Surrogate for My Brother-in-law - Chapter 84: Chapter 84
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“I have an idea,” Ethan said.
Leo and I jerked around to look at him.
“You have a plan?” Leo asked.
“Hey, you were always the one who charged at the enemy head on. I’m the one who made the sneaky plans,” Ethan said. “Remember? That’s how we won the war.”
Leo nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I remember. You got a sneaky idea for me now?”
“I’m working on it. Come on inside. We don’t want to risk being overheard. Remember, we have to assume we are under constant surveillance.”
I blinked. “You think they’re watching us now?”
Ethan nodded. “They knew we were out of the house. They either have some way of monitoring us, or they have someone on the inside.”
“You think there’s a spy?” I whispered.
Ethan shrugged and pulled us both into the house. “We had spies among the Rogues, back in the war. They had spies in the packs.”
“Do you have spies in the Rogues now?” I asked hopefully.
Ethan shook his head sadly. “No. We brought them all home. It’s supposed to be over.”
“I thought I ended it,” Leo whispered. “I really, really did.”
I stared at the two alphas. I hadn’t really thought much about the war since it ended. I’d been sheltered from most of it, except for the attacks.
Arthur had sent wolves for the final battle, yes, but that was really it. As a wolf-less servant, I was kept home. I heard the big news, major attacks and things like that.
But I had no idea how the war was really fought. I imagined it was all huge, heroic battles. I didn’t think about how those battles were arranged.
I didn’t realize there was so much more to it.
“You said you had a plan?” I asked Ethan.
“Well, I have the idea of a plan,” Ethan said. “The framework. We need to build it up a bit.”
“What is it?” Ethan asked.
“First off, you have to go, and you have to go alone,” Ethan said.
“What? No!” I protested.
“Hear me out,” Ethan said. “You go alone, but in wolf form.”
“Why?” Leo asked.
“They’re expecting you to march up in human form, a powerful alpha. Most people think you lost your wolf.”
“But the Rogues will know I didn’t,” Leo said, “because I’m pretty sure Eva and Zane would have told them.”
“They know you have your wolf, but Eva thinks it’s out of control,” I said. “She always ran away, and switched with me, when your wolf took control.”
Leo stared at me. “Wait. Every time… every single time, that was you?”
I nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Wait. She… she thought I was out of control. My wolf. And she was afraid. And she switched with you. She sent you to face an out of control alpha wolf?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, well, she’s never been all that fond of me.”
“She’s a monster,” Leo said.
“It was okay, though. You’d never hurt me. Neither would your wolf,” I said.
I doubted so much. But I did not doubt that. Leo’s wolf had never been anything but gentle with me. And when we were together on those nights, he was kind, and considerate.
“So the Rogues don’t know just how strong you are,” Ethan said. “They think your wolf is out of control. They think you’ll be weaker in that form.”
“And they’ll underestimate me,” Leo said, nodding slowly.
“But what if they just execute him?” I asked.
“They won’t,” Ethan said. “If all this Rogue King wanted was to kill Leo, he’d have done it sooner.”
“But he tried, before,” I said. “He sent Rogues to attack him. In his office.”
Leo shook his head. “I’m pretty sure that was Zane, acting on his own. It wasn’t a well organized attack. They could have gone for me when I was out on patrol, like most of the other attacks.”
Ethan agreed. “That was Zane trying to blame the Rogues for his actions. He must’ve convinced a couple of them to go along with his plan. He’d have you killed, valiantly fight off the attackers afterwards, and take your place as alpha.”
“Ignoring that the pack would never accept him and would have either joined Arthur’s pack or come here to join yours, yeah, that sounds like a plan Zane would come up with,” Leo said.
“Okay, so what kind of plan are we coming up with?” I asked. “There has to be more to it than Leo showing up as a wolf and hoping he isn’t summarily executed.”
“There is,” Ethan said. “Leo is going to go alone, but he isn’t going to stay that way. I’m going to follow him, with a team of my best scouts.”
“What if the Rogues spot you?” I asked.
Ethan snorted. “Trust me, if they spot these scouts, they deserve to catch us.”
“So,” Leo said. “I go and draw them out, and then your scouts attack?”
