28. Sebastian

CHAPTER 28

Sebastian

I move through the Alpha House, carrying the crate of skulls and come to an abrupt halt. Apparently, the throne idea didn't just happen. By the looks of it, they are halfway done with their little project. Now that I look at it, the throne seems kind of wicked. I place my crate close to where the guys are working before walking around the throne to study it. My mom honestly had a brilliant idea, and I know Aurora will love it. Dimitri enters through the front door with Dom following closely behind. They both stop dead in their tracks and stare at the half-way done skull throne.

"It's a brilliant gift for Aurora, isn't it?" Maybe I'm becoming just as daft as the others, but I'm starting to see the need for the throne. Dom looks to Dimitri, then back to me.

"Um, yeah. It's a great idea, and I'm sure our mate will love it, but don't you think planning our strategy is more important than home decor?" Dom and Dimitri assume the same stance, crossing their thick arms over their chests. I look at the two of them and realize they are fucking dead serious, so I text several more young pack mates to come assist with the project. I pull myself away and head toward the office off of the main chamber. Dimitri and Dom follow me, then close the door behind them.

"Here's a map of the area we'll have to cross." I pull the map out of the tube, which arrived this morning. Carefully, I spread it out on the large meeting table and use the crystal paperweights to hold it down flat. I move back to the desk and take little pewter wolf-shaped figurines out of the drawer. After, I open two small boxes on the corner of the desk. One holds little bear figurines, and the other has dragon figurines. I start placing the figures in the proper places near the Bering Land Bridge.

"Okay, this is what we're looking at; according to intel, the dragons will be waiting on the Siberia side, the Polar Bears on the islands, and we're here in Alaska." I slowly push our wolves and Dimitri's bear toward the Polar Bears on the island. "I'm not one hundred percent sure when the prince will make his presence known, but I'm assured of his intentions." I raise my eyes and notice that Nico let himself into the room and is now approaching the table.

"Very nice, young prince. Only one problem: where's my dragon on our side? I will be in attendance." He's quite firm in his declaration. Dom reaches across the table without skipping a beat, grabs a dragon, snaps off the wing and front left leg, and then places it next to our wolves. Nico praises Dom's work and gives him a nod of approval. Fucking picky ass dragon. Nico studies the map and figure placement, and you could almost hear the gears turning.

"It's times like this when I wish I still had both wings." His right hand comes up to absently rub where his left arm used to be. "We need eyes on that island, or at least over it. I'm not sure how well Andre's eagle will handle that type of cold—all things considered." It's nice to think Nico is taking into consideration Andre's aging problem.

"Other than dragons, I'm not sure how many other flight shifters can handle that kind of cold." Dom wears a look of complete concentration as he studies the map. "If we really bundle Andre and he rides on Dimitri's back for warmth, maybe he can fly long enough to identify what we are getting into." Dom's eyes search mine, then Dimitri's and Nico's.

"That's a question only Andre can answer. I, for one, am not willing to risk his life for a peek." Dimitri wins the prize for the best resting bitch face of the night. He is deadly serious and unwilling to budge and sacrifice Andre, and I can't say I blame him. Other than the Dire Wolves, other species really can't handle that kind of cold.

"I propose we send the Lycan forces as well as Andre overseas by plane. There's a rogue faction of Lycans in Germany that my mother has been friendly with over the years. According to her, they will house our troops and aid in the battle. Andre can fly from there and do recon on the castle itself." I return to the closet and pull out the map of Europe. "The Lycan pack is located just outside Wegscheid, Germany. It's almost a straight flight to The Carpathian Mountains section in Moldavia, Romania." I measure the distance between the two locations and write it down. "It will take approximately sixteen hours by vehicle to reach the mountain. Then, who knows how long to scale it to get to the castle." To my surprise, Dimitri pulls out his phone, opens a satellite image app, and shows me precisely where the castle is located on the mountain. I study his program and spin it around, finding the main road that leads to the castle. Nope, we won't be going that way.

"There are the old tunnels the Strigoi used to invade the castle down over here." Dimitri pans and zooms the image to the stream that runs through the mountain. "It's an underwater access. Not many alive now would know where it's at. I suggest sending someone to scout the entrance to see if it was closed off in the last two hundred years." My eyes fall back to the stream on the map before I look up at Dimitri.

