Chapter 1369: Just Voicing My Thoughts Blackjack had left the office with his message delivered and had even given Kai his phone number, so there was now a more direct and convenient way to contact him. Although it seemed minor, the visit had helped Kai figure something out. There was someone in Slough, someone connected to the settlement in some way, who was watching them at all times. Otherwise, they would have never been able to get that message out there so quickly. Inside the office, though, Kai wasn’t alone. He had called for Marie, Olivia, as well as Midwak, to come into the room and talk about the situation and what he had just learned. “Why are you not telling Gary any of this?” Marie asked. “Or even talking to the others about the situation?” “There’s no harm in keeping them from worrying too early,” Kai replied. “And I will tell Gary. I just know he’s working on something important right now. He’s doing his part, he always has been, and we saw that clearly with Unzoku.” “There are things now that only Gary can deal with, things that are weighing on his shoulders alone. So I want to take that burden off of him and allow everything else to weigh only on ours instead.” “As for why I called you two here, it’s because you’re the most adult-like in the group who are close to the issue,” Kai explained. Olivia nodded her head in agreement, calmly listening. “Midwak was called because he might know more about the settlement and could give insight on some of the finer details.” Midwak nodded along at first, until the rest of Kai’s statement registered in his mind and another thought hit him. “Wait, does that mean you don’t view me as an adult?” Midwak asked, furrowing his brow. But he was ignored as Kai continued talking about his meeting with Blackjack and everything that had been said so far. “It’s clear to see what they’re planning, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Olivia commented. “I agree,” Kai replied. “They probably do mean it when they say they’ll cover our backs. At the very least, the Dark Guild is something we might not have to worry about, and it seems they likely have people there who are keeping watch over them.” “Ha, and you’re trusting them to actually do that?” Midwak scoffed. “The only reason they’re even pretending to help is because a full-blown fight between the two groups benefits them the most.” “And I don’t deny that either,” Kai admitted. “But the fact that they’re willing to do this means something, it means they believe we’re a match for Lupus. It means we’re dangerous to them, just as Blackjack said. They’d rather stand with us than against us.” “There’s something else I think I can confirm from this, or at least, I think I can,” Kai continued. “They know nothing about the night of the full moon.” “If Lupus were to use his full strength and attack us then, and if he called the Dark Guild to help him, we wouldn’t stand a chance. But at least we now know that the vampires will be the ones dealing with them.” “It’s important they never learn what happens on the full moon, or else it will become a huge problem for us. And in that case, they’ll definitely choose to back the winning horse.” Kai turned his attention specifically to Midwak, since he had already brought up the topic once before. “And what about your hypothetical question?” Olivia asked, her gaze steady. “You must have asked it for a reason.” “You know me well,” Kai replied, leaning back in his chair as he stared up at the ceiling. “I know Gary’s feelings. He wants to team up with Lupus.” “But for me… I don’t know if that’s the best choice. If we did end up joining forces, we’d be dragged into an all-out war against the vampires. And I have no map, no clue of their strength or numbers at all. So let’s say we only had two choices.” “Team up with Lupus and fight against the vampires, or fight Lupus and have the vampires as allies. Which would you say is the better option?” When Kai asked the question, he was looking directly at Midwak. “I… I think teaming up with Lupus is nothing but a pipe dream,” Midwak said, clenching his hand tightly. “I want the Howlers and the Lupus group to work together. I want us to build a society.” “But when I take into account everything we’ve learned from our history… how our bodies work, the way we’re built, how our instincts clash… I just don’t think it will work. When I consider all of that, there’s only one option.” Although Midwak and the vampires seemed convinced this was the truth, Kai felt a little differently. He remembered what Gary had said, about how Unzoku had tried to do something to him… but it didn’t work. What if Gary was starting to become something beyond the rules, something not bound by the Werewolf God? Wouldn’t that also mean the rules of two Alphas having to fight each other no longer had to apply? And if Unzoku, the very one who had set those rules, was so confident that the two Alphas would fight, then why did he try so hard to force Gary’s hand? That, in Kai’s mind, was the main piece of evidence that suggested two Alphas didn’t have to fight. Not if one of them had already started changing the game. “Let’s prepare ourselves,” Kai said at last. “After the day of the full moon, I have a feeling things will start to move very quickly. I’ll be with Ice and Apollo. The rest of you, make sure to report if you see or sense anything. Don’t let anything slip.” —– Out in the fields near the manor, within the deep forest that stretched far and wide, a lone figure stood among the trees, staring off into the distance. “So… you’ve all decided to gather in one place,” Unzoku muttered, his eyes narrowing. “Let’s see how this plays out then.” ***** For updates on MWS and future works, follow me on my social media below. Instagram: jksmanga P.a.t.r.e.o.n: jksmanga When news drops about My Vampire System, My Werewolf System, or any other series, you’ll hear it there first. Feel free to reach out, if I’m not too busy, I tend to reply.