Chapter 107 Stand-off

*Diana*

"The High Lord Wolf will meet you at Wolf Penitentiary. If there are any documents that need to be prepared, it will be done immediately at his behest. Also, he will arrange the transportation as well as quarters for the inmates," Otis said before bowing at me. "Alpha Diana, may the Moon Goddess protect you." He then bowed at Emmett before he went into the building where the helicopter was waiting for them.

Ethan, Otis, and Matt had agreed to bring Theodora and Amos to the territory to lock them up in the dungeons. The rest decided to assist me in rounding up the mages at the Wolf Penitentiary.

"Where are we suppose to put all the mages? If we want them on our side, we need to make them comfortable," Uncle Mike said. "If I remember correctly, anyone who exhibited any kind of magic who wasn't part of the Council, was either killed or locked up for all eternity. How do you think Minerva Allen was able to stay out of prison even if everyone knew she exhibited magic? She argued she was a former teacher helping mold students into future leaders like herself."

"She even said that her magic was used solely for good. As a Council favorite, she was never hauled to prison, yet she used her magic to manipulate. Everyone knew, but no one questioned her," my dad said.

"Well, Lucas, no one would question her since she had dirt on everyone," Uncle Mike reasoned with him. "So, where do you suggest the mages be transferred?" He asked. "It must be secure, secluded, and well-guarded."

"And some place where Aranck would least expect." I inhaled deeply trying to catch Aranck's scent in the wind. "I caught his scent, though faint. He's headed in the opposite direction. It seems One is also headed in that direction." Alpha Connor looked behind him and scratched his head.

"I could have sworn he was right behind me," Alpha Connor said. Uncle Mike laughed.

"I don't think he would want to come with us," Uncle Mike said. "He probably thinks we'd lock him up in the penitentiary. Well, at least we know he's willing to fight against the Black Resistance. Hopefully, he rounds up the rogues to fight against them. We know where to find him if we need him." Uncle Mike pointed to their car. "Our car is right over there. I think we can all fit. Unless, the Wolf Troops have another car we can borrow?" We all turned our heads to look at the two Wolf Troops.

"Are you with us or against us?" Alpha Connor asked them. The two looked nervous and didn't know what to answer.

"I know the Chief and you are close and even if he has transformed into Aranck he is basically still the Chief in your eyes. Am I right?" The two Wolf Troops nodded their heads. "You have to accept that for now he isn't the Chief. He's someone who wants our extinction," I explained. "If we are able to destroy his black sapphire, we will be able to return the Chief's spirit back to his own body. But first, we can't allow him to use mages as vessels for his disciples. They will come out stronger than Amos. Although we can use a binding spell to stop them, they will be anticipating it. Thus, they may attack us when we least expect it."

"We promise we will not kill your Chief. We are only after the destruction of Aranck and his followers," my dad promised them. They both looked at each other and nodded their heads in agreement. One of them pointed to the building infront of the bistro.

"That's the Chief's building. If he knew we were going to save him, then he would allow us to use all his resources to our disposal. Sure, we have a car on standby. If it's okay with you, Diana, we'd like your Beta to ride with us. Just for our protection since we don't have anything to fight magic with," one of the Wolf Troops said shyly.

"Sure, lads. I think my Alpha won't mind. So you know, if you try anything with me, I will make sure you urinate in your pants. I may be old, but I'm stronger than you think," Emmett said before bowing at me. "Alpha, I will see you at the penitentiary. Lead the way, boys." Emmett waved at us as he followed the two Wolf Troops across the street to the parking area of the Chief's building.

"Let's go," my dad said, taking my arm and guiding me to their car. "You guys came just in time. Your Uncle Mike and I thought we were goners."

"There's no way in hell I was going to let them take us prisoners. I'd rather die than become Aranck's captive," Uncle Mike said. He opened the back door of the car. "After you." He gestured for me and my dad to enter the back of the car while Alpha Connor took the front passenger's seat. Uncle Mike ran to the driver's side, hopped in and turned on the ignition.

"Now the real question. Where are we going to put all the mages?" Alpha Connor asked, turning in his seat to face us.

"Well, there are only eight mages alive at the Wolf Penitentiary and that includes Andrew." I looked at my dad. "One is a former teacher at your old school, Dad," I said. "The High Lord Wolf was having her release papers prepared when this happened."

"Miss Perkins. I heard she was taken in the middle of class. Yes, I know her. She only used her magic when in class. I also heard she had the power of precognition," he said. "It would be nice to see her again." He paused. "Give me a moment to think where we can put a small group of mages where Aranck will have difficulty finding. It needs to be a place which he least expects." We nodded our heads and kept quiet so my dad could think.

