---------------

"Hey" the voice pulled out Serena out of her reprieve.

It was Alex who walked over, "Can I sit?" he asked her, pointing at the empty spot next to her.

She nodded.

He sat down next to her and both of them sat in silence.

"A penny for your thoughts" he said.

She gave a small smile but did not respond.

"Care to share?" he prodded.

She sat there without a change in expression and just when Alex thought to give up she spoke.

"My pack" She said softly "I wonder what they will choose. I know mostly but...just that..." She broke away.

"I know, the waiting sucks" he empathized and asked "But, out of curiosity what do you think they will choose?" He asked.

"My pack was built on loyalty and tradition" Serena said "partly because who my grandfather was, a sucker for pack hierarchy and partly because one day the pack would fall on my shoulders...I and my mates and he wanted that transition to be smooth." She explained.

"Ted is loyal to the bone...He is a great guy, he has been my rock in the pack. Ted would not do anything that would harm me."

"But will that be enough to the pack?" Alex asked.

"It's just about convincing the key players, the rest will fall in place" Serena explained "And the key players, what do you think will do?" Alex asked, it was interesting to know how the Lockbourne pack worked.

"In a normal scenario I don't see a problem they would accept my mate as an alpha with least resistance. But with you...I am not sure" She confessed.

"You said you knew mostly what would happen, what do you think will happen?" Alex asked.

"Ted has been a beta for a long time, he wields considerable power on the pack. He would get people to accept you for now. But, there is no guarantee that there won't be factions that would not be happy with that and would probably try to act on their own." She voiced.

"So they would try to kill us?" he asked.

"Not really...you, they would try to take you out, especially when they don't see your mark on my neck" She said as a matter of fact.

With the mating incomplete it would be too tempting to just take him out of the equation and find her a replacement mate.

"So, they would come for me and try to kill me and probably find you a different mate?" he verified.

"Pretty much" she said.

"What do you think?" he asked and added "Won't you be better off with a mate you select?"

She gave an empty laugh and rubbed her face "You know, when Roma met me for the first time she told me a few hard hitting facts"

Alex just listened.

"One of them would be that I would be a political tool, my pack is too big to be ignored. She told me if I did return, I would be mated off before I could blink and I would not have a choice and she is right."

"At least with you, I made my choice" She said after a moment.

"You did?" he asked not sure how she had a choice in him being her mate.

"Yes, I choose to stay, I choose to give..this..thing...a chance" She stammered.

Thing. How romantic! He mused. The bond was thing for her...

"Why? Not that I am complaining but, why?" he asked.

"Because I truly believe what Roma said, that this is the best way to have peace" She told.

"So I am means to an end?" he asked.

"Aren't I?" she challenged.

"No...not really" Alex defended.

"So, If I asked you to walk out of here" she challenged "just you and me, let's leave both our packs behind and never look back, would you do it?"

He sighed "No."

"Then don't make this something it isn't" she said.

"But why can't I have both?" he asked "I can't leave my pack, especially when my pack, my family needs me the most and go away. What kind of man would I be? Would you respect that in me? If I can do it to my family and pack what guarantee will you have that I would not do it to you one day?"

"No, I could not leave" he said his voice ringing with finality "But I also hope to do right by my mate, try to give the best possible live I could in the current circumstances." He paused and added "I would walk in to her pack next to her, support her and protect her even when her pack members would try and conspire to kill me. Because I believe she will be worth the risk." He told her.

She looked in to his eyes and saw the sincerity them.

"Thank you" she said, putting her hand over his and squeezing it gently.

"But then" she added "What kind of mate would I be if I let you walk in to my pack knowing the dangers that you would be exposed to?"

"It would be dangerous, yes. But if you think I am walking it to that pack alone you are crazy."

She looked at him confused.

"I am not suicidal. I will be taking at least one hundred of Roma men to ensure protection and enforce rules if it comes down to it." He said.

"You are talking about taking over the pack by force, they will hate you for it!" she exclaimed. Her pack would not be forced to bend knee, they had to volunteer.

"They might but being alive tops the list for me...trust me Serena, they might hate me but in the end I will ensure they will fear me as well." He vowed seriously.

He paused for a minute, sighed and added "But we are getting ahead of ourselves, it has been five days and your beta did not call up till now, for all you know he might be enjoying being in power a bit too much" he said.

