Xander Nile.

"So here's been involved with alpha Gard this whole time?" I asked Marquis as we were in the not so old packhouse where the new pack members were, no one knew about this meeting, therefore I knew not even Val would disturb us. "Not this whole time specifically but the year that was missing, Xander, —according to the call and the information Xi got, the alpha isn't at his compoud, he's in St Maine, holding what I'm assuming is Valentino's lover and child, we might not like Val right now but that baby is Cornell's grandchild, we need to help them." Marquis concluded as Alexis was silently sitting next to him, something was going on with him but I couldn't ask, we had more pressing matters.

"Contact Xi, I need information on the compound, if there are hunters, or how many wolves the alpha left behind, also get in contact with Ralliel, he's better able in assisting with finding Val's son, but we need to be discreet, we can't just jump in there claws out, it'll make them retaliate, but what we're about to do is definitely going to give Ralliel and Luca time to find the child and assess the situation." I replied my brother who nodded and stood up to leave. Rhiner was guarding the door outside, so when Marquis walked out, he came in. "So I see you're still sulking." Rhiner muttered as he looked at Lexi and I wondered why he said that statement.

"It's nothing Xander, I can literally feel you through the link poking my mind." Alexis exclaims and I definitely knew that he wasn't alright, so I stood up from my seat, grabbed his short form and placed him on my lap. "Now don't make me coax it out of you, be a good little brother, and tell me what's wrong." I mumbled and he pouted. "I don't want to, you'll think it's weird or silly." He sighs and props himself on my chest, rumbling like a cat as he got comfortable. "So you're okay with making me your comfort pillow but not with sharing your feelings, nope,—not happening, tell me what's wrong or I'm not getting you your Louis Vuitton preparty gift." I mumbled and a gasp escaped his lips.

"You wouldn't dare." He protested sitting up and I quirked a brow. "Try me little brother." I shot back and a scowl passed his lips. "Fine, Marquis and I —we're mates." He whispered and the amount of shock and excitement that went through me was unbelievable and yet. "Why do you say that sadly?" I questioned and Rhiner finally made his presence in my office known. "Cause Marquis is acting like he doesn't feel it, and that's because he's afraid of what you'll think, yet he's been checking out baby shortie over there like he'd fuck him till kingdom come." He replied for Alexis who was now hiding by my chest again. "Rhiner, have I mentioned how colorful your vocabulary is." I stated and he grinned. "Aww, thanks Xander, that's pretty sweet of you, gimmie a kiss." He replies leaning over to press a kiss to my cheek.

"Your mate will kill me one day with the amount of affection you give me." I grumbled as I turned my attention away from the grinning fool to my little brother. "Marquis is an idiot if he thinks I wouldn't approve, I'm happy for you, you don't have to wander the world looking for your mate, he's right next to you, he's always been." I comforted my little brother who nodded as his body relaxed. "I'll talk to him and smack some sense into him okay, promise." I whispered holding out my pinkie. "Okay, thanks Xander." Alexis replies as we entwine our pinkies. "Who will you smack?" Marquis asks walking in. "Lexi, how about you go spend the day with your nephew and niece, spoil yourselves, just don't break bank." I told him handing him one of my cards. "Yay, shopping, ice cream!" He cheered getting up, like a kid on christmas indeed. "Thank you Xander!" He hugged me one last time before turning to glare at his mate then like our dad, strut his stuff as he walked out.

"Uh, Rhiner, to where do you think you're going?" I asked as I caught him sneaking out. "To Alexis." He mouthed and I knew he saw the trap that was ready for him. "So you think going shop hopping and ice cream licking with my children is more important than your job as head warrior?" I questioned innocently as Marquis snickered next to my desk. "No." Rhiner replied defeatedly and I chuckled. "Good boy, now come, we have a compound to raze." I told him as he and Marquis nodded following me out. "I need twenty warriors, fuel and lots of it, so gather the warriors, place them in ten teams, they will man ten trucks carrying the fuel, I'm assuming alpha Gard isn't at home or anywhere close to it." I told Rhiner and Marquis, my brother nodding to my assumption.

"What are you planning on doing?" Rhiner demanded and I narrowed my eyes on him. "Do as I've told you, once you're done, I'll explain." I sweetly replied but there was no sweetness in my words. "Yes alpha." He quickly replied and sprinted off towards the training grounds. "To make a man desperate, doubt himself,  over think and make non rational decisions, corner him, make only one hole he can escape out of but that in itself is a trap so that the moment he shows his skin, you'll strike him down." I whispered one of the many lessons Jude drilled into me, alpha Gard was smart, he knew how to manipulate a situation and people, if Val following him says anything, I needed him to be distraught and non rational, its why I sent Xi to poison his men with a creation of his own making, now I would burn his compound to the ground without the numbers or defensible ground, he'll be desperate.

