Chapter 349

Again and again, the blade struck fiercely, each pull followed by another deadly throw, until goblins fell one after another like wheat before a scythe. At the same time, Zion charged forward in his wolf form, his fangs flashing as he tore through the remaining monsters, ripping one goblin apart after another with ruthless precision.
Seeing its minions drop like flies, the goblin leader’s eyes narrowed, tracking Addison and Zion as they tore through the battlefield.
“Geheheh… grahaha!” It let out a shrill, ear-piercing screech that echoed across the clearing. The sound cut through the chaos, and the remaining goblins immediately reacted, rallying at their leader’s command.
Moments later, they shifted their focus, abandoning the battered caravan and turning their attacks toward Addison and Zion instead. To them, Mary and her group were already as good as dead; the real threat now stood before them, and they swarmed in, eager to crush it.
The goblins surged toward Addison and Zion like a raging tide, but the two moved with seamless coordination born from instinct and trust.
Addison leaped down from Zion’s back just as he sprang high into the air, his claws flashing in the light as he slashed through the oncoming goblins. Mid-leap, he twisted his body and sank his fangs into another, his movements swift and ruthless.
Meanwhile, Addison hit the ground and rolled, coming to a low crouch. Her right foot planted firmly while her left knee bent, grounding her stance. Without rising, she swung the rope in her hand, the dagger tied at its end slicing through the air in a deadly arc.
The weapon whirled above her head like a lasso before she released it, the blade shooting forward and piercing a goblin clean through the chest.
While Zion tore through the frontline, Addison provided support from behind, her strikes precise and relentless. Every time the goblins tried to flank him, her dagger found its mark.
Zion’s wounds healed almost as fast as they appeared, his regeneration outpacing the goblins’ shallow cuts. Unlike the ogres whose blows could kill a werewolf instantly, these creatures were fast but fragile. Confident and in sync, the two wreaked havoc together, carving through the horde like a storm.
Addison guarded Zion’s back, her eyes sharp and her movements precise. Every goblin that tried to launch a sneak attack behind him met a swift end, her dagger flying true before they could even get close.
Even without a wolf, her senses were honed to a razor’s edge; she could feel the malicious presence of the goblins closing in from every direction and react in an instant.
Thankfully, she and Zion had arrived just in time, Mary and her people had been moments away from collapse. Now, watching the two fight in perfect sync, moving as if they shared a single heartbeat, the exhausted warriors found renewed strength.
Their fear and despair faded, replaced by awe and a surge of hope as they witnessed the unstoppable rhythm of Addison and Zion’s back-to-back assault.
Addison and Zion moved with perfect harmony, as if they shared one mind and could see in all directions at once. When Zion lunged and tore off a goblin’s head, Addison’s dagger was already flying toward another that had tried to stab him in the throat. Their movements flowed together seamlessly which was instinctive, precise, and utterly in sync.
Without even realizing it, their mate bond had deepened to an unprecedented level. Their minds were so closely linked that words were no longer needed; they could sense each other’s intentions, emotions, and thoughts with ease. It was as if their souls were fighting as one.
Addison was completely in the zone, every movement fluid, every sense heightened. She could feel everything around her with uncanny clarity and was acutely aware of Zion’s condition, stepping in to support him whenever needed. Because of their perfect coordination, they managed to wipe out all the goblins before the rest of the warriors even arrived to back them up.
“Alpha Zion! Princess!”
The warriors who had come with them burst out from the forest, only to freeze at the sight before them. The battlefield was littered with the mangled corpses of goblins, the ground soaked in crimson.
Zion stood amidst the carnage, his midnight-black fur matted and glistening with fresh blood that clung to him like a second skin. Beside him, Addison was breathing heavily from exhaustion, her body slick with sweat but otherwise untouched by the gore.
The warriors could only stare, speechless at the scene of the massacre. Then, a dull sound echoed through the suddenly quiet clearing—
Thud…
When the warriors turned their gaze toward the source of the sound, they then spotted a lone goblin standing motionless at the far end of the clearing. Unlike the others, this one wore a fox skull over its head and a crude necklace made of bones hanging around its neck.
For a moment, it seemed to be merely frozen in place, until they noticed the dagger buried deep in its skull.
The so-called helmet had failed to protect it; Addison’s throw had been perfectly precise, the blade slipping cleanly through the narrow eye socket of the fox skull. The creature had likely thought itself safe behind its macabre armor, but it never stood a chance against Addison’s aim.
’Nice shot,’ Addison thought to herself, resisting the urge to pat her own back. She didn’t let smugness take over, now wasn’t the time to drop her guard. Because there might still be goblins lurking nearby. Staying alert, she scanned the area as the warriors spread out, checking the perimeter and tending to their injured pack members.
Mary and the others finally noticed the group of veteran warriors and guards who had arrived with Zion and Addison. Their eyes soon fell on the makeshift wagon nearby which was covered with blankets that outlined an unmistakably human shapes.
Mary’s heart skipped a beat. A sinking feeling settled in her chest as her gaze darted between the wagon and the line of warriors emerging one by one from the forest. She silently counted their numbers… and when the total came up short, she didn’t need anyone to tell her what those covered forms were.
She already knew.
Mary’s eyes reddened, but she didn’t blame anyone. She knew all too well that every battle came with losses. And seeing that so many warriors still stood among them, she understood that this time, the casualties were few, a small mercy, yet a blessing nonetheless.
Even so, the ache in her chest wouldn’t fade. Losing pack members was never easy, no matter how much she tried to steel herself. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ (.)net
’Maybe this is what it means to be an Alpha,’ she thought bitterly. To bear the pain in silence, to swallow grief and keep standing for the sake of everyone else. So she did what she could, she steadied her breath and tried to adjust her thoughts, forcing herself to endure.
Mary stayed still for a moment, letting her wolf work to mend her wounds. Her legs trembled beneath her; she could barely stay upright anymore. Then Addison knelt beside her and gently tilted her chin up before uncorking a vial.
“Drink this,” Addison said softly.