The Prophecy Of The Wolves I - The Beginning
~ Chapter Seventeen ~

When Liliana and Cayden got to the gym, Cayden pulled out some mats and laid them on the ground. “Okay,” Cayden said as he stood in front of her. “First, we are going to test you. This way, I know what I need to work on with you and what you already know.”

Liliana waved him off. “I need to learn everything. As you know, I do my daily workouts to stay in shape and run all the time, but when it comes to fighting, I don’t know anything.”

Cayden pressed a kiss to her head. “Okay, dove. It looks like we have a lot of work to do then.”

Cayden ran a hand through his hair as he quickly formed a training schedule for Liliana. He chose to start with hand-to-hand combat. He began teaching her everything that he knew about fighting. Cayden was surprised at how quickly Liliana managed to learn everything. He could fly through everything he had planned on teaching her that day. They trained for several hours before Cayden called it a day. “Okay, my dove. That’s it for today,” he grinned as he pulled her into his arms. “It’s amazing how quickly you caught on to everything. Not many people can learn that fast.”

Liliana grinned brightly. “I’ve always been able to learn things quickly like that. It’s how I was able to learn all of the medical stuff that I did.”

Cayden grin widened. “That’s amazing, little dove.”

Liliana pressed a kiss to his cheek before intertwining her fingers with his. “Come on. Let’s go take another shower, and then I can make us some food.”

Cayden rubbed his stomach with that same wide grin. “I am starving, and your food is so delicious.”

Liliana threw her head back and laughed as they walked upstairs. They quickly took a shower and got dressed.

Once they had gotten dressed, they went downstairs. Cayden went to his office to get some work done, and Liliana went to the kitchen to make them something for lunch.

Atlas had been trying to figure out what to do about Liliana. He knew that she had the protection of the most robust werewolf pack in the world. However, he didn’t know who else could already be protecting her.

For all he knew, Liliana already had an army behind her. Atlas hadn’t been able to get a spy on the inside of her little army yet. It pissed him off. He was seething in his rage when there was a knock on his office door. “What?” He growled as he turned his chair to face the door.

Martin hesitantly stepped into the room and closed the door. He stood in front of his desk with his hands behind his back. “Sir,” Martin said in a rough voice. “I think there’s something that you should know,” he said as he shifted from one foot to the other.

Atlas glared at him. “What is it?” He demanded as he leaned back in his chair.

“I have a spy inside a vampire clan. It’s a mighty vampire clan allied with the world’s biggest, deadliest clan,” Martin sighed. “Do you remember the vampire clan you had before?” He asked. “The one with the leader whose wife and daughter you murdered?”

Atlas raised an eyebrow as he studied him. “Yeah. What about it?”

“The vampire leader. Do you remember his name?” He questioned as he finally sat down in a chair across from Atlas.

Atlas shrugged. “Of course I do. I remember everyone that’s ever betrayed me,” he said.

“What was it?” He questioned.

Atlas sighed in annoyance. “His name was Jacques. Jacques Bloodsworth. He’s been around just as long as the gods have,” he muttered.

Martin nodded. “From what I’ve heard, he’s the one gathering all of the vampires to Liliana’s side. After that, he went to his brother, who now runs the coven that he left after the war,” he explained.

Atlas glared at him as he tightly clenched his hands together. “That son of a bitch is still alive?!” He demanded furiously.

Martin cleared his throat as he stood up and moved closer to the door. “Yes, sir. It seems that he fell off the grid and has been in hiding for the past few centuries,” he explained.

Atlas let out a roar as he swept everything off of his desk. Then, after a minute, he took a deep breath and turned to Martin. “I want him found and brought back to me alive.”

Martin nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ll grab a team and head out right away,” he left the room swiftly, not wanting to anger Atlas any more than he already was.

Atlas exhaled as he turned to look outside. He felt he would be able to use Jacques to get to Liliana. He just wasn’t sure how yet.

