I was Kidnapped for Revenge by a Ruthless Alpha-Chapter 200: We Will Be Ready

***Sorry you guys, I finished the Gentle Maiden and took a few days off from any writing and worked a bunch in my real life. I just bought a BTS ticket, so I had to work a bunch to cover the cost of a trip!!! But I’ll be focused on this book over the next few days giving you a mass release to celebrate both the completion of the Gentle Maiden and my ticket. ***

~Odette~

The days flashed by in a blur. It all felt like one, unending night. Training, planning, practicing.

I was exhausted. I was angry. We were running short on time and every day we weren’t ready was a ticking time bomb.

The world was slowly descending into darkness. Not noticeably, but enough that if you knew about the impending war building and readying behind the shadows. The nights were growing longer, and the moon was phasing slower.

Today we would be summoning both the shifters and vampires for an international broadcast.

I could barely sit still. I was so anxious.

It would be the easiest way to get everyone on the same page. It’s something we should have done sooner, but everything is happening so fast, we just never found the time. And now we can’t wait any longer on informing our people all over the world of the war knocking on their doorstep. Discuss some of the plans we’ve come up with and rally the people to ban together and be ready to defend homelands and die for their people and their world.

That the time for petty species hatred was over and the time to survive was coming and death didn’t care who you hated if you didn’t stand with him.

This broadcast will introduce me as MoonChild, and the world would know her. There would be no more hiding, no more pretending. No more burdensome secrets that weighed me down

I would truly be free to be myself, authentically and unapologetically. And that terrified me.

My heart couldn’t slow down. Ambrose has been by my side all afternoon. But even still This is the most honest I’ll ever be and like goddess that’s a scary thing to think about.

But Ambrose was a rock and Emalea, the ever perfect assistant reminds me we have a plan. We aren’t coming to them with nothing. We have a press conference schedule. Alphas and clan heads would all be watching. Observing. Planning their next moves.

Some might jump ship or even switch sides. Some might take advantage of the chaos and try to fight over our thrones.

But it was a risk we’d have to take, we couldn’t and shouldn’t wait any longer to warn them.

I’d spent so much time trying to practice what I’ll say the time for it to start came before I realized. We thought the ballroom would be the best and the only space large enough to accommodate everyone.

I peeked from behind dark blue curtains that provided a backdrop from behind the podium.

That’s where I’ll stand. Where I’ll the entire world, not just the pack, but the entirety of the night world.

Beta Damon had everything arranged, the members of the press were to be seated in folding chairs.

This was the same stage Ambrose had given me the public mark. Instinctively my hand reached up to touch the nape of my neck and when I felt it, a smile tugged at her lips.

His mark. A grounding reminder of who stood beside me.

I watched as the buzzing crowd discussed things I was too far away to hear. The lights on the stage were bright. Much too bright.

My breathing became uneven.

Ambrose reached out and touched me. I was startled a little. My nerves were dulling my senses.

The press took their seats, and the room was filled chatter had now hush hush quiet.

"Come on it’s time to make our grand entrance." Ambrose tugged at my elbow lightly, guiding me toward the break in the curtains.

I let him guide me. I took a deep breath and let the warmth of the fyre that burns inside me take hold.

When it was time, I made my entrance. I burst through the curtain with unshakeable confidence and strength. I let my power roll off me in waves.

Beta Damon began the press conference with his own announcement: "Before we start there are a few ground rules. NO QUESTIONS WHILE THE ROYALS SPEAK, they are for the end. Only one question per person. The things said are not up for debate or dissection. Am I clear?"

The crowd nodded and murmured yes.

Damon took a step away.

My heart was pounding.

I can do this.

In front of me were dozens of people with cameras, flashing, phones pointed at me.

I took a shaky step forward.

I was dressed to kill. Wearing the kind of regal elegance that only a god could possess. I was wearing a long coal black dress that hugged my stomach like a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night. Keeping my blood from freezing over with all my anxiety. The skirt flowed at my hips with each move I made. It had armored shoulders and sleeves that connected to a chest plate body that only protected my ribs and breast. The dress was designed to make a statement. It was am idea Jeremy and Delilah came up with.

I was a queen ready for war.

I closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Good evening night citizens, super naturals, and humans. For those who don’t know me, let me introduce myself."

"Many of you watching have never seen my face or have known of me for two different identities one being Odette Drakarys, Princess of Darkness, the vampire princess and as some recently learned the Luna Queen of shifters." I paused.

"What many don’t know and will learn today I am both the vampire princess and shifter luna, but I am the MoonChild, daughter of Artemis, the Moon Goddess, her soul made flesh."

The crowd roared to life; blinding lights began flashing. But I held my ground and remained controlled. Letting the room erupt in noise and chaos.

Damon immediately stepped into action bringing order back to the room. Quieting down the attendees.

"Questions. At. The End. No more outbursts." Damon growled. The shifter and vampire guards pulled in closer around the crowd, almost chokingly so.

"As I was saying..." I paused and regathered my rehearsed lines. The focus needs to be on the plan, not on me. There would be time to answer more of those questions later. If it mattered.

This was life or death.

