Chapter 176: Chapter 176 Loss Forged In Claw
Phoebe’s POV
Elder Augustus wasn’t thrilled about backing down, but he had no choice. Continuing to hassle me would only make him look worse.
With a dismissive wave, he signaled for one of the senior warriors to brief me on the situation.
The news hit like a punch to the gut. A massive force of Valerium warriors had infiltrated our territory and were now marching straight for the capital. Our scouts had spotted them and sent word back.
By now, the fighting had probably already started.
The real problem? We were stretched thin. Most of our warriors were tied up in the southern battle, and reinforcements from nearby packs wouldn’t arrive for at least half a day.
I quickly scribbled my assessment: [So we need to hold them off for half a day until backup arrives.]
"Pretty much, yeah."
I wrote another note: How long can our current forces hold the line outside the city?
Their surprise at how fast I grasped the situation was almost insulting. This wasn’t rocket science – it was the most obvious question to ask.
Either I was sharper than I realized, or these people had seriously underestimated me.
I still had more questions before I could work out a plan. Those strategy sessions with Perry before he left were paying off now.
This time, the senior warrior was much more eager to fill me in completely. He wanted me to understand every detail.
I could tell the elders had given them the wrong impression of me. They didn’t mind my written communication – everyone wanted a solution, and a little inconvenience was nothing compared to what they’d already endured in this war.
"Four hours, maybe six at most."
I shifted closer to get a better view of the map spread across the massive table. The warriors stepped back to give me room.
I pointed to the mountain beside the fortress.
"That’s Mountain Den," the senior warrior explained.
I wrote quickly: [I have an idea.]
——
Perry’s POV
I pushed through the barricades with my warriors, tearing through Sunstone Creek and freeing the prisoners the Valerium forces had captured. Their alpha was already dead – beheaded.
But something felt off about this whole situation. My gut was screaming that the enemy had an ace up their sleeve, though I couldn’t pin down what yet.
Timothy’s voice crackled through the mindlink: [Found where they escaped yet?] He shared my suspicions.
[There are secret tunnels leading out of the pack. Some of our men followed them, but we don’t know where they lead.]
[Get someone from this pack – anyone who knows about these passages. Find out where they go.] I barked the order.
[On it,] Timothy replied, still mopping up the remaining enemies. His mind was working slower as he focused on tying up prisoners for execution later. I could practically feel his frustration – he wanted to just kill them all and save time.
He was still puzzling over the weird situation too. Unlike me, he couldn’t juggle multiple problems at once.
Five minutes later, we dragged over an elder from the Sunstone Creek pack.
"All the passages lead outside the territory," he gasped out. "They end at different spots in the mountains." He gave us the details – five exit points total.
We moved fast. Even if we couldn’t catch the Valerium warriors and their accomplices, we wouldn’t fall too far behind.
"Split into five groups, hit every exit point," I commanded.
They executed the order in under two minutes. Five teams of a hundred warriors each, led by senior fighters.
Their mission was simple: identify which path the enemy took, but don’t engage. Wait for backup before attacking.
Before we could get too deep into the mountains, a massive explosion rocked the area. The sound was so loud it left our ears ringing.
"What the hell was that?!" Timothy tried reaching everyone through the mindlink, but he could only sense the warriors in his group heading to one of the exit points.
I was still alive – he’d know if something happened to me. The loyalty bond worked both ways.
"Find out what happened," I ordered one of my warriors.
He peeled off to investigate while the rest of us pressed on. He could track us by scent later.
Half an hour later, he caught up with devastating news.
"It was a bomb, Your Majesty. They blew the passages. The warriors who went in... they’re buried under the rubble." His face was raw with grief – these were his brothers-in-arms.
"Survivors?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"None found yet."
"Damn cowards!" The rage burned hot in my chest. We’d lost good men to this backstabbing move.