After Jacques spoke with Liliana, he went back into his brother’s mansion and sat with him as he made all the calls he had to. Finally, they agreed on when they should leave for Liliana’s land and even came up with some battle plans.

Of course, Jacques knew that Liliana would already have several plans in her mind, but he thought that it couldn’t hurt to suggest ideas. Especially since he and his brother had both been through this war before.

It had been a few days since then, and they were getting ready to leave. Several other covens had joined them and would travel the entire way together. In addition, other covens had agreed to meet either along the way or at the final location.

“Everyone is just about ready,” Michael said as they stood in front of the army that had gathered.

Jacques nodded as he looked over at everyone. “Alright. Liliana is going to need us there as soon as possible. I’m sure she has a long list of other creatures we need for our army,” he said as he turned back to his brother, who had been standing next to him.

Michael nodded and let out a loud whistle to gain everyone’s attention. ”Okay, everyone. Gather your things, and let’s move out. There’s a lot of work to be done, and we must get to the little wolf’s territory as soon as possible.”

Everyone did as Michael said and started making their way toward Liliana. It was going to take them three days to get there. After that, it would have been only two, but with their belongings and families, it would take a bit longer.

Jacques walked behind everyone and pulled his phone out as they started their journey. He dialed Liliana’s number and waited for her to answer. “Hello?” She responded breathlessly.

Even though she couldn’t see him, he raised an eyebrow. “Well, hello to you as well. Am I interrupting something?” He questioned with a slight smirk.

Liliana scoffed as he heard metal clanging together in the background. “No, Cayden and I are just doing some training,” she said with a grunt.

Jacques sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “As much as I don’t want you fighting, I know there’s no way for me to stop you.”

Liliana let out a breathless laugh. “There isn’t,” she sighed as Jacques heard the sound of a loud clang. “I know it’s going to be dangerous, Jacques,” she grunted again before continuing. “But how can I ask others to fight in this war and risk everything if I’m unwilling to do the same?” She asked softly.

Jacques already knew that was how she felt. “I know, little one. I understand. Just keep training, and please be careful.”

“Of course, Jacques,” Liliana said softly.

Jacques sighed as he looked around and noticed that he was now alone. “I was calling to let you know we were on our way. We should be there in about three days,” he explained as he started walking after the others.

Jacques could hear the smile in Liliana’s voice when she said. “I can’t wait for you to get back.”

Jacques chuckled. “Are you missing me, little one?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

Liliana let out a breathless laugh. “I am. I miss our walks and conversations.”

Jacques grinned. “I do, too, little one,” he looked around again. “I’ll be there soon.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Liliana said joyfully.

Jacques chuckled as he shook his head and hung up the phone.

Jacques was about to catch up to the others when he heard it. It was a small scream that sounded like a little girl. He stopped in his tracks and listened closely. Once he had a direction, he took off toward the screaming. When he got to the clearing, he frowned as he looked around. He could have sworn that the screams had been coming from that clearing, but no one was in the area. “What the hell?” He muttered.

Jacques turned around to go back the way that he came when he came face to face with three people. One was a vampire he had banished from their lands while still the coven leader. Another was a wolf that smelt like a rogue. The third was a warlock that he could tell was quite powerful. He glared at all of them before directing his attention to the vampire. “What are you doing on these lands, Martin?” Jacques demanded. “As far as I know, I banished you centuries ago, and Michael hasn’t lifted your banishment.”

Martin let out a snarl. “I still say that the banishment was bullshit,” he said through clenched teeth.

Jacques scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Martin, you know it wasn’t bullshit. I banished you because of your disgusting infatuation with girls barely old enough to use their powers. I banished you for that and for trying to come after my daughter,” he glared at him. “There is no excuse for what you were doing. We even had to bury a couple of girls because of what you did.”

Martin scoffed. “They were asking for it, and they were old enough,” he muttered.

Jaques’s glare turned icy and deadly. “They were not either of those things. You’re making excuses. You wanted them for your own sick and twisted reasons and tried to devise any excuse to get you out of trouble.”

