Chapter 188 188

Chapter 188 188
Asher stood near the window in complete silence.
Outside, the last traces of celebration had disappeared from the pack. The lanterns were being taken down one after another, and the once lively streets now carried only tension and uncertainty.
The attack had changed everything within moments.
His mind refused to rest.
Something about the explosion deeply unsettled him. It was not merely the attack itself, but the method behind it. No ordinary rival pack used explosives this way. No neighboring Alpha would strike silently in the shadows without sending a challenge first.
This was different. Ruthless.
And terrifyingly unfamiliar.
Asher folded his arms tightly while staring into the darkness beyond the pack walls.
He could not sit idle anymore.
If Xander’s territory had been attacked tonight, then danger was already closer than any of them imagined. And if Xander failed to stop it, then his own pack would inevitably become the next target.
That thought alone was enough to make his chest tighten.
He had people depending on him.
Families. Children.
Leo and Alyna. He could not afford weakness now. The name that Alyna had mentioned earlier returned to his mind once again.
Sarmon. Until recently, Asher had treated the stories about him as old myths told to frighten wolves into obedience. Tales about rogue Alphas and merciless armies existed everywhere. Most turned out exaggerated over time.
But now… Now he was beginning to think those stories were real.
And if Sarmon truly existed, then the situation was far worse than he originally feared.
These rogues destroyed everything in their path. They did not negotiate. They did not show mercy. They conquered.
Asher clenched his jaw. If Sarmon had truly targeted Xander’s pack first, then this was no longer merely someone else’s problem.
It would eventually become his war, too.
Footsteps suddenly approached quickly from outside.
Asher immediately turned.
Ryan entered the room looking unusually serious.
That alone told him the news was bad.
“What happened?” Asher asked immediately.
Ryan shut the door behind him before speaking.
“It’s confirmed.”
Asher’s expression darkened instantly.
“Sarmon?”
Ryan nodded slowly.
“The attack came from Sarmon’s men.”
For a moment, silence filled the room heavily.
Even though Asher had expected the answer, hearing it aloud still felt disturbing.
Ryan continued carefully.
“They were stationed near the western woods for days. Xander’s scouts finally tracked them after the explosion.”
Asher’s eyes narrowed.
“How many?”
“No exact number yet,” Ryan admitted. “But enough to terrify everyone.”
That was not good.
Not good at all.
Ryan exhaled deeply before adding the final piece of information.
“Xander has officially declared war against them.”
Asher closed his eyes briefly.
There it was.
The inevitable future Alyna had foreseen.
War.
Real war.
Not between him and Xander.
But against something far worse.
A soft sound near the doorway made both men turn.
Alyna stood there holding Leo against her chest.
She had clearly overheard everything.
Her face had lost all color.
Leo rested quietly against her shoulder, half asleep and unaware of the fear surrounding the adults.
Alyna stepped further inside slowly.
“Sarmon?” she whispered.
Ryan nodded once.
The moment she heard confirmation, her grip around Leo tightened instinctively.
Fear immediately flooded her chest.
This was exactly what she had seen.
The darkness.
The bloodshed.
Xander fighting.
Asher beside him.
And now it was all unfolding before her eyes.
Her breathing became uneven.
She had warned them.
She had tried to stop everything before it reached this point.
But war truly was inevitable.
Alyna lowered her eyes toward her son.
Suddenly, every terrifying vision she had seen returned to her mind again.
Her death.
The uncertainty of her future.
The growing darkness is approaching all of them.
And worst of all… The helpless realization that fate continued moving forward no matter how much she struggled against it.
“How is Xander going to manage this…” she whispered unconsciously.
Asher heard her.
He exchanged a glance with Ryan before walking toward the table at the center of the room.
“We don’t have time to sit and think anymore,” he said firmly.
His Alpha instincts had completely taken over now.
“Call everyone.”
Ryan nodded immediately.
“All the betas and warriors?”
“Everyone important,” Asher ordered. “Now.”
Ryan quickly left the room.
The atmosphere immediately became heavier.
Asher began gathering maps and documents spread across the table while thinking rapidly through possible outcomes.
If Sarmon defeated Xander first, then his own pack would become vulnerable next.
And unlike before, Asher no longer wanted Xander destroyed.
Not after understanding the true danger standing before them.
Alyna quietly watched him.
She wanted to speak. Desperately.
There was something inside her mind she needed to tell him. Something important.
But uncertainty stopped her.
Did she even have the right anymore?
She was no longer the Luna of this pack. Their mate bond had been broken.
And despite Asher’s love for her, Alyna still often felt like someone standing between worlds. Yet she could not stay silent either.
Because she had seen enough visions now to understand something terrifying.
If they fought separately… They would lose.
Her eyes slowly moved toward Asher again.
He looked exhausted already, yet determined.
Ready to protect everyone at any cost.
And somehow that hurt her heart deeply.
Because every step toward this war felt like another step toward the future she feared most.
Asher finally looked up at her.
Their eyes met silently across the room.
“Alyna.”
She swallowed nervously.
“Yes?”
“If there’s something you know,” he said quietly, “this is the time to say it.”
Her heartbeat quickened instantly.
Because deep down…
She knew this moment would change everything.