She just shook her head, he did not know Ted like she did, and he would call it was just a matter of when.

***

"Do we have a game plan here?" Roma asked as Sebastian readied for the meeting tow days away.

"We keep options open" Sebastian said. Hesitated for a moment and added "What if they want Colorado back? Would you consider it?"

"They will destroy this pack, Sebastian" She said with certainty. She was certain they would wipe them out.

"But, if safety was guaranteed would you consider?" He asked curious.

"What would you recommend?" she asked instead, she wanted to know what he thought. There would have been a reason he asked the question.

"I would consider it...for the right reasons" He told her, giving her a meek look.

She looked away, biting her lip contemplating "Then come back with right reasons for me to consider." She whispered.

Sebastian nodded, at least she was open to the idea.

"How many men are you taking with you?" she asked.

"Just a couple, plan to go in one car." He shrugged.

"Do you think it's wise?" She asked worried "How about more men?" She suggested.

"I am going for a meeting, trying to sue for peace and not posture aggressiveness and besides what would they gain from harming me?" He asked.

"You are the second most powerful wolf in Roma, there is lot to gain and besides what if they try to kidnap you and use you as a bargain chip?" she asked worried.

He paused, considering for a moment. "They invited me to sue for peace, harming me would be counterproductive and besides they would lose face in the world council and you would be able to crush them." It would be a tactical error on their part to harm him. He was confident of it.

"You better come back unharmed. They better not touch a hair on your head." Roma spat. The threat from her being unsaid.

"Or what" he asked curiously.

She looked at him with fire in her eyes "I will burn them all to the ground" she said in such a calm cold voice that he shuddered knowing that she would exactly do what she said.

They both paused in their own thoughts.

"Take more men." She told him, there was no option, this was not Evelyn talking this was Roma.

"Yes, Ma'am" he complied knowing there was no other option she would consider.

She nodded to him and walked out.

***

"You were looking for me?" Alex asked walking in to the room.

"Yes, sit." Sebastian said distracted.

Alex sat himself down knowing something was bothering him.

"How is Roma holding up?" Alex asked about the impending trip.

"She is torn up, I think she is trying to find excuses for me to not go." Sebastian stated.

"What about you? What do you think?" Alex asked.

Sebastian rubbed his face warily. "We are in a gridlock." He stated "If Roma leaves Colorado, the American council will attack Colorado and decimate Nicks pack, I know it...I know it in my gut." Sebastian said with conviction of the outcome he predicted.

"Can't we stop them, Roma after all is not the chair of the world council" Alex remained.

"A title she is not ready for now and nowhere ready to leverage its powers" Sebastian voiced and sighed "And besides what could you do? they will blame it on rogue elements in packs who wanted vengeance and blah, they will promise punishment and may be for show will bring up some poor sods and execute them and then what? What can we do? The damage would already be done." He added "And Roma can't stay here forever. Things back home are quite now but her absence will make some wolf adventurous and bring a world of trouble to us. The business side also needs focus, she needs to take executive decisions and she need to be present back home. We need a working monarch on the throne for the world to see. Adrian can only be in twenty places at once."

"The fastest way to achieve this is to sue for peace and try to work out a deal with the Americans." Sebastian concluded.

"But what if this is a trick a diversion?" Alex asked.

"That is where you would come in." Sebastian confided.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked confused.

"Think like the enemy for a moment, let's assume peace is not their intent, what would they do?" Sebastian asked and Alex sat back in deep thought.

"Why would they ask for you?" Alex asked "Taking out Roma would put an end to their threat but let's assume they take you out, the achieve nothing except piss her off and bring a war on to them." Alex concluded.

"Ok, so let's assume they want to take me out and they know Roma would retaliate, what would they do?" Sebastian prodded.

"Launch a preemptive attack, take her out before she has a chance to move against them" Alex whispered, his mind whirling at the possibilities.

"Good. Now that is our worst case scenario. I want us to build on that. You and me, here in this room I want us to have a plan in place for the eventuality" Sebastian said.

"Seb do you have to go?" Alex asked concerned.

"This is just worst case Alex, but we need to be ready for all eventualities" Sebastian evaded the question and added.

