Chapter 55

"I'm not sure this is a good idea. If we bring them to us, then we have the home-field advantage. We know our territory, far better than any scouts they send would." Frode leaned forward on his elbows.

We'd gotten up this morning and had breakfast and then started into the discussion turned argument about how to handle the hunters. That had been over an hour ago and we were still talking in circles. I'd long ago abandoned the confines of a chair and alternated between leaning on a table and pacing in the kitchen.

I took the break to take in my mates. Frode was agitated, clenching his jaws together, but otherwise composed at the head of the table. Erik was beside him, looking relaxed and distracted, but I knew he didn't miss a word or movement in the room. Sten was across from Frode with his arms crossed over his chest. He'd stayed quiet mostly, but you could all but see the gears turning in his quickly moving mind. Rune was leaning his elbows on the table with his chin in his palm.

"But this is drawing the whole thing out. It's allowing them time to gain more power, more knowledge." Erik argued from where he leaned his chair back on two legs, his fingers picking at a frayed spot on his jeans.

For as frustrated as Frode was at keeping the conversation controlled, Erik was trying to just end it. Even if it meant tempers flared and emotions took over. He was tired of waiting, just as I was, but he wanted blood for the attack yesterday.

"It also gives us more time to gain more power and knowledge. We are still just starting to unravel Astrid's powers." Frode argued.

Erik and Rune hadn't changed their minds about going on the offensive with the hunters. Sten was still quiet about it. Frode seemed to listen and consider our argument but was reluctant to agree.

"I think she's demonstrated she does her best learning on the go." Rune scoffed and looked to Frode, daring him to argue his point.

"You're right. I don't like it, but you're right, she's made the biggest strides in her power under pressure that we can't recreate." Frode sighed defeatedly as he sat back in his chair and glared at Erik who only shrugged.

Erik never regretted the lake incident, no matter how much grief he caught for it. He pushed to try and better us each in training, sometimes in unorthodox ways. The lake had been a great idea but hadn't worked out as he planned. Anger was my trigger, fear was. The others were still upset about the risk he'd taken with my safety.

"We've been circling this discussion for almost two hours and have gotten nowhere. It's time to make a decision. You know how I feel, I've repeated myself enough times and stated my argument." I said unable to keep the irritation out of my voice.

I pushed myself upright from where I was leaning on the wall. Moving to stand by Frode I placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. I was trying to approach this as he was. He had so much on his shoulders trying to keep us safe, but sometimes that made him hesitate and slow to riskier plans. Granted Erik agreed to quickly sometimes.

Sten was the thinker of the group, he balanced Erik's impulsiveness. Frode usually found a peaceful middle ground, but today he was struggling. I knew that my safety played a large part in that. Not to mention the reoccurring vision where we all got separated.

"I'm with Astrid." Erik declared.

"Me too." Rune agreed.

"I hate to say it, but I think she has a point," Sten said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder in my direction.

I looked at Frode with pleading eyes. It wouldn't matter what the rest of us thought, the decision was ultimately his as the alpha.

"Fine, but we need a damn good plan in place with backups to the backups." He grunted, his eyes softer than his tone.

We spent the next few days laying out our plans and sending out scouts to gather information to strengthen our plans. In a short amount of time, we'd uncovered a lot of information. The biggest piece was that the hunters had set up a sort of headquarters in the town next to the territory.

Much to Sten's displeasure, we'd turned the office into a war room of sorts. We tried to keep to only half of the space-which was bigger than any one man should need for an office. But Sten was a creature of routine and organization, and rearranging had to happen to make space for everything.

We were currently gathered around the wall that we'd set up to try and trace who the leader was, but so far we hadn't had any luck. Initially, we thought that if we knew where they gathered, we could find the leader, but we had been wrong. Most of the faces we saw were familiar to my mates, and some were higher up in the organization, but they weren't the leader.

"Does any of this seem too easy?" I pondered out loud staring at the board.

"What do you mean?" Frode asked crossing his arms.

"We barely made the decision to gather information, and then it practically falls in our laps. It feels too easy, or like a trap." I turned to meet his heavy gaze.

We'd expected to find some information quickly, but it had been like dominos falling. The trail of breadcrumbs was more like a trail of loaves. No way to miss them, and all led directly to the rented house that hunters were operating out of. Either they were confident in their work, or they wanted us to find them.

"I agree." Frode nodded.

"So what do we do?" Erik stood from the chair where he'd been seated and came next to me.

"Pull them from their hiding spots." I straightened and looked at Erik.

"You want to lay a trap?" Sten looked up from his desk.

"Yep." I popped my 'p'.

"Why?" He stood and moved to be with the rest of us.

"Initial contact. Lure them out, make them angry. Make them impulsive. I doubt after they feel tricked that they will stay quiet in their headquarters." I looked to Frode who had been quiet.

"I think that it would need to be a tight plan. Meticulously planned, but I think you're right." Frode nodded.

"Then let's make a tight plan." I grinned and turned back to the wall of information behind me.