Martin shrugged. “Let’s move on from the past,” he said as he smirked. “There’s someone that would like to speak with you,” he said as he gestured to the warlock.

The warlock said a quick incantation, and Jacques felt his world spin before going completely black.

Liliana panted as she lifted her sword to block Cayden’s advance. “Brilliant, little dove,” Cayden shook his head with a wide smile. “You’re such a quick learner.”

Liliana shrugged with a grin. “Thank you, love.”

Cayden pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Come on. Let’s go again.”

Liliana nodded and brought her sword up. They went back and forth for a while before calling it a day. They had been training for several hours and still had to prepare the land for the vampires.

As they were walking upstairs, Cayden asked. “So where are we going to put all of these vampires?”

Liliana sighed as they walked into their room. “Well, I have had the builders build more houses around us. So we should have the houses ready for the vampires to get here. Jacques said the group he’s with will be here in three days.”

Cayden nodded as they headed into the bathroom. “I didn’t even realize that you’ve spoken with the builders,” he said playfully.

Liliana rolled her eyes as she started taking her clothes off. “You knew about it. With all the constant noise, it’s impossible not to know.”

Cayden chuckled as he pressed a kiss to her temple. “I simply enjoy teasing you, dove.”

Liliana playfully pushed him away before hopping in the shower.

Cayden chuckled as he followed her into the shower. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He bent down a bit to press kisses to her neck. He playfully nipped at his mark on her neck. “Do you have any idea what you do to me, little dove?” He whispered huskily against her neck.

Even though Cayden couldn’t see Liliana’s face, he knew she was blushing brightly. Cayden continued nipping at her neck as she leaned her head to the side to give him better access. Finally, he turned her around to face him and cupped her face in his hands. He tilted her head back and leaned down to devour her lips. Liliana moaned as she leaned into him and gladly kissed him back passionately.

Cayden let out a possessive growl as he gently pushed her up against the wall. Liliana gasped as she wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands roamed over her body until he got to her thighs. He gently gripped them and hoisted her up, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist. He rubbed the head of his fully erect erection between her wet folds.

Liliana let out a breathy moan as her head fell back against the wall. Cayden teased her for another minute before slowly sliding into her feminine channel. He slid in until he was fully seated inside of her. Liliana gasped as she dug her nails into his shoulders and Cayden started sliding in and out of her. He started slow, but it didn’t take long for him to dive into her harder and faster, quickly bringing them both to an explosive climax as always.

Cayden rested his forehead against hers as they came down from their orgasmic high. “I love you, my little dove,” he whispered as he looked into her eyes.

Liliana gave him a loving smile. “I love you too, my beloved.”

Cayden pressed a featherlight kiss to her lips as he held her in that position. They were enjoying being in each other’s arms when there was a loud knock on their front door. Cayden threw his head back as he glared at the ceiling. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He grumbled.

Liliana giggled as she rested her head against his shoulder. “I suppose we have no choice but to rush the rest of our shower then.”

Cayden chuckled as he kissed her forehead before gently setting her on her feet. They quickly got washed up before getting out and drying off. Cayden grumbled some more as he threw on sweatpants and a tank top before going downstairs to stop the person from banging on the door anymore.

Cayden yanked it open and sighed as Lucas and Daedalus stood before him. “What is it?” He questioned as he rested his forearm against the doorframe.

“We need to plan and figure things out,” Daedalus said as he folded his arms over his chest.

Cayden rolled his eyes. “Liliana already has a plan laid out. Head to my office, and I’ll grab her. She should be dressed by now.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow with a smirk. “Busy morning Cayden?” He questioned playfully.

Cayden glared at him as he took a couple of steps back. “Shut up, Lucas. We just got out of the shower.”

Lucas threw his head back and laughed as Daedalus shook his head with a small smile.

