Chapter 163
Emily’s POV
Hours later, we finally rolled back into our territory.
Or what was left of it.
Black smoke still curled into the sky from the wreckage. Entire rows of houses were nothing but charred wood and ash, and half of the main administrative buildings had completely collapsed. The war had found us, and it had left
ts mark.
The second our trucks stopped, Blake walked up to us. He looked completely drained and exhausted.
Nathan stepped out of the car first. “Status.”
Blake wiped a hand down his face. “The rogues managed to torch part of the neighborhoods. And half the admin listrict is completely gone.”
“Dammit,” Nathan snapped, glaring at the ruins. “What about our people?”
“They’re alive,” Blake said, looking wiped out. “Most are just terrified, and we’re still counting the injuries.”
Blake’s eyes drifted toward the cars as the rescued women slowly stepped out. His face fell. “…Alpha.”
Nathan didn’t need him to finish the thought.
“We don’t have the space,” Blake admitted quietly. “We were already short on housing for the refugees from the >ther packs before this battlefield started.”
I looked across our broken home. Burned houses. Wounded wolves. Refugees everywhere. And somewhere out here, Silas was free.
A surge of pure anger flared up inside me. This wasn’t over.
But right now, we needed to get through today before worrying about tomorrow.
I closed my eyes and reached out one of my powers, focusing on Blake first. His exhaustion rolled over me. He was completely stressed, terrified, and carrying the weight of everyone on his shoulders.
Carefully, I pushed a wave of warmth back through our bond. I sent him hope, calm, and the quiet certainty that we were going to be okay. Blake blinked in surprise, his shoulders dropping a fraction as he looked at me.
Then I pushed my power farther, across all pack, reaching the hundreds of tired wolves around us. I felt their fear grief, and shock, and I tried to soothe it.
“We’ll get through this,” I whispered. “Just one step at a time.”
The heavy mood over the pack eased a bit. The fear wasn’t gone, but it felt a little easier to handle.
Nathan stood closer to me. A slow smile touched his lips.
2:04 pm PPTM
“There she is,” he murmured. “My Luna Queen.”
Before I could say anything, a baby started crying somewhere behind us. I looked over at the women rescued from the breeding pens, who were huddled in blankets near the cars.
“…They’re probably starving
Nathan followed my gaze.
“I’ll go help Dorothy in the kitchens,” I said. “I’ll grab a few volunteers and we can eat outside.” I looked around it the ruined territory. “And then start rebuilding.”
Nathan wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against him.
“With you?” He kissed the side of my head. “We’ll rebuild everything.
For a second, everything felt safe.
A familiar scream cut through the air.
‘EMILY!”
Jessie threw her arms around me so hard we almost fell into the dirt. I laughed, hugging her back tightly. A second ater, Poppy slammed into us too, sobbing.
“What the Moon Goddess, we thought you were dead!”
“Marcus stayed behind,” I explained, rubbing Poppy’s back. “He and Liam are making sure the rogue castle is
¡ecure.”
Poppy pulled back, her posture stiffening. “…So it’s over?”
The question stung. I looked toward the horizon, toward the mountains where the castle sat.
“…No,” I said quietly. “The Rogue King escaped.”
Both girls lost all the color in their faces.
“But listen,” I said before they could panie. “We have crystal barriers now. Real ones. Our defenses are going to be
way stronger.”
Jessie swallowed hard. “So what do we do now?”
I forced a smile. “Right now?” I turned toward the kitchen. “We feed people.”
The moment Dorothy saw me walk through the door, she looked like she was about to cry, rushing over to hug
- me. But when I told her how many hungry wolves we needed to feed, her eyes went wide.
“We’re going to need a lot of help,” Dorothy said, already looking around.
“We can start,” I said, gesturing to Jessie and Poppy. “And Nathan will send more volunteers soon.”
2:04 pm P P
Within minutes, the kitchen turned into total chaos. Huge pots bubbled on the stoves, filling the air with the
smell of roasting beef, melted butter, and corn.
Nathan sent more helpers every twenty minutes.
Dorothy was shouting orders, telling people to wash and chop massive sacks of potatoes. A couple of teenagers carried in crates of carrots, while others sliced thick loaves of cornbread and stacked them on platters.
Even some of the rescued rogues joined in, keeping their heads down and chopping vegetables as fast as they could, desperate to be useful.
By midday, the scent of beef stew and warm gravy completely covered the smell of smoke outside.
The dining hall was way too small, so people started dragging furniture out into the yard.
They balanced long wooden boards over barrels for extra counter space. Picnic tables appeared from surviving
homes, and wolves carried out mismatched chairs or built rough benches from broken lumber.
Slowly, the pack started to feel alive again.
Hundreds of wolves sat together under the warm sky. Kids played in the grass, and tired mothers finally relaxed, holding sleeping babies.
Nathan pulled me down beside him at the center table, then stood up.
The voices around the yard stopped as everyone looked at him.
