Oops… I Went Into Heat and My Alpha Daddies Claimed Me

Author’s POV

The meeting room had been deliberately kept dim, with only a few lamp shining along the walls while a heavy veil separated the person sitting behind it from everyone else in the room.

The elders had gathered on the other side, their faces tense as they spoke among themselves, but Elder Osric seemed far less interested in their murmuring.

He leaned forward in his chair, his gaze fixed on the shadow behind the veil. "We have a problem," Osric said, his voice carrying loudly across the quiet room. "None of what we’ve attempted has produced the result we expected. Keisha is still alive, the Alpha hasn’t lost control of the pack, and the people are far too calm considering how much we’ve already put into creating unrest."

One of the elders shifted in his seat before speaking. "You make it sound as though everything has failed. We’ve already created doubt among some of the people."

"Some," another elder cut in. "Not enough to matter."

The first elder frowned. "The council has influence."

"Influence means nothing when the people aren’t willing to act on it," another replied. "Callum still has their loyalty."

Osric struck his hand against the arm of his chair. "Exactly. That is the problem. We were supposed to weaken his position before anyone realized what was happening, yet the Alpha continues to stand there as though nothing can touch him."

A different elder leaned back, crossing his arms. "And Keisha is becoming even more protected. After the incident at the party, the Alpha has practically turned the estate into a fortress."

There was a brief silence.

Behind the veil, the unknown figure had listened without interruption. Finally, her voice came through the darkness. "Then stop trying to move slowly."

The room fell silent and Osric turned toward the veil. "What do you suggest?"

"We change the plan." Her voice was hard.

Several elders exchanged uncertain looks and one of them frowned. "Change it how?"

The figure remained seated for another moment before answering. "We’ve spent too much time trying to remove one woman while expecting the rest of the pack to collapse around her. It isn’t happening. So we stop waiting for that."

"And do what?" Osric asked.

"Create the chaos ourselves." She said casually.

For a long second, no one said anything, silence settled heavily in the room and then, an elder shook his head. "That could turn the pack against us."

Her voice turned irritated. "Only if they discover who started it."

Another elder leaned forward. "And if they do?"

The figure’s voice remained calm. "Then make certain they have someone else to blame."

Osric stared at the veil. "You intend to start the rebellion now?"

She clicked her fingers. "Not quite. I intend to make everyone believe one has already started."

A few of the elders exchanged looks. One of them seemed almost pleased by the idea, while another looked considerably less convinced.

"We don’t even know how many people are truly with us," the doubtful elder said. "We’ve been working through intermediaries for months. Some of the people you’ve involved don’t even know who they’re working for."

"They don’t need to." She sighed. "Why is that important?"

"With something as big as this? Where they’re risking everything? They’ll eventually ask questions."

"They already have." She cut him off. "So that’s not an issue."

The elder went quiet.

The figure continued, "That is why we need to move before their questions become suspicion."

Osric leaned back slowly. "And Keisha?"

There was a pause before she replied. "Keisha remains useful alive."

That answer seemed to surprise him. "You’ve changed your mind about killing her?"

She hummed. "For now."

Osric didn’t seem pleased with the change. "Why?"

"Because a frightened pack is easier to control than a grieving one. If we make Keisha the center of the unrest, Callum will become distracted protecting her. The council will begin fighting among itself. The people will start choosing sides. Once everyone is looking in a different direction, we take control." She explained.

An elder smiled faintly. "That could work."

Another wasn’t convinced. "And if the Alpha refuses to bend?"

The figure’s response was immediate. "Then we give him something else to fight."

The meeting continued for several minutes, with arguments rising and falling as the elders debated the risks of the new plan. Some were eager to see it begin. Others remained uncomfortable with the fact that they had never even seen the person giving them orders.

Eventually, chairs scraped against the floor as the elders began leaving.

As they walked through the doorway, two of them slowed. "I still don’t like this," one muttered.

"Neither do I."

"You don’t even know who we’re following." The other glanced toward the closed door behind them. "It’s very unnerving. But I hope she is right for all our sakes."

They continued down the corridor, but inside the room, Osric remained behind as the door shut.

Then, he turned toward the veil. "What exactly are you planning?"

The figure stood. "We’ve lost too many people trying to reach Keisha directly. The maid failed. The attempt at the party failed. And now the estate is watching everyone."

Osric’s expression hardened. "So what happens now?"

"You’ll see." She walked past the veil and toward a concealed door at the back of the room a. D Osric followed.

The door opened into a narrow passage leading underground. Their footsteps echoed against the stone as they descended, and the further they went, the colder the air became.

"You’ve cut off nearly every method we had of communicating with the outside," Osric said. "How do you expect the others to know when to move?"

"We don’t need them all."

"What about our contacts?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Removed. As well as the messengers and people we had in other packs. They’re all gone."

Osric frowned. "Then who do we have left?"

The figure stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "A few people inside the estate."

Osric’s eyes narrowed. "The moles?"

She nodded. "They’re still there. They don’t know everything, which makes them more useful. Nobody suspects people who aren’t given the whole picture."

She continued down the corridor until she reached another door and Osric watched as she unlocked it.

The door opened and inside, Orin was being held prisoner.

He looked exhausted, his clothes disordered and his movements weak from the conditions he had been kept in. He lifted his head when the light from the doorway entered the room, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the figure standing there.

She studied him for several seconds without saying anything and Osric remained behind her. "He’s been asking questions." She tilted her chin up before she stepped closer.

Orin tried to speak, but his voice was barely audible and she looked at him with open contempt. "You were given one simple task."

Orin swallowed. "I tried."

"You failed." She corrected.

"I didn’t know—"

She cut him off with a cold look. "You didn’t need to know everything. You only needed to do what you were told."

Orin lowered his gaze and the figure shook her head. "Fool. I shall be returning for you in a bit." She turned away from him.

Osric followed her back toward the door, but before leaving, she looked over her shoulder one last time. "The plan has changed."

Orin remained silent as she continued. "We aren’t going after Keisha the way we were before." She stepped into the corridor. "We’re going after the pack."