Chapter 74 THE HUNT BEGINS

Chapter 74 THE HUNT BEGINS
Jake's POV

Alicia was in my head and now she knows everything.

I scrub at my temples like I can wipe away the feeling of her presence going through my memories and plans. She saw it all before I managed to throw her out and the damage is already done.

"How much further?" Morrison walks beside me wearing a stolen body like a comfortable coat. 

"Three miles to the main cave entrance." I point toward the mountain ridge barely visible through pre-dawn darkness. "But they will have evacuated by now. Alicia knows we are coming."

"Then we adjust." Morrison signals the strike team to halt. Fifty corrupted wolves and twenty human soldiers armed with weapons specifically designed to kill supernaturals. "Where would Elara take them?"

I pull out the map I have been building for years of very location the resistance might use in an emergency. "She has three secondary shelters within running distance. The western ridge facility is closest but also the most obvious choice."

"So that is where they went."

"Most likely." I trace the route with my finger. "If we move fast we can cut them off before they reach it."

Morrison studies the map and something crosses his face that might be approval. "You have been thorough."

"I have been preparing for this moment since I was sixteen." The words come out harder than I intend. "The resistance needed to be dismantled. Elara needed to be stopped. And Alicia needed to die before she could fully manifest her True Luna powers."

"And yet she already has manifested." Morrison's tone turns sharp. "She connected to your mind across a significant distance. That requires substantial power."

"She is untrained." I fold the map and shove it back in my pack. “We can take her."

"We need her alive long enough to extract Luna." Morrison starts walking again and the strike team follows. "The child is what matters."

The casual dismissal of Alicia's life should not bother me, but something twists in my gut anyway.

I remember Alicia when she was eight years old. She used to follow me around the territory asking endless questions about tracking and hunting and pack dynamics. Her curiosity was exhausting but genuine and she looked at me like I was someone worth admiring.

"Jake, can you teach me how to read paw prints?" Her voice echoes in my memory clear as if she stands beside me now. "I want to be a good tracker like you."

I had spent hours showing her how to identify different wolves by their stride length. She learned fast and smiled every time she got something right. 

I crush the flicker of humanity before it can spread. Alicia stopped being that curious child the moment she manifested True Luna abilities. Now she is just a target. An obstacle between me and the future Morrison promises.

"Jake." One of the scouts called as he jogs back. "We spotted movement near the western ridge. Looks like a large group heading for the secondary shelter."

"How many?"

"At least forty wolves plus civilians." The scout is breathing hard from running. "They are moving fast but they have wounded slowing them down."

Morrison's smile spreads across his stolen face. "How convenient. They led us exactly where we wanted to go."

"We can cut them off before they reach the shelter." I pull my weapon and check the ammunition. Silver bullets blessed by Veritas priests to bypass supernatural healing. "Hit them in the valley while they are exposed."

"No." Morrison holds up a hand. "Let them reach the shelter first."

"Why? We have advantage in open terrain."

"Because Elara will have defenses prepared in the valley." Morrison gestures for the strike team to spread out into an attack formation. "She expects us to hit them during the crossing. So we let them think they made it to safety. Then we breach the shelter when their guard drops."

The strategy is sound even if it means waiting longer. I nod and relay orders to the team leaders. We move parallel to the valley floor staying in the tree cover where the resistance cannot spot us easily.

Through gaps in the foliage I catch glimpses of the fleeing wolves. They run like death itself is chasing them and they are not wrong. I spot Ray in the lead position. Leo and Logan flanking someone I cannot quite see. Probably Alicia carrying Luna.

The pack reaches the valley floor and sprints for the opposite ridge. They are slower than I expected and I realize they are burdened with supplies and wounded they refuse to abandon. Loyalty makes them weak.

Then wolves pour out of the shelter to meet them. Different packs wearing colors I do not recognize. They crash into Morrison's advance scouts with savage efficiency.

"Who are they?" I ask.

Morrison watches the battle with calculated interest. "Reinforcements Elara must have called."

"How many packs?"

"We don’t know." Morrison signals the strike team to hold position. "Let them waste energy fighting each other. We will clean up whoever survives."

The battle rages below us and I count casualties on both sides. Morrison's corrupted wolves are stronger and faster but the defending packs fight with desperation that makes up for the power difference. Bodies fall on both sides and the valley floor turns red.

The resistance makes it to the shelter and disappears inside. The defending packs cover their retreat and then fall back themselves. The door slams shut and suddenly the valley goes quiet except for the dying.

Morrison steps out of the tree cover and walks toward the shelter like he is taking a casual stroll. "Seal all exits. Nobody leaves that building alive except Alicia and Luna."

The strike team moves with practiced precision. Human soldiers position heavy weapons at every door and window. Corrupted wolves take up positions to prevent any escape attempts. Within minutes the shelter is completely surrounded.

I join Morrison at the main entrance. The door is reinforced steel built to withstand force. "We will need explosives to breach."

"We have time." Morrison places his hand flat against the metal. "Let them sit in there knowing we are outside. Fear is an excellent weapon."

"They will try to escape through tunnels."

"Then we collapse the tunnels." Morrison signals to the demo team. "Bring down every underground passage within a mile radius. Trap them like the rats they are."

Explosions echo through the mountain as soldiers destroy escape routes. I feel the ground shake beneath my feet and imagine the resistance trapped inside listening to their options disappear one by one.

"Now we wait for dawn." Morrison steps back from the door. "When the sun rises we give them one chance to surrender Alicia and Luna peacefully. If they refuse we kill everyone inside and take what we need from the bodies."

The sun is already starting to lighten the eastern sky. Dawn is maybe thirty minutes away.

I position myself where I can watch the main entrance and pull out my weapon. The silver bullets feel heavy in my hand and I think about putting one through Alicia's skull.

That flicker of humanity tries to surface again. The memory of a little girl who trusted me completely before I betrayed her.

I shove it down harder this time. Alicia made her choice when she decided to oppose Morrison instead of joining The Veritas voluntarily. She chose the wrong side and now she will pay the price for that mistake.

One of the scouts approaches Morrison. "Sir, we have confirmation that all escape routes are blocked. They have nowhere to go."

"Casualties on our side?"

"Twelve wolves dead. Three human soldiers injured but stable." The scout glances toward the shelter. "The defending packs fought harder than expected."

"Desperation makes even weak wolves dangerous." Morrison dismisses the losses. "We still have overwhelming numbers. When we breach they will fall quickly."

I check my watch. Twenty minutes until dawn, and until this ends one way or another.

Movement catches my eye at one of the shelter windows. I raise my weapon automatically but lower it when I see who is looking out.

Alicia. She holds Luna against her chest and stares directly at Morrison. The distance is too far to see her expression clearly but I know she is terrified. 

Morrison meets her gaze and smiles. He mouths two words I can read even from here.

"Found you."

Alicia disappears from the window and I hear shouting inside the shelter. They know their situation is hopeless. 

"Sir." Another scout runs up breathing hard. "We have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Morrison does not look away from the shelter.

"Our scouts report unusual activity five miles north." The scout pulls out binoculars and hands them to Morrison. "Multiple packs traveling together."

Morrison scans the horizon and his expression shifts to a concern I have never seen before. 

"How many?"

"At least two hundred wolves." The scout's voice shakes slightly. "Maybe more. They are moving fast and they will be here within the hour."