Chapter 235: The War
Scarlett’s POV
I ended up staying in bed all afternoon with Liam. My body was completely exhausted, floating in a haze of absolute satisfaction as we tangled our legs together under the sheets. Liam was incredibly attentive, pulling me against his warm chest, whispering sweet, lazy praises into my hair, and kissing my shoulders whenever I stirred. For a few precious hours, the rest of the world disappeared, and I almost forgot someone had tried to kill me.
But the peaceful bubble shattered the moment my bedroom door creaked open.
Leo and Leonard walked into the room, and the instant my eyes landed on them, the warmth and peace vanished instantly. They looked nothing like they had the night before. Their jaws were clenched, their shoulders rigid, and a heavy, suffocating tension radiated from their frames, darkening their usual dominant auras.
My wolf instantly perked up, her ears flattening in alarm. Something is wrong, she whispered.
I didn’t hesitate. I threw off the duvet and slid out of bed, completely ignoring the lingering ache between my thighs. Walking right up to them, I reached out and took one of Leo’s hands in my left, and one of Leonard’s in my right, squeezing them firmly.
"What’s wrong?" I asked, looking back and forth between their troubled faces.
Leo’s dark eyes flickered, his gaze dropping to the floor for a second as his grip on my fingers tightened. He looked like he was desperately trying to hide whatever was wrong.
I knew these brothers too well by now; Whenever they tried to protect me from bad news. they shifted their weight, their jaws ticking in the exact same guilty rhythm.
"Leo. Leonard," I said, my voice hardening into a firm, warning tone. "I would appreciate it if you didn’t keep anything from me. Speak."
Leonard let out a long, heavy breath, his brown eyes meeting mine with absolute reluctance. "It’s nothing serious, Scar," he began, trying to soften his tone, but the underlying tremor in his rumble gave him away.
"Don’t lie to me," I snapped gently, stepping closer until my chest brushed against his bare torso.
Leo swallowed hard, finally breaking the silence. "It’s just that... out of the three of us, two will be going to war tomorrow."
I froze. My breath hitched in my throat, and I felt Liam instantly rise from the bed behind me, his heavy footsteps padding across the floor until he was standing right at my back, a solid wall of heat.
"What nonsense are you spitting?" I demanded, my brow furrowing deeply as pure dread began to pool in my stomach. "What do you mean, war?"
Leonard ran a frustrated hand through his hair, his expression turning completely grim as he laid out the facts. "The Steel Pack is a small pack that sits right under our territory. They pay homage to the Full Moon Pack, and in return, we provide them with protection. If a case for war arises, we are legally bound to assist them."
He paused, then sighed. "The Steel Pack is currently locked in a massive land dispute with the Fangs Pack. We’ve held multiple diplomatic meetings, we’ve tried mediation, and we’ve drawn up compromises—but nothing worked. The land rightfully belongs to the Steel Pack, but the Fangs Pack wants to oppress them and take it by force. So, it was concluded today that the Steel and Fangs packs will go to war. Whoever wins, takes the land permanently."
"But it’s not a fair fight anymore," Leo growled. "The Shadow Pack has officially decided to team up with the Fangs Pack. And since they are interfering, we are teaming up with the Steel Pack to level the playing field."
My brows deepened into a tight, angry line. Fear began to pierce through my chest. "Then send your warriors," I argued, my voice rising slightly as I gripped their hands tighter. "Send your Betas, your Gammas, your elite squads! Why must two of you go? You are the Alphas!"
Liam sighed heavily from behind me, his large hands coming up to rest on my waist, grounding me against his chest. "It has to be this way, love," he murmured tightly against my ear. "We personally promised the Steel Pack our protection. Just sending our warriors isn’t enough to deter the Shadow Pack’s Alphas. The presence of the Full Moon Alphas on the battlefield changes everything. It ensures our dominance."
I shook my head, my mind spinning into a panicked overdrive. I was terrified. I knew how skilled they were. I knew they were the most powerful, ruthless Alphas in the entire region, capable of tearing entire squads apart with their bare hands. But I had just gotten them back. I had just survived an assassination attempt; the poison was barely out of my system, and the prophecy was hanging over our heads like a ticking time bomb. If anything happened to them... if one of them never came back to me... I wouldn’t survive it.
A suffocating, agonizing silence settled over the bedroom. None of us spoke. The only sound was the synchronized, heavy breathing of the three brothers.
Finally, Leo broke the silence, his dark gaze locking onto Leonard and Liam. "We have to pick the two of us who will go. And we have to do it now. The warriors march at dawn."
I swallowed the lump of fear in my throat, looking between the three identical, massive men who held my heart and my soul in their hands.
"How?" I whispered, my voice trembling slightly. "How are you going to choose who leaves, and who stays?"
A tense silence hung in the air.
"You choose, Scar," Leo said softly, breaking the painful silence. He stepped closer, taking my face in his large, warm hands, forcing me to look into his eyes. "You are our mate. We trust you with our lives. You choose who stays to protect you, and who goes to the front lines. No matter who you choose, none of us will question your decision."