"We're going to burn something down aren't we?" Marquis asked as I checked all the information he'd gathered on his tablet. "Yes, yes we are and after that, you and I are getting into the boxing ring." I told him and he nervously gulped. "Why brother?" He shook and much to my amusement I just patted his shoulder and looked toward Rhiner and the oncoming trucks. "As requested alpha, we'll load up more fuel on the road." Rhiner stated as I nodded toward him and got into the first truck which already had pack warriors at the front. "Alpha, uh—good morning, you can drive sir." The pack warrior stuttered and I chuckled, she was cute. "No, you drive, I'll sit in the back with Rhiner and my brother, Marquis, give her our destination." I explained as Marquis got to work. "Yes, alpha." They all replied as the truck began to move and we were off.

"The plan Rhiner is simple, to lure a snake out you clog all its escape holes with fire, leaving one that you're guarding, but before it actually comes out what does it do?" I asked and my head warrior seem to put it all together. "It squirms, makes irrational decisions and tries to use it's escape holes but when they are closed it's forced to use the one free hole, but seeing as it knows there are people waiting it will want to strike, you just need to bide your time and strike before it does or after." He replied and I nodded. "We are clogging the alpha's escape holes." I told him and he grinned as we stopped at a gas station, we quickly filled up on fuel and soon we were on the road again, the female warrior could drive really well, I commended her for it seeing as we were making good time, though darkness would descend upon us before we reached our destination.

"Its so silent." Marquis spoke to me through the mind link as we had finally arrived at the alpha's compound at four am in the morning, a whole day of driving but it seems my warriors were still as fresh as ever, never underestimate a wolf's nature they were creatures of the night. "It's supposed to be, there aren't a lot of wolves here but it's crawling with hunters, they seem sick." Rhiner replied as I smirked, Xi had done his job. "Stay in pairs, encircle the whole compound, kill any of the guards surrounding the property then proceed to dousing every part of it in petrol, Rhiner, Marquis, they have several gas tanks here, find where they are connecting to, I don't need to explain much after that, as for the rest of you, this is why we train you in stealth, I will be here guarding, ready to assist any of you, now go." I ordered them and they quickly did as I instructed in pairs.

I watched as Marquis and Rhiner climb past the walls of the compound, as a wolf my hearing was always heightened, it's how I could hear the muffled screams of dying men, the choking grips of death on hunters in the compound. "You know, I would've never thought of something like this." A voice called out from behind me, it was a man, a hunter to be specific, he was the other reason why I stayed behind, I scented him out when we got close to the alpha's compound. "Why is that?" I asked and he snickered. "My brethren have always thought you wolves are nothing more than myth, then you became real, we've killed your kind for sport, but then you learned to blend in, become more human, adapt, grow, evolve, —look at you, you're the epitome of perfection for any swooning man or woman, yet you could kill me in less than a second, I never thought I'd see the day my kind could be slaughtered so easily, you've learnt to harness the power of your wolves to such precision that you've already taken down this compound in less than a few minutes, impressive." He went on further but his statement was grating on me.

"If you aren't going to pull out that fancy gun to try kill me, what do you want?" I demanded and he sighed. "I want protection, I will serve you alpha, in any way or form, if only you protect me from Gard." He replied and I finally understood, in the old days, this was mutiny, well in terms of alpha Gard. "I have no use for you." I told him as Rhiner was behind the hunter, his body fell to the ground with my head warrior standing above him with a hunters heart in hand. "I really don't like these hunters." Rhiner exclaimed as I chuckled. "Hunters have killed children, mothers and fathers, displaced homes what made him think you'd spare his life." The warrior added as I chuckled. "I suppose he thought I looked like I could help him." I replied the warrior with a scoff before turning to face the compound.

"Everyone accounted for?" I asked the wolves through the mind link. "One warrior down, we're treating him alpha, but we are all accounted for." A warrior replied as Marquis grinned. "Brother if you wouldn't mind." He asserted and I walked toward the compound it would only take a single match to blow the mixture of gas and fuel, so I flicked the lighter Marquis gave me and threw it just beyond the wall, fire erupted in a roaring inferno engulfing the whole place, I made my way back just as the other wolves set fire to the fuel poured around the compound creating another circle of blazing flames.

This was it, he had no defensive ground, now it was onto the next part of my plan. "Xander I've contacted Ralliel, he says he's sent out a team to look into Val's family." Marquis informed me as we drove back home, leaving a blaze behind us, the howl of a wolf echoing in the distance as we left.

+++

Xander ain't no goody goody, and honestly I think this chapter made me realize that Xander is now more than what I'd made him up to be previously, he's more than that, I feel like he's got depth now. Thoughts?

Saint Jay.