Chapter 89 Surrender

(Arthur POV)

I woke up to a beautiful morning I couldn't enjoy. Sadly, today, I will be escorting Hope to the fortress.

I pick up Maximus' phone and call the Butler to inform him of Hope's impending surrender.

"Has the daughter of Adella agreed to surrender?", the Butler stutters. He was having trouble speaking, a problem the Butler is not known to have.

"Yes, I will be escorting her to the fortress. We will arrive before the final phase of the alignment."

"The Rogue Lord will be pleased to hear. We shall see you tonight then." He coughs. The Butler sounded sick.

"So be it." I hang up. The Bultler sick at a turning point in their lives. What are the odds.

He is, then, one person less we have to deal with.

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(Alexander POV)

I look out into the horizon sipping coffee at our bedroom balcony at the mansion. I've started to love watching the sky and enjoy the different hues, something Hope loves doing.

My father is to assume command of the pack here in the territory with David and Oliver by his side. I will be accompanying Hope to Montana. Mark is already there with a thousand of my men waiting for tonight.

The calm before the storm. I thought I would be anxious on this day. I admit, I was worried when Hope agreed to surrender, but after all the careful planning, I felt at ease. The girls were very cunning. I couldn't help but smile, remembering all the twist and turns they've pulled against The Rogue Lord. Today will be no different. When they laid out their plans to Arthur and Amelie, even they were astonished with what these three girls planned to do. Right now, Hope and the girls were at the village picking up the things they need in order for their plan to succeed.

I finish my coffee and stand up to go to the werebear village. I had to go and pick up their king.

The Rogue Lord is in for a surprise. There's someone else bigger than him.

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(Hope POV)

I looked at the faces of the people who were with me in the helicopter. Jacques, after finding his true self, had a look of renewed confidence. Maria had her eyes on Jacques, clearly fangirling. Leia, on the other hand, was spaced out, deep within her thoughts and Alexander, although he looked at ease, was clenching his fist.

I left Grace, Amos and George in charge of my pack in Crescent Moon. All of them were going to join the fight and merge with Dark Moon Pack. Lucy was sent to Chelan at the evacuation center, her cellphone confiscated, so she would not be able to contact The Butler if her calls.

Arthur said The Butler sounded sick when he called him this morning. I told him it could only mean one thing...The Great Shadow has possessed him.

Leia, Maria, and I were dressed in Priestess robes of different colors. Mine was yellow, Maria's blue and Leia's green. The robes had hoods large enough to hide our faces if need be. I had placed a repelling charm on the robes to help combat black magic. I hope it would be strong enough to last the night.

It was already late noon when we arrived at Luciana's territory. It was beautiful. From the distance, you could see the cattle grazing on the green pasture.

Luciana and her Beta welcomed us and had already prepared the limousine we requested to drive us to the fortress. She asked if we wanted something to eat before we go, but everyone declined politely. No one had an appetite knowing we were headed to our doom.

We heard the sound of another helicopter from the distance. We stood by until the helicopter landed for its lone passenger to disembark. Luciana's Beta growled seeing it was Maximus, Beta to the Rogue Lord. I put a hand on his shoulder to put him at ease. He nodded his understanding. "I apologize. Force of habit," he said.

"Daughter of Adella, I am most pleased you are already here. Shall we?" Maximus pointed to the limousine. "It is a few hours to the fortress. The final phase of the alignment will begin at 7PM. We must make haste." Everyone nodded and walked toward the car. Jacques looked at Maximus with a sinister look as he walked by him which made Maximus chuckle.

The road to the fortress was very rough. We endured almost an hour of bouncing up and down. Maria though used it to her advantage and would bounce on Jacques who was willing prey to her advances. Watching them help made our trip feel a little lighter.

It was night when we arrived at the stone gates of the fortress. It opened and the limousine entered. We waited for our chauffeur to open the door. Maximus said he would go out first, spraying himself before he exited. Jacques coughed at the scent and looked at me amused. I had told him earlier in the car through mind link who Maximus really was. "That is Arthur in disguise. He will mind link with us inside the fortress. Watch for his signal."

I get out of the limousine, my head and face covered by the hood of my robe. I was the last one to exit the car. I give the chauffeur a wink and he winks back at me and closes the door. A flicker of light emanated from the sky, giving me a view of the fortress. It was completely grotesque and it smelled awful. I don't know how these wolves could stand it. The smell was putrid.

I looked around us and saw the men and women of the Rogue Army lined up neatly on each side of the compound facing the path that heads to the fortress.They were all wearing black uniforms and stared straight ahead. I peeked through the hood of my robe and saw how malnourished and impoverished most of them were.

Maximus leads us to the black stone doors of the fortress which open so we could enter. I mind link with Jacques to keep close and to only exit the protection bubble when told.

