Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Will

“I’m sorry,” Alexis said, looking confused and coming to join me where I stood at the door. She extended her hand, which the emissary shook at once. “But I’ve never heard once of the Clandestine Order.”

“It wouldn’t be called the Clandestine Order if everyone knew of it. We excel at working in the shadows to maintain a delicate balance between all species that aren’t, strictly speaking, human,” the emissary said. “Where are my manners? My name is Rogelio. I serve the Clandestine Order as their messenger.”

“And do you often make it a habit of showing up at people’s doors out of nowhere?” Alexis asked.

I hadn’t yet become an active participant in this conversation because I was racking my mind to remember what the Clandestine Order was. I had heard of them operating in the United States even as far back as seventy years ago. While no one had officially told me what the Clandestine Order was, the chain of Alphas of the Grimm pack shared intel about different organizations in different countries who oversaw the rules, regulations, order, harmony, and maintenance of the supernatural world. A world that werewolves were a part of.

From what the previous Alpha had told me, I remembered that the Clandestine Order existed in the United States. The Syndicate of Secrecy existed in Europe. And in Asia, the League of Shadows oversaw all affairs of supernatural beings. Many such organizations were serving as governments for their designated continents.

All I knew was this: The Clandestine Order was supposed to be the most powerful organization to exist in the world. There was no running from them and no way to avoid their judgment.

“I appear when needs be, such as now. I have this summons for you, Alexis Richards, and one for you, Wilhelm Grimm, from the Clandestine Order. Both of you are to appear in front of the Clandestine Court in Manhattan tomorrow sharp at eleven o’clock.”

“But that’s on such short notice!” Alexis protested.

“Madam, I do not decide upon these timings. I am merely the messenger. If you have any questions, you may register them with me, and I shall convey your official message to the Order. But I must warn you, failure to appear in front of the Clandestine Court will result in imprisonment as well as a heavy fine.”

“Will, can you believe the nerve of this guy? He fucking barges in, demands us to show up at some looney-tunes court, and then threatens to imprison us if we’re not cooperative?” Alexis turned to Rogelio and lifted her fist. “What if I make it impossible for you to go back to convey your message? Will they still imprison us?”

Rogelio moved so fast that even I couldn’t completely register what had happened. He disappeared from in front of Alexis and teleported behind her. His cane had turned into a long sword that he was pointing at Alexis. I had to act just as quickly to disarm him and throw his sword on the ground.

Then, I lifted it and handed it back to him.

“Alexis, we’re not harming the emissary,” I said, pulling her behind me. “And I must warn you, Rogelio, not to take up arms against the Alpha wolf and his mate in their house. It won’t go well for you.”

“I was attacked first by the madam,” Rogelio said, taking his sword and turning it back into a cane in one magical swish.

“She doesn’t know what the Clandestine Order is. Forgive her. Let this not come up as a charge against us in the Court,” I said.

“Will, what the fuck is happening? Is this even a real thing? How can you let this random ass guy…”?

I lifted my finger to my lips. That stopped her from speaking further. Then I turned to Rogelio and quizzically raised my eye.

“I will overlook this slight against me, but only because your mate was unaware of the existence of the Clandestine Order. I understand that sometimes there is a confusion that can cause people to lash out,” he said matter-of-factly.

“May I inquire as to what the charges against us are?” I asked. It was not without reason that the Clandestine Order summoned someone. This Order comprised all kinds of beings—werewolves, vampires, fairies, ghouls, wizards, and whomever else was important and powerful with a large enough demographic to warrant a governing body.

“The charges against you are,” Rogelio said, taking out a scroll from his coat and reading it, “disruption of the peaceful coexistence of beings in the county of Fiddler’s Green, threatening the lives of other fantastical beings such as vampires, witches, gnomes, ghouls, and the fae folk. As per the Order’s diction, your warmongering in these parts has resulted in the disruption of the balance that exists between all beings, including human beings. Do you deny these charges?”

Now it was my turn to be angry. If the Order were really as omniscient as I’d been led to believe, they’d have overseen what was happening. They would have taken notice of the vampires and the chaos they had bred in the form of their militaristic control of the town for the sake of their smuggling. They must have seen what Blair had been doing all along. Worse, they must have been aware of the Occultist Edward Beckett and his inhuman experiments. In all this time, they had done nothing and had remained “clandestine.” And now they had the gall to come here and paint me guilty.

