Chapter 125
Nathan’s POV
“Sweetheart, let the girlsit down.” My mother looked at me sharply, then glanced at Beatrice’s stomach. “She’s struggling to stand with that belly.”
For a second, I almost said no just because Ryan was near her. Then I looked at Beatrice again. She was pale, shaking, and exhausted. And she was pregnant with twins.
‘…Fine.”
Ryan immediately guided her toward the couch, holding her as if she were made of glass. He was protective and errified. The sight of it left a bitter taste in my mouth. Because despite everything–they still had each other.
My gaze dropped again, landing straight on the silver ribbon tied around Beatrice’s throat. I knew that ribbon. I’d
seen it before, wrapped around Tessa’s severed head.
“What is that?”
Beatrice went rigid. Her hand moved toward her neck on instinct. I stepped closer, my focus locked on her.
“What’s around your neck?”
She looked down at the floor, saying nothing.
“Answer me.”
Still nothing. Then finally, she spoke.
“My lips are sealed.”
The words felt wrong. They didn’t sound like her. It was like someone else was speaking through her. Rage
rawled up my spine.
“She can’t explain it,” Ryan cut in, stepping between us. “It’s one of the witch’s spells.”
My eyes snapped to him.
“They use it on the women in rogue territory,” he said quietly. “If anyone escapes, they physically can’t talk about
ertain things.”
My mother’s face lost all its color. “That poor child…”
Ryan looked away. “There are a lot of them.”
Something ugly twisted inside me at the thought. Girls trapped there. Controlled. Owned. My fists clenched.
“Does Emily have one too?” The question was raw, nearly tearing out of me.
Ryan looked back at me quickly. “No.”
1:35 pm P P
The relief was so strong it made my legs feel heavy.
Then Ryan added, “She’s… different.”
Of course she was. Emily was never meant for a cage.
Marcus broke the tension with a loud sigh. “Well, this is all horrifying,” he muttered. “But how exactly are we getting in there?”
Everyone turned to him. Marcus spread his hands wide.
“We can’t exactly knock on the Rogue King’s door and say, ‘Hey guys, we’re here to take our Luna back.“”
Despite the situation, a small grin almost touched Liam’s mouth. Marcus leaned forward over the table, his
xpression turning serious.
“So. What’s the actual plan?”
Finally. Something useful.
Ryan took a folded paper from the table and started sketching rough lines across it. Mountains. Tunnels. Portals.
Guard routes.
“The castle sits inside an inner mountain valley,” he explained quietly. “Most direct paths are hidden by magic arriers and crystal wards.”
Blake frowned. “And weak spots?”
Ryan hesitated. Then finally, he pointed toward one section.
“There used to be a vine wall here.” His eyes flicked briefly toward me. “But Emily tried escaping through it.”
Something hot sparked inside my chest. Even trapped there–she fought. Goddess, that almost made me proud
nough to smile.
“They burned the entire thing afterward,” Ryan continued. “The rogues doubled security after that.”
Marcus leaned over the map. “So what you’re saying is…” He pointed at the tunnels. “This place is basically
mpossible to enter unless you’re invited.”
Ryan nodded slowly. “Pretty much.”
My jaw tightened. “And if we force our way through?”
Ryan’s expression darkened. “I’ve never seen anyone try.” He swallowed. “But I’m almost certain there’s a barrier around the portal chamber.”
Blake crossed his arms. “What kind of barrier?”
Ryan looked grim. “The kind that turns intruders into blood paste.”
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Marcus blinked slowly. “Well. That’s unpleasant.”
The room stayed heavy as everyone processed that. Then Ryan hesitated.
“There is… another option.
Every eye in the room locked onto him.
“What option?” I asked.
“Make Declan attack first.”
The room exploded.
“Absolutely not,” my mother snapped.
Ryan raised both hands. “Just listen to me.”
2
Marcus frowned, his gaze hard as he looked across the table. “You want us to bait rogues into our territory?”
Ryan nodded. “Declan is obsessed with expanding right now. If he thinks the Stonebrook Pack is weak…” He ooked at Marcus. “He’ll send his wolves through the portal.”
Marcus leaned back in his chair. Then, a slow grin spread across his face.
“…And then they capture us and drag us into rogue territory themselves.”
Ryan pointed at him. “Exactly.”
Marcus gave a low whistle. “That’s actually smart.”
Liam shook his head. “Smart? It sounds suicidal.”
“No.” Marcus leaned forward, his eyes darkening. “It’s a Trojan horse.”
Ryan blinked. “A what?”
J
“A human war story,” Marcus said, waving a hand. “Warriors hid inside a giant wooden horse to get inside a city
nd take it from the middle.”
I crossed my arms. “They had soldiers in that horse,” I said. “What do you have?”
Marcus looked me in the eye. “My pack.”
“That’s not helping.”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t underestimate Stonebrook.” He looked almost smug now. “There’s something I never old you guys.”
Blake sighed. “That you annoy us on purpose?”
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“No.” Marcus’s grin widened. “Our strongest fighters are women.”
I stared at him. “…What?”
Marcus leaned back. “After the last rogue attack years ago, my father changed the rules. I was just a kid, but he ordered every female wolf in our pack to be trained like a warrior.”
Poppy smirked from the doorway.
“Our women fight nastier than the men,” Marcus added proudly.
Ryan looked up and let out a short, dry laugh. “Declan will never see that coming. He thinks women only exist to
get pregnant and breed.”
Rage sharpened inside me.
Ryan looked sick as he spoke. “He’s building breeding camps. He wants rogue blood in every territory until they’re
he only ones left.”
“Siek bastard,” I spat. My wolf was snarling, ready to tear something apart. Emily was trapped with that monster.
Marcus cracked his knuckles, his grin gone. “Well. Now I definitely want to kill him.”
Ryan pointed at the map. “I’ll tell them Stonebrook is weak. I’ll say most of the men left for a ceremony in nother pack.”
Marcus nodded. “And the only ones left to defend the pack are women.”
Ryan gave a dark smile. “Declan will see that as an invitation.”
I stared at the map. The plan was insane. One mistake and Marcus will be dead. Blake seemed to be thinking the
¡ame thing.
“This whole plan is hanging by a thread,” he muttered.
I looked at him. “What other choice do we have?”
No one answered. Because there wasn’t one. I put my hands on the table and looked at Ryan.
‘Fine.”
My voice was low. Lethal.
“Then start drawing.”
Ryan grabbed the pen immediately.
“And don’t leave out a single fucking detail.”
The only sound in the room was the scratching of charcoal against paper. Tunnels. Guard posts. Portal paths.
Death routes. I watched the lines spread across the map while one thought looped in my head.
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Emily was still trapped in there.
Then suddenly, Ryan’s hand stopped moving. My eyes narrowed.
What?”
Ryan stared at one section of the map for along second before slowly lifting his eyes to mine. “…There’s one
roblem.”
The air in the room felt heavy.
“You’ll get into rogue territory,” Ryan said quietly.
I waited, watching him. Then his next words changed everything.
“But how exactly are you planning to get back out?”