“We lost people in this battlefield,” Nathan said, his deep voice carrying easily across the grass. “Good wolves. Family. And we will honor them.”
Everyone watched him, the weight of these day’s settling over the yard. Nathan looked around at all of us, his eyes resting on the survivors.
“But we’re still here,” he said, his voice ringing with pride. “We survived. And that means we rebuild. Together.”
Wolves started thumping their fists against the wooden tables, shouting in agreement. Nathan raised his tin cup.
“To the fallen.”
Hundreds of cups lifted into the air.
“To the fallen!”
Then, a wolf farther down the table yelled out, “To Emily! Our Luna Queen!”
The crowd erupted.
“To Emily!”
“She saved us!”
2:04 pm P PT
“Oui Luna
My face burned hot as the whole clearing filled with cheerful shouting and laughter. People were finally smiling and eating, slamming their cups together, and even some of the rescued rogues joined in with quiet nods. Nathan just watched me, looking incredibly proud.
“I can’t accept how much they’re thanking me,” I mumbled, keeping my eyes locked on my plate.
He leaned over and kissed my temple, laughing softly. “Don’t be shy, Emily. You saved them. You truly deserve
this.”
Off to the side, Meredyth sat with the rescued women, passing out bowls of hot stew and doing everything she could to protect them and help them feel safe.
“Nathan,” I said quietly, leaning closer so the others wouldn’t hear. “We need to fix the broken crystal lines
:oday.”
His focus shifted back to pack business in an instant. “I’ll tell Marcus to bring two replacement crystals from the
caves.”
“Tell him to bring seven.”
Nathan blinked. “Seven?”
“I want backup barriers around the weaker areas,” I said, looking toward the edge of the woods. “Especially where
he refugees are sleeping.”
Nathan stared at me for a beat, then a slow smile spread across his face. “My caring Luna.” He kissed my cheek, but I could tell he was still completely stressed underneath.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Nathan’s expression darkened. “I hate to ruin the moment, but we found maps in the rogue castle.”
“Other territories?”
He nodded. “Possible rogue bases. Mountain tracks, old mining tunnels. But most of the marked locations were lready burned before our scouts even got there.”
“So some of the rogues packed up and left with Silas?”
“Looks like it.”
An uncomfortable knot tied itself in my stomach. “You think Silas has another army hidden away?”
“I think Silas always has a backup plan.”
“And also we have another issue,” he said, his voice dropping. “Most of the neighboring packs need new Alphas, and we need to get their ceremonies organized as soon as possible.”
2:04 pm
“Who is going to lead them?” I asked.
“Some Betas will take over, or sons will inherit. But every single new Alpha has to get my approval first.” Nathan’s eyes went cold. “I am not letting another traitor get anywhere near my pack.”
“When are you planning to do the ceremonies?”
Nathan looked over at the charred, collapsed roof of our ceremonial hall.
“Well,” he said, gesturing toward the wreckage. “First, we need to rebuild the place to actually hold them.”
Suddenly a tiny little girl climbed straight into my lap.
I blinked in surprise.
i
The child couldn’t have been older than four.
She buried her face into my neck like she already knew me.
“I think she likes you,” Jessie whispered softly.
The little girl tightened her grip on me immediately when someone nearby laughed too loudly.
“You’re safe now,” I whispered to the little girl on my lap, gently stroking her tangled hair.
Then, Marcus and Liam finally walked out from behind one of the damaged buildings. They were looked completely wiped out.
The second Poppy saw Marcus, she jumped up and ran straight into his arms. He caught her, lifting her off her eet for a quick, tight hug before setting her down, keeping an arm around her waist as they walked over to us.
“I am starving,” Liam announced dramatically, flopping onto the nearest bench and grabbing a piece of cornbread
efore his butt even hit the wood.
“Grab a plate, Marcus,” Nathan said, giving him a quick nod.
But Marcus didn’t sit down. He didn’t even look at the food. His face was dead serious, and his arm tightened
lightly around Poppy.
“Nathan. Emily,” he said, his voice dropping low. “Can I talk to you guys for a second? Privately.”
Nathan was on his feet before Marcus even finished. I carefully slid the sleepy little girl from my lap and handed
er over to Jessie and Poppy.
“Can you take her back to her mom?” I whispered.
Jessie nodded, taking the toddler against her shoulder, and she and Poppy went to find the mother.
Marcus didn’t wait. He turned and headed toward the tree line, away from the crowded tables. We followed him
into the quiet of the woods.
2:04 pm P P
“While we were clearing out the castle,” Marcus said, turning to face us. “We found this hidden in Silas’s private
quarters.”
He handed a crumpled piece of paper to Nathan
I leaned in, looking over Nathan’s shoulder.
At first, it just looked like a random list of names. Some had dates next to them, others had moon phases. There
were dozens of them, but then my eyes hit the very bottom of the page.
Stella.
My heart stopped.
“Nathan,” I choked out, my voice cracking as I looked around the crowded yard. “Where is she? Has anyone seen
Stella?”