Chapter 159 Supply Run
POV: Luna
The next morning, the Headmaster called me to his office.
"We have a problem," he said without preamble.
"Just one? Lucky day."
"Our magical supplies are depleted. Healing potions. Ward components. Defensive crystals. Everything we used during the recent battles."
"Can't you order more?"
"I did. But with the rogue attacks happening across multiple territories, supply chains are disrupted. Shipments delayed or destroyed."
"So we're running on empty."
"Exactly. Which is why I'm sending a team to the nearest magical supply town. To purchase what we need directly."
"And you want me to lead that team."
"You and your pack. You're the most capable students we have. And the most likely to survive if something goes wrong."
"Comforting."
"I'm being realistic. The town is safe, theoretically. But with everything happening, I can't guarantee that."
"When do we leave?"
"This afternoon. I'll provide a vehicle and funds. Get what's on this list." He handed me a paper. "And get back safely."
I gathered my pack and explained the situation.
"A supply run?" Nova asked. "Seriously?"
"We're out of healing potions. Ward materials. We need them."
"So we're going shopping during a magical war?" Lyric said. "That's not ominous at all."
"We'll be careful. In and out. Quick trip."
Famous last words.
We left after lunch. The Headmaster provided a van and a credit card connected to the Academy's accounts.
"Stay together," he warned. "Stay alert. And come back alive."
"No pressure," I muttered.
The drive to the nearest town took about an hour.
It was the first time most of us had left campus since the attacks began.
The world outside felt different. Tense. Wrong.
"Look at that," Aria said, pointing to a burned building on the outskirts of town.
"Rogue attack?" I asked.
"Probably. Recent too. The damage is fresh."
We drove further into town.
People stared as we passed. Humans and wolves alike.
"They know something's wrong," Sienna observed. "Even if they don't know specifics."
"Can't blame them. Rogue attacks. Missing people. Burned buildings. Hard to ignore."
We found the magical supply shop on a side street. Inconspicuous. Protected by subtle wards.
Inside, it was cramped. Shelves overflowing with ingredients, crystals, potions.
An elderly woman stood behind the counter. She looked up when we entered and her eyes fixed on me.
"Eclipse," she breathed.
"How did you—"
"Your eyes. You have your grandmother's eyes. She used to come here. Before..."
"Before what?"
"Before she disappeared. Thirty years ago. Vanished without a trace." The shopkeeper studied me. "You didn't know?"
"No. My family never talks about wolf history."
"Most don't. Too painful. Too dangerous." She gestured around the shop. "What do you need?"
I handed her the list.
She whistled. "That's a large order. Preparing for war?"
"Preparing for survival."
"Smart." She started gathering items. "I'll give you the family discount. Since your grandmother was a loyal customer."
"Thank you."
While she worked, we browsed the shop.
Lyric found a section on communication crystals. Aria examined defensive wards. Sienna studied magical texts.
Nova and Liam stayed near the door. Keeping watch.
"Luna," Liam said quietly. "We've got company."
I looked outside.
Three wolves. From a different territory based on their pack marks. Watching our van.
"They're territorial?" I asked.
"Or they want our supplies. Resources are scarce. Packs are getting desperate."
Great.
The shopkeeper finished packing our order. "That'll be three thousand."
I handed her the Academy card.
She ran it and frowned. "It's being declined."
"What? That's not possible. The Academy has unlimited funds."
"Maybe the bank's having issues. Or maybe someone's blocking the transaction."
I tried the card again. Still declined.
"Do you take cash?" Aria asked.
"I do. But I doubt you have three thousand in cash."
She was right. We didn't.
"We need these supplies," I said. "People are dying without them."
The shopkeeper looked at me for a long moment. Then sighed.
"Take them. Pay me later. Your grandmother would have wanted me to help."
"Are you sure?"
"Just don't make me regret it."
"Thank you."
We loaded the supplies into the van quickly.
The three wolves from outside approached as we finished.
"That's a lot of supplies," the lead one said. Male. Late twenties. Scarred face.