The Wolf Penitentiary was not far from the bistro. After fifteen minutes in traffic, Uncle Mike maneuvered our car into the parking lot of what looked like an old warehouse. The wolves needed to hide a jailhouse of the most wanted of our kind in the middle of New York in plain sight.

I got out of the car and looked above. A helicopter with the High Lord Wolf was making its descent unto the helipad of the building. I knew he was risking a lot to come here, but even he knew there was no other way. Uncle Mike suddenly nudged me in the ribs making me look away from the helicopter so I could focus my attention to a couple of Wolf Troops running towards us. When they were close enough, they stopped and bowed. The High Lord Wolf called ahead to tell the warden to expect us.

"Madam Alpha, the Warden has been expecting you. This way, please." The Wolf Troop who addressed us pointed to the entrance where more Wolf Troops stood at attention.

"May we wait for a moment. We have another car with us," I told them. "Ah, there they are right now." A black SUV came into the parking area and parked right beside our car. Emmett jumped out while the two Wolf Troops stayed inside.

"They'll keep the car warm just in case we need to leave right away," Emmett told us through mind-link. He walked towards the Wolf Troops who greeted us and bowed slightly. "Ah, nice way to hide a penitentiary. Well, lads lead the way, please." He gestured to the Wolf Troops to move along. They turned to lead us to the entrance and Emmett followed ahead of us.

My dad and Alpha Connor walked ahead of me while I walked behind them with Uncle Mike beside me. He winked at me.

"Four old men need to protect their girl," he said.

"No need, Uncle Mike. I can make them all go to sleep if that happens. They are still wolves after all and Emmett is strong. He can knock them out if necessary," I said, smiling at him.

"You should never underestimate your opponent. I heard the Warden here is a bit, you know," he whispered. The Warden was corrupt and ruthless to the inmates. It wasn't a secret. "He can easily be swayed to join Aranck especially if he is promised power." Yes, that wasn't a secret either. The Warden has wanted to become a Council member, but because of all the dirt on him, no one wanted to nominate him.

"Don't worry, Uncle Mike. Onyx has our backs," I said, trying to reassure him. He nodded his head, but kept a keen eye on the Wolf Troops who were at the entrance. There were so many of them while we were so few. I shook my head in dismay as I listened to their thoughts. We, including the High Lord Wolf, were all walking into a trap and these prison guards all thought we were foolish enough to just waltz right in. The Warden obviously wanted something in return for the release of his most prized prisoners and he wasn't taking no for an answer. Sadly, power is the root of all evil.

We entered the penitentiary and stopped behind Emmett who was being blocked by several huge Wolf Troops standing side by side in a straight line infront of us. The doors of the entrance closed quickly behind us after our welcoming Committee rushed in surrounding us. Emmett chuckled at the big bear-like men in front of us.

"The Warden would only like to speak to Diana Lockwood-Crowne. The rest of you have to wait here," the Wolf Troop, who had welcomed us outside, said in a most austere tone. It was suppose to sound threatening, but he was taken aback by Emmett's laughter.

"My Alpha will not see the Warden without us," Emmett said, cheerfully. "We can all wait for him here, lads. It's no trouble."

"You have no business speaking, you-," the Wolf Troop wasn't able to finish what he said. His lips were suddenly sealed together. His eyes widened and he reached for his lips with both hands to feel his mouth. He began to scream which came out as a mumble. Emmett roared with laughter.

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that. Cat got your tongue? Excuse me...that came out wrong. Wolf got your tongue?" Emmett laughed even louder at his own joke. "Now lads, let's not make this difficult for everyone. What my Alpha wants, she gets. None of you nor the foul warden of this facility will get in the way of what my Alpha wants." I loved Emmett. He did most of the negotiating without me having to speak. But of course, I was the one who sealed the Wolf Troops' lips. "So please, show us where to meet the Warden or we can wait for him here." The Wolf Troops barricading us from seeing the warden didn't seem too bothered by what just happened to their buddy. Suddenly, the biggest one pounced at Emmett.

"Enough!" I yelled and snapped my finger. All of them froze in place with only their eyes blinking. As hard as they tried, they couldn't move. Finally, I saw the fear in their eyes and with fear comes respect.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk...I warned you," Emmett said. He moved his hands from one side to the other, making the Wolf Troops move to the side to make a path for us. "Next time, listen to me." Emmett walked up to the Wolf Troop who was frozen in a position to attack and fixed his uniform. Then, Emmett patted him on the shoulder and gestured for us to walk through. "This way, Alpha. Please follow me." Emmett opened the silver security door with a flick of his wrist and proceeded inside while my dad and Alpha Connor paused to look at each other then at me before following a curious Emmett who after passing through the narrow hallway was looking up.

"Nice one, kiddo. I was about to shift," Uncle Mike said though mind-link as we followed the others.