"Recently an alliance between two races have been made. Strengthening both shifters and vampires alike. An alliance made before the goddess and blessed by the goddess. This was necessary for the survival of all. I stand before you as one of you; to warn you, an evil is on the horizon, one destined long ago. Hiding in the shadows, waiting for its chance. Now it’s come and it’s on the move." Ambrose and my father took to steps forward and stood protectively on either side of me. Providing me both balance and support.

I sigh of relief escaped me.

"We have a plan, and together we will prevail." Ambrose spoke up keeping the conference going.

"We will band together and create a force the world has never seen." My father added proudly, tucking me under his arm and putting his hand aggressively, yet somewhat fatherly on Ambrose’s shoulder.

I took another deep breath and continued. "This evil came back because last time we weren’t strong enough to finish it off. But this time, fate is on our side. This time, we will end it once and for all!" I shouted more than I meant too.

"There will be a meeting with all pack members." Ambrose started.

"And clan leaders, so make yourselves available." Ash interrupted.

"2 hours after the end of this conference the meeting will be held over a secure network. An encrypted email will be sent with a link to join the conference. All are expected to attend, if you do not, your position will be lost and you clan or pack will be forfeit. There is no negotiation." Beta Damon finished.

"Now. Those with questions, please stand up. We will take questions one at a time." Damon pointed to the man in the first seat, a vampire, I’ve seen him at my birthday parties.

"The alliance you speak of, was it made through interspecies marriage?" He tried to sound professional, objective, but I could pick up the faintest hint of disgust.

"Yes." I answered honestly, and proudly. "It turns out, the moon goddess has gifted me your vampire princess with a fated mate, a wolf shifter, specifically my destined guardian." The last part might have come out a little more defensively than I intended.

Either way.

’No more hiding’ I said to herself ’Full transparency."

"You may sit. Next." Damon felt my annoyance with the man’s tone and I think probably read into the question the same as I did, he had a little tude of his own. pointed at the seat next to the man.

It was a shifter woman who asked next, "What is this evil really?"

She lives here in the BloodMoon Pack, I’ve seen her on the channels here.

"And that folks, is the million dollar question." Ambrose pointed sarcastically at the woman.

I shook my head.

I answered the woman first. "This evil has a name... It’s Ezelreth and he is the DarkChild, son of Cerberus the God of Death and Darkness. He is here to serve his father’s purpose."

The next person, another shifter, stood anxiously, ready to ask.

"My queen... What is that purpose?"

I took another deep breath and explained. I explained what I could, given the short time we had. I explained there was a war in the past, before the separation of our species, before the rift and the hatred. How that evil had survived, why it came to be in the first place. I explained a little on the reincarnation aspect of my identity, and elaborated more on the alliance and fated mate bond.

When the questions were done the press seemed pretty content with their information. And ready to write their own versions of the interview.

I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Finally.

We left together heading for the conference room, we spent the next two hours gathering all of our plans. This time my whole family.

When the conference call went through the debriefing began.

Damon and Emalea unloaded all of the information we had with the leaders, the attacks, the plan, the weygates, the connection with the rogues and missing persons. Everything.

"This doesn’t excuse why it took you all so long to tell us. We could have used more time." One leader complained.

"You’re right, but as your alpha king, we had a problem and before dumping an ass load of problems on your feeble desk, we brought you solutions, a plan, and a choice." Ambrose growled into the mic.

The alphas and clan heads where dumbfounded to say the least.

The conversations flowed. They seemed more interested in surviving than ripping each other’s throats out on the screens.

Which I hate to admit, I was a little concerned would be the focus of the conference.

"The plan is to draw him to where we want him. Away from the cities, away from our packs, but nothing too open. Giving our warriors cover and obstacles to engage with and use to their advantage."

"But we haven’t yet found a way to lure him out once they weygates open."

The questions kept coming and the suggestions were flying. The conference room was in chaos; however, it wasn’t unproductive.

"What if we pick an empty pack ground. One that no one would dare use, and what if you closed more gates, but left that one open and taunted him with it?" A clan head offered and I heard it clearly even through the frenzy of ideas being thrown around.

"Whose suggestion was that? the taunting one." I asked loudly, my voice carried over the rest; the weight of my aura brought the conversation to a quiet hum.

"I did." An old white haired man stepped forward. He looked familiar. Like I’d seen those eyes before...

"It’s been a while... Velmont..." My father’s eyes narrowed and he growled taking over the camera screen.

’Velmont,’ that’s moms maiden last name. The name echoed in my mind.

"It has, you seem to have lost my daughter and my granddaughter, lucky you at least found one."

My father was shocked his mouth dropped a little even.

"Watch how you speak to me." My father’s eyes glowed red and he growled deeply a warning took his tone.

"Watch where you leave your wife, my daughter." He snapped back.

My father’s wife was his daughter?

That would make him my...

"You’re one to talk you’ve been off the radar for over 20 years, and you just think you can just pop up and act like some concerned father? Get lost, you’re lucky you’re my wife’s father or I’d strip you of your title and freeze your assets."

That seemed to shut him up, the man’s face reddened. Shame brandished his expression.

"That’s enough both of you." I interrupted whatever little spat they were trying openly have in front of everyone.

"About that idea. What abandoned pack house are we talking about?" I asked circling the conversation back around.

"The CrystalBay Pack..."