Chapter 34

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Night had crept in, but there was furor of activity in Nick's pack, men gearing up for war, confidence oozed in the air. Five hundred Roma soldiers washed away the despair, now they had more of a fighting chance.

The Roma soldiers wasted no time in leaping on to the weapons, massive guns with specially modified bullets, night scopes, grenades specially modified to confuse the wolf snout and irritate it, IR guided RPG's, the weapons were plenty and promised the bloodshed they were designed for.

Twenty-five of their best men were separated and armed to the teeth and then formed a parameter around Roma, to get to her you had to go through hell.

Alex checked all the electronics in place. He would know if a bear farted in a fifty-mile radius of the pack house. IR and laser sensors had been put in to place, he thanked god that most of the parameter security had been in place long before so he did not have to do it from scratch, just enhance it.

Even Nick's wolves were confidently holding their weapons, commanding officers were barking orders to their respective units rushing them in to positions, they did not have much time the enemy was approaching and the enemy was hurt and enraged, therefore dangerous.

Alex had been searching for Adrian for a while before he stumbled in to him in an isolated clearing, standing next to the calm river, looking in to the water but his mind a thousand miles away. He was fully geared up in his attire with guns hanging by his side.

Alex walked up to him and stood by his side, no words were spoken between them for a long time. Both of them enjoying the calm they would not experience for a while.

"You remember when Seb found us?" Adrian said, still looking in to the water.

Alex did not say anything, the memory leaped up to him.

"I thought that way we were goner" Adrian whispered, "Maxim had an apoplexy when he saw him dragging two pups in to the palace" Adrian's lip twitched upward at that memory. He remembered what Maxim had told Sebastian after giving him a long hard glare "You dragged them in and now you get to take care of them"

And he had, he had taught them how to look out for themselves, fight for themselves and become the strong soldiers they were today.

"And now he is gone" Adrian whispered, emotions laced in his voice "gone"

They both stayed in silence emotions raging inside them.

"How is she taking it?" Adrian asked after a long bout of silence. Adrian asked about Roma.

Alex thought about it "Honestly, I don't know, she is just repressing the whole thing, she barely shows any emotion, her voice her eyes.... it's really scare sometimes"

Adrian let out a deep breath "Alex, I am going to kill those bastards...I swear to you, I am going to kill every one of them." His body shook as emotions of overwhelming hate traveled through his body.

Alex gently put his hand on his twin's shoulder and said with absolute certainty "I know"

The two brothers stared in to the water in silence.

***

Nick walked up to Roma and fell in step next to her as she was wandering about the ranks of men.

"Roma, why don't you go back to the house, we will keep informing you the progress" Nick suggested.

Roma did not stop walking "No Alpha Nick, I will not cover in a house when our men go to kill, I will be there where it counts."

"Roma that is not advisable...there are many things that are uncontrollable in war" He added.

She just gave a smirk "Maybe, but I know where I want to be and who is going to stop me?" she asked giving him a look.

For the first time Nick realized that the girl who grew up in his pack, the Evelyn parker he knew and adored, the girl with bright spark and curious eyes...she no longer existed, instead what he saw was Roma, a ruler of a thousand alphas.

"Would not dream of it, Roma" Nick replied politely his head slightly bent submissively, he was now addressing his alpha.

"I am going to be the main attraction Nick" Roma said, "I am going to be the bait" she said smiling and Nick was left standing there confused as Roma walked on.

***

Everyone had moved in to position, waiting. Roma perched herself on the hillock from where she could see down the land and see the enemy approaching and more importantly they could see her. She would be too tempting to resist and all the enemy would focus on getting to her and that would serve as a perfect opportunity to serve as a distraction for her men to take them out. That's what she meant when she told Nick that she would be the bait.

Alex was busily working on his laptop, he would be the first line of defense for the advancing wolves, he would be responsible for causing maximum casualty using the landmines he planted and the remaining the soldiers would engage.

***

The American wolves moved in excitement, they were near now just about another seventy miles, their speed increased in anticipation of the kill, at the front were the typical pack grunts guided by gammas and the alphas and betas followed behind keeping an eye on the entire processions.

This was also a strategy, throw the weaker wolves at the enemy and engage them and then when they are tired and down the alphas and betas would take them out, even a werewolf had finite amount of energy and with numbers on their side they could afford multiple attacks on single wolves, even with their loss. Initially the alphas and betas didn't want to engage in the fight just supervise but now, even they wanted to taste blood after the loss of almost a thousand of their men they were salivating for a bite of revenge, they were already dreaming of their glorious victory and the way the perception of American wolves would change across the world, they would be known as the ones who put an end to the Roma empire and the monarchy.

Their numbers gave them the confidence, Nick's pack and Roma wolves together did not amount to more than five hundred wolves and even all of them were not warriors, they were sourly outnumbered and that would be their downfall.

Confident, the American wolves entered in to Nick's territory.

***

"Sir, I and seeing activity." One of the men said.

Alex swooped down to look in to the screen of his men, the sensors were picking up heat signatures.

"Sir I see multiple signatures over the sensor net" The Roma wolf added.

