Chapter 533: The Pack That Refused to Die

One Month Before

Silence settled heavily in the room after Nathan finished speaking.

Tobias stared at him.

"The Enclave invaded your pack?" he repeated slowly.

Nathan gave a small nod.

Before he could say anything else, Annabeth scoffed loudly.

"Oh please."

She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Benny and most of the others practically let themselves be taken."

Nathan sighed.

"You are skipping ahead."

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"I’m simplifying."

Nathan rubbed the side of his temple before looking back at Tobias.

"Ignore her for a moment."

Annabeth snorted.

"I am sitting right here."

Nathan continued anyway.

"What I was saying is that Victoria’s warriors came here first under official authority. I mean, they still come under official authority, but they had been here before now and many times before too."

Annabeth leaned forward slightly now, her eyes cold.

"They came with a message."

Nathan nodded.

"They claimed the Silver Creek Pack had refused to pay taxes to the Luna."

Annabeth gestured dismissively with her hand.

"That’s how it works in the West. The smaller packs pay more taxes than the bigger ones, specifically those who always fall at Victoria’s feet. The rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer," she told him.

"They said packs who refuse to pay taxes," Nathan continued quietly, "should not be allowed to live on land that belongs to the Luna."

"Goddess knows I have no idea when the West became a place that belonged to the Luna. I’ve lived here even before she was born, and no one had a claim on this land," Nathan said.

"But that is not even the issue because we did pay our taxes, at least the ones we were supposed to pay, though I see no reason why we should have paid. Apparently, that wasn’t enough for Victoria," Annabeth said.

"And we all know that the taxes not being paid was just a cover," she added. "Victoria wants something from us, but I don’t know what it is exactly."

"And if it really were just about taxes, why did she send warriors that immediately started killing and dragging pack members away from the very beginning?" Annabeth asked.

Nathan nodded.

"That’s because she didn’t want money from us. That much is obvious."

"Benny was still Alpha at the time," Nathan said. "He could not bear to see people—members of our pack—being treated like livestock, like they did not deserve to be alive. Like they did not deserve to be a part of the pack. And though it was a foolish decision to me, he volunteered himself along with most of the warriors and most notable members of the pack."

"We thought that Victoria would let us be after that. She had taken Benny after all, and it seemed like her warriors had done what she had sent them to do because they were quite excited when they took Benny. But days passed, and we were attacked again," Annabeth said bitterly.

"And this time they left with our priest—Louis. I still don’t understand why they were insistent on taking him, but they did and promised that that was all Victoria wanted and that after our priest was taken the others would be spared."

Nathan shook his head.

"How foolish we were."

"It should also be noted that before all this happened, the plague had begun. Benny was scouting around about it, trying to get more information. At first it was so he could be able to prevent it if it ever reached our pack, but then he noticed that the plague was only affecting some people," Annabeth said. "He had the suspicion that the plague was not normal."

"He and Louis were consulting each other regarding that. This was all before the message from your pack came too," Nathan told Tobias, who nodded.

"Louis and Benny were of the opinion that the plague may have been caused by black magic and that those affected were used as sacrifices," Annabeth said.

Tobias’s eyes widened at that.

"Sacrifices?" he asked. "But—"

"I’ll stop you there," Annabeth interrupted. "I don’t have the answer to any question you may have about the plague. I’m more interested in keeping my people—the ones who remain here—safe. The plague has not affected one person in this pack, and I’d like to keep it that way."

"But I’ve seen the plague," Tobias told her. "How do you expect to keep your people safe? It’s spreading, and it doesn’t look good at all. Every pack I passed while I was making my way here had at least a dozen people who were infected by it."

"That’s why Benny wanted to know more. For some people, a single touch could infect them, but for some others there is no infection, which is why Benny and Louis were investigating to see if it had anything to do with black magic," Annabeth told him.

Nathan leaned back slightly in his chair.

"You know, boy, I’m curious about something, and I just have to get this off my chest. Not that I don’t trust you or anything, but... how exactly did you end up as one of Victoria’s warriors? You are dressed like them and even smell like them. If not for the secret phrase, I would have thought you were one of them too."

Tobias shifted slightly.

"Um... long story, but I followed the warriors from the black market. I infiltrated them and behaved like them so as not to raise suspicion," Tobias told them.

Nathan blinked.

"That is... that is impressive," he said. "And no one suspected you?"

Tobias shook his head.

"No. And Victoria seems to be taken by me too. At least I think so."

Nathan let out a low whistle.

Annabeth watched Tobias carefully for a moment.

"Tobias, do you think you can help us?" she asked.

"That’s one of the reasons why I’m here," he told her.

She nodded and swallowed before speaking hesitantly.

"Could you help us rescue Benny and the others? They might have information about the plague, but apart from that, we are moving the pack. It’s high time we abandon the West before any more of our members die."