Chapter 336: Special Wolves

Kaden’s POV

THREE YEARS LATER!

​The council hall was a fucking mess.

​Voices came from every direction as Alphas, elders, and rulers argued among themselves. Some wanted us to attack immediately, while others believed sending more warriors would only lead to unnecessary deaths. A few were demanding that every smaller pack close to the eastern border be evacuated before the tiger shifters could reach them.

​"They’ve already taken four packs!"

​"And how many more do we lose while we sit here talking?"

​"You want to send warriors into a territory they can’t even enter?"

​"Those packs belong to us!"

​The voices continued to rise until I could barely hear myself think. I remained seated at the head of the long table, my fingers resting against my chin as I listened. We had been here for almost two hours, going around in circles, and I was beginning to lose what little patience I had left.

​I raised my hand, and the entire hall immediately went silent.

​I sighed as I lowered it and leaned back in my chair. "Four smaller packs along the eastern border have been invaded in less than three weeks. The tiger shifters didn’t destroy those territories. They took them. Our people were forced out, and the moment the tigers gained control of each pack, they surrounded it with Dark Fire. We’ve tried entering those territories from every possible direction. We’ve sent scouts, tried underground routes, and sent seers to locate their warriors from outside the barriers. Nothing has worked."

​I pushed myself to my feet and looked around the table. "The fire doesn’t only burn anyone who tries to cross it. It blocks scents, interferes with magic, and prevents our seers from seeing what is happening on the other side. Certain tiger bloodlines possess the ability to control it, which means their people can move through those barriers freely while we can’t. Every pack they take becomes another protected base for their army inside our kingdom."

​The expressions around the table became more serious, and I continued before anyone could speak. "And don’t make the mistake of believing we have twenty peaceful days simply because that is when they declared the full war will begin. They are already moving. They are already invading. If we sit here and wait for those twenty days to pass, there is no telling how many smaller packs they will have taken by then."

​I moved away from my chair and walked slowly around the table. "We have thousands of warriors across our packs, but numbers mean nothing if our army can’t reach the enemy. Sending ordinary warriors against Dark Fire would only get them killed. So we’re not going to fight this war with ordinary warriors alone. We’re going to create a special unit made up of gifted wolves from across the kingdom."

​Several people exchanged looks, but the room remained silent.

​"Every pack has wolves who are different. Wolves born with abilities beyond the normal strength, speed, and healing of our kind. Some can control elements. Some can create shields. Others possess abilities that only appear in certain bloodlines, and there are some gifts so rare that most of us have probably never encountered them before. Those are the wolves I want."

​I returned to the head of the table and rested my hands against it. "Starting today, every Alpha will search his territory for wolves with special abilities. I don’t care about their rank or family. I don’t care whether they’re Alphas, Betas, Omegas, warriors, or civilians. If they possess an unusual supernatural ability and know how to use it, I want their names and information about exactly what they can do."

​"We’ll review every name and choose the abilities that could be useful in this war. Those selected will be brought here and trained together as one unit. They need to learn how to fight beside wolves they’ve never met before, how to combine their gifts, and how to use one person’s strength to cover another person’s weakness. More importantly, we need to find out whether any of those abilities can weaken, control, or get through the Dark Fire."

​I paused and looked around the silent hall. "I don’t need hundreds of them. Twenty gifted wolves who can actually give us an advantage are more valuable to me than two hundred warriors who can’t even reach the enemy. Once they’re here, Kane, Logan, and I will oversee their training alongside the commanders I select."

​I straightened and slowly looked from one leader to another. "The tiger shifters are smart. They know ordinary werewolf armies can’t get inside the territories they’ve taken, and that’s exactly why they’re taking the smaller packs first. Every pack we lose gives them another place to hide their soldiers, weapons, and supplies behind Dark Fire. If we allow this to continue, by the time those twenty days are over, they could have several protected territories scattered throughout our kingdom."

​My jaw tightened at the thought. Four packs were already too many. Four groups of people had already been forced from homes that belonged to their families for generations, and I wasn’t going to sit here waiting for the same thing to happen to another.

​"I won’t allow that."

​The hall remained completely silent.

​"You will return to your packs today. I want information on every gifted wolf in your territories sent to Logan before midnight. We’ll review their abilities and decide who we need. Anyone selected will be brought here immediately, and their training will begin as soon as they arrive."

​One of the elders raised his hand, and I turned my attention toward him.

​"What about hybrids, Alpha King?" he asked. "Those who are half werewolf and half another supernatural creature. If they possess useful abilities, are they allowed to join the unit?"

​I considered his question for only a moment before nodding. "Yes. In fact, I want them considered just as seriously as everyone else. Hybrids can possess abilities that ordinary werewolves don’t have, and right now, that could give us a huge advantage. I don’t care what other supernatural blood runs through them. If they’re part werewolf, willing to fight for our kingdom, and their abilities can help us against the tiger shifters, then they are welcome."

​The elder nodded, and several others around the table did the same.

​"Good." I glanced around the hall one final time before pushing my chair back and standing. "That’s all for now. You know what needs to be done. I expect the names and abilities of every suitable candidate before midnight."