Chapter 40

• Night was busy that night with Ethan, as he assembled all the warriors round—those warriors, that is, whom he had himself interrogated and whom he really trusted with his life. Not every warrior was involved, but the best of them were, chosen and vetted in total secrecy. Nobody had ever heard that anybody had been questioned in that way. It was a very secluded and planned process. Ethan had taken pains to interrogate each separately, without letting the rest of them suspect that they were also going through the same procedure. All of them were ordered to keep it secret. And even supposing that, by some accident, any of them wished to tell somebody, they could do it. It is programmed in them; it is part of their nature, this need and desire to follow the direct order of an Alpha. It's a compulsion so strong that resistance isn't even an option.
• One by one, therefore, warriors of this pack started to collect and meet in silence outside the packhouse. They were quietly assuming their posts in the cool evening air awaiting further orders. In the meantime warriors of the original pack of Ethan had entered. They came in fast, dark, and in orderly groups, and they had been told all about it already. Each man was familiar with the stakes. Each man was aware of the dangers. And each man was prepared to perform his part in what was to be a very hazardous undertaking.
• Within the packhouse we were with Mason and his chief warrior, Knox. We sat down and in low tones went over every detail of the plan, head down. We were trying our level best to see that everything was as smooth and clean as possible. It was all straightforward: to get those girls out of that warehouse. However, nothing was simple in fact. The warehouse must have been guarded. We did not know the number of enemies with whom we were to contend. Time was not on their side, nor was there any margin of error.