"This is what I am doing" Sebastian further elaborated "We have three hundred men plus the Colorado wolves" he began "but not enough, they will have more, we need to level the playing field, I will get in five hundred more men in to the country in the but the problem is most of them will take at least forty eight hours to land and another twenty for hours to regroup here an twenty four hour delay we can't afford" He added.

"Can't we get them in faster?" Alex asked. Surely they could hire a few jets.

"Not without the humans getting suspicious." Sebastian said "So we use commercial airlines and ensure our men disembark at different airports across the country. Again all of them can't board from Roma we have to spread them out, so their passports and origins need to look different."

"Let's get Adrian on the phone and get this going then" Alex demanded.

"Already did" Sebastian stated.

"Still won't even our odds in an all-out attack on us" Alex sighed. If the American wolves attacked immediately they would be outnumbered.

"No it won't, but I have a plan that will improve our odds greatly. American Avionics has been building some experimental weaponry for us, guns that could do massive damage for our kind, landmines that we used way back in the rogue attack on this pack here in Colorado and some super cool exoskeleton that makes wolves wearing them pretty impossible to kill. The Americans might have numbers on their side but we have technology and tact and with enough planning we can take them out." Sebastian revealed.

"Wow" Alex said surprised, he had heard about some of the stuff AA was doing but never dived deeper.

"For the last few months AA has been stocking up a facility in Loveland, close to here with this tech, I am ordering them to move it here" Sebastian said. "You will have to manage the entire tech piece" he said and Alex nodded.

"Now the second problem is intel" Sebastian continued "Colorado is a fucking big place and we don't know where an attach could be launched from, so your task is to identify routes for potential attacks and take preemptive actions. I know they will come for her in the scenario we discussed and they know Nick's lands pretty well. If it comes down to it we have to move to a suitable location from where we can be both defensive and offensive."

"I will get on it" Alex said with vigor.

"And worst case scenario Alex" Sebastian said seriously "Roma needs to be alive at all cost. I am working on getting a chopper for us. You need to keep it close, if you feel if the fight is not going our way you need to fly her out to the airport and get her out of the country. The Jet should be on standby, to leave at short notice."

Alex sat in silence for a moment and added "For a worst case scenario we sure are being through"

"I have failed the Roma family multiple time's before and I will sure as hell not fail now" Sebastian vowed.

"It was not your fault Sabastian" Alex said gently.

"Doesn't help, they were on my watch and I failed them" Sebastian said ruefully.

"Roma should live Alex, promise me" Sabastian asked.

"She will" Alex said "I don't have to promise it"

Sabastian acknowledged it with a nod and added "For now let's keep this between us, I don't want her worried."

"She won't like it" Alex said.

"You can tell her once I leave to reassure her of the plan but I don't want her to find a reason to stop me from going" Sebastian said.

"I don't like you going either" Alex stated.

"We need to Alex, we need to get some peace here fast...for everyone's good. I need to go even if there is a remote possibility of that happening"

***

Beta Ted sat in the alpha's office deep in thought. He had spoken to all the key players in his pack and they agreed to let Serena to come back to the pack with her mate and take it as it goes. There first priority was getting Serena back safely, her mate could always be disposed of later if he proved too much trouble. Ted did not have the heart to cause her any pain but he would do it if he felt they had no other choice.

He was about to call back the Colorado alpha when his phone rang.

"Hello" He answered.

"Beta Ted, hope you remember me. Alpha Bryan" The other side said.

"Of course alpha, what can I do for you?" The beta asked politely. Bryan was not only an alpha but also an American council member.

"It's not what you can do for me beta but what I can do for you?" The alpha added cryptically.

"I do not follow alpha" The beta politely said.

"No, I am sure you don't" The alpha smiled over the line "not now anyways, however I want you to send all your warrior's to the location I will send you in a while. They need to start immediately."

"What is happening alpha?" Ted asked confused.

"Revenge. Beta" The alpha said "Revenge for what was done to your pack. A chance at retribution I am sure your pack would not like to miss it." The alpha added and remaindered "remember they should be there at the coordinated by tomorrow afternoon or they will miss all the fun" the Alpha said "good bye beta, see you there" and he hung up.

The beta hung up the phone confused but worried.What was happening here he wondered and the earlier thought of calling theColorado alpha slipped his mind completely. He would first reach out to hiscontacts to know what the hell was going on.