"I'll have my mother call the other Lycan alpha and see what she can arrange for us." As soon as the words are out of my mouth, that devilish sprite of a woman enters.

"What are you having me do, boy?" Elena's eyes become the white-blue of her wolf as she stares at me, her hands on her hips. Fuck, I'm in trouble now. Yup, I'm going to be killed by my mother.

"Mother, Dimitri relayed information about a hidden escape tunnel that we can use to gain entrance to the castle undetected." I press my finger on the spot on the map where the entrance should be in theory. "We were merely suggesting to get one of the Lycans from the pack in Germany to scout it. We need to make sure it's still viable before we plan to use it." I watch the anger slowly bleed away from her expression as she ponders the information.

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. I watch her scroll through the contacts and hit send. " Hallo, Gustav. Es ist Elena. Sie müssen einen ihrer besten sp?her auf mission schicken. Ich werde ihnen die Einzelheiten schreiben sobald sie fertig sind. Danke, alter freund ." Mom looks between us and shrugs her shoulders.

"They'll go in the morning and look. No worries, as you kids say. I have a throne to build. Have fun storming the castle, kids." Mom waves over her shoulder as she departs the room. What the actual fuck just happened? And since when can mom speak German? I look at Dimitri and Nico. Both guys shrug their shoulders at me.

"We both speak multiple languages. It's like traveling between states here, over there. Except every time you cross a border, you're speaking a different language," Dimitri says like it's no big deal. I guess to them, it really isn't a big deal. They were raised that way.

"Okay, so the tunnel exploration problem is being handled. We're flying the Lycan team to the other Lycan pack. What else do we need to plan for, Dad?" I look to Nico for guidance because he's had the most direct contact with our enemy out of all of us. Nico moves slowly around the map, studying it, then heads over to the whiteboard on the wall.

"First thing we need to do is educate your pack and the dire pack about the Strigoi. Then, we can train both packs on how to kill them. The European packs have been dealing with them for generations. We will employ the same tactics here for training purposes." Nico begins to list the strengths and weaknesses of the Strigoi on the board. It's kind of frightening to think they have far more strengths than weaknesses.

"Question: will the Dire Wolves' toxic bite have any effect on the Strigoi? It works by rupturing platelets and degrading the cellular integrity of muscle fibers." I look at the notes on my phone that Alex sent me this morning. Making sure I don't miss any important questions, I raise my eyes again to Nico, watching him closely. I see several different emotions flitter across his face before he smiles.

"I believe their bite would be most effective. Dominik, do you or Jayce possess this toxic bite that Sebastian speaks of?" Dom snaps out of whatever little bubble he's in and looks up.

"Jayce does. He took after our mother in that sense. He possesses one of the strongest toxins in the entire pack." Dom's eyes widen in realization of what he just said. Panicking, he looks between us and then the door. "Aurora... Oh God's no.." Tears well up in his eyes as he bolts for the door. Nico, one-handed, stops him in his tracks.

"Fear not, son. You already bonded with her. She will be safe from your brother's toxins. Besides, if my daughter is like me, she will bite him first," he says with a cocky smirk. Dom and I look at each other, knowing we both bit her first. In unison, we close our eyes and concentrate on the bond, reaching out to sense our mate. So far, she's good, real good.

Dom reaches out to her gently. Bite Jayce first. His bite is toxic. His voice echoes in my head; it's a pleading tone. We both hope she listens to him.

I know! Go away! she answers back, booting us both from the connection. Nico is still smirking at us. Nico shakes his head slightly.

"She does pack a punch, doesn't she?" He laughs at his own statement before looking to the whiteboard again. "What special combat gifts do Lycans have?" Nico turns and looks at me. I move to stand next to Nico and start writing on the board.

"The two advantages I feel stand out the most are bi-pedal and able to grip things. We each have different gifts; some have speed, strength, agility, the list goes on. We can easily separate the pack according to abilities." Sebastian's eyes move between the three of us, then come to rest finally on Nico. Dimitri and Nico are both nodding slowly as they absorb the information I just gave them. Dimitri is the first to speak up.

