Chapter 3

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Peace and quiet on the early morning of second day was broken by rumbling of engines rolling in to the compound, most of the pack was seated for breakfast including the alpha when some of the pack children ran in screaming "they are here! They are here!"

Nick along with his wife and Jeff got up from their breakfast table and walked over to the pack house main door already filled with curious on lookers, they parted for the Alpha and when Nick came out of the pack house he saw a sight he did not expect.

A convoy of three Hummers followed by a couple of trucks looking like military ones, had just come in to the compound, there rolled in and the hummers stopped in front of the pack house . A man got out of the first Humvee. He was wearing a black suite, flawlessly designed and had a dark color sun glasses on him. He started looking around as if assimilating the environment around him and paused at the party of onlookers in front of the pack house.

One of the young wolfs whispered "he looks like those machine guys from Matrix."

Nick gave him a stern glance meaning to keep his thoughts to himself.

Two more guys got down behind him, and some of the folks gasped involuntarily, they looked like exact replicas of each other, as if they were cloned and were dressed exactly like the first guy, in similar expensive looking suits and dark sunglasses.

The first sunglass walked forward to Nick with the clones walking behind him, how he knew Nick was the alpha was still a mystery but he moved to Nick his expressionless face breaking in to a smile and extending his hand.

He shook Nicks hand and bowed his head slightly and said "Alpha Nicholas, an honor to meet you, I am Sebastian you liaison from Her Majesty of Roma" His manners were flawless he gave all the respect an alpha deserved in front of his pack, his voice low but confident at the same time friendly, just the way he spoke put the gathered wolfs at ease and they watched with satisfaction that their alpha was being given all due respect.

"It is our honor to have you here Sebastian, we thank Roma for extending her help" Nick replied gracefully.

These were not simple greetings, these were politics at play, the way they treated each other in the coming days would decide the future of the pack and their affiliation to Roma.

"It is but our pleasure to be of assistance, we are humbled that you thought of us in the time of need and let me assure you and your pack that Roma stands by you one hundred percent" for the first time Sebastian looked around the pack speaking ensuring that the message went out to everyone gathered around.

"Thank you" Nick said "We will be indebted to you for this help, but please do come in, we would be honored if you and your pack members would join us for breakfast"

Sebastian smiled "Thank you, most of my men had breakfast he said indicating the men who had got down from the convoy now and were loitering around the vehicles. They were in standard army camouflages, but we would love to join you" he said indicating himself and the clones.

"Oh! Where are my manners...." He shook his head regretfully "Alpha Nick, please meet Adrian and Alex" he pointed to each of the twins individually. They shook hands with him "Alpha Nick" each twin greeted him with respect.

"Please meet my beta Jeff" Nick introduced his beta to the trio.

"Please come this way" he said escorting them in to the dining hall most of the pack was at breakfast, three seats miraculously appeared next to the Alphas right side, a place of honor for guests, his left was always reserved for the Luna, who now was standing near the empty seats smiling welcomingly at the group.

Nick escorted them to the empty seats and introduced them to his Luna.

"I am sorry, I was mistaken" Sebastian said to the Luna, she had extended her hand for a shake hand but he gently took her fingers in his hand and brought them to his lips and kissed them lightly.

She looked at him bewildered.

"I thought you beauty was greatly exaggerated" he paused and sighed "But I am a man enough to admit I was wrong" he let go of her hand and smiled "Sebastian at your service my lady" and gave her a bow.

She blushed, actually blushed like a school girl and smiled at him "Thank you, you are kind in your flattery"

"Flattery! She says" Sebastian mumbled and looked at Nick "Your Luna is tough to please"

Nick put his arm around her and smiled "don't I know it"

The twins are also quickly introduced and they respond to her respectfully "My lady"

"Please" she point at the empty chairs" Be seated"

Hot food is immediately placed in front of them and then the Alpha and Luna sit down for breakfast as well.

As breakfast starts the conversation in the room becomes stand still, most of the pack members talk through their link and Nick and Sebastian keep the discussion general and exchanging pleasantries.

"Let us go to my office and we can continue our discussions" Nick says once breakfast is done.

Nick his beta and the three suits adjourn to the alphas office room and when everyone settles in Sebastian speaks up "Alpha Nick, Adrian and Alex will be the C2 of this operation, which means they are the command and control for this whole operation"

Nick and his beta re assess the twins with more interest but they look like a couple of teenagers who would fit in to a high school classroom then a werewolf attack team.

Sebastian could read the doubt on their faces and said "don't be fooled by appearance, they are one of the best secret weapons Roma has, but I will let their action speak, if you are ok Alex would like to get started right away, of your beta can show them the borders of your pack they would like to do a quick survey, get the lay of the land"

Nick nodded to his beta.

"By when can you give us an assessment?" Sebastian asked Alex "I can give a preliminary report by mid-day"

"Great! We can meet at mid-day, Alpha Nick, is this ok?" Nick nodded.

Jeff and Alex let the room.

"Now" Sebastian started "Lets discuss logistics, I have about twenty men with me right now and we would like to set up a commend center in one of the houses, also we need to figure out lodging logistics for our men, some more should be arriving in a few hours"

Nick nodded and there was a knock on the door and someone entered.

