Chapter 29
The urgent howl pierced through the quiet night, jolting me awake. My heart raced as I recognized the signal – another rogue attack on our borders. I leapt from the bed, Xander already on his feet beside me.
“They’re getting bolder,” I said, quickly pulling on my clothes. “This is the third attack this week.”
Xander nodded grimly. “We need to end this, and soon.”
We rushed out, the pack grounds already a flurry of activity. The Wolves were shifting, gathering in defensive formations we’d practiced countless times. As I moved to assemble my team, a familiar figure stepped into my path.
“Aurora, we need to talk,” Asher said, his eyes intense. “About last night-”
I cut him off, frustration bubbling up inside me. “Now is not the time, Asher. We’re under attack!”
Before he could respond, Xander appeared at my side, his presence a comforting warmth. “Asher,” he said, his voice tight with barely contained anger, “focus on the threat at hand. Your personal matters can wait.”
Asher’s jaw clenched, but he nodded curtly. We quickly divided our forces, each of us taking a team to defend different sections of the territory. As I led the warriors toward the eastern border, I could feel that something was wrong.
The woods were filled with growls and the noises of fighting. As we engaged the rogues, I noticed their movements seemed more coordinated, their attacks more strategic. This wasn’t the chaotic assault we’d come to expect.
I called upon my powers, feeling the familiar surge of energy coursing through me. A flash of bright light sent a bunch of rogues tumbling back. As they retreated, I spotted someone far away – the wolf with red eyes. Our eyes locked for just a second, and It sent shivers down my spine. He was watching, assessing.
A cry of pain snapped my attention back to the battle. To my horror, I saw Asher on the ground, a rogue poised to strike. He had been watching me instead of his surroundings. Before I could react, a blur of fur shot past me. One of the Clearwater wolves tackled the rogue, saving Asher from what could have been a fatal blow.
The battle raged on, but eventually, we drove the rogues back. As the last of them disappeared into the forest, I surveyed our forces. We had suffered injuries, but luckily, no one was killed. Still, I felt that this attack was not like the others.
“They were testing us, trying to see how we handle things,” I told Xander when we got back together. “They want to know how we protect ourselves and what we do.”
He agreed, looking serious. “We must gather our thoughts and make a new plan.”
I called for a strategy meeting, gathering the members in the main hall. As I moved to address the group, I felt a hand on my arm. Asher, again.
“Aurora, please,” he began, his voice low. “We need to finish our conversation. You don’t understand-”
“Enough!” Xander’s voice boomed across the hall. He strode towards us, his eyes flashing with anger. “Asher, this ends now. Aurora has made her choice clear.”
I found myself caught between them, the tension palpable. Taking a deep breath, I stepped back, addressing them both. “This stops now. We have bigger problems to deal with. Asher, whatever you have to say, it can wait. Right now, our packs need us to lead.”
Turning to the assembled wolves, I pushed aside my personal frustrations. “We can’t keep playing defense,” I said, my voice carrying across the hall. “We need to attack them now.”
I explained my strategy – a strike against the place where we think the troublemakers are hiding. While I talked, I noticed a blend of eagerness and worry in the expressions of the people with me. However, it was Asher who spoke up in disagreement.
“This is madness,” he argued. “We’d be walking into a trap. We don’t know their numbers, their defenses. It’s too risky.”
A heated debate erupted among the pack leaders. I listened to their concerns, understanding their fears. But I also realized we couldn’t wait any longer.
“I know it’s risky,” I said, making everyone quiet. “But every day we wait, the troublemakers get stronger. They’re finding out our weak points, getting better at dealing with our protection. If we don’t do something now, we might miss our opportunity.”
I explained my plan clearly, answering every question that came up. As I spoke, I felt a newfound confidence flowing through me. This wasn’t the timid omega I once was – this was a leader, a warrior.
Slowly, I saw the doubt in their eyes turn to determination, Even Asher, though clearly unhappy, couldn’t argue against the logic of the plan. With a majority in agreement, we began preparations for the counter-attack.
As I moved through the pack grounds, overseeing the preparations, Asher cornered me once more. His eyes showed both irritation and… could it be worry?
“Aurora, you’re making a big error,” he told her, speaking softly and quickly. “There are complex issues involved that you’re not aware of. Please, reconsider this plan.”
I met his gaze steadily. “Asher, I appreciate your concern. But this is happening. If you have information that could help us, share it. Otherwise, I need you to support this decision.”
He started to speak, then stopped himself, he shook his head, and walked off. I watched him leave, feeling a growing discomfort in my stomach. But I pushed it aside. We had a mission to focus on.
I assembled an elite strike team, carefully selecting wolves from both Blackstone and Clearwater packs. As we stood at the border of our land, prepared to leave, Asher came up to me one more time.
“Aurora,” he spoke softly. “I beg you, don’t go through with this. There are risks you don’t know about. It’s still possible to change your mind.”
I looked at him closely, attempting to figure out what he really meant. But we had already gone too far to go back. “If you’re that worried, Asher, you can come with us if you like. Otherwise, stay here and defend the pack grounds.”
With a final look of what seemed like regret, Asher stepped back. I turned to my team, seeing the determination in their eyes. “Let’s move out,” I ordered.
We slipped into rogue territory under the cover of darkness. I used my lunar powers to guide us, creating a faint silver mist that shrouded our movements. The forest was eerily quiet, setting my nerves on edge.
After hours of careful navigation, we finally spotted signs of the rogue camp. But what we discovered was much more than we expected. It wasn’t just a camp – it was a huge, hidden system, much bigger and better organized than we could have ever thought.
I asked the team to stay where they were while I looked at the situation. This changed everything. We were greatly outnumbered, possibly walking into a dangerous situation. But we couldn’t go back now, not when we were so close.
As I lifted my hand to start the attack, a sharp pain suddenly hit my head. I collapsed to my knees, dimly aware of Xander catching me before I hit the ground. But I was no longer in the forest.
A vision consumed me, more vivid and painful than any I had experienced before. I saw the wolf with red eyes, standing in a cave with strange, glowing crystals. He was doing a mysterious ceremony, speaking in a language I couldn’t understand. But it was the faces of the people around him that terrified me.
I recognized some of them – wolves from both Blackstone and Clearwater packs. Traitors in our midst. Right there, standing close to the wolf with red eyes, was a face I recognized very well.
Asher.
As the vision disappeared, I found myself back in the woods, struggling to breathe. Xander’s anxious face came into sight, along with the worried looks of my group.
“Aurora, what happened? What did you see?” Xander asked urgently.
I had a hard time speaking up because the things I witnessed were overwhelming, like a huge wave hitting me. We had fallen into a trap, just like Asher had said might happen. But not for the reasons I had thought.
“We need to abort the mission,” I managed to say, my voice hoarse. “Now.”
Confusion and alarm spread through the team. But before I could explain, a howl cut through the night – a signal I had hoped never to hear. Our pack grounds were under attack.
As we rushed back towards our territory, my mind raced. Asher’s warnings and his unusual actions now seemed clear. He wasn’t trying to shield me; he was trying to stop me from finding out the truth.
The actual fight wasn’t happening here in the woods. It was back home, where we had left our packs vulnerable. And we had played right into their hands.