His dark eyes drifted from one face to the other, looking inquiringly into their faces. There was an unspoken question in the air. What would happen when a vampire became the mayor of the city?
"A great evil is about to befall all of us!" The master's voice roared. "Each and every one of us is going to feel the repercussion of this evil if we fold our fangs and watch. Brothers! Will we sit and watch, and allow the city to be snatched away right before our eyes?"
The answer came suddenly in a loud groan that captured the annoyance of the werewolves.
"No!"
It was just what he thought their answer would be. Everyone had had a first-hand experience of how selfish vampires could be once they had too much power in their hands. No one wanted a repeat of that again.
"Master!" A voice called from the werewolves. It belonged to Ken Freeman, the younger brother to the serving mayor, a young man in his thirties.
His long face stood out even in his wolf form giving him a signature look among the werewolves.
"What if the decision of The House of The Federation allows him to run for mayor of the city? Do we have a contingency plan in case that happens?"
There were grunts of agreement from the other werewolves. The master's eyes roamed through their faces again, reading their minds, searching for any trace of what they bore in their hearts on their faces. But there was none.
Like a mask, their faces had shielded away the thoughts in their hearts.
"The reason we are gathered here is because we cannot let that happen."
He paused to ascertain that he still held their attention to himself before he continued.
"In the impossible situation that Vlad does win the vote of The House of The Federation, we must come up with a plan to stop him. Otherwise, we're doomed."
The youngster who had spoken before put himself forward again. This time, he could not hide his anger from his expression.
"The decision of The House of The Federation is final! I suggest that whatever needs to be done should be done now! Otherwise, we're finished."
The grunts of agreement from the other werewolves were barely heard this time. The master had spoken already and what Ken Jenkins had just said now was like a counter to his words. The master did not like to be challenged.
The master felt his heart beating faster. It was strange how he always had an answer to every question until now. Now, he was shaking like a frightened leaf before the people that were looking up to him for guidance.
This was not good. Once they saw through his fear, everything would be lost.
"The Book of Truth will soon be found," The master blurted out as soon as the thought crossed his mind.
The werewolves shot him a perplexed look. Everyone knew that The Book of Truth was a legend. And even if it was found, what difference would it make now? As far as the game of power was concerned, Vlad was already winning.
"The Book of Truth cannot save us!" A voice roared. It was Tyler Freeman speaking. His voice sounded even more frail than his skin was.
"We don't know that!" The master countered. "The Book of Truth can be used to overturn all the evils in this world. It will destroy the vampires and even those monstrous robots."
"Are you certain about that?" Tyler Freeman asked. "Because the last time I checked, rumors have it that The Book of Truth is with the humans. And the book will only fulfill the will of the one who opens it first."
"The humans are our allies."
"Until when?" Tyler Freeman continued impatiently. "The humans are our allies as long as it benefits them. What happens when they find The Book of Truth, that is if they haven't found it already? Can we trust them to stay allies with us even when it is no longer beneficial to them?"
At the end of his speech, the woods had become dead silent as everyone ruminated on the nuggets he'd just dropped. The eerie sound of the wind returned. It howled mockingly at the werewolves while they dwelled on their plight.
Tyler Freeman had made a very valid point. The master knew this. And the thought of the humans turning their backs against his kind scared him even more than its reality.
But there was no telling what would happen when The Book of Truth had been found. He could only imagine the betrayals that would follow.
When the master looked up at his followers again, he saw fear boldly written on their faces. Then, a thought struck his mind right there on the spot. He decided he would deal with that later.
"I understand your fears," He said dryly. "But right now, we have to deal with Vlad and his possible election into the office of the mayor first. I will have talks with Vanessa about strengthening her allegiance with us."
The werewolves of The Golden Circle nodded in unison to his words.
At that exact moment, a wolf was tearing through the woods, pushing through the undergrowths and shrubs that lined his path. His tongue hung outside his mouth as he gasped for breath.
But he would stop at nothing. The news had to get to the master, and soon.
The master halted in his words as the wolf arrived. He sensed that the worst had happened. The semicircle parted creating an aisle in the middle for the wolf to get through.
In a matter of seconds, the wolf was at the master's side. He whispered something into the master's ears gasping for breath in between every word.
The werewolves of The Golden Circle watched as The master's countenance fell. They knew instantly that the trouble they had feared had come for them and they began to steel themselves for it.