Kate’s POV
The Ancient Werewolf had struck us down hard harder than any of us had anticipated considering he had not even been in the fight. He had been baiting us the whole time, luring us so he could finish us off.
The camp was deadly quiet after the retreat, we were all counting our loses and tending our wounded, planning would come soon after and the air was too thick with tension every breath felt like lead.
I stood outside the makeshift tent where most of the Alpha’s had gathered and, stared up at the sky, I could hear the murmurs of discussion as the Alphas worked through the maps of the surrounding and the loss we had faced all at once.
They were trying to reorganize, to find a way to strike back and finish this, but doubt hung in the air like a thick fog.
The weight of leadership was bearing down on all of them.
I turned and stepped inside, finding Dimitri seated at the head of the table, looking pale and worn. The others looked just like he did , their eyes rimmed with fatigue.
But somehow he looked worse, his wounds had to be hurting, and festering, we had been on standstill for two days and other than the brief care from Lia a friend that was now manning the clinic and protecting the doctors and nurses who could not fight, she had done nothing else.
Infection had to be taking hold despite his protests that he was fine. He wasn’t.
“Dimitri,” I said softly, placing my hand on his shoulder. He flinched , jaw clenched to mask the pain, muscles tensing beneath my touch, his head turning just slightly but he didn’t say anything.
“You need to go to the clinic and let Lia treat your wounds. Those wounds aren’t healing on their own.”
“I’m fine, Kate,” he growled under his breath, his pride too strong, too stubborn.
“We have more important things to deal with.”
“You’re not fine,” I snapped, a little more sharply than I intended. The room quieted, eyes turning toward us, but I didn’t care.
“We can’t afford to lose you, Dimitri. Not now. Let me help you.”
His gaze softened at that, and after a moment of silence, he nodded.
“Alright,” he relented,
” After the meeting” he muttered, I sighed warily , there would be no arguing with him about this
“Fine” I mumbled.
***
Alpha Denzel, as headstrong as ever, leaned forward, his knuckles white against the table.
“So, what’s the plan, Kate?” he asked, his voice gruff.
“We’ve tried brute force, and it’s gotten us nowhere. Half our wolves are injured, and the other half are barely holding on.” he didn’t mention those that were dead, maybe now that wasn’t what we needed but I felt it in my soul, I had brought this men here, I couldn’t afford to let them die.
I took a deep breath, feeling the eyes of everyone on me.
“Brute force won’t work on him,” I agreed, locking eyes with each Alpha around the table.
“He’s ancient, stronger than any of us combined. But brute strength isn’t our only weapon. We need to think strategically-use his age against him.”
I paused, letting the weight of my words sink in.
“He’s powerful, but he’s not immortal. We need to attack where he least expects it-use his arrogance, his belief that we’re weak, against him.”
Alpha Denzel snorted.
“And how do you suggest we do that?”
“We split his forces,” I said, leaning forward.
“He’s relying on his army of rogues to wear us down. We need to draw them out-make them think we’re retreating but instead of falling back, we’ll be, hidden, ready to ambush. We hit them hard, and fast. While they’re distracted, ”
” As for the Ancient werewolf we send our strongest after him.”
There was a moment of silence as everyone considered the plan. Alpha Denzel crossed his arms, his gaze narrowing.
“And who do you suggest leads that charge for Lycaon” he asked
I met his gaze, unwavering.
“Dimitri and I will lead it.”
Denzel raised a brow, looking to us
“You think you can take him down yourself?”
I straightened, holding his gaze with confidence I wasn’t sure I can fully yet.
“I don’t just think. I know.”
He stared at me not backing down, it was impressive but I wasn’t sure for whom, the tension in the room was thick, but slowly, Alpha Denzel nodded his agreement and then the others nodded their agreement.
This was our best shot, even if it was a gamble.
Once we had settled on what we were going to do, I turned to Dimitri, concern gnawing at me. His skin was pale, too pale
I helped him to his feet, his weight leaning more heavily on me than I expected. He was worse off than he let on, and my heart race with fear.
“Come on,” I said, tugging him gently in the direction of the clinic.
Lia and the healers are waiting, I have mind-linked them you are coming.”
He grunted but followed me without protest, the now Clinic had been a makeshift command center for the warriors, it was now filled with warriors lying on cots, their wounds being tended to by Lia and the group of nurses. The air was filled with smelled of herbs and antiseptic, a sharp difference to the blood-soaked field we had just left.
Lia who had been the one to help me through my transformational journey, was a beta warrior who had recently joined the clinic after the first attack had depleted the practitioners, she had healing experience aside being a warrior. She was tough, no-nonsense, and one of the few people who didn’t shy away from challenging Dimitri. I liked her from the first day we met and we had become fast friends. She looked up as we entered.
“Have your sit my Alpha,” she said, pointing to a cot. Dimitri glared at her but complied, lowering himself onto the bed with a wince. That showed how bad off he was
“How bad is it?” I asked, my voice low, trying to keep the fear out of it.
“He’s worse off than you told me .”
“I know,” I muttered, Dimitri collapsed into the bed groaning as his body finally gave in.
Lia peeled back the makeshift bandage, grimacing as she inspected the wound.
“The infection’s spreading,” she said, her tone clinical and brisk
“He’s been pushing himself too hard.”
Dimitri snorted. “It’s just a scratch.”
Lia shot him a look
. “A scratch that could kill you if it’s not treated properly.”
