Chapter 1335: A Risky Proposal The reactions in the room were a wild mix. Some rubbed their temples, as if trying to physically dislodge what they’d just heard. Others blinked, slow and deliberate, as if resetting their vision. A few even pinched themselves, just to make sure they weren’t dreaming. "Gary... do you know what you just said?" Austin was the first to break the stunned silence, his voice laced with disbelief. "This was the man who ripped the horns right out of my body. Do you really think he’s the type who’d want to talk?" A chorus of nods affirmed Austin’s sentiment. "Right," Tom chimed in, "they’re a Werewolf pack. They’re powerful, strong, and they hunt humans. They’re vicious, and their pack is even bigger than ours." "And don’t you think someone would say the same about us if they were in the opposite situation?" Gary countered, his gaze sweeping across their faces. "Lupus has never directly attacked us with his pack. At that moment, we were the attackers. I feel like I would have done the same, even you, Austin, if someone had attacked Slough and the Howlers." Some opened their mouths to object, but the words died on their tongues as they realized Gary’s logic held a surprising amount of weight. "Gary, you make a lot of suggestions on a whim," another voice, hesitant, cut through the air. "With how important this matter is, this isn’t one of them, right? You wouldn’t just make this suggestion out of the blue?" A flicker of nervousness crossed Gary’s face, doing little to reassure the others. But he started to explain anyway. "I think there’s a way we can do this," Gary proposed, his voice gaining a determined edge. "We could send a messenger, either through one of the other kings, or a regular citizen going to Ruin. Maybe even a broadcast through our different media outlets, some way they can get a message out to them. And we can set up a neutral meeting spot. It doesn’t have to be Slough, and it doesn’t have to be Ruin City, maybe somewhere like the Bree family or a Tier 2 gang. We set a limit on how many people we can bring each, and then we can talk about making a truce. Then we don’t have to worry about Lupus, and we don’t have to worry about the vampires." Kai rose from his seat, slowly walking towards Gary. "And what makes you think he will even be willing to meet us? And let’s say he did meet us, and agreed to everything you’re saying, how can you be so sure that he will keep his word? He split the Altered Hunters’ blood, and us helping them, we had split those of his pack. I don’t think he’ll be as willing to talk as you think." Gary’s hand clenched. Even he had personally beaten one of the Iron Fangs at the time, convinced that no matter what, they had to fight. "I have a feeling," Gary argued back, his voice firm despite the underlying tremor of uncertainty. "And I know it doesn’t sound convincing enough, but I have a feeling that Lupus will talk to us if we ask. I think he understood the situation we were in and the actions we took. And if there’s a chance to fix this by talking, shouldn’t we at least try that first, rather than risk both our sides losing even more people?" Silence descended upon the group. They weren’t taking sides. Kai was usually the calm, level-headed one, the one who mostly made the right decisions for the group. But at the end of the day, Gary was their leader. There were times when his impulsive actions had helped them all out, even when Kai himself was in trouble, and his instincts went beyond what Kai could ever foresee. "What about the oath?" Kai eventually asked, his voice low. "The oath stated at some point we have to fight the other Alpha. We don’t even know what happens if we break it—if we lose our powers, or if we all become monsters, maybe even just end up dying on the spot." "That’s still a few years away," Gary answered, his gaze distant. "Don’t you think if we can solve a few years of peace, that it would at least be worth it?" When Gary spoke that last sentence, everyone could feel the raw pain in his voice. It had been non-stop for the Howlers, trouble after trouble after trouble. When they heard Gary say those words, a few years of peace sounded incredibly appealing, and it was the same for Kai. "I understand where you’re coming from," Kai said, his voice softening. "This is your group, you’re the leader, not me, Gary. We’ll go with whatever you want to do, and I’ll cover you. I’ll prepare for the worst. Make sure we have a backup if the talks don’t go well. If we need to strike as fast as we can, we need to figure out something to do. And if he decides to go back on the deal as well, we need to be prepared for that. Can you at least agree to that, to at least prepare for the worst situation?" Gary looked into Kai’s eyes, a silent understanding passing between them. "I can," Gary answered, a renewed sense of purpose in his tone. "Haha, great!" Innu chirped, breaking the tension. "I hate it when mum and dad fight, and it looks like they figured it out." "Mum and dad?" Blake echoed, a bewildered expression on his face. "Yeah, you know," Innu explained, grinning. "If anything, it feels like Kai and Gary are the Luna of this pack, haha! So when the situation is intense like that, it’s like, whose side do you want to pick?" While everyone initially thought Innu’s joke might have been a bit outlandish, they quickly realized there was a surprising amount of truth to it. "Right, actually, if we’re talking about first steps in preparation, then I guess there is something I should do," Gary said, rising and walking over to where Xin stood. "Xin, it’s time we unlock your Luna powers, now that the others are gone." **** For updates on MWS and future works, please follow me on my social media below. Instagram: Jksmanga *Patreon: jksmanga When news of MVS, MWS, or any other series comes out, you will be able to see it there first, and you can reach out to me. If I’m not too busy, I tend to reply.