The tension in the air was palpable, everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells every time the hunters were mentioned, and at the same time, the rumor of the declaration of war had already spread through the town.

A strong storm was brewing, the crash was already inevitable, Almec couldn't change his mind even if he wanted to.

Despite having spent the days after Faustina's kidnapping locked up in the mansion, the news from the town reached me thanks to Demian and Khalia. The concern they conveyed only increased my nerves, my fear of being hated for being the cause of the fight haunted me even in my dreams.

On the other hand, Almec looked more gloomy than usual. Beneath his calm façade I could see his fear. Perhaps to the other members he might still seem like the lonely alpha they knew, but to me, at that moment, he was a man conflicted about the announcement he was about to make.

The last rays of sunlight illuminated Almec through the wide window as he walked from one side of the room to the other. Since we set foot in the pack meeting room his nerves became obvious, so much so that instead of staying with the rest of the people he snuck away to the small storage room.

"Everyone is here, I'd say that it's time to start," Geldra let him know, peeking through the door.

"We'll be there in a minute," I answered for Almec who still seemed trapped in his mind.

"Alright, I'm going to distract them a little," she said before closing the door.

Talking to Almec wasn't going to make him react so I stood in front of him and held his face in my hands. A gleam of recognition appeared in his eyes as our gazes met and he let out a long sigh.

"It's time," I told him, caressing his cheeks. "Geldra is distracting them but I don't think she can do it for much longer."

"I don't know what to say," Almec confessed, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Yes, you do." I rested my forehead against his and brushed my hand across his chin. "They know that sitting back and doing nothing is not an option, they'll be even angrier if you don't say anything."

"But this pack has been living in peace since my grandfather was the alpha, I don't think they'll be very happy with what I have to say."

"No one is happy about going to war, but the hunters will attack even if we do nothing. They know it and they trust in your power."

"They shouldn't trust me so blindly." Almec lowered his head and hid it against my neck. "I want to rip the hunters apart for what they did to you, but I don't know if I'm good enough. What if I put you in more danger because of my decision?"

"You are more than enough, I know that, and I don't just mean your power as a lycan." I caressed his back. "I have never met someone as brave and selfless as you, you left your life behind to protect the pack, they can't have a better leader than you. And about my safety, I don't think there's a safer place for me than next to you."

Almec straightened his body and let go of my waist. He smiled at me, making my heart skip a beat.

"Thanks. If that's what you think of me then I can't fail." He closed the distance between our lips in a long, sweet kiss. "For good luck."

"Do you think that's enough luck? If you need more I can sacrifice myself for the good of the pack," I joked, winking at him.

"I think that's enough for now, otherwise I'll keep wanting more and Geldra is gonna kill me if I don't get there soon."

We walked through the door holding hands, there was something empowering about knowing that I wasn't alone anymore. I was no longer afraid of making a mistake when Almec was there to support me if something went wrong.

The meeting room was full, none of the pack members must have wanted to be left out of the announcement. It's not like what Almec was about to say was news to them either, they probably wanted confirmation of what they already suspected. The conversation turned into whispers as the alpha stood in front of the crow. They all sat up straight in their seats and waited for Almec to start speaking.

"Thank you for coming," the alpha began his speech. "I'm not going to beat around the bush because I'm sure you already know what's happening. The Hunters Order kidnapped one of our pack members from my house, they've already killed ten of our people, and they continue to make threats against us."

"I say we strike back!" someone shouted from the crowd.

The rest of those present showed their support with cheers and shouts.

I smiled and squeezed Almec's hand. "I told you they would agree," I whispered close to his ear.

"My queen is always right," he whispered back before raising his voice to continue his speech. "As you say, we cannot allow them to keep threatening us. Our pack is the strongest that has ever existed and we never run away from a confrontation. If what the hunters want is war then we are going to give them war."

The crowd erupted in shouts of euphoria and the warriors raised their weapons to show support for their leader.

"From tomorrow we are going to start training, anyone who wants to join can do so. We defend our home together. Today I will finish the details and then Geldra will let you know the timeline. I am very grateful for your collaboration and I promise to do everything possible to fulfill my role as a leader."

***

Back at the mansion Almec was a completely different person. All his nerves had disappeared after receiving the support of the pack members, the most difficult step for him was already in the past.

I couldn't hide my smile when I saw him climb the stairs with his usual confidence. My body moved as if I were in a trance, following Almec without taking my eyes off him, and without saying anything. Only he had the ability to keep me so hypnotized.

"What do you think?" Almec asked me when we finished climbing the stairs.