I bit my lip, fighting back the worry that gnawed at my insides.
“Can you help him?”
Lia said nothing just rolled up her sleeves and got to work, cleaning the wound, applying herbs and salves . The infection was bad worse than I thought and as Lia worked, I sat beside Dimitri, holding his hand. His grip was strong, but I could feel the tremor beneath his skin, the could feel the heat of the fever burning through him. He winced once and then Lia pulled away
“He’ll need rest,” she said firmly, turning to me.
“The infection is stubborn, but I’ll keep an eye on him.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, relief flooding through me.
“You need to rest,” I whispered, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead.
“I can’t,” he muttered, his voice hoarse.
“Not while he’s out there.”
“You’ll be no good to anyone if you’re dead,” I replied, my tone firmer than I felt.
“Let Lia do her job. You need to heal.”
He opened his mouth to argue but then paused
” Fine,” he grumbled, leaning back against the cot.
“But wake me if anything happens.”
I smiled softly, brushing my lips against his forehead.
“I will.”
I sat beside Dimitri, watching as he slowly drifted off into a fitful sleep.
Hours passed, as I stayed by his side,
We needed to win this battle, and we needed something to give us an edge, something that would turn the tide in our favor.
But what? What could possibly be enough to defeat an ancient creature who had lived for centuries, seen countless battles and come out victorious every time?
I didn’t have the answer. Not yet.
The Moon Goddess’s warning still echoed in my thoughts. Choices… What choices would I have to make?
The sun began to dip below the horizon, I could feel exhaustion pulling at me. I leaned back against the bed, my hand still resting on Dimitri’s arm, sleep came quickly, dragging me under. I was not sure how long I had been asleep when I felt the pressure on my throat.
My eyes snapped open, confusion flooding my mind as I struggled for breath wondering why I was struggling for breath.
Dimitri was above me, his hand wrapped tightly around my neck, his eyes wild, foam dripping from his lips his body trembled with violent spasms.
His eyes… were distant, unfocused, as if he wasn’t truly seeing me.
He wasn’t himself.
“Dimitri,” I gasped, trying to push him off,
“Stop. It’s me. It’s Kate.” I choked, my hands clawing at his wrist, trying to pry him off.
But he didn’t stop. His grip tightened, and I could feel my lungs burning, my vision starting to blur.
Panic surged through me. I kicked out, and twisted using every ounce of strength I had to push him off and with one final shove I sent him flying back.
He collapsed onto the floor, thrashing and growling, foam still pouring from his mouth. I scrambled to my feet, my heart pounding as I looked around my heart pounding in my chest
” Is someone out there”I called out and within moments, the tent was flooded with warriors. They restrained him, holding him down as he thrashed and snarled,
Lia rushed in, her eyes wide with shock as she took in the scene.
“What the hell happened?”
“I don’t know what’s happening, but we need to restrain him before he hurts someone.”
Together, we managed to restrain him, tying him down as he continued to thrash. My hands shook as I watched him, helplessly, not sure what to do exactly.
“We need to figure out what’s going on,” Lia said, her voice grim. “If this happens again-” I muttered
She knelt beside him, inspecting him quickly before looking up at me.
“He’s been poisoned,” she said grimly.
I stared at her, my heart sinking.
“Poisoned? How?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted,
“but we need to find out. And fast.”
As they worked to stabilize Dimitri, a cold realization settled over me. This wasn’t just about Dimitri anymore. The ancient werewolf had gotten to him, and now I was the only one who could face him.
I was going to have to fight him alone.
“I have to fight him alone,” I whispered
” What that’s freaking suicide ” Lia hissed
“I don’t have a choice,” I replied,
Lia watched me carefully,
“You can’t face him alone, Kate.”
“I’ll handle it,” I cut her off, my voice steely.
This was something I had to do
The flaps to the tent pulled open and Alpha Denzel rushed in taking a look around at the chaos the he sighed
” Are you still planning on doing this alone ” he asked and I sighed
” Yes, are they ready” I asked and he nodded
” Then let’s go”
It was quick and efficient, the plan going seamlessly, by the time they noticed what was happening because they seemed intelligent that way, the battlefield was already in chaos, the air thick with the scent of blood and black magic.
The Ancient Werewolf stood at the center of it all, his eyes burning with rage, power radiating off him like a waves.
This was it. The final battle.
The Ancient Werewolf turned to face me, a slow, menacing smile spreading across his face.
“You think you can defeat me, little wolf? Alone ” he huffed, his eyes glowing red
“I don’t think,” I replied, my voice calm, controlled.
“I know.”
With a roar, he charged at me, his massive form barreling toward me like a freight train.
But I was ready. I sidestepped his attack, my body moving with a speed and agility I hadn’t known I possessed.
We clashed again and again, our movements a blur a sting over my side warned me I had been hit but I hissed and kept on moving. The ground shook beneath us, the air crackling with energy.
I could feel power flooding my veins, like liquid fire, the power of the Moon Goddess was inside me, giving me strength, was this what she had meant when she said choices.
With a final surge of energy, I tossed a ball of light in his direction, flooding my palm and fingertips and into his face, he roared in pain and fury as he collapsed to the ground.
He lifted his face to look at me, he looked burned flakes if ash falling off his face.
He buried his hands into the grass and roared
” No one beats me, No one ”
I screamed and fell to my knees.