~ Chapter Nineteen - Part 1 ~

Damien and Katalina sat in his office for a few minutes before going to the training grounds. Then, they walked up to the man that trained everyone. “Hey, Cayden,” Damien said as they stopped next to him.
Cayden turned to them and grinned as he bowed his head. “Good morning, alpha,” he turned to Katalina and bowed slightly. “Good morning, luna.”
Katalina smiled brightly. “Good morning. How are you doing today?” she asked joyfully.
Damien chuckled. “I’m good. Just trying to get these new kids to focus.”
Katalina giggled. “You have to bribe them, silly,” she shook her head and took a step toward the kids. However, she turned around before she got too far and asked Cayden. “Oh, how’s little Serena doing?”
Cayden smiled in adoration. “She’s doing much better. Thank you, luna. I’m sure she would be excited to get a visit from you.”
Katalina nodded with a bright smile. “I can stop by later today.”
Cayden grinned. “Thank you, luna.”
Katalina gave him that same bright smile before walking toward the kids. She stopped before them and cleared her throat before shouting to get their attention. “Excuse me, children!”
Everyone stopped and turned to face her. Katalina gave them a bright smile. “Thank you,” she sighed. “Now, I’m sure none of you want to be up this early training. I’m sure most of you have never even trained before,” she shook her head. “I know that none of you know why we’re asking you to train. We’re going to have a pack meeting tonight so that we can explain. But, for now, know that we’re telling you to train for your protection.”
“Is something bad going to happen?” A young girl asked from the back of the crowd.
Katalina cleared her throat. “No, nothing bad is happening. However, we think it would be a good idea for everyone to know how to protect themselves just in case,” she said reassuringly. She didn’t want to frighten the kids with the war that was coming. “So please listen to Cayden and train as hard as you can. If he reports to us that you are doing well, we will throw you guys a party. How does that sound?” She asked as she folded her arms over her chest.
They all cheered and quickly returned to work, going through the drills that Cayden had already shown them.
Katalina turned to the boys with a triumphant smile. “And that is how you talk a group of teenagers into training even when they don’t want to.”
Damien grinned in pride while Cayden stared at her in awe. “You are amazing, little dove,” Damien said happily. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and looked at Cayden. “We’ll see you later, Cayden,” he said before leading Katalina toward the packhouse.
They went inside, and he led her to the gym. “Training first. Then you can talk to Benjamin,” Damien said as he picked up two vests covered in daggers. “Today, we’re working on throwing daggers and arrows. So how good is your aim?” he asked as he handed a vest to her.
Katalina quickly slipped it on and sighed. “Um, I don’t know. I’ve never really played sports or done anything that involved aiming.”
Damien chuckled as she rambled on. “It’s okay, little dove. I’ll teach you everything that you need to know.”
With that being said, Damien got started on her training for the day.

Jacques groaned as he slowly blinked his eyes open. Once his vision cleared, he looked around. Jacques swore to himself as he got to his feet. He was in a cell that seemed somewhat familiar to him. “Well, look who finally decided to wake up,” a croaky voice said from the shadows on the other side of the bars.
Jacques frowned as he took a step toward them. “Who are you?” He demanded. “Why am I here?”
An older warlock came out of the shadows with a smirk. “I’m Samson. As for why you’re here,” Samson shrugged. “Well, I think you’re smart enough to figure that out yourself.”
Jacques tilted his head to the side slightly as he studied the warlock. It took him a minute before he swore in every language he knew and started pacing back and forth. “Fucking Atlas,” Jacques swore. He glared at the warlock. “What does he want?” He demanded.
Samson shrugged. “My guess would be your head.”
Jacques swore again as he ran a hand through his hair. “Shit,” he looked around again. “Where are we?” He questioned.
Samson shrugged. “Atlas’s fortress, but I don’t think you will be here too long.”
Jacques rolled his eyes. “Never trust an old warlock to make any sense,” he shook his head. “Why don’t you be a good lapdog and go fetch Atlas?”
Samson scoffed but left him alone.
Jacques waited only a few minutes before Atlas came in with Martin and Samson. “I hear you’ve been asking about what’s going to happen to you,” Atlas said with a wide smirk as he stopped in front of his cell.
Jacques glared at him. “I can only assume that you want me dead for betraying you the last time you attempted this war,” he said as he folded his arms over his chest.
Atlas chuckled darkly. “Oh. I do want you dead. Very much so,” he sighed as he leaned against the wall across from Jacques’s cell. “I need you for something else, though.”
Jacques looked at him in confusion and anger. “You already know that I would never help you. So whatever it is, you can forget about it,” he said in agitation.
Atlas waved him off. “Trust me. You don’t have to be willing to do it,” he scoffed. “Hell, I could have you unconscious the entire time if I wanted to.”
Jacques frowned as he thought about what Atlas could want with him so that he wouldn’t even have to be conscious. Then, as the realization struck him, he stared at Atlas in horror. “I will never let you use me to get to her,” he got out through his gritted teeth.
Atlas threw his head back and laughed loudly. “You don’t have a choice,” Atlas nodded his head towards a leucrocotta, a creature with the body of a stag, the neck of a lion, cloven hooves, and a wide mouth with a sharp, bony ridge in place of teeth. It could imitate the voices of men to lure prey. He looked at Jacques with a cruel smirk. “As I said. I don’t need you to put my plan into action.”
Jacques growled as he tried to reach the leucrocotta.
Just as he felt the tail in the palm of his hand, a blast of air hit him hard in the chest. He groaned as he crashed against the wall.
Atlas stood in front of his cell with a dark smile. “I’m sure your little Katalina will see you again,” he paused for a minute before chuckling. “In Tartarus.”
Jacques’s eyes went wide as he tried to get to his feet. He reached out and touched the cell bars before Samson said a quick spell, and his world again turned black.
Atlas smirked as he looked at Samson. “Send him to Tartarus and get the leucrocotta set up in my office. We have a critical call to make.”
Atlas left the warlock to do as he had commanded with a wicked smirk on his lips. The war was finally going to go his way.