Damon

"Damon, are you listening?" Luca's voice broke through my thoughts. I turned to him; a worried look creased his face as he stared at me.

"Are you okay? You've been spacing out a lot lately. Is everything alright with Clara?" he asked, taking a seat. I sighed.

"She's been having frequent nightmares and is always on edge," I told him, and he frowned.

"Why? Is it because of the proposed attack her uncle told her about? She has nothing to worry about; we can handle them," Luca said. I believed that too, but Clara didn't seem convinced.

"She feels we're underestimating them and that I should take this seriously, which I am. She's also scared other supernatural beings will come after me," I said, humming thoughtfully.

"That just means we need to act immediately. I've infiltrated her uncle's group with a human informant. We should be getting information soon. Meanwhile, we need to convince others you're not involved in the supernatural killings—that's going to be difficult. I hear the wolves who survived the last massacre are spreading lies about you, fueling the situation. We have a lot of damage control to do," he pointed out. I nodded.

"Focus on getting information from the human informant and set up a meeting with the Lycan King first. He and his pack are our biggest rivals—they're stronger than normal wolves. As for those traitors, find them and capture them dead or alive," I ordered. Before he could reply, my phone rang, and a smile immediately spread across my face. Clara was calling.

"Hello, love," I greeted, settling back in my chair.

"When are you coming home? I miss you," she murmured, and I chuckled.

"Now who's being clingy?" I teased. I heard her sigh.

"This isn't funny, Damon," she said, making me smile.

"Don't worry, I'll be home soon. Luca and I are just finishing up. Have you eaten?" I asked. I heard her hum.

"Delilah took me out; we're on our way back now," she said, making me frown.

"Did you take your security detail? If you…"

"Relax, of course I did. I want to be safe, too, you know," she said, and I sighed.

"Give the phone to Delilah, please. I want to speak with her," I told Clara. I heard some shuffling before Delilah's voice came through. "What is it? You want to threaten me?" she asked.

"It seems you're well aware. Protect her with your life; if anything happens…"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll kill me yourself, I'm well aware. Can you give the phone to Luca? I want to…"

"Hand the phone back to Clara," I interrupted. I heard her grumble before handing the phone back.

"Hello? We're almost home," she said, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good, wait for me at home then. I'll leave right away, okay?" I assured her. She hummed in response.

"I love you, rest when you get home, okay?" I murmured, waiting for her to hang up before turning to Luca.

"We need to be quick. Set everything in motion and get back to me tonight. I need intel on the human hunters tonight," I said, standing up.

"Okay, copy that. Are you going to tell Clara about everything?" he asked. I paused, pondering his words.

"I'll tell her whatever will ease her mind. We'll talk later," I said, grabbing my things and walking away.

Just as I was about to get in my car, my phone rang. I frowned when I saw Luca's name. "What do you…"

"I've gotten some information, and things aren't looking good. Not only are supernatural beings being killed, but humans are too, and the killings are still being framed on you. According to my mole, the humans are furious and want to act immediately. They're already planning, but he doesn't have access to those conversations," he informed me. I clenched my fist.

"Let them come then; I'll crush them all with my bare hands," I muttered through clenched teeth. But when Luca fell silent, I knew there was more.

"Spit it out," I urged. He sighed.

"According to my mole, this is a major misunderstanding. The human hunters aren't the only ones killing supernatural beings; someone else is. If you're not killing the humans, then whoever is killing the supernatural beings is also killing the humans, and I guarantee it's one of your enemies. Whoever it is is trying to turn everyone against you, but why? What do they stand to gain?" Luca asked. I sighed as I got into the car.

"Getting rid of me, that's what. I want this investigated; we have to find whoever it is immediately before things get worse," I said as the driver started the car.

"That's not all. They have weapons—weapons proven to kill wolves. They use wolves as test subjects, and it works incredibly well. One weapon can kill at least a hundred wolves, and they reportedly have at least fifteen. We're at a disadvantage, Damon. What exactly can we do now?" he asked. The worry in his voice made me growl.

I punched the car window, shattering it, before asking the driver to turn around so Luca and I could plan properly. I wanted to be with Clara, but this was more serious than I anticipated.

"Every male and female over 17 is eligible for training. Vigorous training starts tonight. All able-bodied men and women must be present, or they will be punished. I'm coming back so we can check on the weapons we already have," I told him.

"Copy that, Alpha," he replied. I hung up, massaging my temples and taking a deep breath.

I had to take care of this quickly so I could go back to my wife. Hopefully, this wouldn't end in war, but if it did, we had to be ready. One thing was for sure: I wouldn't go down without a fight.