Chapter 120

120 The Departure Luke.

Tia and I returned to our room after we released our broadcast. I was nervous about the response.

There was outrage after five hours of broadcast. People were asking for Regan‘s head. He still had

supporters, but they weren‘t as many as they used to be. A lot of Alphas had shifted their support to

neutral. He only had three territories supporting him. Cleeve, Dome and Cape. He had lost all his

supporters and territories. We could have as well just destroyed him now, but we had issued a challenge,

and both parties had accepted the terms and conditions. We had no choice but to carry on. People were

outraged, and we had new military volunteers, but I was not willing to take anyone, just in case the new

inflow of people where from Regan. Stacy‘s confession had done the trick, and people felt sorry for her

and saw her as a strong woman. No one hated her; it only made them love her more. It was finally time

to plan the trip to Neev. I was about to call for a meeting in the office when my phone rang. I answered

immediately. “Hello?” I answered.

“Good morning Alpha Luke; I am Alpha Bashir Ahmed, current alpha of Neeve,” he said, and I was

surprised that the Alpha‘s son had succeeded him. The guy was barely twenty.

“How may I help you?” I asked him, trying not to sound surprised.

“We are uncomfortable with this fight happening in our territory. Knowing Regan‘s reputation, we do not

think he will stick to the rules. We cannot risk another war in Neev,” he said, knowing that the first one

was between my father and him; I understood his words, but it wasn’t in his place to deny us access. I

still owned the Island regardless of his pack or territory. “So, what are you trying to say?” I asked him. He

sighed and waited a bit before responding. “We want to know if you will be coming with your troop to

Neev to protect us,” he asked, and I sighed. ‘No, Bashir. It is a one–on–one battle, so I will not be moving

with troops to Neeve for protection.” I responded, and he was silent. “What if Regan does that? How will

we protect ourselves? Woodclaw has not funded our military in a while. Our weapons are obsolete, and

we do not have the number to withstand an

attack.” he complained, and I sighed, knowing what he was asking for.

“Be rest assured it will not come to that. We trust Regan to keep his part of the deal, or else he will not

be able to ascend as Alpha if he wins by cheating. The fight will be televised after all.” I explained it to

him, and he was silent.

“Alright, Alpha Luke. I will take your word for it. Remember that our safety and care are your

responsibilities.” He reminded me, and I told him his citizen‘s safety is highly important. I also let him

know I was partly from Neev, so I cannot hurt my people either, and that is why

the fight will occur on the battleground away from the residents.

He thanked me and hung up. T‘ia exited the bathroom. I waited for her to get ready, and we headed

toward the office to have our final meeting.

Everyone was waiting there, ready to take orders. “We will be living for Neev in three days, but I want our

troops to go there by road as normal travellers within two days. I want three hundred armed troops in

Neev with ammunition. I do not trust that man.” I said, and everyone agreed with me. “Who are the

people officially going there?” Caleb asked, and I looked at everyone present. “Me, Caleb, father, Mike

and Kirk,” I said, and Tia frowned. “What about Stacy and Me? Don‘t we deserve to follow?” She asked,

and I shook my head. “You have to be here to ensure no funny business. You and the women warriors

you have gathered will protect Woodclaw from invasion. His treachery might be from here and not Neev.

” I said, and she stood akimbo, annoyed at my decision. “And what makes you think that?” She asked,

and I sighed.

“I doubt he will want to attack where people will anticipate it. The current Alpha of Neeve just called to

find out if we will be coming there with backup. I told him, no, and he tried to ask for arms to protect his

residents. There is no way Regan does not know they don‘t trust him in Neeve, and knowing all the

atrocities he had done there, he will be guarded. Woodclaw will be the best way to double–cross us.” I

said, and Tia began to laugh. I knew she was pissed off.

“You must really think I am stupid, Luke,” she said, and I frowned at her.

“If you believed Regan would attack Woodclaw, you will not ask me to remain and protect the place. Not

after you have asked me to promise not to shift. What do you take me for, Luke? Simply tell me that you

have everything figured out and do not need our help. I feel that will be less insulting.” She said, and I

could feel her anger. I got up and took Tia out of the office. This was a conversation we would have to

resolve between ourselves. Before I left, I ordered Kirk and Mike to ensure the troops started moving to

Neev. As the Delta, Mike should remain, but we needed all the help we could get in Neev just in case of

an issue. I could not take Tia all the way to our wing, so I led her t a room in the right wing.

I locked the door behind me and looked at her. She had an angry scowl, and I could not blame her for it.

She was a trained fighter. It was expected that she would want to fight. I pinned her against the wall and

bent to rest my forehead against hers. I took in her scent and moved my body close so there would e no

space between us.

