Chapter 79 Chapter 79

Chapter 79 Chapter 79
K A N E

The scout's eyes widened, the first real crack in his armor, a flash of raw panic that he couldn't quite hide.

His breath hitched, chest heaving against the dirt, but he bit down hard, refusing to beg or break. Not yet.

The guard with the tools selected a pair of rusted pliers, the jaws pitted from use, and crouched low.

He seized the captive's big toe, the skin paling under the pressure. With a deliberate twist, he positioned the tool and yanked.

A sharp, wet rip echoed in the confined space, followed by a strangled howl that tore from the scout's throat. Blood welled up immediately, dark and sticky, soaking the dirt beneath. He thrashed, veins bulging in his neck, but the hold on his shoulder didn't budge.

"That's one," I said calmly, watching the pain etch lines into his face. "Alric's staging ground? His numbers? Or do we move to the next?"

He gasped through clenched teeth, blood flecking his lips from where he'd bitten his tongue. "Go... to hell..."

Stubborn bastard. I nodded again. "Next one."

The pliers clamped down on the second nail, and the process repeated, grip, pull, scream. More blood, more writhing, the air thickening with the coppery scent of it. His body shuddered, defiance warring with agony, but still, no words spilled.

I leaned in closer, my voice a low rumble near his ear. "You're wasting time, scout. Alric won't avenge a broken tool. But I can make this last all night. Dawn assault? Flanks? Speak, and it ends."

His eyes, now glassy with shock, darted to mine. For a heartbeat, I thought he'd crack, lips parting, breath ragged. But he swallowed it down, forcing a guttural curse instead.

"Third," I ordered, unyielding.

The guard obliged, the pliers descending once more. This time, the scream was weaker, fraying at the edges, his resolve splintering like dry bone. Blood pooled around his foot, staining the chains, and his body went slack for a moment, trembling.

"Where?" I pressed, twisting the knife of anticipation.

No words came, just a ragged wheeze that spoke volumes of his crumbling will. The scout's face was a mask of agony, sweat carving rivers through the grime on his skin, but his eyes still burned with that last ember of loyalty. He wasn't going to spill without more incentive.

"Fourth," I said, my voice steady as the guard shifted the pliers toward the next mangled digit.

"Wait. Wait," the scout rasped, his voice cracking like brittle wood, barely above a whisper but laced with desperation. His body jerked against the restraint, the chains clanking in protest.

I held up a hand, halting the guard mid-motion. The pliers hovered, poised, the air thick with the promise of fresh torment. Leaning forward, I fixed my gaze on the captive's bloodshot eyes. "Speak, then. Make it worth stopping the blade."

He swallowed hard, wincing as pain lanced through him. "This attack... it was a distraction."

Distraction? The word hung in the tent like smoke, puzzling me. I narrowed my eyes, searching his face for deceit. "Distraction?" I echoed, my tone sharpening, demanding clarity.

He nodded weakly, his head lolling slightly before the guard's grip steadied him. "Yes... that's all I know. Alpha Alric said we should raid all the borders... as a form of distraction."

My eyes widened, a cold realization slamming into me like a warhammer. All the borders. Not just this one skirmish to probe my defenses, but a feint across the entire frontier. To pull my forces thin, scatter my enforcers, leave the heart of my territory exposed. And in that vulnerability...

Elara.

The thought hit me like venom in the veins. My Luna, alone in the den with only a skeleton guard, Luca at her side. Alric's grudge ran deep, twisted by years of rivalry, and now with word of our union spreading like wildfire, he'd see her as the perfect strike. Not just to wound me, but to shatter everything I'd built. Rage boiled up, hot and feral, my fists clenching at my sides.

"The den," I growled, more to myself than him. "How many on the real push? When?"

The scout shook his head, or tried to, his voice fading into a whimper. "I swear... that's it. Just the raids. The rest... above my rank."

I straightened, mind racing through contingencies. No time for more prying here, the borders needed shoring up, messages sent to every outpost. Alric wouldn't catch me off guard. Not with her at stake.

"Tie him tight and pray your Alpha's plan unravels before I do." I turned on my heel, barking orders to the guards as I strode out into the fading light. The war had just turned personal, and I'd paint the ridges red to keep her safe.

The scout's words echoed in my skull like a war drum, each syllable a spark to the fuse of my fury. Distraction. Alric's slimy ploy to stretch my lines thin, to carve open the belly of my pack while I chased shadows at the edges. No more games. I'd choke the life from his throat myself if it came to that.

I burst from the tent into the chill dusk, the air sharp with smoke from the smoldering outpost. Guards snapped to attention, their faces smeared with soot and resolve.

"Secure the prisoner," I barked at the nearest one, a burly enforcer with a scarred jaw. "Interrogate him further on the route back. I want every scrap he knows before dawn." He nodded sharply, vanishing into the gloom.

My boots crunched over charred debris as I made for the carriage. I hauled myself inside.

Settling onto the hard bench, the carriage lurched forward, wheels grinding against the rutted path. My Luna, marked and mine, left vulnerable in the heart of the den.

The image of her, flushed, spent, curled in our furs, twisted something primal inside me. If Alric's fangs so much as grazed her world, I'd unleash hell.

I needed to get back to her.

A sharp rap at the door panel yanked me from the spiral. The carriage slowed just enough for a guard to trot alongside, his face urgent. I cracked the window, the cold rush biting my skin. "Alpha," he panted, saluting with a fist to his chest.

"Let the news reach the borders," I commanded, my voice a low growl that brooked no hesitation. "As fast as you can get them to. Rally every outpost, double the watches, pull reserves from the flanks. Alric's feinting, the real strike's coming for the core."

He nodded once, fierce determination etching his features, then slapped the carriage side in acknowledgment before veering off into the shadows, already shouting for riders.