“I deny the charges. In fact, I have a good mind to show up tomorrow at the Court and inquire as to how they dare to charge me with a crime when all the fault lies with those who have wronged me!” I stated.

“And yet you’ve been at the center of all those occurrences. So whose fault is it? Yours or theirs?”

“Theirs!” Alexis came to my side. “How can the Order be so blind to what has been happening here?”

“Very well,” Rogelio said. “Then, for the laws that you have broken and the crimes you have committed, Wilhelm Grimm and Alexis Richards shall appear before the Clandestine Court tomorrow. Good day to you both.”

I watched as Rogelio bowed to both of us and left through the door. When I went after him to see where he had gone, he was not there, leaving me standing there alone, trapped in a state of indecision.

On the one hand, I had to care for the pack, especially now that the soldiers had suddenly popped out of nowhere. No one was safe, at least not while the soldiers were running around. Blair had to be taken down. His army needed to be controlled. Both those things were extremely imminent. The more I’d delay them, the more casualties would be on my hands. At this critical juncture, the thought of going away for a day to answer the Clandestine Court made me feel as if the rug had been pulled from under me.

And on the other hand, the Clandestine Order was an organization that commanded respect and authority over all of North America, not just the United States. If a Wendigo crossed the border from Canada to America, they knew of it. If some bruja attacked a bunch of innocent people in Mexico, they saw to it that the bruja was contained. And yet, despite all of their control and authority, they had seemingly ignored this town and the events that had taken place here for the past seventy years. Going to them tomorrow would not only be a chance for me and Alexis to clear our names but also an opportunity for me to find out why they had been so lacking in their diligence in this part of the country.

“Will,” Alexis’s hand touched my shoulder gently and pulled me back inside the house.

“What do I do?” I asked her. It was not out of a lack of confidence that I was asking her; it was because she was my better half and knew me better than I knew myself. She’d know the right answer.

“We’re innocent—both of us. The first thing we do is clear our names. Meanwhile, the pack is already on high alert after the recent attack. They’re rebuilding the wall, circling the perimeter, and going on scouting missions to find out more soldiers. I believe that we can delegate the role of temporary leadership to Vince while we’re in New York. We have to trust in him to do the right thing. He’s proven himself to be very mature and present-minded.”

I looked at her lovingly and placed my palm under her chin. Then I reached down to kiss her while embracing her body.

“I’m sorry that we got into an argument earlier,” I said. “It was never my intention to hurt you.”

“And you haven’t hurt me in a long time, Will. I am so proud of you. You know, I’m glad about that little squabble that we had. Neither of us resorted to screaming or raging. We talked it out. It was rational. Do you remember when you first came to me? How quickly you’d give in to rage? And now look at you, you’re like so contained and calm, it’s remarkable. You have come a long way, and I’m just so happy that you’re my mate,” she said, hugging me back. “We’re good. No apologies needed whatsoever.”

It was as if I had stepped into an oasis in a desert. In Alexis’s company, I felt strong, sure, and comforted. Outside of that oasis, Blair lurked with his soldiers, and the Clandestine Order loomed from on high, and just as I had felt the first day after securing my freedom, the danger was everywhere. But it was not in here, not in this safe space with Alexis next to me.

“Well, I believe we’re heading for New York then,” I said, breaking free from the long embrace.

“Not so fast,” Alexis said, then pulled me closer by hooking her finger on my belt. I looked at her, eyebrows raised, and she nodded slowly, seductively.

She took off my belt and undid the buttons of my jeans. I obliged by taking off her top, leaving her only with her black bra that showed her breasts and her cleavage quite liberally. Alexis ran her fingers up my thighs, making me feel pleasure at a cellular level as her hands reached up to my hardening cock.

I turned around to check if the door was closed and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that it was. Then, anticipating what was coming, I closed my eyes as a ring of ecstasy closed around my penis and enveloped the entire shaft.

I peeked and saw her holding my erect length in her hand while sucking it from the top. It felt so good that I could feel a surge of sexual pleasure running down my legs and up my waist.

She pushed me as she sucked my cock, causing me to fall on the sofa behind me. I lay there as she worked her magic with her hands and her mouth, closing my eyes against the waves of pleasure that drove me to bliss.

Alexis opened her mouth and swallowed my tip within, sucking on it gently while licking the underside with her tongue. Then she intertwined her fingers with mine as she took it deeper into her mouth. She moaned softly as she sucked it, and I let out a low breath as my tip erupted with a sexual current.

