Chapter 17 - The Warning
Back at the Ashwood compound, the quiet morning was shattered when an injured scout stumbled through the front gates, bleeding heavily from a deep gash across his shoulder.
Vera and Dante were in the courtyard within seconds. Dante caught the scout before he hit the ground, gently lowering him onto a bench.
"Southern border," the scout gasped, clutching at his torn clothing. "An army of rogues... hundreds of them. Led by Malakor. They're not just raiding, Alpha. They're slaughtering everything in their path. They said they're coming to burn the entire territory."
Rowan rushed forward with a medical kit, pressing gauze against the scout's wound. "Malakor? I thought he died in the southern wastes years ago. Victor’s intelligence reports said he was gone."
"He wasn't gone," Vera said, her voice dangerously quiet as she stared out toward the southern horizon. "He was just waiting for someone to unite the broken pieces."
Thorne Blackwater, who had remained at the compound to coordinate northern trade logistics, stepped forward, his expression grave. "Malakor is a monster, Vera. He doesn't care about packs, territory, or rules. He wants total destruction. If his army hits your gates, our northern forces won't be able to reach you in time."
May you like
Vera turned to Dante, who was already standing tall, his amber eyes locking onto hers with absolute, unwavering loyalty.
"We don't need the northern forces to reach us," Vera said, her voice ringing with absolute, sovereign authority. "We'll meet them in the pass. If Malakor wants a war with the Ashwood legacy, we'll give him an apocalypse."
