Henrique knew precisely what Elias was pondering, which is why he spoke:
"I can sense your thoughts, Elias. I believe the safest way we ought to safeguard Luana is to keep her close, and rest assured, I will not mistreat her. From now on, I will show respect and keep my distance so that she can become the female she must be."
"Six years before she transforms—can you manage to stay away without provoking her?"
"If needed, I will travel afar."
"There's no need, the alpha is planning a new assault, this time on the Spotted Pack."
"How was I not informed of this?"
"It was settled before your transformation. Likely, at the next assembly, the alpha will summon you to participate. He'd probably be proud to take you on your inaugural venture. The unfortunate aspect will be witnessing everything he does during this hunt."
"You're right; he turns these attacks into a hunt. I've noticed his love for killing, but he shouldn't strike his own under the pretense of their being different."
"I'm glad you noticed; we cannot allow him to continue this. One day the earth will yield no more profits, You saw what occurred with Dimas."
"Yes, Dimas had mentioned that to me, with the assaults on packs and the slaying of females, we're left with no options for mates. My uncle was fortunate his survived, or he would face a miserable existence henceforth."
The two fell silent for a while, proceeding side by side through the territory. It was dismal to think that one individual could monopolize a whole contingent to kill those of their own kind.
Henrique said nothing, but one thought incessantly occupied his mind: he needed to stop the Alpha. Their shift concluded and they went home, and as Elias had said, the next day, Alpha Tulio summoned the gathering to prepare for the attack on the Spotted Pack.
*
Amid the meeting, voices clashed with simultaneous speaking, contradictions abounded over how and why to attack the peaceful Pack.
"Excuse me, Alpha, I've always backed you, but this particular Pack is not only small but also responsible for grain cultivation. To annihilate them would be akin to shooting ourselves in the foot," Gideon, the head of the guard, professed.
"I concur with Gideon," Beta Marcel added.
"What is this?"—the Alpha pounded his fist on the table, causing a thunderous echo— "An insurrection? Has this become a democratic congress? I am the Alpha and I issue the commands."
"Being the strongest and commanding isn't everything in a pack. One needs sense to avoid leading the pack to ruin. What Gideon articulates is true—they are our chief grain suppliers, and decimating them, as you are wont to do over the years, will cut off our supply. Can our Pack manage grain production as they do?"
Alpha Tulio glowered at Henrique with animosity yet acknowledged his son's acumen and prowess in diplomacy. As he aged, he'd likely take over, and the current Alpha was not yet ready to relinquish the throne.
"Look at this whelp, presuming to have a say at his first sitting," Alpha Tulio sneered, aiming to reduce the burgeoning authority he saw in his son.
He expected his men to back his derision of the son, but instead, they remained silent, their stares grave. He realized his sway was slipping and disdained the thought, yet, to avoid alienation and future betrayal, he agreed to delay and further scrutinize the situation.
"This meeting is adjourned. Henry, to the arena with me."
Henrique anticipated what would follow—the onslaught of blows from his father. But now, a change had occurred; he possessed the strength of his werewolf. He wouldn't reveal his full power, merely defending to avoid severe hurt and to make his father grasp that he could no longer treat him as a defenseless pup.
"All right, Dad. Let's go."
The surrounding onlookers, upon hearing, also made their way to the arena, eager to witness what would ensue. There was a possibility that Alpha Tulio could slay the son, with his penchant for violence. The question was, now endowed with his wolf, could Henry defend himself?
In the arena, engulfed by many spectators in the bleachers, one individual quietly merged with them, cloaked in obscurity to watch. It was Luana. She had been stealthily moving through the Pack, as changes to her body were happening all too quickly, and she did not wish to be seen.
Having healed that past week, her mother had crafted her new clothes. She desired to gauge how Henrique would fare in this fight against his father and to brace herself against any blows that Alpha Tulio might deliver, should a day arrive when she would have to fight.
The battle commenced with both sizing each other up, Henrique's stance defensive, and Alpha Tulio's aggressive. Yet as the Alpha lunged, Henrique invariably dodged, with the Alpha growing visibly flustered.
Then, with a swift maneuver, Alpha Tulio leaped at Henrique, aiming for a decisive strike, perhaps even to claim his neck, but Henrique quickly ducked, slipping beneath the Alpha's legs, avoiding the attack while landing a punch to the Alpha's groin.
"That's it, Rique, don't let him catch you!" Luana whispered softly.
Despite her whispered tone, Henrique caught her words and focused all the more on the battle, something inside urging him not to let Luana down.
As they fought in human form, suddenly, Alpha Tulio transformed into his massive werewolf form, festooned with scars and accumulated magic from slain Alphas. Unable to match that might, Henrique sprung from the arena, positioning himself among other wolves.
There was no shame in retreat; he was not yet prepared to confront an almost supreme werewolf, and so his father remained in the arena, pointing and mocking him. Reverting to human form, he taunted his son:
"Don't you dare contradict me, boy. You're not yet a match for me."
Alpha Tulio failed to realize that, with this gesture, he exposed to his people the fear of his son's potential victory. All noted that he was aging and his obsession with killing was increasingly driving him mad.
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