Chapter 55
55 Chapter 55 When The Alpha
Falls
Rowan’s POV
The black column of smoke spiraling up from Scarlet Howlers territory made Rowan’s blood run cold. His boots pounded against the earth as denial warred with grim certainty in his chest. Hardy wouldn’t dare push this far. But even as the thought formed, Rowan knew better.
He sprinted across the ridge toward Duskwood,
commands crackling through the mind–link. Nick and his advance team should have reached the territory by now. They had to be holding the line.
The orange glow bleeding across Duskwood’s rooftops appeared too quickly. Smoke hung thick in the air, carrying the acrid taste of burning resin and scorched grain. Deep explosions rumbled through the forest, sharp and deliberate. These weren’t accidents.
This was war.
Allen had been right all along. Hardy had come for
them.
Ash swirled across the courtyard stones as Rowan reached the outer perimeter. Screams echoed from the lower corridors, cutting through the chaos. He seized a passing guard by the arm.
“Report p>
The man’s face was streaked with soot and fear.
“Alpha, multiple ignition points throughout the compound. Heavy smoke in the library wing. There’s something in the supply hall burning black that water only makes worse p>
Rowan’s grip tightened. “Where are Luna Faye and Lady Sally p>
“Lady Sally is treating wounded in the infirmary. The Luna was last spotted near the cave entrance, but-” The guard stumbled as Rowan released him and pushed forward.
“Nick!” Rowan spotted his Beta near the inner
stairwell, face grim with soot and determination.
Nick stepped forward without hesitation. “The flames started in the supply hall and spread to the herb storage. This isn’t natural fire, Alpha. Water feeds it instead of killing it. We’re using sand and heavy blankets. The library staircase is compromised. Found two men unconscious near the lower passage with burned eyes and green–stained lips. Luna Faye was heading toward the cave system when the smoke thickened. No response through the mind–link since then. There’s poison in the air p>
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Rowan’s jaw clenched. “Secure Lady Sally immediately. Abandon the water lines and smother those flames. Seal every vent leading to the library, block the eastern passages, and position archers at the cliff entrance. Anyone emerging from those tunnels gets dropped without warning p>
“Understood, Alpha.” Nick paused, his expression darkening. “Sir, whoever orchestrated this attack knew our layout intimately p>
Rowan didn’t slow his pace. “I’m aware.” His mind raced. Hardy must have extracted the information from Faye somehow. The thought made his vision blur
with rage.
“Alpha!” A messenger skidded to a halt, ash coating his uniform. “Raven Deons are hitting the southern border hard. Lord Hardy’s forces are holding, but they’re being overwhelmed. More shapes moving through the treeline. They need reinforcements now p>
Of course. Scavengers always circled when blood hit the water.
“Nick,” Rowan’s voice cut like steel. “The fires are your priority. Sand, earth, wool blankets–smother everything. Seal every library vent and lock down the herb wing completely. Move Lady Sally and the infirmary to the stone cellar with four squads for protection. Any man showing green lips or eye burns gets masked and pulled from active duty. Don’t let the poison spread p>
“Yes, Alpha p>
“Position two squads at the cliff entrance. Anyone emerges, they die. No questions, no warnings p>
Nick nodded, already signaling his captains.
55 Chapter 55 When The Alpha Falls
Rowan turned to the messenger. “Tell the southern
wall I’m incoming. Form a wedge formation at the river break. Shields forward, archers behind, aim low and drive them into the ditch. If that black fire spreads south, use earth, never water p>
He opened the mind–link wide, his command thundering through every warrior’s consciousness. ‘All fighters to the southern border. We move as one unit p>
Acknowledgments flooded back through the
connection.
Rowan grabbed his sword from the wall rack and hit the courtyard at full speed. The glow over Duskwood had deepened to angry red, smoke settling like a
suffocating blanket. Another explosion shook the halls behind him.
They reached the southern wall as the first wave of Raven Deons burst from the brush, howling for blood.
Hardy’s men held a thin line by the river break, their dark armor gleaming, shields locked tight. Bodies already littered the grass between positions. The northerners were trading ground for time, and time
was bleeding away fast.
