Chapter 23: Twenty Three

Karina’s POV

I made my way back to my room not long after, slipping away from the noise; it was starting to feel overwhelming. The quiet inside was a welcome change.

I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, letting my heartbeat settle after the euphoria of everything.

I had a lot to do tomorrow morning, so the earlier I retired, the better.

I yawned loudly, slipping out of my clothes as I walked into the bathroom.

I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my face. I looked like I hadn't slept in months; I had dark circles under my eyes, and my hair was frizzy from all the dust I had picked up from fighting.

I stepped into the bathtub the warm water felt relaxing on my joints. After thirty minutes of soaking in the b,athtub I stood up and began washing my hair gently.

After I was done in the bathroom, I slipped into a bathrobe and got into bed, drifting into sleep immediately.

The morning came quickly; I opened my eyes, sleep still heavy in them, and bright light streamed in from the curtains. Blindly, I.

I woke slowly; my body protested every move I made. I still wanted to sleep, but I had a lot of things to do today.

The moment I moved, my joint ached like a rusty iron joint that needed to be oiled. I could feel everything I had put my body through over the past few days.

After a few more minutes of lying on the bed, I finally pushed myself up.

“Time to get this show on the road,” I muttered under my breath. As much as I would like to laze around today, I can't.

I walked to the bathroom. The hot water from last night's bath helped ease my pain, I was going to do the same thing today.

I sank deeper into the bath, letting the heat wrap around me. It felt comforting, easing the tightness in my muscles, and I closed my eyes briefly. I had already bathed the night before, scrubbing off the dirt and blood of battle.

The warmth seeped into my skin, loosening everything that had been locked up by strain and impact, and for a few quiet minutes, I allowed myself to forget about the meeting ahead of me today. I tilted my head back against the edge of the tub as I felt the tension slowly seep away from my joints.

Without meaning to, I drifted to sleep, By the time I woke up I was running late. I was dressed and had finished preparing for the day. I was beginning to feel more relaxed, but the strain on my body remained; for once, it felt greater than the one in my mind.

So before leaving, I paused briefly and sent for the masseuse.

If I were going to stand before the council today, I needed to be fully present and not distracted by the pain and strain in my joints.

The masseuse arrived quickly and got to work. I lay on the table and closed my eyes.

Her hands worked magic into my body,y pressing into the tension I hadn’t fully noticed until she found it, releasing knots of strain that had built over time, not just from this mission but from weeks, months of pushing myself without pause.

I exhaled sharply at one point, as my fingers tightened under the table.

“You carry too much here,” she noted calmly.

“I know,” I replied.

By the time she finished, my body felt lighter, not fully healed, but functional in the way I needed it to be.

I thanked her and slipped back into the bathroom for a quick shower, then I got dressed and left.

The council chambers were already filled by the time I got there. I knew the massage session was going to be late, but as I walked, I knew that it was exactly what I needed.

I walked into the room slowly. Everyone was sitting from the rom kole to the leaders, the elders, and even the commander. We're all sitting. Our attention immediately turned to me as I walked in, everyone except kole.

I could feel his presence the moment I stepped in.

I moved forward, acknowledging people's greetings as I walked. The quiet chatter in the room slowed down as I stepped in front of the council.

“Karina,” one of the elders began. You were placed in charge of the operation. Give us your report,” an elder instructed.

I walked them through everything that had happened from the moment we left to our arrival at the border, the patterns we observed, the confirmation that the opposing group had been mapping our territory, and the decision to strike first before they could act on the information they had gathered.

I explained the risks we faced if we had not acted as quickly as we did.

“Their initial response indicated preparation; they weren’t as unaware as we anticipated, but not coordinated enough to counter our approach fully. Once we broke their structure, the fight ended quickly.” I concluded.

“And your capture?” another voice cut in.

I knew the news about this would reach them, even if I didn't tell them.

“I was separated during engagement due to misdirection tactics; they isolated and restrained me temporarily, but their execution lacked efficiency. I escaped before relocation. I wasn't a captive in their hands for long. As soon as I regained my consciousness, I quickly devised a plan and escaped, killing the two guards who were watching over me.”

I spoke loudly and with confidence. I wasn't going to allow a mistake in my path to lead these people to doubt my credibility or minimize my victory to mere luck.

A few murmurs spread across the room, but I ignored them.

“It was a brief mistake, and our outcome proves it did nothing to sidetrack us. We won, secured the areas, and made sure there were no survivors left to report back. Our losses were minimal compared to theirs.” I finished.

“Well executed,” one of the elders said.

“Decisive, we're all impressed." Another elder said.

I didn’t react, I've been trying in this room long enough to know that celebrating too loudly, who coke off as overconfidence, so I just stood there, because this wasn’t about praise.

It was about proving myself to be worthy of the space I had been given in the pack, and I had indeed proved myself.

As I stood waiting for any remarks from kole, the door opened suddenly.

A secretary stepped in, slightly out of breath; he looked like he had run here.

“My apologies for the interruption,” he said quickly, bowing his head. “But this couldn’t wait.”

The room shifted immediately, and the sound of confused, curious whispers filled the air. And I could tell everyone had the same question on their mind.

Kole's eyes studied him first before he responded. “Speak,” he commanded.

The man stepped forward.

“We’ve just received reports from multiple outer territories. The group we just engaged they’re not isolated. They’re part of a larger group of feral wolves.”

My heart rate spiked immediately. I could tell everyone in the room was worried, too.

“How large?” one of the elders asked.

The secretary swallowed slightly. “We’re still gathering full details, but initial reports confirm coordinated attacks across multiple packs. Similar patterns. Same methods.”

My stomach tightened slightly. I thought this was over, but it was becoming clear that we had just begun.

They weren’t just mapping us, they’re mapping everyone—testing responses. Identifying weaknesses, their plans are bigger than I could have ever thought or anticipated. If they are large enough to attack multiple packs, who knows what they are capable of doing or what they have planned next?

Silence settled heavily across the room. This wasn’t over.

Kole leaned back slightly in his chair. His expression was mostly unreadable, but I could tell from the way my wolf stirred that he was not at ease.

“This is a very scary development," one of the elders muttered.

“Yes,” Kole replied calmly.

“This was never just about one fight,” he said, his eyes finding mine. I held his gaze this time. I volunteered to be in charge of this, if only I knew I was signing up for something bigger.

“I know, gentlemen, it seems the war we thought we ended has only just started." I began moving towards the center of the room again.

"So what's our next move?" Elder Jackson asked.

"Nothing, we can't go seeking out a fight, we've won our battle with them for now, I think we should rest, and prepare in case they decide to attack us. Our victory against them may have discouraged them from coming after us, so we send informants out to monitor things and attack only when they start to pose a threat to us. I finished, then scanned the room. And I was desperate to find out how my idea was received.

A few elders seemed convinced, but I could tell the majority didn't like the idea of waiting.

I turned to Kole, waiting for his response.

" I think we need to all go back to our quarters and think heavily on what to do next. While I think the idea Karina just gave us is good abd decisive, I'd still like to put more thought into it to make sure we aren't making a mistake." He said. I nodded in agreement. He was right: this wasn't a decision we should make in haste. The fate of our entire pack relies on it.