“If it looks like they’re going to kill you on the spot, yes,” Ethan said. “But if I’m right and they want to talk, or the Rogue King wants to challenge you, then you keep him busy while my scouts track them back to their hideout and rescue Sable.”
“And what if they take Leo?” I asked.
“Then we follow him,” Ethan said.
“Sounds like a plan,” Leo said. “Your scouts can be ready inside the hour?”
“Sooner,” Ethan promised.
“What’s my part in this plan?” I asked. “I can’t help but notice you didn’t mention me at all.”
“Tessa,” Leo said, “You can’t come.”
“She’s my baby.”
“Yes,” Ethan agreed, “and she needs her mother. That’s why you have to wait here.”
“You expect me to sit on my tail and wait home like a good little mate?” I growled.
“No,” Ethan said, “I expect you to be practical and smart, like I know you are.”
I glared at him.
“Tessa,” Leo said, “the hospital is full of injured wolves. They need you. If this war is about to reignite, we need all the fighters we can get.”
“And we need them in the best shape possible. Your ability to not only heal but strengthen is invaluable,” Ethan said.
“I’ll heal them once I have my baby back,” I promised.
“And what if you’re hurt?” Leo asked. “You can’t heal them if you’re injured. Your wolf will prioritize you, always.”
“Besides, if anyone is hurt in this plan, they’ll be taken right to the hospital. So that’s where you need to be.”
“It would be better if I was right there, though. The transport time from the location of injury to the hospital could cost lives.”
“Losing our best healer could cost more lives,” Ethan said. “It’s a hard choice, but it’s the right one, Tessa.”
“Are you sure?” I asked them.
Leo nodded. “Yes. We can’t afford to lose you. Sable can’t afford to lose you.”
I hated it. I wanted to be there. I wanted to find my daughter.
But they were right. I didn’t have the training to track and hunt that Ethan and his scouts did. I would not be able to keep up. And I knew it.
I sighed, and I nodded.
“I’ll head to the hospital,” I said. “And you’d both better walk in to meet me there. Under your own power.”
“We will,” Leo promised.
Leo and I jerked around to look at him.
“You have a plan?” Leo asked.
“Hey, you were always the one who charged at the enemy head on. I’m the one who made the sneaky plans,” Ethan said. “Remember? That’s how we won the war.”
Leo nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I remember. You got a sneaky idea for me now?”
“I’m working on it. Come on inside. We don’t want to risk being overheard. Remember, we have to assume we are under constant surveillance.”
I blinked. “You think they’re watching us now?”
Ethan nodded. “They knew we were out of the house. They either have some way of monitoring us, or they have someone on the inside.”
“You think there’s a spy?” I whispered.
Ethan shrugged and pulled us both into the house. “We had spies among the Rogues, back in the war. They had spies in the packs.”
“Do you have spies in the Rogues now?” I asked hopefully.
Ethan shook his head sadly. “No. We brought them all home. It’s supposed to be over.”
“I thought I ended it,” Leo whispered. “I really, really did.”
I stared at the two alphas. I hadn’t really thought much about the war since it ended. I’d been sheltered from most of it, except for the attacks.
Arthur had sent wolves for the final battle, yes, but that was really it. As a wolf-less servant, I was kept home. I heard the big news, major attacks and things like that.
But I had no idea how the war was really fought. I imagined it was all huge, heroic battles. I didn’t think about how those battles were arranged.
I didn’t realize there was so much more to it.
“You said you had a plan?” I asked Ethan.
“Well, I have the idea of a plan,” Ethan said. “The framework. We need to build it up a bit.”
“What is it?” Ethan asked.
“First off, you have to go, and you have to go alone,” Ethan said.
“What? No!” I protested.
“Hear me out,” Ethan said. “You go alone, but in wolf form.”
“Why?” Leo asked.
“They’re expecting you to march up in human form, a powerful alpha. Most people think you lost your wolf.”
“But the Rogues will know I didn’t,” Leo said, “because I’m pretty sure Eva and Zane would have told them.”
“They know you have your wolf, but Eva thinks it’s out of control,” I said. “She always ran away, and switched with me, when your wolf took control.”
