The air in the Cathridge war room was quite different.
It was thick with a scent of ozone and a strong cologne. Alpha Conrad was at the front of the Brindled table that had seen more blood than pen ink.
There were highly defined monitors lining the wall, the environment so guarded that even a fly can't pass without being seen.
"That's bullshit," Conrad said, his voice so high it commanded instant silence.
"Those fairy tales crap you all believe in to keep peace, 'Mates' 'The moon's choice' all form of weaknesses"
He turned away from the wall, his eyes moving calmly round the room.
His Beta, Nathan, got quite uncomfortable. The Alpha elders have been pushing Conrad to get a mate for many years now, arguing that a Luna would soften his reputation and stabilize his power.
"It's not bullshit, Conrad. It's s a bond, " Nathan rebutted as he kept his face buried down.
"It makes us more than just powerful predators. It's an Alpha's greatest strength."
Conrad gave a stony chuckle.
He leaned closer to the table, his knuckles as hard as wood.
"It's a burden, Nathan. I saw what it did to my father-the strongest alpha this territory ever knew-reduced to a crybaby when my mother killed.
He didn't lead the pack. He didn't fight. He just walked into the woods because his 'other half' was gone."
He stood upright, adjusting the buttons on his anthracite suit.
"He died for a ghost, the pack is a machine, it has gears, and gears need to be serviced for survival."
"I don't believe in mates because i don't believe in giving my enemies a place to target."
"I am the Alpha of Cathridge because i am competent on my own and can lead the pack fearlessly."
The room remained cold and silent. In the world of werewolf statecraft, Conrad was an oddity.
He ran his pack like a blue-chip company combined with military association.
They had the best tech, the best training, the best security too, but one thing they lacked was the warmth of the "old packs"
A red light began to pulse on the main terminal.
"Speak," Conrad commanded.
"Section Five, Alpha," a voice rustled over the comms.
"We have a trespasser. It's not a scamp. She's...quite fast. She trespassed all motion sensors and eletric fences. Now she's heading towards the abandoned plant.
Conrad's face wrecked in confusion.
"A cyber-intruder? interesting"
"She's armed, sir, and she smells different from the rest of us,"
Conrad didn't wait for any other information.
He grabbed his black jacket from the back of the chair.
The thrill of a good hunt is the only thing that truly made Conrad alive-far more than the nitpicking of the war room.
"Nathan, stay here and monitor the control. I'll handle this myself." Conrad said callously.
"You're going alone?" Nathan asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
"If she's that skilled, she must be from the moonlight pack,"
"Then I'll bring her back, then we can analyze her data," Conrad said.
He left the arena, the heavy steel doors hsut behind him.
The night air was quite soothing with a scent of pine and dry grass.
As soon as he scanned the perimeter, he didn't move-not yet.
He preferred the competitive edge of his human form combined with wolf's senses.
He moved over the prairie like a shadow, his heart rate steady, his mind scheming every possible trap.
As he approached the abandoned plant, the scent Nathan talked about him.
It wasn't a parageusia of a scamp or the animalic scent of a common wolf.
It was something high spirited-like rain and crushed wildflowers.
For a split second, an electric jolt hit Conrad's spine, a raw impulse at his very core that made his lung seize.
He stopped, his hand resting on the shaft of the silver combat knife at his belt.
"Must be adrenaline," Conrad said as he tried to catch his breath.
He navigated the bend of a rusted iron pillar, and he saw her.
She was dressed in a long black coat, her hair held at the back in a tight braid.
She kneels over a circuit box, her hands moving carefully around the wires as she spliced them.
She looked more like a professional than a victim.
"What the hell are you doing? Little wolf," said Conrad.
She didn't recoil. She didn't even look up.
"And you're exactly where the sensors said you'd be Alpha, you're too predictable for an Alpha."
She stood up slowly, turning to face him.
Her eyes were discerning, fiery resistance.
The moment their eyes locked, the "fairy tale" Conrad had mocked earlier hit him like a freight train.
His inner wolf roared, a sound so loud in his head he almost staggered.
Every impulse he had spent a decade suppressing screamed one word: MATE.
Conrad's grip lightened on his knife, his vision all blurry and the world narrowing down to the woman standing 8 feet away.
This was the one thing he swore would never happen; weakness.
"Who are you?" he hissed, his voice shivering in anger. He couldn't name it.
The woman smirked, giving a dangerous smile.
She pulled a small device from her pocket and clicked a button.
"I'm the weakness you never thought you had."
A blinding flash of white light exploded between them, and fkr the first time of his life, the Alpha of Cathridge felt a jolt of fear