"Alpha?" he asked, he was summoned using the pack link.

"I want you to show the sleeping arrangements for our guests and they need one house emptied to set up a command post"

"Sure Alpha" Adrian got up and said "If you excuse us, I will look in to it" and then walked out with the other guy.

Sebastian and Nick were the only ones in the room.

"He have some preliminary information on the rogues, we estimate close to three hundred wolfs, they have been busy, picking off the smaller and weaker packs first now they have you to focus on. We believe their strategy is to slowly pick off your best fighters and launch an all-out assault, which we believe is immediate, that is why you have not seen any major assault in the last few days, they are planning for the kill...you could not have called us in a better time"

Nick looked shocked "How do you know all this?"

"We have been monitoring the situation more closely then you know"

"But then why?" What Nick was asking was why did they not offer help? When they knew wolves were being massacred.

Sebastian sighed "We offered help a couple of other packs, we were rudely declined, every pack believed they could fend away the attacks or they were too small to be noticed by the rogues, some tried negotiation with them instead of us and we are foreigners not easily trusted"

"But what was even more surprising was that your council refused to step in and help, why they were deliberately downplaying the seriousness of such a rogue breakout?" Sebastian asked Nick and the way he was asking, Nick knew that they knew more then what he was letting out.

"However, let's park those uncomfortable questions for time being, let's focus on getting your pack out in one piece, rest of my men will be here by noon, by that time we will have an idea of where to deploy them"

"There is one thing I want to let you know, our ways may seem strange, but we fight to win, we want your wolves to protect themselves here we will take care of the perimeter and the fight with the rogues. You have lost enough wolves alpha, you don't need to lose more and my men will take care of the fight, but if there is a breach and rouges spill out in to this compound you need to have your wolves ready"

Nick objected "we can help..."

Sebastian interjected "With all due respect alpha, you can't" he put his hand up when the alpha was about to protest.

"This is the most difficult thing I am asking of an Alpha but, you need to let us do the fighting, you need to stay here with your pack and we will take care of the threat, you can monitor the situation from our command center we will set up. "Please" Sebastian added "We fight differently, your wolves will only be lost and add to the confusion, we cannot protect them, our overall effectiveness will be impacted"

Nick paused and nodded "if you think that is best"

"Thank you" Sebastian said "But this is indeed for the best" and with that Sebastian got up and added "Once, Alex has his plan in place, we will walk you through it, you will get a fair idea what we plan to do"

Nick nodded and said "What about the agreement. Don't you want me to sign it?"

"There is no hurry" Sebastian waved it off "We know you are a man of your word" he paused "But by the end of this conflict, you will be more than happy to sign, if you can excuse me, I need to start to prepare"

Nick nodded, Sebastian left Nick in the office to his thoughts and walked out.

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A few hours late Jeff walked in to Nick's office to see his alpha at his desk but clearly distracted.

"The rest of them have arrived" Jeff added and his alpha just nodded.

Nick saw Jeff fidgeting, who clearly was in deliberation .

"What?" Nick prompted.

"Who are these guys?" Jeff blurted out.

Nick just raised his eyebrows.

" I know who they are" Jeff added sheepishly "But, they have come in these trucks and are in camouflage, setting up tents all over and assembling all kind of weird equipment all over the place" he indicated with his hand to the door "they are acting as if they are some kind of military"

"They are, in a way" Nick added.

"I mean, human one" Jeff added, camouflages?! Come on! One did not need clothes when you were fighting, you would be in your wolf form.

"Look, we are not here to question them, they are here to help us and Sebastian already told me that they fight a little differently?"

"Differently? Differently how?" Jeff quizzed.

Nick sighed, Jeff would not take this well "Alex will explain some time later and they want us to sit it out"

Nick was not disappointed. Jeff's features were clearly in confusion "Sit out? Sit out where?"

Jeff was being obtuse "Sit out of the fight"

"Sit..Sit.." Jeff stuttered in shocked outrage "Rogues intrude our border, kill our folks and are bent on destroying us and we sit and twiddle our thumbs! Why, what do those...."

"JEFF!" Nick shouted, partially expiated and partially to get his beta's control back "I agreed" Nick deadpanned.

There was silence and Jeff's jaw was open in shock "Why, how could you?" he asked.

"They said it is the way they fight and because of that they cannot include us" Jeff was about to interrupt when Nick added "Wait till they come to us with their plan, don't be hasty" Jeff just looked ready to kill something, clearly upset. He gave a curt nod to his alpha and left the office and walked out of the pack house to blow some steam.

The sight he saw made him narrow his eyes. The compound was full of activity, men were setting up all kinds of equipment and, what looked like an antenna was being set up. What the hell! The compound was looking like a military camp, he saw something in his peripheral vision and turned to see and his eyes widened.

What he saw next shocked him.

Guns! Freaking guns! There were guns laid out in neat rows on one side of the compound,they looked real heavy duty and a couple of those Roma freaks were apparently assembling them.

Jeff shook his head in despair, he was clearly loosing hope. He just prayed that they had not made the biggest mistake of their life by inviting these crazy Royals.