章 5: Chapter 5 . Councilman Cantu
Ethan POV
"Who's on their way?" Asher perks up. Oh, now he's suddenly interested? I resist the urge to throw something at him.
Howard purses his lips and crosses his titanic arms, his disapproving gaze flicking over our youngest member. Lilac eyes reflecting his sour mood.
"Councilman Cantu." A stricken silence fills the room. We're all in utter shock.
A council member was on his way here? I straighten my posture and puff out my chest as if Cantu can see me already. I haven't seen a Council member in some 20 years or so.
They keep busy. After all, they do run things all over the world to keep things in line.
Asher shifts uncomfortably, his way out of awkwardness was humor, but it seems as if he is at a loss for words this time. He decides to shift his gaze to the ground and remain silent. I think it's a fantastic idea.
"Any idea why?" Randy finally breaks the silence, echoing my exact thoughts.
Howard shrugs his shoulders, "Apparently he use to be an Alpha in the North East, so the Guard sent him to oversee this particular... situation."
"The Red Alpha situation?" I ask, but I know the answer.
"Yes. They want to make sure the correct soldiers are assigned to find him." Says Howard.
Randy growls viciously, standing up and pacing. His goofy demeanor gone as well, the news seems to suck the joy out of all of us. Not that I really had any to lose in the first place.
"Why can't they just let us finish this?!" He fumes, I grasp his shoulder, effectively stopping him. I take a deep breath as I address my team. A good example needs to be set, I am their leader after all. I have responsibilities to uphold.
"I'm just as pissed as you, believe me." I reason with him, "but complaining about it doesn't solve anything."
In reality, I'm more upset than anyone at this point. I can't count how many times this situation dropped itself on me. When a fantastic, exciting mission will present itself, right when it's within reach it will be ripped away from my grasp.
It's as if the Moon Goddess Herself is mocking me.
"Who freaking cares?" Asher asks, sitting up as he glares at Randy. "I for one would love to slap the Red Alpha in his fat face, but we can have plenty of fun here, so why leave the comforts of our home?" He lifts the magazine back to his face, reading it lazily as if the situation at hand was boring him.
"I freaking care, A." Randy seethes, tearing the magazine from his little brothers hands once again. Asher lets out a furious growl, his mossy eyes flashing to a deep, furious black in seconds.
"I've had enough of your crap!" He rages, jumping off the bed and charging at him.
My hands grasp the back of his collar, hauling the unruly kid off the ground and pulling him away before he does something he'll regret. Asher continues to stare at his brother, his chest huffing and puffing with rage as he fought for control.
"Slow down there, buddy." I say casually, trying to calm the furious lycan. He was young, only 18 years old. He needs to learn to control his temper.
Randy looks absolutely incredulous, his mouth hanging open. Howard is genuinely unimpressed. His massive body rests on the wall as he looks on with a dark eyebrow raised. The Jamaican can't relate because he's always calm.
"This whole mission has caused too much tension between all of you. I'm sick and tired of babysitting you!" I reprimand.
Looking suddenly bashful, Randy stares at the ground as if it were the most interesting thing on the planet. He's embarrassed, as he should be.
Asher, on the other hand, doesn't have a remorseful bone in his body. He shrugs out of my hold with a menacing scowl on his usually carefree features.
"Go with Howard, he's going to give you a good training session, aren't you?" I look to the enormous man to see him grinning from ear to ear.
He looks down at Asher and motions with a sweeping motion of his arm to follow. Asher pouts some more before relenting, trailing after the hulking beast of a lycan out of the room. Their footsteps echo through the hallway as they leave.
"You." I state, pinning my gaze on a still regretful Randy. "We're going to have a talk with this so called Councilman."
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"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Randy nervously rambles as he peaks over each of his shoulders. He suddenly has the jitters. While on the battlefield he's relentless and power hungry, always elated with the thrill of it all, here he's different. He's afraid of the authorities and getting into trouble.
"What, you were furious and now you're acting like a scared pup with its tail between its legs? We're following this through." I demand.
We finally arrive at our destination. I figured that they would be here, it's a meeting room in one of the most secluded sectors of the base. They have to be here.
I bang my fist against the door, only to receive silence through the empty, metal hallways.
Cursing under my breath, I nearly turn back before the door finally flies open. The frame reveals an angry Commander Thomas, one of the youngest commanders in our base.
Thomas is an Elf from japan, and he tends to be on of the nicest commanders we have here. It's strange to see him so angry.
His black pupils flash from Randy to me, curiosity lighting them up.
"What could possibly be so important that you need to interrupt us?" He asks.
"I'm assuming this is a meeting with the Councilman, am I correct?" I ask in a monotone voice, and his eyebrows raise as surprise flashes on his face. He turns his head back to pear into the room, frantically trying to think of what to say.
"How did you know that?" Commander Thomas demands, "That was supposed to be top secret information!" His skin flares cherry red at the tips of his pointed ears.
Leave it to Howard to know something he's not supposed to.
"Well, looks like the cat's out of the bag now." With a smile, I push my shoulders through to enter the office. He sputters objections, trying to shove me backwards.
"Let him enter, this will be interesting." A deep voice says, filled with unquestionable authority, and all eyes flicker to the owner of it.