This was it, the show was on the road.

"Adrian" Alex tapped his earpiece "They are here" He informed.

"Good, about damn time" Adrian responded in satisfaction, his fingers were twitching on the trigger of the gun he was holding.

"I am implementing Phase one" Alex informed.

"Copied. Over and out" Adrian said and cut off and then picked up the wireless radio and broadcasted "Gentlemen our guests our here, it's time to show our hospitality, wait for your orders and stay put...for now...happy hunting!" he said.

Groups of teams waited, they were antsy to engage, their wolves clamoring.

"Sir, about twenty miles out" the operator told Alex as Alex looked in to the display with concentration.

"Wait for it" he muttered more to himself. He saw masses of red moving and he was waiting for them to overlap on the White X marks on the monitor.

The American wolves could now smell their enemies in the air just about twenty miles out and they howled and growled, letting their enemies know death was approaching.

The forest resonated with howls of wolves far away and Adrian's lip pulled up in a frightening smile as he steadied the gun in his arms. The fight was here.

"Now" Alex ordered and the operator rapidly pressed the enter key on the keyboard. A loud beep emitted on the screen showing bright flashes of light.

The American wolves were now in celebratory mood, they were virtually on top of Nick's territory with only twenty miles remaining and they had not got any resistance so they ploughed on and suddenly everything went to hell. Confusions rippled across their ranks as they felt the earth shake and fireballs explode within their ranks. Fireballs engulfed wolves and vaporized them in instant and the unlucky wolves who were in the outer radius of the blast were literally thrown in to the air and flung away. They hit trees and ground with sickening force, some of them were impaled in the branches. The march stopped and wolves looked around in absolute confusion.

"Go, Go, Go!" someone yelled "Standing here is a trap, move forward" The wolves started their march but this time they were a lot uncoordinated and uncertain of the victory they were so certain of. Explosions continued to rock the ground as the landmines exploded groups killing and maiming the wolves.

Adrian heard the explosions miles away "Go!" he yelled to his teams and they ran forward, all the Roma wolves and Nick's wolves were in human form none of them had morphed in to wolves because claw against claw they were outnumbered so to defeat the enemy they were relying on technology...mainly guns. It was going to be man vs. beast.

The disoriented wolves ran ahead blindly plowing ahead recklessly where the second wave waited for them. Men on trees with high powered sniper rifles, picked their targets and took them out leisurely, they were spoilt for choice of target, there were too many wolves remaining to be arrested by them but they singled out larger and bulkier looking wolves and took them out, large wolves generally meant higher rank.

The American wolves were confused when heads and torsos of their gammas exploded in mist of blood. They did not stop though they ran relentlessly, their target was Roma, take the bitch out and the whole thing would collapse on their head and as they came out of the forest in to the clearing their wish came true she was standing up ahead on a hillock looking down upon them. Their prize within reach they howled and roared signaling the others behind them that they found their target. However, they stopped at a distance as more of their brethren emerged from the woods a minimum of five hundred wolves gathered and once they had a sizeable number they charged. Wisely the alphas did not send everyone at once anticipating a surprise.

The American wolves had lost considerable wolves but they still had numbers, once they discovered the wolves in the trees they rammed in to them making a few of them fall and then promptly ripping their guts open which was very easy as those bastards were in human form. However, their casualties were mounting, they did not know how many they lost but they lost a significant amount and they did not manage to get their jaws on to their enemies yet.

The five hundred wolves made a beeline for Roma howling and growling, their intent clear and she just stood there like a statue when suddenly they head the ground rumble and from either side of her hummers emerged with men standing at the back with specially armed turret guns.

The American wolves lost some of their momentum looking at this new complication trying to figure out the extent of the new threat.

They would find out in a moment.

The turret guns specially designed by American Avionics a subsidiary of Roma had highly explosive bullets in them, high explosive rounds designed for the body of an werewolf and as the gas operated machine guns opened fire with each gun capable of firing six hundred and fifty rounds per minute with a devastating velocity of eight hundred meters per minute, they would slice open a werewolf like a hot knife on butter. Bodies exploded as the bullets rained and the air was covered in mist of blood, bodies after bodies piled on top of each other, the wolves were being shredded by the twelve turret guns mounted on one hummer each with a combined firepower of seventy-eight hundred rounds per minute, five hundred against seventy eight hundred rounds of extremely high explosive projectiles.

Five hundred wolves collapsed like a pack of cards as the guns went silent. The odds weren't skewed they were fucking rigged!

The open field resonated with the silence of death as both sides witnessed the true horrifying capability of human technology. This was a scale of destruction they had not imagined in their wildest dreams, the remaining American wolves saw the scale of death and the true destructive power of the war machinery Roma commanded, their numbers did not matter, their speed did not matter, their strength did not matter all their combined power did not matter they would be gutted like rats. The first-hand witnessing of the destructive power of Roma sliced through their very fabric and the American wolves came to an conclusion of absolute nature...they could not win.

The fight left the remaining wolves, you could feel it in the air, defeat, despair and disbelief was so thick in the air that you could taste it.

