Chapter 182- Into the Wolf’s Den
Lexy
The northern ridge loomed before us, its jagged spine outlined in pale moonlight. The night air carried the scent of pine and damp earth, mingled with something darker—smoke, sweat, the faint metallic tang of freshly oiled weapons. Adrian’s camp lay just beyond, hidden among the shadows of the cliffs.
I crouched at the tree line, my eyes narrowing as I studied the faint glow of lanterns flickering in the valley below. Even from here, I could see the watch fires burning, could sense the restless movement of his men. They thought themselves safe, concealed. But Tarria’s scouting had given us every detail we needed and having her with us secured it. We knew their rotations, their weak points, the paths most likely to lead us in unseen.
Behind me, the warriors of the alliance crouched in tense silence. My people. My family. Wolves who had bled beside me, who would follow me into fire if I asked. Their armor was dulled with soot to hide the gleam; their blades wrapped in cloth to muffle sound. Every breath they drew was measured, every movement restrained. We were shadows tonight, and shadows would carve through Adrian’s defenses before he ever knew we were there.
I rose, motioning CJ to my side. He moved as silent as I did, his presence a steady wall against the chaos swirling inside me. His hand brushed mine briefly—a reminder that we were in this together.
“Two patrols circling clockwise,” he murmured. “They cross paths every twelve minutes.”
“Good,” I whispered. “That’s our window.”
Tarria knelt on the other side of me, her eyes sharp as she pointed toward the ridge’s narrow slope. “That path there is the weakest. I counted fewer guards, and the rocks provide cover until the very last stretch. If we move fast and quiet, we can reach the supply tents before they realize we’ve breached.”
My gaze lingered on her for a moment. Brave, loyal, unyielding. She had risked her life once already to uncover this place. Now she would lead us inside.
“Perfect,” I said.
I turned back to the warriors gathered close, their faces lit only by moonlight and the faint glow of fire from below. My chest tightened as I looked at them—not as soldiers, but as men and women with families, dreams, fears. Every decision I made carried their lives in its balance.
“Listen to me,” I whispered, my voice carrying low but strong through the night. “Adrian thinks he hides in strength. He thinks we fear him. But tonight, we prove him wrong. We take his camp, we break his supplies, we cut the legs from beneath him before he can rise again.”
Eyes shone in the dark, steady, resolute.
“We do this for the alliance. For every pack that has bled under his hand. For the young warrior who gave his life when Adrian’s cowards tried to strike and failed. For our families waiting at home, counting on us to end this war.”
I drew my blade, the steel catching a whisper of moonlight. “Move with silence. Move with purpose. When the time comes, strike as one. Together, we are the storm he never saw coming.”
A low murmur of agreement rippled through the warriors. CJ’s gaze met mine, fierce and proud, before he gave a small nod.
We moved.
The first steps into enemy territory were always the hardest. The forest seemed louder than ever—the snap of twigs, the crunch of leaves, the soft rustle of fabric against armor. Each sound felt amplified, though I knew it was only nerves sharpening my senses. Ahead, Tarria led the way, guiding us along the narrow slope. The rocks shielded us, jagged and dark, their edges blending us into the night.
I kept my senses stretched wide, listening beyond the rhythm of our movement. My phoenix fire stirred within, restless, hungry, begging to ignite. But I pressed it down. Fire was for when silence failed, for when shadows could no longer conceal us. Tonight, stealth was our greatest weapon.
Halfway up the slope, we froze as a guard appeared on the ridge above. He moved slowly, a torch in his hand, scanning the tree line below. My breath caught in my chest; my body coiled to spring if he looked down.
The torchlight wavered, then turned away. His footsteps receded, swallowed by the night.
Only when Tarria motioned forward again did we breathe. We moved faster, hugging the rocks until the slope flattened into a narrow path overlooking the valley. From here, the camp spread below us—a hive of activity even in the dead of night. Men moved between fires, crates stacked high near the largest tents. And there, at the far edge, I saw it: the glow Tarria had spoken of, seeping through cracks in the wooden boxes like light trapped beneath a lid.
My chest tightened. Whatever Adrian had hidden in those crates, it wasn’t natural. That glow felt alive, wrong, like the air around it was bending under the weight of its presence. We had to destroy it before Adrian found a way to unleash it.
CJ crouched beside me, his voice barely a breath. “They’re vulnerable. Their guards are thin on the east side. If we cut through fast, we can reach the crates before they rally.”
I nodded. The plan was sound, but I knew the risk. Once we struck, stealth would be over. The camp would erupt in chaos. We would be outnumbered, surrounded, with only our speed and ferocity to keep us alive.
I turned to the warriors again, my voice a whisper but sharp as steel. “This is it. Once we move, there is no turning back. Stay close. Stay swift. We strike hard and vanish before they can catch their breath.”
Every face that looked back at me was set in determination. Not fear—resolve. They were ready.
The moons hung high above us, silver sentinels watching over the ridge. The patrols below crossed paths again, their torches briefly mingling before parting once more. Twelve minutes. That was our window.
I raised my hand, signaling the warriors to ready themselves. Blades were drawn, bows notched, every muscle coiled for the moment I gave the command. The world seemed to hold its breath, the night air heavy with anticipation.
For one heartbeat, I let myself feel everything—the weight of leadership, the fire of vengeance, the hope of a future without Adrian’s shadow looming over us. Then I let it all sharpen into focus, clear and undeniable.
“Now,” I whispered.
We slipped from the ridge, shadows melting into the dark, and began the first steps of our attack.
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