Chapter 36

Lsabella's pov :
Because Aaron and the others had forcibly taken Vincent with them without informing me, I had a cold face all the way and did not initiate any conversation with them.
Xavier followed me closely and would not do anything extra, so the two of us were isolated in this state.
The other Alpha did not care, but Aaron would take the initiative to talk to me during the break.
My long-dead elders taught me at an early age that a man is only this eager when he wants something from you.
And I have not yet been knocked out by his bragging, I am carefully guarding against this man, while trying to discern the right path in Alpha's debate, which is very draining.
It was a good thing that Jasper and I were on the same side, and he understood that Vincent would be the inside man who would wipe us all out, so he asked to be drugged so that Vincent would pass out most of the time and we would wake him up when we needed to.
As I watched Vincent fall into a deep sleep and be carried forward by two warriors, I was slightly more at ease.
The valley floor between the rivers has been washed by the river for a hundred years, a river that comes from the snowy mountains of East Island, and the snow melts and becomes the river, flowing all the way down to irrigate the surrounding land.
We rested by the river.
I bent down and picked up a handful of river water to wash my face, the cold water stimulated my skin, the original chaos of the brain is much clearer.
Jasper stood beside me, looking into the distance.
Xavier was standing not far from me.
He was on guard and also wary of Jasper, but after a few conversations between us, he was able to calmly deal with Jasper's approach to me.
Since we were going to have a scheme in real time, we needed to be perfect everywhere.
Jasper also squatted down, but he just threw a small stone into the water.
He veered to my side: "According to that map Vincent gave up, we're only halfway there."
People from small communities like us are more used to accepting the worst outcome of an event first, so that the rest of the scenario is, at worst, the same as this one.
I calmly spat out, "It's half the journey, not half the time, and the rest of the way is bad. And the closer you get to the moonstone, the more likely something will happen."
Jasper was disliked by me froze for a moment, lightly laughed, squatted next to me: "Why are you more anxious than I look? If the moonstone is not found, or if something else happens, the person who loses the most is also me, so why are you anxious?"
So my mood swings were so obvious? I looked down to collect my thoughts, and incidentally made an excuse for myself: "I just hate the feeling of being counted on, and no one here has any good intentions."
Jasper followed me and looked around at the people around me, they were all sitting around according to their ethnic groups, all plotting their own things.
This was what was called unity on the East Continent, and the Alpha Alliance was just about as far as it got.
"If I were the leader..."
"What did you say?"
Jasper, who had already gotten up, extended a hand towards me, and I took his hand and stood up: "Didn't say anything, dinner seems to be starting over there."
During dinner, we revisited the strategy.
Eric's Silver Moon Pack was one of the closest packs to the bottom of this river valley, and he knew more about it than we did.
"The terrain at the bottom of the river valley is complex, and going back there is an extremely narrow gap, hundreds of meters long, that only one person can pass through sideways, let alone transform the form. Few people have ever reached there and returned safely."
"Isn't there any other way?" Jasper asked.
"No, there are cliffs on both sides, and it's easy to fall to your death coming down from above instead."
He and I looked at each other, and each other show the helplessness of the heart.
It was originally a team with unstable hearts, and now I don't know who started it.
Jasper, who was sitting across from me, simply came around and sat down next to me: "Don't go forward, remember?"
I gave him a blank look: "Where did I charge forward? Every time I charge is carefully thought out, okay?"
Jasper gave me a helpless look: "Okay, but this time, after careful consideration, also discuss with me, okay?"
Seeing his defeated expression, I suddenly laughed out: "Okay, I reluctantly agreed."
"Should we wake up this captive and ask them how they got through this gap?"
Mr. Felix suddenly made this suggestion.
I gave Mr. Felix a very sensitive look, but I thought the offer was kind of reasonable and I shouldn't be so sensitive.
At least there was room for me to fight in this matter.
"The reason we put this rogue into a deep sleep is so that he won't have a chance to mind link, if he wakes up now and speaks about us all being exposed, what are we going to do then, right?"
"Do rogues really establish that much telepathy? They should hate such affiliations, right?"
"Yes," I calmly replied to Aaron's query, "I've seen it with my own eyes, and they establish affiliations with each other."
But Aaron still looked unconvinced, and the remaining Alpha's attitude was also hesitant, and I was a little bit nauseous in this moment.
It wasn't the current state of affairs that made me angry, but the future I foresaw, when we would surely be led into disaster by this superficially close, internally guarded relationship.