Despite their numbers they had lost and they would only die if they moved forward, they had been fools and so had their alphas, they had marched them to their death.

The alpha's sensing this quickly ordered a retreat and as they were about to turn tail and run back, an army of Roma wolves appeared in front of them, leading the pack was Adrian.

"Going somewhere?" he asked no one in particular looking down at the group of alphas and betas, the command wolves of America "The party is just getting started" He added and smiled cruely.

An Alpha who was closest to Adrian leaped his jaws wide open at Adrian, may be out of pure instinct to attack.

Adrian saw the wolf leap at him with his jaw open and claws wide open took a step a back as he raised his gun and shot in to the gaping mouth of the wolf. A moment later the body of the wolf landed on the ground dead and its face and neck missing.

Adrian shot the dead wolf at his feet once again just for effect and then put his leg on the lifeless carcass "Well? Any more volunteers? We have more bullets then Alphas and betas here so I can afford to splurge" he said as he again shot a couple of round in to the dead wolf under his foot just for the show.

The American leadership did not make a sound. "Good" Adrian said when he was satisfied that there would be no more attacks "Ask your men to surrender, no point in losing more men they you have lost today and all of you shift back to humans" He instructed as they began shifting.

***

Roma stood over the hillock looking down at the field of red and dead wolves scattered around when one man approached her "Roma" He called out to her.

"Yes?" She asked looking at him.

"I got a word, the American wolves are surrendering, we will be rounding them up" He informed her.

"Good" she muttered and added "Ask Adrian, Alex & Nick to come and meet me" she told him and walked away back to the pack house.

***

"Our men are rounding them up" Adrian informed the group. Roma, Nick Alex and Adrian were seated in the Alpha's office in the pack house.

"There is no resistance from both the wolves and their leaders and as a precaution we are chaining up the leaders as we don't have enough of them to put everybody in chains." Adrian added.

"What's next?" Roma asked the room.

They looked at each other uncertain and Nick added "We force them in to a peace treaty I guess?" he said and Alex nodded.

That was the standard operating procedure when the alphas surrendered they were rarely killed instead they were forced in to treaties, such understanding among leaders ensured their safety the rest were collateral damage, little of this practice had changed from history, kings rarely died in wars it was their soldiers. Kings usually signed treaties and escaped with their lives. Same would be the case with alphas.

"I see" Roma said leaning back in chair and giving it a thought "Give me some time, I will think about it" She dismissed them and as the three of them got up to leave she called out "Adrian, can you stay back? I have a favor to ask."

***

The prisoners were neatly placed in columns and kneeling on the ground men with guns stood apart in regular interval keeping an eye on their captives. A much small group of men were put in chains and made to kneel similarly this group of alphas and betas was made to kneel across the rest of the prisoners a dirt road dividing them. The alphas and betas were chafed at the treatment kneeling in chains in front of their packs, they knew what Roma was doing, disgracing them in front of their own men and they waited for her without a sound. A couple of alphas who refused to kneel had promptly been shot in the head their bodies lying a few feet away, there was no negotiation or threat, they had simply shot them. Again, an example being made. They could kill the alphas as easily as killing a fly.

The living alphas knew what would happen, they would have to pledge their land, loyalty and title to Roma and while many cringed in shame, the alternative did not appeal to them either.

Much later they saw Roma walking towards them an unit of soldiers approached them and stood in formation pointing their guns at them, an precaution they were sure, guarding their queen. She slowly approached surrounded by her own guards.

She stood in the path dividing the two groups, clad in jeans and t-shirt she looked just like a school girl, her hair unruly, it was hard to feel scared of her.

Her eyes roamed over the larger group of wolves, the warriors of the combined pack of American packs, about twelve hundred of them, the rest had perished. The men all of them hung their head down in submission, none dared to look upon her.

They looked up only when they no longer felt her gaze on them, she had turned around her back facing them, her back towards twelve hundred wolves who were of no threat to her.

Her eyes landed on the leadership, many glared back at her in anger and contempt but most toned downed their reactions to her and gave a neutral look, but anger and insult of being tied like dogs raging beneath the facade. What was important was to make it out alive from here and they would have their rest of the lives to plot and scheme.

Roma looked at Adrian who was standing a few feet away from her and nodded.

"Aim" Adrian said and in perfect unison the Roma soldiers pointed their guns at the bound leaders in perfect aim.

Most cowered back in wide fright, some remained kneeling upright, in defiance. They knew what she was doing, showing who was the boss, undermining them in front of their own men, a pure show of power.

Nick and Alex stood behind her looking at her, waiting for her to speak up. They expect her to address the alphas and put in her demands.

She ran her eyes over them again and as if to make up her mind and once she made up she looked at Adrian and raised her hand and carelessly flipped her wrist.

Adrian looked at her signal and looked at his men and ordered...

"Fire!"

As only a highly trained military unit could, they opened fire with deadly precision.

Most alphas and betas were gunned down before realizing what happened and died with the expression of utter disbelief on their face, some tried in vain to get up and run and took bullets in their back and died kissing the ground, in less than a minute the entire leadership of the American werewolf world was dead near Roma's feet.