“I need you to let me win this time, Tia.” I pleaded with her, and she was silent. “I want you and our child

to be safe. I wouldn‘t forgive myself if anything happened to you in Neev, Please.” I pleaded, and she

moved away from me. I hugged her from behind and kissed my mark on her neck.

“Please, Tia, do this for me. I need you to be here, not there. I need to have a reason to come home.” I

said, and she turned and looked into my eyes

“What about me, Luke. I want my pound of flesh too. That man tried to kill us. At first, we

thought your father did something to him, only to discover that he was a twisted fuck. I want to be there.

Stacy and I gathered warriors for this. Do not underestimate our strength, Luke. three hundred and nine

women that want Regan‘s head will be a great addition.” She argued with me, and I pulled her close.

“Please, Tia, listen to me. I want you here. I was hoping you could hold the ground in Woodclaw. If they

attack, I know the women will make sure they regret it. I doubt they will come here, but just in case,

please. There are also bunkers here where you can hide if the worst happens. If anything happens to us

and we fail, I need you and Paul to escape.” I said, finally giving her my actual reasons for asking her to

remain.

I have learned never to underestimate Regan and did not want to be overconfident. I will be happy

knowing that my mate and children will be okay. I needed her to do this for me. I needed her to remain in

Woodclaw for me.

Tia looked into my eyes with tear–filled eyes.

“Now you are telling me the true reason you want me to stay,” she said, and her tears started falling

freely. “I will sit here if that will give you peace of mind, but don‘t you dare die on me, Luke. Don‘t you

dare it? If you do, I will never forgive you.” She told me I knew why she wanted to come too. She wanted

to come to protect me and make sure we won, but both of us needed to know that we could not control

the outcome of events. Present or not, things will happen according to fate.

“Tia,” I breathed her name, and she hugged me tightly and began to sob.

“I really wanted to come with you, Luke. I wanted to be there. I wanted to have your back and carry you if

need be.” she said, and I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “You have done

that every day since you came into my life, Tia,” I said, and she held me tightly. “You better come back,

Luke.” She said, and I held her for a bit.

TWO DAYS TO THE FIGHT It was finally time to leave for Neev. We planned to settle in two days before

the main day to discuss some things with the Alpha and also settle in.

Tia, Stacy, Kimberly, and Tasha decided they would see us off to the base to board the helicopter that

would take us to Neev. The three hundred Troops we sent had arrived there. Some were yet to enter

Neeve to avoid suspicion, while others had settled in the towns close to the battlefield. They were to

move towards the battlefield on the day of the fight.

I was glad Tia agreed to remain in Woodclaw.

Tia, Caleb, Kimberly, Kirk and I were in one car, while my father, Stacy, Mike and Tasha were in the

other. I felt Tia‘s nervousness, and I pulled her close to me.

“I will be home soon, darling,” I linked her, and she turned to kiss me.

We were amazed by the crowd that greeted us outside when we drove out of Maison‘s gate,

People stood on each side of the roads with flowers and cards with encouraging words. Some of them

were crying. I did not know we had this much support until now. It simply meant they were listening “They

are listening, Luke,” Tia managed, and I pulled her close and wound down the glass to wave at the

people. They waved back and told us how much they loved us and that we should put an end to the

monster. The biggest mistake Regan made was to come out. He had lost sympathy and support. The

crowd lined up and led all the way to the headquarters, where there were children with flowers waiting for

us. We alighted from the cars and walked towards the entrance. Tia held on to me tightly, and we waved

to the people. I was greeted at the door by a six-year–old girl. She was pretty, and she had red roses in

her hand. I squatted to greet her, and she smiled at me. “What‘s your name, little girl?” I asked, and she

beamed at me. “My Name is Chealse.” She said, and I smiled and patted her head. “Come back to us,

Alpha,” she said and handed me the flower. I collected them from her, lifted her, and spun her around.

She giggled, and Tia smiled. Then I held her and turned to face the crowd.

“Let us wave everyone, Chelsea,” I said, and the three of us waved at the crowd. My father, Caleb, Kirk

and Mike got flowers too from the children. Our people were supporting us. While I was still waving at my

people, one of the soldiers came with his phone to show me a live broadcast. It was from the people of

Eastwood. “Alpha Luke! Show them what the Renshaws are made of and kick his butt. For our Alpha

Chloe Moon, Regan must Pay!!” they said, cheering me on. I got a lot of broadcasts from all over,

including the people of Neev. Stacy‘s confessions had destroyed Regan‘s reputation. Killing a woman

because she said no was low and that alone made everything he claimed my father did to him worth it.

We left the crowd and moved to the first base‘s roof to board the helicopter. I squatted and kissed Tia‘s

bump. Placing my hand on it, I promised my baby to come home to both of them.

We entered the helicopter, and the women stood together and watched us settle in. They moved away

so that the helicopter could start. I promised myself as we lifted into the air to ensure we came home to

them alive and well,