Leo stared at me. “Wait. Every time… every single time, that was you?”
I nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Wait. She… she thought I was out of control. My wolf. And she was afraid. And she switched with you. She sent you to face an out of control alpha wolf?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, well, she’s never been all that fond of me.”
“She’s a monster,” Leo said.
“It was okay, though. You’d never hurt me. Neither would your wolf,” I said.
I doubted so much. But I did not doubt that. Leo’s wolf had never been anything but gentle with me. And when we were together on those nights, he was kind, and considerate.
“So the Rogues don’t know just how strong you are,” Ethan said. “They think your wolf is out of control. They think you’ll be weaker in that form.”
“And they’ll underestimate me,” Leo said, nodding slowly.
“But what if they just execute him?” I asked.
“They won’t,” Ethan said. “If all this Rogue King wanted was to kill Leo, he’d have done it sooner.”
“But he tried, before,” I said. “He sent Rogues to attack him. In his office.”
Leo shook his head. “I’m pretty sure that was Zane, acting on his own. It wasn’t a well organized attack. They could have gone for me when I was out on patrol, like most of the other attacks.”
Ethan agreed. “That was Zane trying to blame the Rogues for his actions. He must’ve convinced a couple of them to go along with his plan. He’d have you killed, valiantly fight off the attackers afterwards, and take your place as alpha.”
“Ignoring that the pack would never accept him and would have either joined Arthur’s pack or come here to join yours, yeah, that sounds like a plan Zane would come up with,” Leo said.
“Okay, so what kind of plan are we coming up with?” I asked. “There has to be more to it than Leo showing up as a wolf and hoping he isn’t summarily executed.”
“There is,” Ethan said. “Leo is going to go alone, but he isn’t going to stay that way. I’m going to follow him, with a team of my best scouts.”
“What if the Rogues spot you?” I asked.
Ethan snorted. “Trust me, if they spot these scouts, they deserve to catch us.”
“So,” Leo said. “I go and draw them out, and then your scouts attack?”
“If it looks like they’re going to kill you on the spot, yes,” Ethan said. “But if I’m right and they want to talk, or the Rogue King wants to challenge you, then you keep him busy while my scouts track them back to their hideout and rescue Sable.”
“And what if they take Leo?” I asked.
“Then we follow him,” Ethan said.
“Sounds like a plan,” Leo said. “Your scouts can be ready inside the hour?”
“Sooner,” Ethan promised.
“What’s my part in this plan?” I asked. “I can’t help but notice you didn’t mention me at all.”
“Tessa,” Leo said, “You can’t come.”
“She’s my baby.”
“Yes,” Ethan agreed, “and she needs her mother. That’s why you have to wait here.”
“You expect me to sit on my tail and wait home like a good little mate?” I growled.
“No,” Ethan said, “I expect you to be practical and smart, like I know you are.”
I glared at him.
“Tessa,” Leo said, “the hospital is full of injured wolves. They need you. If this war is about to reignite, we need all the fighters we can get.”
“And we need them in the best shape possible. Your ability to not only heal but strengthen is invaluable,” Ethan said.
“I’ll heal them once I have my baby back,” I promised.
“And what if you’re hurt?” Leo asked. “You can’t heal them if you’re injured. Your wolf will prioritize you, always.”
“Besides, if anyone is hurt in this plan, they’ll be taken right to the hospital. So that’s where you need to be.”
“It would be better if I was right there, though. The transport time from the location of injury to the hospital could cost lives.”
“Losing our best healer could cost more lives,” Ethan said. “It’s a hard choice, but it’s the right one, Tessa.”
“Are you sure?” I asked them.
Leo nodded. “Yes. We can’t afford to lose you. Sable can’t afford to lose you.”
I hated it. I wanted to be there. I wanted to find my daughter.
But they were right. I didn’t have the training to track and hunt that Ethan and his scouts did. I would not be able to keep up. And I knew it.
I sighed, and I nodded.
“I’ll head to the hospital,” I said. “And you’d both better walk in to meet me there. Under your own power.”
“We will,” Leo promised.
End of Surrogate for My Brother-in-law Chapter 84. Continue reading Chapter 85 or return to Surrogate for My Brother-in-law book page.