Chapter 92 - Preparation Isn’t Treason

***4 days later, in Star Howlers Pack territory.***

Gabriel paced the length of the small cabin, boots scuffing against old timber. Every few strides he muttered something under his breath.

Arrow was leaning against the windowsill, arms crossed, watching the movement with mild amusement. “You’re going to wear a trench into the floor at this rate.”

Gabriel ignored him. “I should’ve gone when he first called,” he said sharply. “I could’ve found her before—”

Dylan cut him off with a lazy wave of his hand. “Before what? Before you tore halfway across Galas and set off every scout alarm from here to the capital? Relax, mother hen. She’s fine.”

Gabriel stopped mid-step and shot him a look. “Mother hen?”

Dylan’s grin turned slow, amused. “Alright, fine, maybe not a hen. More like a knight with a saviour complex. You’ve been like that since school. Always hovering around Ady like she’d shatter without you.” His eyes narrowed, curiosity slipping in under the humour. “Guess it makes a bit more sense now, knowing you’re not actually blood.”

Gabriel’s expression hardened. “It’s not like that.”

“Sure it’s not,” Dylan said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

Gabriel ignored Dylan and resumed his pacing.

Dylan smirked, unbothered. “Anyway...you pacing holes in my floor isn’t going to make them arrive any faster.”

Kale, Dylan’s beta, was lounging in a chair near the hearth, one leg hooked over the other, watching the exchange with an easy grin.

Dylan stretched his long legs out. “You can save your protective big brother routine for when she’s here.”

Gabriel’s jaw tightened. “You forget who she is. She's...”

He caught himself, eyes flicking briefly to Kale before returning to Dylan. The hesitation said everything. His stance shifted, shoulders tense, the protective weight of what he wasn’t saying hanging in the air.

Dylan understood instantly. "It’s okay Gabe. You can speak freely here,” he said quietly. “Kale’s not only my beta, he’s like a brother to me."

Kale pretended to button up his lips. “My lips are sealed. I’m just here to keep the Alpha out of trouble.”

Gabriel gave a small nod, though his jaw was still set tight. His silence carried more warning than words.

Dylan leaned back in his chair, expression softening. “You don’t have to say it. We all know who she is.”

Gabriel’s gaze flickered, the fight in him cooling to something quieter, heavier.

Dylan broke the silence first, leaning forward to grab the folder sitting on the small table beside him. He flipped it open, scanning notes that looked more like troop logs than anything from a peaceful territory.

Arrow shifted against the windowsill. “She's tough Gabriel. She’s tougher than half the wolves I’ve ever met.”

Gabriel exhaled, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “I know she is,” he said quietly. "But they were ambushed by four Sirran military trained wolves deep in Galas territory. How the hell does that happen?”

Arrow’s jaw tightened slightly. “You're not wrong. Someone had to have let them through the border.”

“And that’s why we’re meeting them here instead of Blue Moon,” Dylan said.

Gabriel frowned, glancing around the candlelit cabin. The low amber glow, the faint scent of perfume, and scattered silk drapes made his nose wrinkle. “No offence, but why does it smell and look like a damn brothel in here?”

Kale snorted. “It took you this long to ask that?” He started spinning his pen knife on the wooden table.

Arrow scanned the place with a faint grin. “I was gonna ask too, but the haze from the incense must have burned a hole in my brain.”

Dylan didn’t look up from the laptop he now had balanced on his knee, fully engrossed in what he was reading. The soft blue glow from the screen lit the sharp angle of his jaw as he typed something quick, his expression unreadable. “It's a long story," he started, his eyes not shifting from the screen. "But essentially I needed a place where I wasn't going to get watched.”

Gabriel crossed his arms. “Aren't you the Alpha of this territory now? Why do you have to hide out like a fugitive?”

Dylan finally looked up, the smirk curdling into a sneer. "Because even Alphas have fathers. Mine’s just the conniving bastard who donated the DNA and stuck around to poison everything else."

The words hung there. Even Kale’s knife stopped spinning for a moment before he leaned back in his chair. “And he thinks this place is one of your, what was it, ‘recreational retreats’ right?”

Dylan’s grin returned. “He thinks I come here to chase the same 'vices' he does. Easier to let him picture debauchery than his own downfall."

Gabriel blinked, mouth curving slightly. “Can’t say I blame you.” He remembered the way Dylan used to talk about his father back at school, every word edged with venom even then. Some things clearly hadn’t changed.

Dylan gave a low hum, shutting the laptop with a soft click. “Well, regardless, I couldn’t give a flying fuck what he believes. Let him choke on his own assumptions, it keeps him predictable. Half his spies already report to me; the rest are too busy gossiping about my supposed sins.”

Kale grinned. “To be fair, the women you’ve got helping you sell that story make it look convincing.”