“Duskwood!” Rowan’s battle cry split the air. “Form on
me p>
His warriors surged forward, filling the wedge formation. Shields crashed together. Spears dropped to killing angle. Arrows whistled overhead, punching into the Raven Deons‘ front ranks just long enough to stagger their charge.
Rowan stepped into the gap and drove forward. Steel met bone and flesh. The line advanced with him, one
brutal step at a time.
“Tonight we survive,‘ he told the link, his mental voice like forged iron. ‘No one breaks formation. Drive them back to the trees and hold that line p>
But as the battle raged, something began poisoning his strength from within.
Sally’s POV
“Lady Sally, these are the only herbs I could salvage.” Winona pressed a bundle of wilted plants into Sally’s
55 Chapter 55 When The Alpha Falls
hands. “Low quality, but they’ll have to work p>
Sally nodded grimly, examining the brittle leaves and crushed stems.
“Whoever set these fires knew every corridor and vent in this place,” Winona whispered, handing over
another bundle. “They hit the right rooms, used the servant stairs, and disappeared before anyone spotted them. Do you think it was an inside job? Or could the tyrant be involved p>
Sally’s expression hardened as she ground the herbs in her mortar. The scent was weak and stale—fever medicine, not treatment for burns and poisoned lungs. This had to be Hardy’s work. He was supposed to be their ally, but if he’d turned against them, something major had changed.
Unless someone else had acquired detailed maps of Duskwood.
“Lord Hardy is our ally,” she said, more to convince herself than Winona.
“We don’t know he’s responsible. Yet,” Winona replied, gathering bandages and checking the occupied cots.
Sally added water and worked the mixture smoother. She mentally counted patients–smoke inhalation cases first, eye injuries next, then anyone with the telltale green staining around their lips. She handed the bowl to a page. “Take this to the physician. Steam it properly. Cloth masks for anyone coughing blood. Keep the children against the back wall p>
A warrior burst through the door, helmet tucked under his arm, soot streaking his face. “Lady Sally! Raven Deons spotted at the southern border. Alpha has taken command of the line. Beta Nick orders the infirmary to maintain position until escorts arrive p>
Sally’s stomach clenched. “What about Luna Faye p>
“No contact,” he said. “Her mind–link went dead. Last confirmed sighting near the library corridor p>
Winona gripped Sally’s sleeve. “Stay calm. The Luna is strong. Poisoned smoke can sever mind–links. They’ll locate her p>
Sally nodded and kept moving. “Tell Beta Nick we need masks and sand for sealing door gaps. If that black fire reaches this wing, water will only spread it p>
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55 Chapter 55 When The Alpha Falls
The warrior saluted and ran.
Sally didn’t waste a second. She pushed a fresh bowl of herbal paste into the physician’s hands. “Treat eyes first, then throats. Keep breathing shallow. Rotate the children to the clean–air corner every few minutes p>
She moved between vents, testing air currents and heat bleeding through stone walls. Something about the fire’s spread pattern felt wrong, but there was no time to analyze it properly.
“Seal these with wet wool,” she instructed an
attendant. “If smoke thickens further, we evacuate to the stone cellar. I’ll take the children first. Winona, you follow with elderly patients and anyone coughing
blood p>
Winona nodded and began pairing assistants.
Another deep explosion echoed from somewhere in the keep’s depths. The air tasted of burning resin and charred wood. Sally paused to steady a shaking
patient, adjusting the cloth covering the girl’s nose and mouth.
Sounds from the corridors rose and fell like ocean
55 Chapter 55 When The Alpha Falls
waves.
Sally maintained her steady voice while issuing instructions, but the dread in her chest refused to
ease.
This wasn’t a lucky raid. Someone wanted to destroy their pack systematically.
“Lady Sally! Lady Sally!” Another warrior crashed through the door, boots sliding on ash–covered stone. “Urgent news p>
“What happened?” Sally demanded.
“We received word from the battlefield-” He swallowed hard. “The Alpha is down. The Alpha is down p>
END OF BOOK 1
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Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.