He sits in a intricate leather chair beside Commander Onyx, who looks severely mad. The lycan that I can only assume is the Councilman has bright red hair, with a matching set of eyebrows. All of his interest is centered on a teacup he holds in his hand.
It was strange to see such a large man drinking out of a dainty cup like an old british women.
Thomas reluctantly lets us pass, and we trot into the meeting room. Expansive, modern paintings line the dark walls, and a small seating space was next to a roaring fire. It's the most decor I've seen in this whole, bland fortress.
Randy and I sit on the parallel leather couch, my comrade looking very unsure in front of such a high power. He exerted the typical submissive body language, and I had to refrain from rolling my eyes at him and telling him to quite it.
As soon as the Councilman looks up, his face freezes. Ivy colored eyes focus on me completely, as if there were nothing else in the room. I feel slightly awkward now in this situation, but refuse to show it. I'm here to impress.
The lycan looks barley over the age of 35, which is all kinds of deceiving. He could be centuries old, especially since he's part of the Guard's Council. Every lycan's appearance freezes at a different age. Some are unlucky enough to be frozen past their middle ages, but that's not very common.
Everyone else seems to notice his scuitiny of me as well because all gazes were locked tight on us in this showdown. They're waiting. Maybe to see how I'll react, or if Councilman Cantu will make a grab for my throat and tear it out.
Onyx uncomfortably clears his throat, and it seems to snap the Councilman out of his haze. He focuses once more on his teacup with a bemused expression.
"So why exactly are you here?" His voice holds a hint of an accent, maybe German, but I could be mistaken. His sudden question has me unprepared. Thankfully, Randy takes the reins despite his terror.
"We want to know if we can help with chasing down the Red Alpha." His shyness isn't forgotten, in fact his voice trembles a bit. "We know the terrain forwards and backwards, and we've been training for months on end. We're ready."
"I am the one to decide whether you're ready or not, pup." Councilman Cantu sneers, looking down his nose at Randy. His jaw muscle ticks under his skin.
"It is true, Councilman. I've been ready for years for a mission like this, and yet the Council has never granted me any opportunity to prove myself."
I find myself under his stare once again, and I can definitely say I will never be used to it.
"When the Council decides, you will have your chance." He puts it simply, but this is anything but simple.
"This isn't fair! I've seen many lycans come and go throughout my time here, but I'm still stuck in the same place. It doesn't make any sense! It's like the system is stacked against me." After my very called for lash out, Councilman Cantu scowls at me. His large nostrils flare.
Onyx subconsciously scoots away from the beast. Even he acted like a frightened child around the ancient lycan.
"You are acting like a child, warrior." Finally, he sets his teacup down on the coffee table, "We have a team heading out to uncover Rick's whereabouts and his intentions. Only the best are ready for this... delicate situation."
"If I may ask, Sir, who exactly are you recruiting?" Randy inquires, and Commander Thomas gives him a incredulous glance.
"Alpha Veiler and his best men, of course! Who else?" Thomas is exasperated now, running a nervous hand through his wild hair.
Veiler, huh? The infamous, heartless Alpha warrior of the Slate Penumbra pack.
Most people cower at the mere mention of the lycan, and it was for good reason. He's the ancient King of all shifter kind. He relinquished the title long ago of his own accord. He helped to create the Guard so they could protect all supernatural creatures and rule them all fairly.
I can't fathom how long ago that was. Maybe 800 years or so?
He still aids the Guard in missions from time to time, but rarely made appearances. It was only in dire situations. He stays hidden away in solitude. His pack is nestled in the mountains of Montana somewhere, but the specific area is unknown.
He's ruthless, cold, and the most powerful creature living on the planet.
A shiver runs up my spine at the memory of his steely, garnet colored eyes. Every time he looks at you it's as if he's calculating how long it would take him to kill you. Which wouldn't be long.
I've only met him a scarce few times, and I feel fairly friendly towards the guy. We're almost friends in a way, as close as friends you could be with him anyway.
"See? There is absolutely nothing to worry about. In fact," The Councilman rubs at his chin in thought, "there is something you could do."
Randy and I physically perk up. My mood was already lifting.
To be assigned a mission directly from a Councilman is a great honor, and it could mean that it is an important task.
"There is a decent sized pack of wolves in the area where you spotted Rick. They don't have any strong forces of protection, your team would do just fine there."
At his words, I found my mouth dropping open. No way in hell was I sitting around with a bunch of werewolves. Not happening.
Onyx seems to pick up on this, and was quick to reassure me.
"Of course, just for the time being. Until this whole issue is resolved."
Randy turns red like he's holding his breath.
"Th.. that could be months! Years, even. Who knows how long it will take to catch the Red Alpha." He demands, and Councilman Cantu rolls his eyes, he's unamused.
"Only until we are completely sure Rick and his team of rogues are far away will you be able to leave." As a past Alpha, his voice holds a lot of authority that makes our lycans calm down whether we like it or not.
"I need to get going. Onyx, Thomas." He shakes their hands as he stands, nodding curtly.
His gaze was back on me, narrowing his eyes with an underlying hostility that made my toes curl in discomfort.
"Report there by tomorrow. I want a full overview by Wednesday."
With that, he's gone.
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