My knives were tucked away as Brett and I made our way back to Alaric's office. There was still a great deal that needed to be done to get ready for tonight. More than Alaric knew.

I held back telling Alaric my plan from the beginning for a few reasons. One was there was a high chance he would call off the ceremony if he knew I would be putting myself in harm's way. Two ways that I couldn't protect myself, as much as I could. I had had no proper training, only a month of intense survival skills sharpened to the T. Three was that with my plan we would basically be welcoming a full-frontal attack on the impenetrable Obsidian Night pack. 

I didn't think Alaric cared much about the pack's reputation as being one of the strongest, mysterious packs anymore. However, it would definitely take a blow to its reputation. Other packs that were interested in attacking us would see this as an opportunity for the future. SO, whatever happened during the upcoming battle... we had to win, for the future of this pack and who ever was next to lead it.

These were my reasonings if Alaric understood them was anyone guesses. As Brett opened the door for me my heart rate increased at the moment of truth. What would Alaric do? In a matter of moments, Alaric was up and out of his chair walking towards me.

"You were gone for too long." He said as he pulled me into his embrace. His scent surrounded me, almost forcing me to calm down.

"I'm right on time," I said muffled by my face being pressed into his chest.

"I made a mistake of giving you an hour in the first place, I should have only let you have 30... no 15 minutes." I laughed to myself. I wanted this. I wanted to come back from a busy day of helping pack members to Alaric pulling me close to him. I wanted him waiting for me, with only a normal amount of concern. I wanted a normal life in this pack. I wanted everyone to be safe.

"Brett, you can leave now, I'm sure they need your assistance with something downstairs," Alaric mentioned as he looked down at me. His eyes turning to dark charcoal. This wasn't good...

"A-actually..." And in a matter of milliseconds, it was gone. His eyes returned to their natural green, maybe even a bit brighter.

"What's wrong. What happened." He pushed me away from himself while still holding on to my shoulders. His eyes wandered up and down my body as if trying to find an injury. 

He wouldn't find any though, at least not on the outside.

I placed my hands on top of his and carefully withdrew them from my shoulders, but I didn't let go. I held on as I keep eye contact with him. I needed to reassure him that I was already, that everything easy fine.

"I'm okay, nothing wrong. I just have something I wanted to discuss with you." This was one thing about Alaric that I loved. Almost all of his emotions could be seen through his eyes as if he were an open book with a forever changing cover explaining what his story was about. His eyes narrowed at me, looking at me almost as skeptically as Brett had done.

"What is it? Is it serious?" I glanced nervously at Brett, who in return nodded to me to continue. I took a deep breath.

"Maybe you should sit down?" I knew I was stalling, but I just didn't want him to say no to this plan. This might be the only chance we had at finally ending this stupid war.

"I think I'll stand." He stated firmly as he let go of my hands and walked back to stand in front of his desk. He turned back around and crossed his arms.

"Tell it to me straight, Clover," and I did. I explained how the ceremony was more than what I made it out to be. I explained that I truly did want to be initiated into this pack, officially, but there was also a deeper reason that we needed to do this. 

It was our one shot, to have the upper hand on Vincent. We could not allow him to stew in his own imagination for another month as we tried to locate his illegal pack. We didn't have that luxury. We would use our prospect of happiness to bait him to attack us. It would be rushed and rash. Using this to our advantage we would draw him in only to take him out. The only real strength he had was money, and numbers, which were still unknown. But from his past actions, we could conclude that he had enough men to spare. Meaning he had enough men to where he could conduct multiple suicide missions and note bat an eye.

He would come, there was no way he would leave the Obsidian Night pack without someone watching our every move.

"And what if he doesn't come?" Alaric asked, almost catching me off guard. It was a possibility, a small one, but it was still there.

"He will," I stated firmly. I knew he would if it was the sick putrid voice of his echoing in my head that told me so or this twisted burning sensation in my bones, I knew.

"You are awfully confident in yourself  with this matter." His facely features were unmoving as he continued to challenge my stance. To see how much was I willing to risk for this once chance at victory. What was I willing to give to kill one wolf?

"It's not a matter of confidence, at least not in my book. It's about knowing our enemy. All I'm saying is that I do. I know him all too well. However, if what you need from me is confidence in my decision to risk my life for this then I will have it unwaveringly. Alaric, this fight between you and him has been brewing for years. And for years you have been in the dark about who he was and what he wanted. All you knew was that he wanted to hurt me, you never even had a chance to make a plan of attack, but here it is!" I took a few steps closer to him, trying to reach out to him. He needed to see, he needed to see how desperate I was, how much I was hurting for something normal for peace for the death of one person.

We couldn't live if he was still alive, I guess that was just fate... just as twisted and unfair as it's always been.

"Here it is though, Alaric, your chance, our chance to end it." I was begging him, I couldn't do this plan without him, it wouldn't work. My hands were gripping his shirt as if he was going to slip away from me. He uncrossed his arms and wrapped them around my waist drawing me in closer.

"I won't lose you, you need to know that if it comes down to it. This fight that seems is destined to occur, it will be me. I'll fight him, I'll end it. I won't have you being dragged into the middle of something you never had a part in."

"That's not true though! I was involved from the day I was born, from the moment the Moon goddess linked our souls! I was in this fight," Alaric's face calmed as a small smile appeared. His warm hand cupped my cheek as his thumb brushed away a stray tear I didn't know had fallen.

"Even so, for this fight, if to comes down to me or you, I'll choose you. I'll always choose you. Can you except that?" I hadn't realized I was crying, but now I was fully conscious of the flood of emotions that poured from my eyes.

Alaric excepted my plan, he agreed to let me put my life on the line under one condition. That I was willing to accept his life as collateral should anything happen to me.

I didn't respond, no words left my mouth as my head fell with a heavy force against his chest. I soaked his shirt as he loveingly held me tight. The answer was there, not as a sound, but as an action between two people.