Chapter 100
Chapter 100
Caleb's POV
Days pass after the anniversary party, but the warmth of that night doesn’t stay. It fades, replaced by something colder, heavy strategy, shifting alliances, old ambitions resurfacing.
The Blood-howl pack has been eyeing Nadine-West for years.
And honestly? I’ve never disagreed.
That land is fertile and verg strategic. It connects forest, river, and trade routes that could triple our resources. Meanwhile, Mason has been running the place like a spoiled child pretending to be an Alpha.
Half-present in his duties, barely training his warriors and lets not speak of the people, he doesn't even know how to protect them, he's just a disgrace of a leader. To top it all up, I loathe him for torturing my Raven, I just hate remembering the times. If it were up to me, he'd have been dead by now. But losing his Alpha title is more than enough, losing all that power and luxury will be perfect.
So when Morris calls me into his office, when he spreads the maps and outlines the plan, I don’t hesitate.
“We strike tonight,” Morris says. “Clean and fast.”
I nod. “Understood.”
He gives me command over the left flank.
A responsibility I’ve earned.
But as I leave his office, the high of the strategy fades, and the weight settles in.
I have someone to say goodbye to, my mate Raven.
She’s on the porch waiting for me, curled under a blanket, her hair messy from the evening wind. She looks so beautiful sitting there. I wish I didn’t have to leave but the pack comes first always. It’s an oath I took as the Beta.
I stand taking in her beauty before walking towards her.
“Caleb,” she whispers before I even speak. “You’re leaving?” She asks.
Her eyes track me from the moment I step forward. I kneel in front of her, hands smoothing over her knees.
“It’s… urgent.” I say.
“Caleb?" She calls, I nod.
She swallows hard, “Will you be gone long?”
“I don’t know.” And I hate that truth.
She reaches out and pulls me close, her fingers sliding through my hair. I close my eyes and lean into her touch, I wish I could stay. I wish I could ignore duty, responsibility and everything but I can’t.
“Come back to me,” she murmurs against my forehead.
“I always do.” I say firmly.
"And if you need me, just call me, I'll be there." She says and I remember she's capable. That's gives me a sense of happiness.
But the way she trembles makes something twist inside my chest. I kiss her slow, deep, trying to memorize her warmth before the night steals me away.
When Morris whistles from the courtyard, I stand reluctantly. Raven watches me go and I can’t shake the feeling that she knows this mission isn’t like the others.
The Attack
The moment we reach Nadine-West’s borders, the flaws of Mason’s leadership glare at us. The border guards are half asleep, perimeter patrols inconsistent and the scent trails old.
Morris glances at me and smirks.
“It’s almost disappointing how easy this will be.”
“Almost,” I mutter. He shifts, huge and dark, and gives the signal and the forest erupts.
Wolves swarm forward, cutting through the weak outer patrol with brutal efficiency. Some guards surrender immediately. Others fight with heart but no discipline.
My flank pushes toward the training yard. It’s empty, proof Mason hasn’t trained them in weeks. He's just pathetic.
A wolf lunges at me. I dodge, bite into its shoulder, pin it down. It whimpers, he looks too young and inexperienced. I feel like I'm wasting my potential. This feels like child's play.
Mason let his warriors rot, this land really deserves better.
I shift to human as I push forward, its faster this way. I sprint past fallen lamps and bodies, searching for the Alpha.
I find him stumbling out of the main house, shirt half unbuttoned, hair messy like he just woke up from a nap instead of defending his pack.
“Mason!” I shout, and his eyes widen, not with bravery but fear.
“Caleb... wait... ” He cries trying to help himself, but I grab him by the collar and slam him into the ground. He groans, weak and winded.
“You,” I snarl, “should’ve never been Alpha.”
He swings sloppily at me. I dodge easily, punching him hard in the jaw. He falls, dazed.
“Always so brave when torturing women,” I whisper coldly.
“Where’s that courage now?” His face pales. I drag him up and two of our soldiers bind his wrists. He is nothing like the threat he pretended to be, nothing like the monster who traumatized Raven. He’s a hollow man wearing a crown too heavy for his neck.
A piercing scream cuts through the battlefield and we all turn. Zahra is fighting like a cornered lioness, fangs bared and her eyes blazing. She’s in human form, shielding herself. She's even stronger than Mason I presume, the only problem is that she also tortured my Raven and that makes her my enemy as well.
A warrior leaps at her, but a guard shields her and his head is immediately severed from his body.
"Delvan! Noo!!!!" Zahra screams as she elbows the warrior in the throat. "You'll pay for this." She cries, definitely he was close with her, I don't care though.
Another warrior comes at her and she grabs a fallen spear and swings it.
“ENOUGH!” Morris booms, shifting back to his human form. Three wolves tackle her at once, she fights until she's pinned to the dirt, breathing hard, hair wild.
She glares at me. “You think you’re saving this place?” she spits.
“You’re just replacing one failure with another.”
My jaw tightens. “Mason let this pack rot.”
“And you,” she snarls, “just stole it, I am a Luna no one can take that away from me. Mason you bastard can't you even fight. You are just here fking Omegas , you are a bastard." She screams as they drag her away.
Alpha steps forward, “Zahra, you and Mason are officially in Blood-howl custody now and you have been stripped of your titles and Nadine-West pack ceases to exist.” He announces and Mason falls on his knees and lets out a loud scream, Zahra spits at his feet.
"You are pathetic." She mutters.
Morris smirks. “Take them.” The soldiers drag them both toward camp. The remaining Nadine-West wolves lower their heads in surrender. And just like that, the battle is over and the land is ours.
I can't wait to go back to my Raven.