"Academy business," I replied.
"Silverwood? Heard you've been having trouble. Rogue attacks. Defenses failing."
"We're managing."
"Doesn't look like managing. Looks like dying slowly."
"What do you want?"
"Some of those supplies. We've got our own problems. Our own wounded."
"Then buy your own."
"Can't. Shop's out of stock except for what you bought."
"That's not our problem."
"It is if we make it our problem."
The three wolves shifted. Aggressive postures. Ready to fight.
Nova and Liam moved to flank me. Protective.
"We don't want trouble," I said. "But we will defend ourselves."
"Three of us. Six of you. Seems like bad odds for us."
"Seven actually," Aiden said, stepping out of the van.
"Still bad odds. But we're desperate. Our pack Alpha is dying. Without those healing potions, he won't last the night."
I looked at him. At the desperation in his eyes.
He wasn't lying. Wasn't trying to steal for profit.
He was trying to save someone he loved.
"How much do you need?" I asked.
He blinked. "What?"
"How much. To save your Alpha."
"I... three vials. Maybe four to be safe."
I pulled out four healing potions and handed them over. "Take them. Save your Alpha."
"You're just giving them to me?"
"We're all fighting the same enemy. Rogues don't care about territory lines. We need to help each other."
He took the potions carefully. Like they were precious. "Thank you. I won't forget this."
"Just remember it when Silverwood needs allies."
He nodded and left with his packmates.
"That was risky," Lyric said. "We needed those potions."
"We needed allies more. If this spreads beyond Silverwood, we'll need other packs on our side."
We drove back toward campus.
But as we passed through the outskirts of town, I saw them.
Missing persons posters. Plastered on every surface.
Dozens of faces. Different ages. Different territories.
All disappeared in the past month.
"The rogue attacks are everywhere," Aria breathed.
"This is worse than we thought," Sienna added.
We kept driving. Faster now. Anxious to get back to campus.
That's when they hit us.
Rogues. Appearing from the forest on both sides of the road.
At least ten of them.
"Hold on!" Liam shouted.
He swerved, trying to avoid them.
But they were too fast.
One crashed into the side of the van. We spun out.
Hit a tree. Hard.
The impact threw me against the door. Pain exploded through my shoulder.
"Everyone out!" Nova ordered. "Defensive formation!"
We scrambled from the van.
The rogues surrounded us immediately.
"They were waiting for us," Aria realized. "This was planned."
"How did they know we'd be here?" Lyric asked.
Good question.
Unless someone told them. Someone who knew about the supply run.
We fought desperately. Protecting the supplies and each other.
But we were outnumbered and caught off guard.
A rogue got past my defenses. Claws raked across my ribs.
I went down hard.
"Luna!" Liam was beside me instantly.
He fought like a demon. Protecting me. Keeping the rogues back.
Through the mate bond, I felt his fear. His rage. His absolute refusal to let me die.
I struggled to my feet, channeling Eclipse power through the pain.
Together, we pushed back.
My pack coordinated attacks. Nova and Aria on offense. Sienna using defensive magic. Lyric targeting weak points.
Aiden fought with chaotic precision, always appearing where needed most.
Slowly, we gained ground.
Finally, the rogues retreated.
We stood there, breathing hard, bleeding, victorious.
"Everyone okay?" I gasped.
"Define okay," Nova said, holding her side.
We checked each other for injuries. Nothing fatal, but plenty of damage.
"The supplies?" I asked.
"Intact. Mostly. We lost some healing potions in the crash."
"Better than losing everything."
We got back in the damaged van. Liam hot-wired it since the crash had broken the ignition.
"Home," I said. "Fast."
We limped back to campus.
Security met us at the gates. "What happened?"
"Ambush. They were waiting for us."
"How did they know?"
"That's what we need to find out."
We unloaded the supplies and headed to the infirmary.
While the nurse patched us up, I thought about the ambush.
Someone had known about the supply run. Known our route. Timed the attack perfectly.
Someone on the inside was feeding information to our enemies.
And until we found out who, none of us were safe.