Chapter 168

Chapter 168

Ximena

“Consider it done,” I replied, my voice firm and strong.

“Alright then, you take care,” she said with a smile.

“See you soon, auntie,” I said before turning my gaze to Carmine as I trailed behind him to where the others were.

When we arrived, I gave a little pep talk just to be sure not one person that was coming with me was scared. Because on that battlefield, the last thing I wanted to do was see a scaredy-cat there. I don't know how well witches are trained, but what I do know is that during my training, my dad always said, “Ximena, never be scared because a strong alpha serves as a source of strength and hope to her people on the battlefield.”

When I was sure we were all set, we headed out with a ready heart and a charged spirit sailing through the morning sun, till noon until it was the evening, but we didn't plan on stopping, not now, I thought.

The bright ray of moonlight shone down on us, leading the way as we walked through the bushes with determination.

“Ximena,” a voice called behind me, but at this point, I was too focused on the road to even take a break. “Ximena!” the voice called out again, making me snap as I turned my head in a swift motion, “What?!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

“Look!!” Rogan fired at me, pointing in the direction of the armies.

I turned my gaze to meet theirs with creased brows and a racing heart, only to lock eyes with their tired and exhausted faces as they counted their steps to where I was. “The soldiers, they need to rest. They are tired and hungry. We've been walking all day,” Rogan said.

“Really? Now? But we're almost there; just a few more miles,” I retorted.

“Come on now, Ximena, don't tell me you've been so blinded that you can't see that these soldiers are exhausted,” he said.

“Watch your words, Rogan!! I'm still your queen,” I fired at him with a stern voice.

“Okay, fine. I'm sorry, okay, but all I'm saying is… we should at least take a break. Some of them have even been using their powers trying to draw strength, but not everyone is as strong as you,” he replied with a calm voice.

I heaved a deep sigh of frustration, biting down on my lips as I lifted my gaze to Carmine, who just stood there without saying a word. “Okay fine, Ximena, for once this dude makes sense to me,” he finally blurted out, making Rogan shoot him a deadly glare. “He’s right, you know, they do really look exhausted. We've been walking on an empty stomach for the longest; at least let’s take a break to rejuvenate our strength and once it's dawn, we'll continue,” he announced.

“But…” I tried to speak.

“No buts, my love. I know how angry you are right now and how badly you want your revenge on your uncle for the pain he's caused you, but you certainly can’t do that on an empty stomach, how much more your subjects,” he said, walking towards me and grabbing my cheeks, making me lock eyes with him. “If there's anything I've learned over the years, it's that if you wage a war with soldiers who are angry, not at the enemies, but at you, it doesn't always end well; how much more hungry soldiers,” he said. “Least being bound by that curse taught me something,” he added with a light chuckle.

“Fine, let’s all take a break. Find a place to camp,” I ordered.

They all let out a sigh of relief as they quickly dug into their bags and brought out food to eat. We found a cool spot to camp while the soldiers set up their tents and took a nap. I was left alone watching over them as I stared at the midnight sky.

Just then, Carmine walked up to me, sitting beside me with a smile. “You've barely had quality rest since all of this, Ximena; you should go to sleep, I'll watch over you all,” he said with no expression on his face.

“I'm not feeling sleepy, Carmine; how can sleep even find me at this crucial time?” I asked, exhaling sharply.

Just then, the sound of faint moans could be heard in one of the tents, followed by Carly's voice, making Carmine and me stare at each other with widened eyes. “Rogan!!” we both said in unison, letting out a light laugh.

“I guess that dude had other plans apart from just resting and regaining strength,” Carmine said with a smile on his face.

“I guess that’s his own way of regaining his strength - who knows?” I said with shrugged shoulders.

“By losing them? Nahhh…” Carmine added, making us let out another laugh before silence filled the air as we both exhaled in unison.

“Carmine,” I called out softly.

“Yes, my Queen,” he replied, turning his gaze in my direction.

“How bad do you think things are over there at the pack?” I asked, my gaze focused on the sky.

“Ah,” he sighed, “I don't know; very bad maybe…” he replied.

“And you're this calm? About your people?” I asked with creased brows.

He chuckled lightly, making me stare at him with widened eyes, wondering what was funny. “You've gotten it all wrong there, Ximena; those aren't just any people - they are my family…” he replied.

“Exactly my point, Carmine, but how could you be so relaxed?” I fired at him.

“To be honest,” he began, “I don't know. But something keeps telling me that they haven’t given up yet, that they still hold their hope and faith in me up high… that they still trust that their alpha is coming, and that he's close,” he replied.

“Why do you ask?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I replied sharply.

“You're scared,” he muttered softly, “I can sense it all around you, Ximena; you're scared of what lurks ahead,” he added.

“Maybe,” I mumbled softly. “What if I'm unable to defeat my uncle? What if I fail my people? What if I don't even know how to rule myself, not to talk of a whole pack of wolves and a clan of witches? What if my uncle's strength as a male is an advantage to him because I'm a female?” I blurted out these questions as they were aligned in my head, but before I could finish, Carmine shut me up with a kiss before staring deeply into my eyes, his gaze unwavering.

“You talk like I'm going to be a piece of tree beside you in all of this, Ximena,” he said, his voice calm and soothing, “I know you’re scared, which is okay to be, but you have to understand that you have me by your side. I'll teach you everything I know about leadership, everything Gamma Jayden taught me, and everything your mom taught me. I'm never leaving you, Ximena; you have to understand that and let it sink in,” he said reassuringly.

I let out an audible sigh, resting my head on his shoulder without a word, letting the breeze of the midnight sky envelop us before everything faded off.

Soon it was dawn, and everyone was already up. I got up and after a little pep talk from Carmine, we hit the road again as we were just a few miles away from the pack's house. When we arrived, we slipped in through a secret underground passage only Carmine knew as we walked into the palace from the backyard, which looked very deserted.

When we finally got to the hallway, a disgusting smell hit our nostrils, like this place had become a shadow itself. We couldn't even find a trace of anyone from the Dark Moon pack. At this point, I could already hear Carmine's heart pounding loudly against his chest as he had this worried look on his face.

I drew closer to him, holding him by his hands as I stared into his eyes. “I failed them, Ximena; their alpha failed them,” he said to me using his mind-link abilities.

“Don't say that, Carmine; you haven't, and I promise you she'll find them - all of them. And anyone we can’t find, Vicenzo and his cohorts will pay with their blood and the blood of anyone special to them,” I replied, my voice matter-of-fact.

Just then, I heard the sound of feet stomping on the ground, making us find a place where we hid ourselves as we watched some soldiers all wearing the Reflection Pack's uniform. “My uncle is here; he’s taken over,” I muttered under my breath, forcing a lump down my throat.

“This is a good time to take him down and claim our packs together then; he just made the work a lot easier,” Rogan said.

“I hope so,” I mumbled. The minute the soldier passed, a loud sound of a multitude cheering and applause came from the direction in which they were headed. I took a closer look and saw that it led to the hall, the same hall I had that fight with Dani, the same place where everything changed for me, I thought.

“Something is going on in the hall, Carmine, and whatever it is, I can already sense that it's not good,” I muttered.