Chapter 98: Final Threat

Chapter 98: Final Threat
Derek's POV

The morning started like any other. The sun reflected through the trees, casting warm rays on Redwater’s fields. Wolves trained in the clearing, children laughed near the river, and the scent of freshly baked bread drifted from the kitchens. But something felt off. I couldn’t explain it, not yet, but my instincts—the same instincts that had kept me alive through war and betrayal—were whispering.

Danger.

Claire noticed it too. She always could sense a shift before anyone else. When I found her standing at the northern ridge, her eyes were locked on the distant horizon.

“Something’s wrong,” she said.

I didn’t argue. I just nodded.

An hour later, Rowan burst into the council hall. His face was pale, his chest heaving.

“We’ve spotted them,” he said. “Riders. At least twenty. Armed.”

Claire stood slowly, voice cold and calm. “Where?”

“Two miles east. Bearing the Black Hollow crest.”

I swore under my breath. “Black Hollow?”

Claire’s eyes darkened. “They were Jared’s allies once. The ones who funded his reign. We thought they stayed out of this.”

“They didn’t,” Rowan said. “And they’re not here to talk.”

We moved quickly. Council members were called in. Patrols reinforced. The northern and southern watch posts sent messages of confirmation. Wolves clad in dark armor were approaching. Not just scouts. Soldiers.

We gathered in the war room, maps spread across the long oak table. Claire stood at my right side, her face unreadable. On her left, Sophia traced a path across the Redwater border with her fingertip.

“They’ll hit from the east,” Sophia said. “That’s where our defenses are weakest. They know it.”

“They want to finish what Jared started,” I said quietly.

“They want Claire,” Rowan added. “She’s the reason their influence ended. She’s the symbol of what they lost.”

Claire didn’t flinch. “Let them come. We’re not afraid.”

I looked at her. She was stronger than I had ever seen her. But I also knew the pressure she carried. Redwater was more than just a home now. It was hope. For all the wolves who had escaped tyranny. For the ones rebuilding their lives.

We couldn’t afford to lose.

By sunset, scouts reported the enemy was closer. Maybe a mile away. They moved like shadows, quiet and cold as if they had done this many times before. I stood with the frontline warriors, watching the edge of the forest. I could feel the pack behind me. Redwater’s warriors. Healers. Mothers. Elders. Former enemies, now united under Claire’s name.

Claire moved beside me and touched my arm. “We’re ready.”

I nodded, even though deep inside, I wasn’t sure anyone ever really felt ready for war.

When the first arrow came, it split the air like a scream. Then another. And another.

We answered with our own. Wolves shifted. Roars echoed across the trees. The enemy broke through the east border like a wave crashing against a cliff. But Redwater did not crumble.

We fought.

Rowan took down two before they even reached the tree line. Sophia unleashed a terrifying power—her voice alone stopping one attacker mid-step, his hands flying to his ears.

And Claire… Claire was a storm.

She moved through the chaos with fire in her eyes and silver in her hands. Her strikes were precise. Her commands were unwavering. The wolves of Redwater rallied around her, fighting like they had something worth dying for.

Because they did.

I was locked in a brutal fight with a warrior almost as big as me when I saw the signal—three sharp flames from the southern ridge.

An ambush.

“They’ve flanked us!” I shouted, knocking my attacker to the ground. “Claire!”

She heard me. We moved as one, heading to the southern slope where the secondary wave had already begun attacking the weaker guards. I caught glimpses of the Black Hollow Alpha—Eron. He was massive, with grey streaks in his beard and eyes like frostbitten stone. He didn’t fight with rage. He fought with purpose. Cold, controlled, merciless.

He was looking for her.

I threw myself into the fight, keeping my eyes on Claire. She battled her way up the slope, protecting the young ones that had been hiding near the watch tower. She didn’t stop, didn’t hesitate, even when blood streamed down her arm from a cut that should have dropped her.

Eron finally reached the ridge—and stopped.

His eyes met Claire’s.

“You’re the little Omega who thought she could rewrite the law,” he sneered. “Look at you. A leader. A queen.”

Claire raised her chin. “And you’re still hiding behind fear.”

Eron lunged, and everything else disappeared.

I fought to get to her, but three warriors blocked me. I could only watch as Claire and Eron clashed.

She was fast, but he was brutal. He didn’t fight fair kicks, punches, sharp slashes of his claws. At one point, he grabbed her throat and slammed her into the ground.

But Claire didn’t stay down.

With a fierce growl, she twisted, drove her elbow into his ribs, and rolled away. Blood poured from her lips. Her breathing was ragged. But she stood again.

“You can't decide my fate,” she growled.

He charged. She didn’t move.

At the last second, she stepped aside and slashed her blade across his chest. Eron stumbled. She didn’t stop. She landed another blow, then another, and finally—she drove the blade through his side.

He collapsed.

The Black Hollow wolves saw their Alpha fall. Panic rippled through them. Many dropped their weapons. Some turned and ran. The rest fell to Redwater’s fury.

It was over.

We gathered the injured. Buried the fallen. As night fell, the fires burned high. Redwater had won.

But as the warriors tended to the wounded and the pack celebrated their survival, Claire stood on the edge of the clearing again.

Her shoulders were shaking.

I walked to her slowly. “You did it,” I said softly.

She didn’t look at me. “I almost killed him.”

“You saved us.”

She finally turned. Her eyes were filled with something deeper than fear—guilt.

“What if this never ends, Derek?” she whispered. “What if there’s always someone else trying to break us?”

I pulled her into my arms. “Then we keep standing.”

Just then, Rowan ran toward us, breathless. His face was pale again. His voice shook.

“You need to see this,” he said, holding out a bloodstained scroll.

Claire took it and read.

Her face drained of colour.

I looked over her shoulder.

It wasn’t from Black Hollow.

It was from the Northern Peaks.

“We were only the first. The others are coming.”