"Thanks, Uncle Mike," I told him as we entered the main prison area. Just like Emmett, we all looked up to see floors and floors of numerous silver prison cells. The inside looked as bad as it looked on the outside. It was dank, dirty, unkempt, and smelled. Some of the lights didn't work and the floor was moldy. Most of the wolves who have been here the longest were sickly and malnourished. Although they were provided treatment, they weren't given maintenance medication which they badly needed. Some already had mental health issues from the abuse of the warden and his prison guards.

"It seems this place is in dire need of a bigger budget. My dungeons look better than this. Smells better, too," Alpha Connor said, covering his nose.

"I doubt it's money they need," my dad said. "What this place need is an audit. I have a distinct feeling the warden isn't too happy the High Lord Wolf is visiting today. Where is the High Lord Wolf anyway, Diana?"

"He's in the warden's office which is on the other side, Dad. Through that big door," I said, pointing to where we had to go.

"We have to cross to the other side? We better breath through our mouths then," Uncle Mike said as we approached Emmett who was standing in the middle of the penitentiary.

"As you can all see, this place is in need of maintenance. We could have gone through the other hallway to reach the warden's office, however, you needed to see this. When you become High Councilmen, please make sure to make this place suitable for rehabilitation," Emmett said. He sighed then gestured for us to follow him to where we had to go.

The smell became worse as we walked to the other side. Emmett again flicked his wrist to bypass the security door so we could enter. The Wolf Troops guarding the area scattered throughout the corridor to stop us from entering the premises. They had armed themselves with guns carrying silver bullets.

"Do not enter, I repeat, do not enter or else we will have no choice to employ the use of deadly force to keep you from entering that doorway," a female Wolf Troop voice echoed through the hallway. Emmett ignored the warning and continued towards the door. Before he could enter, we all heard the simultaneous and unmistakable sounds of guns cocking. They all had rifles. My dad and Alpha Connor stopped abruptly. My dad gestured for me to stop while trying to grab Emmett to pull him back. Emmett raised his finger at my dad to stop him.

"If you fire, your guns will malfunction and those bullets may backfire, my fine wolves," Emmett warned. "My Alpha is here to speak with the Warden. So, if you can so kindly put your guns down and let us proceed to his office, we can all continue to live another day, yes? No one needs to die here today." It was a stand-off. Us versus an army of Wolf Troops. I yawned. So much trouble just to see a warden. Uncle Mike looked at me sternly with one eyebrow raised. I shrugged my shoulders at him. What can I say? I lacked sleep and I had already done so much in one day.

"Emmett, those are silver bullets. Even if the bullets miss you, they might hit me, Connor or Michael," my dad reasoned with him and tried to pull him away from the doorway. Emmett looked at him amused with both of his eyebrows raised.

"Let's test your theory then, shall we?" Emmett said, patting my dad's arm. "You'll be fine." My dad turned to look at me and I nodded my head so he would let go. Emmett smiled brightly, slicked his hair back and casually walked through the doorway.

One by one, the Wolf Troops fired and one by one, they fell. Shouting eventually turned into screaming which ended into groaning. The female Wolf Troop, who had warned us not to enter, continued to yell, "Cease fire!" throughout the horrendous ordeal. I felt a tug in my heart. It was painful to watch and to listen to. Why didn't they just listen to Emmett?  I was only here to collect eight mages.

When the sounds of gunfire finally ceased and the smoke cleared, Emmett was already halfway down the hallway while injured wolves laid on the floor scattered along the corridor.

"I see all of you are fine. Come along please. We must not waste anymore time," Emmett said. He was right...enough of these games. I snapped my fingers and froze every Wolf Troop. It was time to face the corrupt and cruel warden.

"Go on, Dad. It's safe," I said, urging him to move forward. He and Alpha Connor walked into the corridor, pausing every now and then before walking past an injured soldier. After realizing they weren't moving, their pace quickened and we finally caught up with Emmett who was already at door of the Office of the Warden. He knocked gently and opened the door.

"If you use magic, I will decapitate the High Lord Wolf and say one of you killed him. Do sit down. We have many matters to discuss," a low voice said from the inside.

Emmet moved aside to allow me to enter. I walked in to see the High Lord Wolf shackled to the warden's desk with his head on the table and neck exposed. Another bear-like Wolf Troop stood above the High Lord Wolf with a large axe in his hand.

The Warden stood up from his chair behind his desk. He was a short man with a Napoleon complex. He bowed and gestured for me to have a seat.

"Diana Lockwood-Crowne, please be seated. I have a long list of demands before I release the mages under my custody," he said, sneering at me as I sat down. "Let's get down to business shall we? First on my list, I want my dreams from this day forward to be black wolf free."

I heaved a sigh. It has been a long day.