Dylan’s grin returned as he set the laptop aside. “Exactly. You can’t win wars if everyone sees which side of the board you’re moving on.”

Gabriel gave him a flat look. “You might want to open a window. The lie’s starting to smell real.”

Arrow’s tone was mild, but his glance carried weight. “Careful, Dylan. You’re starting to sound like a man building something bigger than a cover story.”

Dylan’s mouth twitched. “Someone has to build it.” Dylan gave Arrow a long, telling look. He’d already been direct with him about his plans to put Kai on the throne. To Arrow, it was clear Dylan intended to move forward with it, whether Kai agreed or not.

Arrow huffed then looked away.

"Besides," Dylan continued. "Preparation isn’t treason.” He leaned back in his chair, eyes cutting briefly to Gabriel. “Speaking of preparation, Kai mentioned something about your little trick.”

Gabriel stilled mid-stride. “Trick?”

“The sense thing,” Dylan said, making a vague circling motion with one hand. “Arrow told me that you're gifted. That you can shut down sight and smell?”

Gabriel’s eyes flicked toward Arrow, irritation sharp enough to cut glass.

Arrow lifted his hands in mock surrender. “Easy there, watchdog. You’re the one who used it on Kai. I figured that made it fair game for discussion.”

Gabriel sighed, low and measured. “It’s not a trick. And it’s not something I use lightly, either.”

Dylan’s posture shifted, elbows on his knees, interest sharpening to a blade’s edge. “Can it affect more than one person?”

“If they’re close,” Gabriel said, his mouth slightly more tight lipped. “It’s harder to hold multiple minds, but possible. It's more like… a blackout. It affects sight, smell, sometimes hearing if I push it. ”

Kale tipped his chair back, grinning. “Sounds fucking terrifying.”

“Sound effective,” Dylan corrected, one brow lifting as his gaze stayed fixed on Gabriel.

“You could drop an entire squad if you timed it right.”

Gabriel’s jaw tightened. “It’s not for combat. It’s a defence mechanism.”

“Everything’s a weapon if you aim it properly,” Dylan said mildly, the words carrying a weight that stilled the room.

Arrow exhaled through his nose. “You say that like you’re not already running battle simulations in your head.”

Dylan didn’t deny it. He set his laptop aside, steepling his fingers as he regarded Gabriel with calculating curiosity. “There aren’t many gifted wolves left anymore,” he said, almost idly. “Some say it’s been generations since Luna last blessed a bloodline with anything like that.”

Gabriel’s expression didn’t shift, but the tension in his shoulders gave him away.

Dylan went on, voice smooth. “A gift like that, one that can shut down the senses, could change everything on a battlefield. Could both confuse and isolate our enemies” He trailed off, eyes narrowing slightly. “I’d like to understand it.”

Gabriel’s brow furrowed. “Understand it, or use it?”

Dylan’s lips twitched. “Both, ideally.” He tilted his head, studying him like a specimen. “Show me.”

Gabriel blinked once. “Show you?”

“Yeah,” Dylan said simply. “Demonstrate.”

Gabriel frowned. “It’s not a party trick, Dylan.”

“Oh, I’m sure. But gifts like yours could shift the balance,” Dylan said simply. “With Sirran soldiers sniffing around and the likelihood of some of the council's involvement, I’d like to know what pieces we’ve actually got to play wi....”

But before he could finish, the world blinked out.

Darkness. No sight, no scent, not even the creak of the old cabin. Only the hollow thrum of blood in their ears. Then, as suddenly as it came, it was gone.

The room snapped back into focus. Candlelight, breath, the faint hiss of the hearth. Life returned all at once.

The light flickered across Gabriel’s face; his irises still burned faintly amber, like embers refusing to die. Then, with a slow blink, the light vanished.

Arrow gripped the windowsill, blinking hard. “What the...”

Kale’s knife clattered to the table. He stared at it, dazed. “Shit. That was like someone unplugged the universe.”

Dylan’s eyes lit up like someone had handed a baby a new toy. He smiled faintly, still watching Gabriel. “Impressive. Duration?”

Gabriel exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing fractionally. “Up to a minute if I hold it,” he said, voice steady.

Dylan nodded slowly. “That’s fifty-five seconds longer than anyone needs to die. Remind me not to piss you off.”

Arrow muttered, “Join the club.”

“Could be useful,” Dylan surmised, his fingers tapping an idle rhythm on his knee. “Blind their scouts. Silence their signalers. Sirran wouldn’t even know which way’s north.”

Gabriel didn’t flinch. “I’m not fighting for Galas. I’m here for her. That’s all.”

For a heartbeat, something passed between them. An unspoken understanding, edged with respect.

Kale broke the tension with a grin. “Well, if he ever tries that on me again, I’m filing a complaint with HR.”