Chapter 157- The Price of Delay
Lexy
I stood at the clearing just beyond the grand hall, watching as the alliance convoy approached the entrance. The high winds whipped my curls around my face and flattened the grass beneath our boots. I had chosen this place for the handoff because it was open, symbolic—visible. Transparent justice.
But now, the empty spot where Adrian was supposed to be; screamed louder than the roaring of my warrior wolves.
He was gone.
The tribal leaders around me barked questions. Some were furious, others stunned. A few had the gall to smirk. But I didn’t react. Not yet. My back was straight, arms loose at my sides, expression carved from stone. The chaos behind me didn’t shake me. What did was the cold twist in my gut that whispered, *You knew this could happen.*
“Queen Lexy,” Elder Mara of the Thorne Fang tribe snapped, marching toward me. Her wolf eyes gleamed in the sunlight. “Where is he? We came in good faith. Don’t tell me you’ve lost him.”
I turned to her slowly. “No, I didn’t lose him. He was taken.”
“Taken?” Mara’s voice rose. “How? He was in your custody!”
My eyes flashed. “You’re standing on my land. Lower your tone.”
That silenced Mara—but only for a breath. Others stepped forward now: the Eastern delegate from the Ashrun pack, the stoic twins from the mountain clans, even the high priestess of the Circle Tribes. The alliance had assembled to witness Adrian's delivery to neutral grounds—and instead, they’d walked into scandal.
A young runner sprinted up, breathless. “My Queen—smoke was used in the lower hall. Several guards were injured. We’re still verifying how he escaped. We think… Kael was involved.”
I shut my eyes for a moment. *Kael. Of course.* I should’ve taken care of him from weeks ago after we brought Tarria back, but I’d been too careful, too political.
The Circle priestess stepped forward. “This was no accident. This was coordinated. You knew they might come for him.”
“I did.”
That silenced the crowd.
I continued, my voice steady. “Which is why I stationed thirty of my best warriors, locked the corridors, and silenced Adrian’s communication routes for weeks. Which is why we kept this transfer quiet until dawn this morning.”
“Yet he still slipped through,” Mara said with disdain. “What are we to think of your security now?”
My patience snapped like dry bones. I stepped forward until I was eye to eye with the elder.
“Think what you want,” I said coldly. “But don’t mistake a successful extraction for incompetence. This was an infiltration. An inside job, executed with perfect timing and discipline. I underestimated their reach, not their intent.”
The tension crackled like lightning around us. The alliance members glanced at one another, the air ripe with shifting allegiances and fresh distrust.
Elder Tolan of the Stormvale stepped forward, raising his staff slightly for order. “What do you propose now, Queen Lexy? We came for justice. Do we return empty-handed?”
I turned, facing the entire group. My voice dropped into that commanding calm that had made me a queen long before I’d taken the crown.
“No. We return to war footing. Adrian broke free—but not unnoticed. We have his trail. He’s injured one of my guards. He’s used weapons inside our borders. That is an act of war, even if it’s waged in silence.”
“Do you want a war?” one of the mountain twins asked, eyebrow raised. “Because we were told your purpose was unity.”
My jaw tightened. “Unity doesn’t mean rolling over and letting a threat fester inside our alliance. It means holding the line when someone tries to dismantle it from within.”
A silence followed.
The priestess tilted her head. “And what if he was broken out because some still believe in him? What if this isn’t just an escape—but a statement?”
My stomach turned. I’d thought about it too. That this was more than desperation—that Adrian wanted to be seen, wanted his escape to mean something. The alliance had exposed him, but he wasn’t running. He was repositioning.
I raised my voice again, cutting through the speculation.
“Let’s be clear: Adrian’s escape doesn’t clear his name. It condemns him. And if anyone among your tribes supports what he’s done—if any of your warriors assisted him—you should know I will uncover them, and I will burn that rot out myself.”
“We have worked hard to unite and to bring a better future for the next generations to come” I finished speaking.
This time, no one challenged me. Not aloud.
“Queen Lexy!” another soldier ran up, eyes wide. “A perimeter team just confirmed that Adrian and Kael were seen crossing the eastern ridge. They used the high ground—distracted us with a drone burst. There was a caravan waiting for them.”
I cursed under my breath. “They planned this long before the transfer was announced. They had assets in place. They knew every weak spot.”
CJ appeared at my side then, his face a blend of anger and grim control. “We were too careful,” he muttered. “Tried to make it look clean.”
I nodded. “And he used that window to disappear.”
“What now?” he asked.
I looked around at the gathered leaders. Some still looked skeptical. Others seemed intrigued—waiting to see if I could still lead through this.
I addressed them again.
“Let him run. We won’t chase him blind. But starting today, I want every outpost notified. Any border crossings flagged. Every pack and tribe on high alert. Anyone caught helping him will be tried for treason. I’ll call an emergency summit in three days. If Adrian thinks he’ll strike first, he’s wrong.”
“And the alliance?” Mara asked coolly.
I stepped forward, drawing myself to full height.
“The alliance stands. But it just transitioned from diplomacy... to defense.”
A new silence followed—one of sober acceptance.
The transport vehicles powered down behind us, unused. A symbol of the justice that nearly was.
As the tribal leaders began to disperse, murmuring among themselves, I finally allowed myself to feel the frustration boiling in my gut. I turned to CJ once more.
“He’s not afraid anymore,” I whispered. “He’s making moves. And I guarantee he won’t wait long before the next.”
CJ reached for my hand. “Then neither will we.”
I nodded, but my gaze had already returned to the east, where the sun burned low behind the trees.
Adrian had escaped the net.
But he hadn’t escaped *me*.
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