From the outside, the fortress looked awful, but once inside it was quite magnificent. The Great Hall had pillars that reached the tall stone ceiling above and the floor, a polished black. When you looked down, it was like you were walking on black water. At the end of the Great Hall, The Rogue Lord sat on his massive throne with The Black Stone beside him on a pillow. The Butler stood beside The Rogue Lord with his head lowered and his hands clasped behind him.

"Ah, my Beta has arrived with the daughter of Adella!" Upon hearing his title, Maximus bowed to The Rogue Lord. " And not a moment too soon." The Rogue Lord chuckles.

You are right, Rogue Lord. Not a moment too soon.

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(Arthur/Maximus POV)

All the wolves lined up in front of the fortress were staring at the woman wearing the yellow robe. I saw their eyes follow her as she walked towards the large doors of the fortress that swung open for us to enter. Once we were inside, the large doors swung shut.

I look at my watch, exactly 15 minutes until the final phase of the alignment begins. I flicker of light shines on the fortress and thunder rumbled from above causing the mountain to vibrate. I silently prayed to the Moon Goddess with every ounce of my being to guide us on our quest.

I glance at Hope whose face was hidden by the hood of her robe. She walked steadily on the black shiny floor towards the throne where The Rogue King sat.

"Ah, my Beta has arrived with the daughter of Adella!" I bow in acknowledgement. "And not a moment too soon."

"My Lord, the daughter of Adella has agreed to surrender. She only asks for an end to all hostilities." I tell The Rogue Lord.

"I will honor that agreement if all packs will pledge their allegiance to me," answered The Rogue Lord.

"All packs are willing, my Lord. To prevent bloodshed."

"Before I agree to any of their demands, has she drank the red elixir I had instructed you to give her?"

"My apologies, my Lord. She has yet to drink it." I take out the vial of the red elixir from my coat pocket.

Hope raises her head and lowers the hood of her robe to reveal her face. I give her the vial and she drinks it in front of The Rogue Lord. The Rogue Lord bellows out a triumphant laugh.

"When the daughter of Adella dies by my hand and I am announced Lord of all wolves, I will spare their lives. You have my word." The Rogue Lord tells Hope who merely nods her head. "Butler, how long do I wait for the elixir to take effect?"

Our eyes shifted to look at the little old man standing beside The Rogue Lord. He raised his head and I heard Hope gasp. His mouth had turned black and the skin around his eyes was peeling off, showing welts of greenish ooze.

"S-s-sire, 15 to 30 m-m-minutes," the Butler stutters his answer and begins to cough.

"Very well." The Rogue Lord did not notice the change in his Butler or if he did, he did not care. "The final phase of the alignment will soon begin. Guards, put on her shackles. Make sure she doesn't move." The guards cuffed her arms and her legs, making sure she could not escape.

I felt the fortress vibrate again from the sound of thunder coming from outside. The Rogue Lord was so preoccupied in his victory of Hope succumbing to his demands, he did not notice what was happening outside. Part 1 of our plans was working. Soon all the wolves of the Rogue Lord's army, who were standing outside, will be struck with lightning. When the fortress doors open again, it will be the army of the Clan of Wolves standing outside.

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(Alexander POV)

After Hope gave me wink, I closed the door of the limousine and ran back to the driver's seat. A lightning storm was going to commence and Mark and I needed to be out of the vicinity. As we exited the stone gates, I looked at the rearview mirror and I saw Hope wave her hand towards the limousine to strip us of our disguises.

Hope had me disguised as the chauffeur who originally was tasked to drive them to the fortress of The Rogue Lord while Mark, was disguised as the chauffeur's aide. Luciana smelled the wolf on both of them and had them tied up and stripped naked. Luciana called us before we left Dark Moon to tell us they had them in custody. Since I needed an aide, I called Mark to meet us at Midnight Moon. When we arrived, Hope touched the arm of the chauffeur for the directions leading to the fortress of The Rogue Lord. Then with a wave of her hand, she disguised both Mark and I as the chauffeur and aide.

We drove the limousine away from the fortress and parked where some of the wolves of the Clan of Wolves were hiding. We stepped out of the car to watch.

"Alpha Alexander, good to see you here. What is happening at the fortress?" Alpha Lucas had made sure he kept me informed. He stayed closest to the fortress to learn anything of value.

"A lightning storm. When the lightning stops, we enter the fortress." I tell him.

"A lightning storm? Like what happened at Autumn Moonlight?" He asked.

"Yes. When the lightning stops, all the Rogue Lord's soldiers will be dead. We can enter the compound without any problems."

"I knew you guys had a plan and by the looks of it, I like it." Lucas gives me a pat on the back.

I nodded my head in agreement. The girls were very cunning indeed.