Chapter 55 Strategic Deployment
[Nyx]
"Lilith—another daughter of your Alpha, the future Luna of Shadowcrest—is buried in the snow right now. Life or death uncertain."
I swept my gaze across every warrior present.
"Every second we waste arguing about who's qualified to lead is another second her survival chances drop."
My voice hardened further.
"Four people are already critically injured, emergency airlifted to hospitals. I don't want to see anyone else hurt. I don't want to see anyone die."
I looked each warrior in the eye. "You can choose to keep questioning my qualifications. Or you can follow orders and save three lives."
"Now. Make your choice."
My voice wasn't loud. But the Alpha authority made every wolf present feel the instinct to submit.
The silence stretched.
Then Seth lowered his head, his voice strained. "Yes... Miss Verdant. I... I will follow your command."
His wolf had been forced into submission by my Alpha pressure, even as his human pride still bristled.
The other Moonblade warriors bowed their heads in succession. "Yes!"
Marcus: "We await your orders."
Owen: "Ready on standby."
Symone moved to my side, her eyes shining with pride and support. "I always knew you had this power."
Lysander stood to the side, silent.
But the pride and love in his eyes threatened to overflow.
I drew a deep breath, gradually retracting my Alpha pressure—though my authority remained. "Good. Now, everyone listen to orders."
"Maintain twenty-meter search intervals. Priority on rock crevices, cavities, and areas with abnormal snow accumulation."
"Keep communication channels open. Report position and findings every ten minutes."
"Any signs of danger—unstable snow layers, unusual sounds, anything that could trigger a secondary collapse—evacuate immediately and report."
"Safety first. I don't want any rescuers injured. Clear?"
"Yes!" The warriors responded in unison, without a trace of doubt this time.
Seth through the radio: "Left flank received!"
Marcus: "Right flank received!"
Owen: "Rear support in position!"
Rescue equipment distributed rapidly: probe poles, folding shovels, thermal imaging devices, portable oxygen, medical packs.
Three of Damon's gathering participants stepped forward. "We want to help too!"
They were young—around twenty—clearly not professional warriors, but desperate to do something.
I assessed them. "You haven't received rescue training."
One young male spoke up: "But we can help carry equipment. We can help dig. Our friends are down there."
I paused, then nodded. "Follow Owen. Obey his commands. No independent actions."
"Yes!"
I turned to Selene, still kneeling in the snow, her entire body shaking.
"Can you stand?" My voice had lost its anger, but remained cold.
Selene raised her head, eyes swollen, face marked with terror. "I..."
"Stand up," I repeated. "If you truly want to make amends, lead us to the positions you remember. Crying solves nothing."
The words shocked her into stillness.
Damon immediately moved to help his sister up. "Selene, can you walk? Your knees—"
Selene bit down hard, trembling as she rose. "I can... I must... I have to find Lilith..."
I studied her briefly, then looked at Damon. "She comes with us. You'll watch over her."
Damon nodded firmly, his arm supporting Selene. "I won't let anything happen to her."
I turned to Owen and the three young volunteers. "Owen, you and these three stay in the safe zone. Your primary task is communications—maintain constant contact with all search teams and any reinforcements arriving later."
My voice sharpened with emphasis. "If any team loses signal, mark their last known positions immediately. You're our anchor. Understood?"
Owen straightened, recognizing the critical nature of his role. "Understood, Miss Verdant. I'll monitor all channels and track every team's location."
"Good." I addressed everyone one final time. "Remember, this is an avalanche zone. Everyone stays alert. Our goal is to save people, not create more casualties."
My eyes met Damon's.
Two bearers of Alpha blood, reaching silent consensus in that moment.
"Now," my voice rang clear and strong, "move out!"
The warriors mobilized immediately, forming an organized search grid through the blizzard.
No one questioned my command authority again.
The blizzard raged on, visibility near zero. My eyes scanned the devastated slope as my mind calculated rapidly.
The thermal imaging devices were being disrupted by the storm. The probe poles covered too little ground in this massive area. We were losing precious seconds.
"Equipment's failing us," I announced, my breath forming white clouds. "We use instinct instead."
But I knew better than to have everyone shift. Rescue required more than just searching—we needed medical response, equipment operation, casualty transport. If everyone went wolf, who would administer first aid? Who would operate the devices?
And the support group couldn't keep up on foot in this weather.
"Lysander." I turned to him, my voice cutting through the wind with crystal clarity. "Our three search teams aren't efficient enough. We need tactical adjustment."
He understood immediately, eyes sharp. "What's your assessment?"
I gestured toward the teams struggling through waist-deep snow. "Equipment's failing in these conditions. Human movement speed is too slow. But we have an advantage we're not using—wolf senses and mobility."
"You want the warriors to shift," he said, eyebrow lifting in quick understanding.