Chapter 235: Chapter 235 Deadly Deception
Phoebe’s POV
The warriors escorted me to one of the empty guest rooms in the pack house, carefully placing Elder Tricia on the bed as his blood soaked through the white sheets.
The bullet had to be silver - I was certain of it. They had to extract it immediately so his healing ability could work. If that silver remained lodged inside him, Elder Tricia would die. His supernatural healing couldn’t function with silver poisoning his system.
"Where’s the healer? Find Marcela!" I demanded.
I’d already sent them to fetch the healer, and one warrior had rushed out to bring Marcela back. But he was taking forever - or maybe panic was warping my sense of time, making everything feel both sluggish and lightning-fast.
Time became meaningless until I finally saw Marcela enter the room with the warrior who’d gone to get her. Relief flooded through me.
"It’s alright, let me examine him," Marcela said, trying to steady my frantic gesturing toward Elder Tricia.
She immediately dropped to her knees beside the bed and began checking his condition, while the chaos outside grew louder.
"We have to go - the enemies have breached the building!" one warrior announced urgently.
"What do you mean they’re inside? Isn’t your alpha handling this?" Marcela snapped, clearly struggling to focus.
"The alpha’s leading our fighters against the intruders, but we’re outnumbered!"
Marcela looked stunned. "Impossible. There can’t be that many of them." She knew exactly how many Valerium warriors had crossed our borders. Alpha Wallace had reported that half the enemy force was already eliminated.
So how could this pack be overrun?
But the three warriors looked genuinely panicked, responding to urgent mindlink messages from their packmates.
"We need to evacuate immediately!" one insisted. "The enemies are closing in. We must get the queen to safety!"
Their agitation was infectious as they pressed me to move.
"My queen, we’ll take you somewhere secure, but we have to leave now."
I shook my head firmly. I wouldn’t abandon Marcela and Elder Tricia, who was barely breathing.
"Phoebe, you have to go," Marcela urged. "Leave now. They’re after you specifically, and if they capture you, it’s over. They’ll have exactly what they want. You need to get out before that happens."
I hesitated, but Marcela wouldn’t relent.
"You’re helping us by leaving - you’re their target. I’ll stay with Elder Tricia; he can’t be moved in this state." She squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Go."
I had no choice. I followed the three warriors as they led me toward the safe zone.
——
Marcela remained behind, desperately trying to locate the bullet. The search proved agonizing - the projectile had torn through Elder Tricia’s vital organs, and blood was filling his lungs.
It was miraculous he still drew breath, as though he was battling death itself with pure willpower.
"Stay with me, Elder Tricia, please stay with me," Marcela whispered urgently, trying to keep him conscious. "You’re going to be fine."
She watched the fight fade from his eyes as he drew his final breath - the exact moment she finally found the bullet.
Her hands trembled as she extracted it carefully, avoiding damage to his other organs.
But she was too late. The bullet was out, but Elder Tricia was gone. His healing ability had died with him.
"No... no, please... Elder Tricia, fight back!"
Marcela poured her healing energy into him, but her efforts proved useless once his heart stopped beating.
"No! No!" She tried repeatedly, but couldn’t bring him back. He was lost, and the pain was unbearable. Elder Tricia had been like a father to her, and her inadequate abilities had cost him his life.
"Please... don’t leave." She hurled the silver bullet aside and channeled more healing power, but it was futile.
Devastation consumed her as the reality hit - Elder Tricia was dead. Alone in the room with only his body, she was so lost in grief that she didn’t notice the outside commotion had ceased until Alpha Wallace burst through the door.
"Marcela, what’s happening here?" Alpha Wallace rushed in and approached the healer, his eyes widening in horror at Elder Tricia’s corpse. "What... what’s going on?"
He stumbled backward. "Is he...?"
Alpha Wallace couldn’t complete the question. This would be catastrophic for him and his pack - the royal beta had died under his protection, in his own territory.
"What happened?"
"He’s dead," Marcela said, her voice breaking. She buried her face in her hands briefly, wiping away tears while trying to appear strong, though she felt completely shattered.
Alpha Wallace felt dread creeping through him.
The royal beta was dead.
"Where’s the queen?" Alpha Wallace forced himself to focus. Elder Tricia’s death already spelled disaster, but losing the queen would destroy his pack entirely.
"She’s in the safe zone," Marcela replied, brushing away the tears that kept flowing. "Three warriors took her there when the enemies got closer."
But Alpha Wallace frowned. "The enemies got closer?" He sounded incredulous. "The fighting with the remaining Valerium warriors only occurred at the south gate. I dealt with it personally - there was no need for the safe zone."
"What?" Marcela sobered instantly.
