffed from her spot on her cot, who I gave a weak smile to. She was beautiful, smart, and lethal: if not for her low status, I would've already claimed her as mine. However, being a part of the royal family meant I had to find a woman born of Alpha lineage.
"Are you and Adrian unable to dissuade him at all?" Asked another of my warriors, Silas. Atlas nodded in agreement with his twin's words, looking between Ezra and myself.
"We could not dissuade him, although we tried. He only announced this plan after the spy he mercifully released told him we were fools and liars." Keira snorted and I heard several chuckles, "But one thing we will do is go against his plan. Sending any of you to their Southern gate will be a guaranteed bloodbath. We will go to the Eastern gate and stealthily let ourselves in. I have talked to one of Adrian's generals, he has agreed to lend us some forces for an invasion on that side."
Atlas and Silas nodded in unison, something they did often without thinking. Keira cocked her head with a frown on her face, while Felix, another of my trackers, was wordlessly communicating with Ezra. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair.
"Please give me your feedback, guys. I trust all of you with my life, but for us to get this over with quickly, we all need to be on the same page." Multiple voices perked up, telling me their discomfort and disagreement with the entire operation. I lifted my hands for quiet.
"I know. I don't agree with this whole thing, I don't agree with anything he's done or said since we left the Rising Sun pack. However, he's my brother and the future Lunar King, I cannot go against his orders so much as sitting this one out. I am already going against his orders by attacking the Eastern gate, but that'll allow us to get some forces in and end this quickly. And I won't lose any of you this way…" I trailed off, looking to my feet in shame. I lost three of my crew at the last skirmish in the Rising Sun pack, providing support and trackers the same way that Lucien wanted me to do again.
I might have a smaller crew, not even a quarter of the size of a battalion, but I knew each and every one of them. I trusted them as they trusted me, and I felt the loss of even one of them in my soul. I hadn't noticed that Atlas had moved from his spot several feet away until he clapped his hand on my shoulder.
"We follow you anywhere, Mikael."