Chapter 67: The Alpha’s Command

Alexander’s POV

The scent of blood still clung to the war room. It was phantom now—washed away with the bodies of the fallen—but I could feel it in the air, heavy and unrelenting.

The council chamber had been tense, but this? This was different. The weight of leadership wasn’t just a burden; it was a battlefield.

I stood at the head of the table, my hands braced against the edges, scanning the faces of the warriors, strategists, and council members gathered before me. The attack on the eastern border had shaken the pack, and now it was my job to make sure that fear didn’t turn to chaos.

“We are under attack,” I said, my voice carrying through the room. “Not by rogues. Not by scattered remnants of Marion’s forces. This is something else. Something organized.”

A murmur ran through the room, uncertainty creeping in.

Garrick leaned forward, his expression unreadable. “And yet we still do not know who they are.”

“Not yet.” My grip tightened on the table. “But they sent us a message, and we would be fools to ignore it. Three of our warriors are dead. Two are missing. That is not an accident.”

At my side, Eva exhaled sharply. “They’re testing us.”

“Yes.” I turned to the warriors in the room—men and women who had fought alongside me, bled for this pack. “And they will not find us weak.”

A few heads nodded, but not all. There was still hesitation, doubt thick in the air.

Mariana, standing just behind me, spoke up. “We need to act, but not recklessly. If this enemy is waiting for us to make the first wrong move, we can’t give them that advantage.”

Her voice was calm, steady, but I knew her well enough to hear the worry beneath it. She wasn’t wrong. If we marched blindly, we’d be playing into their hands.

I nodded. “We’re strengthening patrols along the borders. No one travels alone. We’re also sending scouts deeper into the territory beyond the eastern ridge. I want to know who they are, where they’re coming from, and what they want.”

A warrior named Callum, a seasoned fighter, frowned. “And if they don’t give us the time to figure it out?”

“Then we respond in kind.”

The words were simple, but their meaning was clear. If another attack came, I would not hesitate.

Silence stretched in the room until Garrick finally spoke again, his voice low. “The pack is uneasy, Alpha. Whispers of doubt spread quickly. Some question whether we are strong enough to withstand another war.”

I felt Mariana shift slightly beside me, as if bracing for my reaction.

I met Garrick’s gaze head-on. “Then we remind them who we are.”

The war room emptied slowly, warriors and council members leaving in tense murmurs. The weight of the meeting pressed against my ribs. The pack was afraid—of the unknown enemy, of another war, of the scars we hadn’t even healed from Marion’s reign.

Alexander was silent beside me, his eyes still on the map table, though his focus had long since drifted elsewhere.

“Say it,” I murmured.

His jaw tightened. “Say what?”

“That you don’t trust them.”

A humorless chuckle left him. “Would that surprise you?”

“No,” I admitted. “But it would mean you’re as afraid as they are.”

He finally looked at me, his expression unreadable. “I’m not afraid.”

I raised a brow. “Then what are you?”

His silence was answer enough.

I reached out, letting my fingers brush against his. “Alexander, you don’t have to bear all of this alone.”

He exhaled slowly. “I don’t have a choice.”

“You do.” I stepped closer, forcing him to look at me fully. “This isn’t just your war. The pack is yours, yes, but they’re also ours. Let them see their Alpha isn’t just preparing for war—he’s leading them through it.”

He studied me for a long moment, then finally, he nodded.

“Then let’s lead.”

Word had already spread. Warriors filled the grounds, the clang of steel and the scent of sweat thick in the air.

Alexander stood before them, his stance strong, unwavering. When he spoke, his voice carried across the field.

“There is an enemy at our border. An enemy that believes we are vulnerable.” His gaze swept over the gathered warriors. “They are wrong.”

A growl of agreement rumbled through the crowd.

“We do not run. We do not bow. We fight. And we win.”

The roar that followed shook the very earth beneath us.

And for the first time in days, I believed it too.