"It's true," Jasper came up to me: "I've been in this situation before when I was fighting rogues in the Purple Moon Pack, and the captive I captured then also had a psychic link, and we exposed the location within ten minutes of kidnapping him. "
If my speech was ineffective, Jasper's remarks, the Alpha of the strongest pack on the East Continent, did have some effect.
"Then let's not think about the rest, and still follow the same method as before, let's discuss the list of people to enter. Do you all have any ideas?"
It was only after these few discussions that I felt Felix took the initiative to become the leader of the team after Jasper had quieted down. Because of his age and experience here, everyone acquiesced to this.
I don't think I've ever asked Jasper why he's gone low in this joint operation.
I inclined my head to look at him, but the desire burning in his eyes, he is 100% want to get this moonstone.
Jasper noticed my eyes, he inclined his head to look at me, his eyes also softened in an instant.
"To say anything?"
"Nothing." I shake my head.
Yeah, what person here wouldn't be interested in the moonstone? They all want to bet on the luck although they all only know a legend. Besides, it was me who had played the outsider for so long that I was the most certain person here.
"Let the explorers of the right size go first, there is no need to go completely through this gap, just explore what is ahead and return."
Everyone agreed with Jasper's proposal.
I suppressed Xavier who was about to get up with my eyes, I only had him as a helper, if he went first and then got trapped somewhere, what about me, what about us Blood Moon Pack.
Moonstone where is so simple to get? After the gap there must be other difficult levels it.
Finally by the other four Alpha each sent one of their explorers.
Four is obviously a bit much, but at a time like this no one wants to miss out on first-hand information. We stood at the entrance to the crevice and watched them struggle to sidle in.
The rest of the day was spent waiting, and we returned to the edge of the camp, each thinking our own thoughts.
The men they had sent were mind-linked to them and were able to report back some news every few moments, which Jasper kindly relayed to me.
"The road is narrower, the ground is mossy and slippery."
"It's slow, can't keep track of how long we've been going now."
"Seeing light, seeing...moon rocks."
Jasper and I glanced at each other and heard suppressed cheers behind us, and it seemed that the explorers sent out had delivered such news.
Xavier and I exchanged a quick glance.
Jasper was calm, and he followed up by delivering the not-so-smooth news: "But the front is blocked, there's no way to get in."
"What's blocking it? Can it be moved?"
Although I didn't expect the explorer to be able to bring out the moonstone in the first place, I couldn't control my impatience when I heard the news about the moonstone.
"Thorns suddenly appear ahead to block the road, adult males can't pass, if they can be cut down, petite adults or children might be able to."
One of the criteria for selection of wolf warriors is height, and there are almost no short warriors here.
As the only female present, I felt that this opportunity was uniquely mine.
I'm probably already in a frenzy over the moonstone. Those who are counting on me in the shadows, come if you dare, I'll finish you off on the way.
Xavier suddenly catapulted himself through the crowd and grabbed me by the arm.
I jumped in shock.
"What for?"
Xavier's gaze was fixed on me, and after a long time, he finally spoke, "I know what you're thinking, but it's too impulsive to rush in in this situation."
Indeed, I had not allowed Xavier to enter the crevice before, and if I went in now, I would be going against the reason for blocking Xavier before. I've always been such a double standard, in fact. I've never been afraid to take risks and die, but I was afraid that Xavier would take risks and die for me.
I looked at him and he looked at me, and we were frozen in place.
It didn't take long for the entrance to the crevice to come alive as four explorers retreated through the crevice.
The brief standoff between Xavier and I was interrupted when I gestured for Xavier to come forward with me, and we'd find out exactly what was going on first.
The other Alpha's were eager to gather around, asking their respective warriors how things were going inside, while still discussing further options.
We followed the others and gathered around together, after all, all four explorers had seen the moonstone.
"We saw the glow of the moonstone, it was in the water, like the moon had fallen into the lake."
"Yes, but the path after that was so narrow and covered with thorns that couldn't be cut with daggers that we couldn't even get through."
The Alpha's all sighed about the approaching hope and the bumpy road ahead, obviously every one of them was excited, but now they were able to soar their acting skills, all with a calm look.
After all, anyone who is too eager now will show their greed for power and conquest, and no one dares to poke their head out of this first at this time.
Finally it was Eric who spoke first: "Gentlemen, that thorn bush is certainly not that simple, we have to let that captive wake up."