Found by the Lycan King by Natalie Winter
Chapter 86

Chapter 86

I was sitting in my chair, staring absent-mindedly at the glass of water in front of me. We had been going in circles for hours and were yet to arrive at a conclusion.

The meeting hall was huge and I chose to not hold the meeting in my office as we needed to accommodate all the alphas along with some of the betas or gammas who came in as additional representatives from their packs.

The situation had definitely worsened over the last few weeks. The rogues had begun attacking innocent kids, targeting those who were yet to shift or had recently shifted.

This was a surprise move as mostly they went after the strongest members of the pack and tried to lure them to come over, members that felt they deserved the beta and alpha titles but were denied the position so a few of them had left their packs.

All around I could hear people bickering with each other, trying to prove their point. And the more I heard them, the more I felt my head hurt.

I flicked my gaze to the window, staring outside at the lush

greenery.

"King, what do you suggest?” Matteo tried to nudge me.

The crowd waited for me to answer but I did not speak for a while.

Seeing that, Matteo got up from his chair and came to whisper in my ear.

“King, they are all waiting for your response”

I blinked and turned my attention to the people seated around the large table that almost spanned through half the meeting hall.

“Teenagers are rebellious. I was too, at one point. It is easy to lure them into a trap rather than grown up men.”

Hearing my response, one of the alpha leaned forward, a look of concern on his face.

“But King, what are we supposed to do now? If they keep brainwashing our young blood like this, we will lose our future heirs and warriors.”

"What age group is being targeted by the rogues?” I asked.

“Mostly 18 or around that. Those who are about to shift or have recently shifted.”

“Hmm,” I tapped on my knuckles as a thought crossed my mind.

Zenovia was a recent shifter too. And the rogue King himself had tried to come for her.

"How many recent shifters have left from each of your packs? And were they taken in forcefully or did they leave on their

own?"

I asked and everybody began to answer at once.

"King, around ten of my recent shifters left together at once, claiming that they were not respected well in the pack”

"Your majesty, five of mine were tempted to leave but stayed back after hearing about how the rogues make everybody suffer and we had to sit with them for hours to make them understand the dangers of going after something so stupid”

"King, I do not have kids of age right now so my pack is safe but they have been hearing things. I overheard some kids. gossip amongst each other about how they would also want to explore the new world after they came of age.”

One by one I let them empty out their worries and frustration while wondering how to tackle this delicate issue without bloodshed.

Youngsters were often misguided and brainwashed easily if they felt their own home and pack did not give them enough care and attention.

And the life of a werewolf was hard. You had to train religiously, follow a strict protocol, and be always ready to die for your pack.

The rogue King was being very clever and tactical in his approach. He was weakening the pack by going after the kids of those who ruled the pack.

Werewolves were a close-knit community and cubs were our lifeline. His approach was meticulous and it was interesting to have come across a rival who relied on brain instead of muscle.

I was getting increasingly curious about this rouge King.

"Where are the kids even meeting these rogues? And where are they going? Will it not be easy to simply send someone after them and find out the rogues’ stronghold?”

I asked.

A beta of some pack immediately answered, “We did that King. I sent some of my warriors who tailed the kids who opted to leave the pack. Technically, as they left the pack, we did not have any law to govern them. So even if they did, they all pledged that they were leaving of their own free will.”

"So the kids definitely led you to the rogue King's stronghold? Does he have a packhouse? We can attack it and just kill him for once and all” I replied, twirling the paperweight lying on the table in front of me with one hand.

But the beta shook his head, “That is the issue, King. He simply offered the kids a better chance at life and more perks. Those who were willing to join his pack had to prove that they had completely cut contact with us for a month or so. Only after he was convinced, he would take them in.”

That was a relief. At least, the teenagers were not in imminent danger. Not yet, at least.

“I have a feeling he does not even want them in his pack. He is just trying to break all of you. These are mind games that he is playing.”

Everybody looked at each other worriedly, wondering what to do next.

I suggested, “Does every pack have kids that stayed back?”

There was a silent murmur of approval.

“Good. Tell these kids to be in touch with those who have gone away. Even offer them money, food, whatever is needed through the kids. Just don't let any adult go near them for the time being.” “But King, he would keep brainwashing our kids if we don’t even meet them. And what about the Elders and the kids’ mothers? They can't live in this constant worry for a month or two.”

I leaned forward, “The moment he sees you near them, he would not want to keep in touch with the kids. This seems like an elaborate plan. The kids you send will have to pretend that they want to come over but the pack members are not allowing them. When they believe your spies, only then would we know the true intent of this rogue King.”

“But King-" another alpha began but I raised a hand

"Yes I know we want to kill the rogues and their King but we have innocent kids involved in this. We have to approach the situation delicately. I do not want any innocent kid to get hurt.”

I took a pause and added, “Perhaps, some of you need to get better at parenting as well. Just because you found your mate, please don't start a family if you cannot look at your kids. Treat them with respect, try to talk to them, and understand their point of view. Not everything should be solved with punishment and violence.”

My words made most of the alphas look down, their heads hanging in shame. The pressure they put on their kids to be the next alpha or beta was too much. I could see how the rogue King took advantage of this factor and was exploiting the opportunity, weakening the minds of the pack. "Pick two of you. I want daily reports and updates on the progress of the situation. Meanwhile, also send out additional spies to keep an eye on the kids as well as any suspicious activity. If anybody gets any lead of the rogue King, you come directly to me. Is that clear?”

I said in a tone of finality.

"Yes King”

This meeting had been going on and on for eternity and at some point somebody had mentioned Zenovia.

She was the only member I had taken in my pack so it was natural that they wanted to know about her. Those alphas and members of the pack who had their mates had not come to the ball so somehow the request to meet her had been put forward before I could even comment on it.

Not that it was a bad thing. I had kept her hidden for long and after the recent kidnapping of her through her stepbrother, I thought the more people knew who she was and how she looked, the less were the chances of her getting abducted.

That was the only reason I had agreed to let them meet her.

“Where is she?’ I could not help but wonder. Half of my attention had been on the door and I often found myself glancing at them, waiting for her to walk in through the door.

And then as if she had heard my thoughts, I heard a soft knock on the door. My lycan, Beast, growled in my head at the thought of seeing her.

We had not seen her since morning and it was making me restless. I thought I could stay away from her so I decided to focus on work.

But then I said “Come in" and the door slowly opened.

And I sucked in my breath when my eyes fell on her.

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