"I believe that would be a wise move, young prince. Let's set up a pack meeting for tomorrow night and address this idea." Dom moves forward and pulls out a small notepad from his back pocket. He flips it open and turns the pages until he finds what he's looking for.

"There's still the matter of the ferals and rogues to be dealt with." Dom looks back to his notes again. "With both groups being packless for so long, there's no telling where their loyalties lie. There's no definitive answer if they will fight with us." Dom's concerns are valid. If the two groups join us, that adds another twenty to thirty fighters to our cause.

"We agreed to let Aurora sort the bodies out. It's better if she plays judge, jury, and executioner than any of us. Who knows, she may be able to save all of them." My eyes drift to Dom, then Dimitri, and finally Nico.

"Or we're going to end up with a huge pile of skulls that Elena will have to prepare for Aurora." Nico's spot-on assessment of his daughter's all or nothing mentality is kind of frightening. Dimitri chooses this time to speak up.

"What can we expect from the Ice Dragons? Are there any weaknesses we can exploit?" You can tell that Dimitri's question rattled Nico because his eyes flicker to that of his dragon, then human again.

"Very few, old friend." Nico looks down, almost sad to relay that information. "Dragon versus dragon would be best. I can't fly, so I'm a target, but I can help with the ground troops." He looks back at the whiteboard again. "When we get Jayce's venom, we can test it on dragon blood to see if the cells explode under the microscope." Nico draws in a deep breath before speaking again. "If that works, then we need to get ahold of some sniper rifles with armor-piercing rounds that are hollow points. We can turn the toxins into a gel and fill the hollow points." Nico sighs then turns back to face us. "It's my only suggestion. Unless the prince helps, it will be lambs to the slaughter." Well, that revelation just shot the meeting straight to hell.

"Dimitri, what can you tell us about the Polar Bears?" Dimitri moves to the whiteboard and doesn't bother writing on it.

"They will be smaller than I am. So, we train the wolves to fight me. If they can defeat me, they are ready for the Polar Bears." I move slowly and place my hands on Dimitri's shoulders.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" There are more wrinkles around his eyes and more grey hair dusting his temples. Granted, time isn't catching up as fast as it was, but it's still progressing quickly.

"It's for Aurora. I swore my dying breath to her. If I die training troops to protect her, then it was worth it." I can see the tears he's fighting to restrain. I give him a curt nod and a brief bro-hug and move back. Nico full-on hugs Dimitri, both of them blubbering like babies. Nico keeps thanking Dimitri for all he's done for his daughter.

I look over at Dom, and he has silent tears rolling down his cheeks. Slowly, I move to his side, wrap my arm around his shoulders and remove him from the room. We move to sit in the kitchen. I grab two beers and pop the tops. Dom takes his and downs half of it in one gulp. His emotional state hasn't improved, but it hasn't gotten worse.

"Wanna talk about it, Dom?" He shakes his head but starts talking anyway.

"His love for our mate knows no bounds. She's not just a job to him." Tears hit the tabletop as he keeps his head hung low. Slowly, he raises his head. His eyes are bloodshot and that of his wolf. "You know, if it's anything other than time that kills him, Aurora is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Her thirst for vengeance will know no bounds. Her pain will turn to rage that will burn brighter than a thousand suns." When Dom puts it that way, I'm terrified of Dimitri and Andre's death. I honestly don't think the world will survive our mate's pain.

"Mother plans to sit and talk to Aurora about it. Mom thinks, all things considered, they may live another year at most. It could be a lot less with strain and exertion." I gently rub Dom's shoulders, and I look up to see my mother watching us. She, too, is grieving right alongside us.

"There's only so much that can be done, boys. We have done all that we can. Time is a bitch." Mom goes to the fridge and pulls out three beers, and opens them before passing them around. "Nico feels horrible that his scale isn't helping. If my sister was still alive, I could find out what spell she used and bind them to Nico. Her journals may still be in her room in the castle, if we can find them before it's too late." Mom's look is pensive as she studies the beer bottle as if searching for answers. "I don't know what else to do for them." She downs her beer quickly before abruptly standing and leaving the room. Everyone in the room is in some semblance of pain this afternoon. We just have to hope and pray our fearless leader has a better plan in mind.