He could see that Chasen wasn’t pleased hearing this, but Hunter felt like they deserved this opportunity, if they wanted it. The Briar Coven had wronged them, too.
“We want in. I need this,” Tony said quietly. He needed to feel like he did more on behalf of his father. Helping in the destruction of Meryl was something he needed to do in order to heal.
“Very well, then. We will take your numbers into account as we move forward.” Hunter then looked at Sam. “Tell your uncle we agree and that we should meet up to go over the plan. I don’t want to draw this out. As far as I’m concerned, Meryl has already lived past her expiration date. I want her dead yesterday.”
Freja smiled and rubbed Hunter’s back. He was sounding just as bloodthirsty as she was feeling. And while she selfishly wanted to slice the throat of the coven leader on her own, she knew it was something Hunter needed as well. She also knew that Hunter would not let her out of his sight during this battle, which would be a bit annoying. She was used to fighting alone. Coordinating with others was not her thing, and she never took orders during a fight. She attacked with her ferocity and instinct. On the other hand, it was probably best that Hunter stayed in her sight at all times. She would be worrying about him the whole time if not. As if she really needed to worry about him. He was the Alpha King … King of the Werewolves, and he was even stronger now, as a tribrid. Something they still needed to test out. He had also unlocked his powers when he broke the blood potion. She could feel the strength and power radiating off him, and she was sure the others could sense it as well. He might be the same Hunter personality-wise, but not when it came to strength. She wondered if he would be able to fight Chasen evenly now, if he ever got serious.
“This will be my first battle. I’m sort of excited,” Jin said as she tucked her feet under her bottom on the chair.
Chasen let out a low growl. “You don’t need to fight. There will be enough in the battle already.”
“What do you want me to do? Just wait here for you all to return?” She frowned as Chasen nodded. “That’s not fair, Chase. That’s not why I came here. I came here to help Hunter. You’re telling me I can’t fight?”
“Speaking of you fighting … what are you exactly?” Ander asked curiously. He could tell she wasn’t a werewolf, but he couldn’t exactly place her scent.
“I’m a wind demon,” Jin said as she studied their eyes. However, just like with Freja, they looked excited and intrigued.
“Wow, that’s amazing. Hunter, you have quite the powerful group around you. Of course, I guess I’d expect nothing less from our king,” Tony said in excitement. With Hunter and his strong allies, the werewolves would definitely be heading into a future of prosperity.
“As I was saying …” Chasen said, redirecting the conversation. “I don’t want you fighting in this battle. I want you safe.”
“Well, I want you safe, too. I want to be next to you and fighting by your side.” Jin leaned her elbows on the table and pouted.
“No one wants their mate or family in danger,” Freja said quietly. “But Jin is strong. You shouldn’t deny her the chance to fight by your side. What if something were to happen to you and she wasn’t there? She would live her life in regret. She would always wonder ‘what if.’ What if she’d been there? You can’t do that to her.”
“What about me? What if I made her stay home? What if she hadn’t fought? Those would be my questions if something happened to her,” Chasen snapped, looking away from everyone.
“Chasen …” Hunter said in a gentle tone. “I understand how you feel … completely. But it isn’t fair of us. It isn’t fair for us to go into battle and leave them behind, especially when they’re both strong. We wouldn’t want to be left behind, would we?”
Chasen sighed and nodded. “I know …” He turned and looked at Jin. “I just can’t lose you.”
Jin smiled. “I can’t lose you, either. We’ll protect each other.” Her gaze met his chocolate eyes, and the two lost themselves in one another.
“Alright everyone. It’s getting late, and we have a big day of planning tomorrow. I would like to be ready to attack by tomorrow evening at the earliest, or the day after at the latest.” Hunter wasn’t going to let this drag out. Within forty-eight hours, the coven leader would be dead. He still had something important to do.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
By mid-morning, the back pavilion was full. The four leaders of each of the other witch covens were present, including Reed and Erica. Tony and Ander were sitting near the back with a couple of their upper-ranking pack members. Caden, Caspian, and Garrett sat near the back as well. They wouldn’t be participating in this battle and would instead stay behind and protect the pack. Adam, Sam, Winston, Jin, and Chasen were all sitting close to the front with the Black Ice Pack’s chosen warriors behind them, while Hunter and Freja stood together, side by side, in the front.
Hunter looked over the group that had gathered. “We all know why we’re here. We need to decide how best to proceed. I understand you wish to avoid unnecessary casualties. Let me make myself clear. We will not tolerate being attacked. As long as the other witches in the Briar Coven stand down, we shouldn’t have a problem. But exactly how to proceed is the question. I don’t want to delay this any longer. Every second that witch is alive is another moment she could potentially do harm. You understand us werewolves can not tolerate her behavior. And according to our nature, she must be destroyed immediately.”Hunter looked at the other witches that had gathered. The leaders all seemed to be in agreement. Meryl had to die.
Erica stood up, her eyes meeting Hunter’s. “The Briar Coven is grouped together. All of them live in the same village. However, Meryl and her closest witches live in a manor above the village. We can seal them in the area around the manor while members of our covens can go and explain things to the other witches. We don’t think any of them will be a problem. And your group can handle … the unpleasantries.”
Tony stood up and turned to look at the coven leaders. “Who will be the next head? How is that decided?” He was worried that another equally crazy person would be chosen.
The leaders of the coven all grew silent. They looked up, their gazes falling on the green eyes in the front of the room. Erica then cleared her throat. “The thing is, leadership follows an order. Freja’s mother was supposed to be the current leader. Naturally, with Meryl gone, leadership would then fall to Freja. She is still a witch, after all.”
Freja’s body tensed, and she shifted uncomfortably next to Hunter. His warm, comforting arm wrapped around her. She glanced up at him and he gave her a reassuring smile. Taking in a deep breath, she looked at the coven leaders. “The thing is … I’m the luna of this pack. I’m also the Queen of the Werewolves. I think I would be spreading myself too thin to be the coven leader as well. Therefore, I relinquish my right to be the next head of the coven with no disrespect.” When her mother refused, they had held it against her. She hoped this would not be the case again.
Erica smiled and nodded. “We figured as much. There is another young girl who is next in line after you. The leadership will fall to her.”
“How do we know this young girl isn’t as corrupt as Meryl?” Tony said, a bit agitated.
One of the witches clicked her tongue in agitation. “Contrary to what you believe, us witches just want to live our lives. Are there a few bad eggs? Sure. But what species doesn’t have those? In either case, because the girl is young, she will be the head but will have to intern under us for a couple of years. During this time, we will be able to see her true colors.”
Tony sat down, grumbling lowly. He wasn’t satisfied, but there was nothing else he could do. He was a werewolf, not a witch. He felt Ander brush against him with his shoulder gently, reminding him not to overthink things. And he could admit it. He was more cautious now because of what had happened to them.
“Also … we’re sorry about what happened before, with your mother and you, Freja. Your mother had every right to step down and live her own life. And we’re sorry you ended up paying for the coven leader’s animosity. We moved too slowly.” Erica frowned. “We’re at fault for not moving faster. Meryl has been able to do a lot of damage—all because we didn’t want to get our hands dirty.”
