Two: Eden City

KAI CRUZ

I blocked out all the noises in the council as the members started making noises and screaming at each other like the errant barbarians that they are.

Within me, my wolf was seething, begging to let lose and put all these people in their places but I had to refrain from him, had to refrain myself because if there's one thing I've learned since I took the mantle of power when my father died, it was that violence was never the way.

And I never resort to violence unless it's absolutely necessary.

Even though each time there was a council meeting, I was always almost forced to take back my words.

"Can we all keep quiet?" I asked-commanded in a very quiet voice and almost immediately, all the noise in the room ceased.

Well, except for one unfortunate man.

"Alpha, I don't think this is the time for you to be telling us to keep quiet," he had the audacity to look into my eyes as he said the words that could as well spell out his doom, "our existence is at stake here so you don't get to..."

"Careful how you complete that statement, Elder Will," I interrupted him, my voice dark and final, "if you don't want your tongue to be delivered to your house."

He paled and even though I knew it had angered him that I had talked to him that way, he kept quiet because he knew damn well that it wasn't going to end well for him if he should say something more.

I looked at the rest of the Council and I heaved a sigh. I understand their agitations but what they didn't understand was that I was equally as agitated as they are.

Or even more agitated.

"I understand your agitations," I told him, priding myself as the force of reasoning in the room, "and I'm working around the clock to find a countermeasure."

"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Levi asked, his voice challenging with a hint of mockery in it, "how exactly are you going to rectify the situation? George is dead, they've approved of our natural habitat to be destroyed and made into a mega city for those ridiculous humans, so tell me, how exactly are you going to rectify this situation?"

He leveled his hard glare at me as he spoke, silently challenging me to talk back to him and escalate this situation into something more than this but I was grown past that now.

Once upon a time, I and Levi Turner were best of friends but we had a huge fallout in high school and we became some sort of sworn enemies because he was always antagonizing me.

"Yes, that's true," another man spoke up, "George's sudden death has put us in a dire situation and we need to find a solution because I'm sure those humans will get started on cutting down the forests as soon as possible."

George, the council minister was our link to the human world. Long before my father died, he had scared George with his werewolf powers to get him to stop whatever development they could propose to happen in the forest and had proceeded to give money 50 million dollars every 6 months as a bribe, just like the leaders of Eden City before he had done, just like I was supposed to do right now but George had died all too suddenly, leaving us no room to prepare to get his successor on our side.

And as if that wasn't even enough, those bloody fuckers had the nerve to approve the proposal to cut down our natural habitat.

Of course, they had no idea it was our natural habitat because it looks like a forest to them just like their part of the world looks like a forest to us too unless we break the barrier and go out into their world.

Which is only possible for me and a certain fucker that shall not be named.

"For now, I suggest kidnapping the person whose idea it is to destroy our habitat, if we have the person, the chances of them going ahead with the development are low, and in the meantime when they're still trying to find the person, Kai would have won the next councilor over to our sides."

"Hmm, nice idea," most of the men agreed to Denis' suggestion and while it appealed to me too because I've actually thought of it, it wasn't easy to just go into their world and kidnap one of them.

It wouldn't break a sweat on me to do that but kidnapping a human had certain consequences and it goes against the rules of Eden City.

It could be done but there were certain consequences.

"Maybe we should all just give it up," Levi said out of nowhere as he drew all the attention in the room to him, "we're all doomed anyways, even if we're able to avert this calamity, there's a greater one waiting for us in less than three years since our Alpha here..." he threw a taunting look my way, "has failed to find his mate and..."

"Shut the fuck up, Levi," I growled, unable to control the rage in me and I could feel my wolf shimmering in my eyes which was just proof of how badly angered I was by his words.

"Why?" the bastard still had the audacity to look at me in this eyes with a nonchalance that made me want to yank his head off his neck, "it's not like I'm lying, we're doomed if you're unable to find your mate and..."

"Stop it, Levi, this is not the time to blame Kai for what the Moon Goddess is responsible for," that was Lucas, one of the elders on the council, and heaven saved Levi because I was already about to stand from my chair and teach him a lesson he won't forget.

Damn all the rules binding us in this Eden City.

Because we live in a modern world, we were not allowed to behave in those archaic ways. We were bound by laws that fit into the modern world and even though I was the Alpha and the most powerful person here and I still had the final say on all things, I couldn't just act out of anger and yank Levi's head off his neck.

He knows just how much that was a very sensitive topic for me but he still dares to bring it up.

"We shouldn't pester The Alpha when he's doing his best to work out things. Why don't we assemble again in seven days and I'm sure he'd have figured out a way to turn this situation around by then."

"Seven days closer to our doom but no problem," Levi was the first one to reply as he stood up and he walked out without a backward glance.

The others nodded and they started to walk out too and even though they weren't saying it, I knew that was scared, not only because of the development and what it could mean for us but also because of the greater calamity that awaits us in less than three years because of my inability to find a mate.

Sometimes, I hated the Moon Goddess for doing this. Why was it a must for me to get married to my mate if I wanted our werewolf race to continue when my mate probably doesn't exist?

Because I've searched far and wild and she simply doesn't exist.

"I believe you'll find a solution," Lucas told me as he walked out too, leaving me alone in the room.

And I knew, I just knew that I have to do what I have to do.

Even if it's the unthinkable.