I pulled her up on the sofa and sat her on top of me. From here, I lifted her dress and slid her panties to the side as I entered my wet, hard cock in her pussy. It felt like a hot, tight, slippery, and deep glove wrapped around my penis. She took off her bra and lay on top of me as she rode me, all the while pecking my neck with hot kisses.

I held her by her back and guided her as she rocked back and forth, taking my cock as deep inside of her as she could. Her face had contorted into an expression of liberation, pleasure, and desire. She moaned as I touched her breasts, fondling her nipples, and thrust myself deeper into her.

Then, I wrapped my arms around her and spun her around so that now I was lying on top of her, and she was under me. Our eyes met, and our breaths became one in the close vicinity of our mouths. I kissed her on the lips, taking her tongue in my mouth and letting it slide against mine, our mouths emulating sex on an oral level.

In this position, we were at our most intimate. My body was atop her, feeling every inch of it as I moved slowly and firmly, letting my dick explore her down to the deepest part. It then occurred to me that I could exponentially increase her pleasure if I just put my thumb on her clit as I moved on top of her.

It drove me crazy with pleasure when I rubbed my thumb on her clit and watched her go into a sexual frenzy, her hair whipping everywhere, her loud moans escaping her mouth, her nails digging into my back, her legs constricting around my hips, and her breasts heaving as she orgasmed with my thumb on her clit and my cock in her pussy.

More than the pleasure that I was deriving from this lovemaking, it was seeing her in this state that caused me to cum hard inside of her.

As I lay by her side on the sofa, I said, “Now, that’s one way to take my mind off everything.”

“And don’t forget it’s great cardio,” Alexis said, then burst into giggles.

“I love you so much,” I said, kissing her cheek.

“Oh, Will, I love you too,” she said and kissed me on my chest. Then she went to sleep with her head resting on my shoulder.

***

Vince had done me the service of bringing my Jeep back from the resort along with all of my and Alexis’s things. The Jeep stood parked in front of our house, and the entire pack stood assembled in front of me.

“I am not abandoning you. An Alpha would never dream of such a thing. It is a time of need for the pack, and I understand that better than most. We are surrounded by danger even after all the victories that we have achieved in battle. Now is the time for every single wolf amongst you to take up arms and rise to the occasion. Be ever so vigilant and never let even so much as a shadow cross without you knowing of it. It may well be that an enemy is hiding in that shadow. It’s only together that we can protect each other. So look after each other, especially the women, children, and those who need help. Besides, I’m not leaving you alone. Vince is going to be taking care of all of you. He’s proven himself quite capable of doing that,” I said, patting Vince’s shoulder.

“But how long are you going for?” Morgan, a pack member, asked.

“Well, Morgan, the Clandestine Court has called us for a hearing tomorrow. So, we’re probably going to take one day to go, attend the session, and come back. I hope that nothing bad happens in the meantime,” I said.

“The Clandestine Court?” Vince asked. “What do they want from you?”

“You know about them?” Alexis asked him.

“Just in passing. Dad used to mention them when he was the alpha, but I never really understood his context. But I know that they’re very powerful and not to be trifled with,” Vince said.

“Well, I’m going with an actual case prepared for the court,” I said. It was true. After Alexis had gone to sleep and I was lying there wide awake, I had thought up what I’d say to them. The crux of it was that my conscience was clear, and everything that I had done, I had done for the safety and protection of those around me. Some of the actions I’d taken were also for my own well-being. After Alexis had woken up, I had shared my speech with her and asked her what she’d thought of it. She’d said that if I delivered it exactly like I had done to her, the Court would have no choice but to declare us innocent.

Perhaps they would even admit their mistakes and do better from now on. If they had been involved in the first place, the vampires would never have gotten a stronghold in this area, and Blair wouldn’t have gotten as out of control as he had. Maurice wouldn’t have become Alpha, either. My well-crafted speech had these points included in it as well.

“Well, wish us luck,” I said, getting in the Jeep. “I trust every single one of you to take care of the commune and each other. And should any soldier cross your path, they should regret doing so.”

The crowd chanted in affirmation. Some said goodbye, while the others waved. Alexis got in the Jeep with me, waving to the pack members as I reversed the car out of Grimm Abode and headed for the interstate that would lead us to New York.