Cayden ignored Lucas’s teasing as he went upstairs to grab Liliana. “Okay, little dove,” he said as he closed the door behind him. “Daedalus and Lucas are here. They want to hear our plan.”

Liliana nodded as she styled her hair. First, she took a decent-sized chunk in the front and quickly french-braided it before pinning it back. Next, she pulled a bit of hair over it before pinning it underneath the rest of her hair in the back. Finally, she nodded as she turned to face Cayden. “Let’s go. We can train more when we’ve finished with Lucas and Daedalus.”

Cayden nodded. “Before that, we must check on the pack and their training. Then, we must ensure the pack adjusts well to the new changes.”

It was Liliana’s turn to nod. “Okay, my beloved.”

They went to his office and sat in front of Daedalus and Lucas. “As I’m sure Cayden has already told you, I have a plan. For now, we are going to train and train some more,” Liliana looked between Daedalus and Lucas. “I’m sure that between the two of you, Roman and Anna, we can learn how to defeat most of the creatures that I’m sure Atlas will have in his army,” she tilted her head slightly. “If you’re all willing to do it, that is.”

Lucas shrugged. “Of course. Anything to help us win this war,” he said as he leaned back in his chair.

Daedalus nodded along with him. “Agreed. And even though he’s rusty, Prometheus will probably help as well,” he scoffed. “He’s been around longer than any of us.”

Liliana nodded. “Good. Thank you both. We could use all the help we can get with that,” she sighed as she leaned back into Cayden. “When we’re not training, we will build more houses for our army. The houses for the bigger creatures are going to be a bit difficult, but I’m sure our people can do it,” she let out a slow breath as Cayden started rubbing soothing circles on her shoulders and arms. “Once the vampires and other pack representatives arrive, we can send out teams to recruit the other creatures we need. To make things go by quicker and smoother, I want to have Kaine teleport them there and back. Perhaps he can get some help from other warlocks,” she tilted her head slightly as she thought for a minute. “You know, maybe I can send Kaine to recruit more witches and warlocks to our side. He’s almost as old as Jacques. I’m sure he must know a lot of other powerful witches and warlocks.”

Cayden chuckled as he pressed a kiss to her temple. “Focus, my dove,” he whispered into her ear.

“Right,” Liliana cleared her throat. “Once we have our entire army, we will buckle down on the training. I don’t want anyone slacking off and being unprepared. We will spend most of our time waiting. I don’t want to risk lives if we don’t have to, so we will wait for Atlas to come to us.”

“That’s a smart idea,” Daedalus said with a wide grin. “We know this terrain. I can set more traps that should take out a decent chunk of his army before they even get close to our front lines.”

Liliana grinned brightly. “Perfect,” she rubbed a hand over her face. “I do think that we should send someone out scouting to at least learn of Atlas’s whereabouts. This way, we can at least have an estimate of how long it would take for his army to get here.”

Lucas nodded in agreement. “It’s a good way to learn just how big his army is. Of course, we know it will be a huge army because he wants to do his best to destroy the entire world and the gods, but we can better prepare ourselves if we know the many lives he has recruited to fight alongside him.”

Liliana nodded along with him. “Exactly, but it has to be a willing volunteer, and it can’t be anyone with a lot to lose,” she sighed as her eyes glazed over. “I lost my parents when I was very young. No one should go through the pain of losing a loved one.”

Cayden sighed heavily. “I don’t know if everyone will agree with that, dove,” he said softly.

Liliana rubbed a hand across her forehead. “I know it would be their choice, but when we make this announcement, I want to ensure that they all think about their loved ones.”

Cayden nodded. “That’s all that we can do. But, in the end, it is their choice, and we can’t stop them.”

Liliana sighed heavily. “I know,” she said with a pout.

Cayden chuckled and kissed her temple again. “We will train and prepare ourselves as best as we can until Atlas brings the war to our doorstep,” Cayden explained. “Once we have our complete army, all the leaders will sit down, and we can form the best battle plan we can.”

Lucas and Daedalus nodded in agreement before leaving.