"Huh?" I answered, not knowing what he was talking about.

Almec brushed his fingers under my cheekbone. "Did you even hear what I said?"

"Not a single word."

"I said I wanted to go visit Faustina now if that's okay with you." With his free hand, he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. "After all it's your room too and it seems like you're tired, I can come after you rest if you want."

"No, it's okay, don't worry about me, I can rest later. Besides, Faustina will be happy to see you."

"Let's go, then," he said, then put one of his arms behind my knees, the other behind my back, and picked me up bridal style.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, amazed.

"I can't allow my beautiful mate to keep walking when she's tired."

"I'm not that tired," I told him, resting my head against his chest. "But I can't waste this opportunity."

Almec chuckled. "I'll carry you everywhere if that's what you want."

"Nah, it wouldn't be that funny if we did it all the time."

I didn't dare say anything else the rest of the way, I was afraid that the sound of my voice would cover the beating of Almec's heart. For me, it formed a beautiful song that washed away all my worries.

Almec must have understood my need for silence because he didn't open his mouth until we reached my room. Just when he put my feet against the floor I was about to fall asleep.

"Are you sure you don't want to rest?" He asked me, grabbing my hand.

I nodded. "One hundred percent, if I go to sleep now I won't be able to sleep at night and I want to have energy for tomorrow."

"What is so special about tomorrow?"

"Training, I can't train if I'm tired."

Almec let go of my hand and his face filled with concern. He opened his mouth to speak, closed it, and opened it again. After a few minutes he found the words.

"I thought you weren't going to train, why would you do it?"

"To fight the hunters." I thought the reason was obvious.

"Why would you fight them?"

The questions were starting to sound stupid.

"Because they hurt me and my sister. They come here to take us, am I supposed to stand by and do nothing?"

"It's dangerous to fight them." Almec held the back of my neck and pushed me until our foreheads touched. "They can hurt, if they see you on the battlefield they will go straight for you."

"Then we can use me as bait, surely you can think of a strategy."

"I'm not going to put you in danger on purpose," he said, wrapping one of his arms around my waist. "I just found you, I can't lose you now. Please, I need you to be safe."

I couldn't find words to console him, I couldn't promise him that I wouldn't try to fight because my desire for revenge was still as alive as the first day, but I didn't want to make him suffer either.

The only way I found to convey my feelings was through a slow kiss, I kissed him as if I wanted to tell him how much I cared about him and show him that everything would be okay.

Almec strengthened his hold and didn't let me go until we needed to breathe.

"If you're done eating each other in the hallway Faustina is waiting for you."

Khalia's voice startled me, luckily Almec was next to me to prevent me from falling.

"We were just going in," he said, moving his hand away from my back.

"Then hurry up, Faustina heard your voices a while ago and she keeps asking me when you are going in. Plus I have to help Demian with the kitchen." Khalia left the door open as she abandoned the room.

"I'm waiting!" Faustina shouted from inside.

"Can we continue our conversation later?" Almec asked me before crossing the threshold.

I nodded.

"We're here, no need to shout," I told my sister, sitting on the bed next to her. "How are you feeling?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore. Is it true that the doctor said I can get up tomorrow?" Faustina looked at us, pouting.

"It's true," I said, stroking her head. "But you have to be careful and take it easy for a while."

"It's not fair," my sister complained, crossing her arms. "I just have a few scratches."

"Not all wounds can be seen on the body." Almec smiled at her and sat next to me. "You went through a very scary situation, we have to make sure you feel okay."

"It doesn't matter, I'm brave, I'm not afraid of the bad men."

"Just like your sister." Almec squeezed my thigh. "But I'm not as brave as you, I'm afraid that something could happen to you."

He was talking to my sister but the way he looked at me for a second told me that the message was for me too.

"Don't worry," Faustina told him, crawling across the bed until she climbed onto Almec's lap. "We can help you if you're scared."

"She is right." I grabbed Almec's hand and squeezed it. "You can count on us."

At that point Almec and I were having a different conversation in secret. His body tensed and he clenched his jaw.

"Why don't we draw something together?" He changed the subject, pointing to the sheets of paper and pencils that Faustina had on the bed.

"I want to decide what we draw." My sister fell into the alpha's trap right away.

"That's not fair," I whispered to Almec as Faustina prepared to draw.

"It's not fair to attack me as a team either," he replied quietly. "You know I can't win against both of you. If you want to learn how to fight, at least let me be the one who trains you."

I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. I couldn't believe I had managed to convince him.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," I told him before going to my sister.