Chapter 417 Addison’s Thoughts

But as she thought about it now, she realized the unrest in other parts of the werewolf kingdom might also be connected to the same forces. That, however, was a problem she would have to investigate later.

For now, they needed to focus on the Locust Swarm in the West, and she needed to warn her father. If Greg’s backer was already plotting something against the monarchy, then her parents, and the Royal Palace itself, were no longer safe.

And if that was true, then she and her parents would need to relocate her children immediately. They could easily be used as bargaining chips… or worse, taken.

The mere thought sent a cold shiver down her spine, and anger rippled hot and violent through her core.

Addison drew in a heavy breath. ’Focus, Addison… Don’t let your imagination run wild. Handle what’s in front of you first.’ She reminded herself firmly, realizing she was slipping into overthinking again.

But all three of her mates bristled the moment they heard that Addison would be staying behind in the Golden Hue Pack with Lance. It wasn’t jealousy or possessiveness that they are reacting this way, not this time.

After everything that had happened, they felt an even stronger need to stay by her side. Greg was clearly plotting something, and if Addison got caught in it, who would protect her? Lance?

Lance was strong, yes, but entrusting Addison’s safety to someone else right now felt impossible. They simply couldn’t bring themselves to feel at ease.

“Addie, I think we need to rethink this plan,” Zion said, voicing what all three of them had been feeling. “We can’t leave you here alone. Either you come with one of us, or we let Lance and Alpha Hue handle the Golden Hue Pack’s territory.”

“They can stay here and guard the Locust Swarm while we focus on relocating the pack members to the temporary settlement. Besides, Archmage Elric is also here, so for now, this territory should be relatively safe. What we need is to move faster with the evacuation so we can start dealing with the swarm ourselves and ease the pressure on Archmage Elric’s side.”

He spoke calmly, but there was firm conviction behind every word. And the moment he finished, Maxwell and Levi nodded in agreement.

They might dislike Zion on a daily basis and see him as a scumbag in most situations, but when it came to strategy and critical decisions, Zion was reliable. This time, they had no reason to reject his suggestion.

Hearing this, Addison sank into deep contemplation, turning Zion’s suggestion over in her mind. The reason she originally wanted them to gather the other packs while she and Lance stayed behind was because she planned to investigate the matter of the ’Red Devourer’ herself.

She remembered how unusual those creatures had looked, the horn on their heads, the strange energy they carried. At first, she had simply assumed they were a rare species she had never studied or read about. But now that Maxwell had mentioned it, everything clicked into place.

Back then, she had sensed a familiar energy radiating from the locust swarm when she got close enough to feel it. She had been in a rush then, so she hadn’t stopped to examine it, but now that she thought about it, the sensation made perfect sense… and raised even more questions.

Curiosity and unease gnawed at her. She needed Archmage Elric to examine the ’Red Devourer’ and determine whether they carried any kind of thread linking them to their summoner.

Mages often spoke of that thread, the invisible link between a summoner and a mystic or spiritual creature. And summoning a demonic dweller, like the Red Devourer, shouldn’t be any different.

She suspected that Greg’s people hadn’t smuggled those demonic locusts from the North at all, especially since even Maxwell’s forces failed to detect anything. Instead, she believed they had been summoned

right here in this territory using some kind of method or ritual.

And if she could uncover how they did it, that method might become a crucial lead. They could use it to investigate the entire werewolf kingdom, searching for any similar hidden cases, lurking in plain sight, quietly festering, waiting to erupt at the worst possible moment.

If such threats were already embedded throughout the kingdom, and they failed to notice them in time, everything could collapse before they even had a chance to act. Chaos would spread faster than they could contain it.

After all, knowing how scheming and blackhearted Greg was, there was no way things would be this simple. There were likely more secrets buried beneath the surface, dangerous ones that could drag them into even greater trouble later on.

But after hearing Zion’s plan, she realized they were only thinking about her safety. No matter how much she wanted to uncover the truth, what good would that truth be if pursuing it put her in danger, and dragged her mates into that danger with her?

Addison hesitated for a moment before finally voicing her thoughts.

“Actually… after hearing what Maxwell said, I started thinking that maybe the demonic locusts weren’t smuggled from the North at all. Instead, they might have been summoned using dark magic near the Golden Hue Pack’s border.”

“With how tightly the Duke of the North guards his territory, it’s nearly impossible for anyone to slip through without being detected. If someone had crossed the border carrying something this dangerous, Alpha Damon would have noticed it immediately, along with any disturbance in the seal of the Demon Realm’s gate.”

“And even if Alpha Damon had been at the front lines these past three years, Maxwell was the one holding his position. With how meticulous Maxwell is, there’s no way he would’ve missed something so significant. That’s why I think the more likely scenario is that a Dark Witch summoned the demonic locusts here themselves.”

“Given all the evidence we’ve gathered so far, it’s clear that the forces backing Greg have strong ties to the Dark Witches… so this possibility is highly likely.”

Hearing this, Maxwell, Zion, and Levi all furrowed their brows so tightly it seemed the creases could squeeze a fly. Their eyes glowed a sharp gold, the unmistakable sign that their wolves were rising to the surface, agitated and displeased. What Addison said made far too much sense.

“So… what do you plan to do?” Levi asked. He understood her better than anyone. He knew she wasn’t sharing this just as a random theory; she wouldn’t have said it unless she intended to act on it.

“I’m planning to ask Archmage Elric to use his sensitivity to magic to check the area,” Addison said, her tone solemn and steady. “If there’s even the slightest trace of magical residue, especially dark magic, we can track it.”

“And if I remember correctly, Maxwell still has the ruby pendant he used before to follow dark-magic trails. We can use it again. If we manage to trace the residue back to its source, we might be able to pinpoint their hideout, catch them off guard, and eliminate the problem at its roots.”

Her voice carried conviction, the kind born from accepting harsh realities. Running away wouldn’t solve anything. The kingdom already had too many threats closing in; the only way to reclaim even a sliver of breathing room was to strike at the source.