Chapter 202 Broken promises
Chapter 202: Broken Promises
Damon POV
The standoff stretched like a taut wire ready to snap. Five hundred warriors stood before my gates, weapons gleaming in the afternoon sun. My own forces numbered less than half of their numbers, scattered across the territory and unprepared for a siege.
"Stand down," I commanded my warriors, clenching my jaws, though every instinct screamed to attack. "No one moves unless I give the order."
Alpha Chen, the leader of the pacific pack, stepped forward from the enemy lines, flanked by the two other unrighteous pack leaders, who had sworn loyalty to me. Their expressions ranged from smug satisfaction to barely contained rage. Behind them, I recognized faces of the smaller pack alphas who would never have had the guts to breathe the same air as me, a few months ago. Now, they waved the flag of the queen, like her little puppies.
Traitors. All of them.
"Quite the reception," Rosalie murmured beside me. "Should I summon my warriors?"
"No." I kept my eyes locked on Chen. "This is my problem to solve."
James moved closer, his voice low and urgent. "Damon, we are outnumbered three to one. If they attack..."
"They will not attack." I stepped forward, meeting Marcus halfway between our forces. "Not yet. They want something first."
Chen’s grin widened as I approached. "Smart as always, Alpha Damon. Or should I stop calling you that?"
"State your business," I said coldly. "Then leave my territory before I make you regret coming here."
"Bold words for someone so obviously weakened." His eyes raked over me, noting every detail. "Look at you. Barely standing. Your mate abandoned you, ran straight back to her sister's arms. How does that feel, mighty Alpha? To be rejected by your own omega?"
My hands clenched into fists. The urge to rip out his throat was overwhelming. But I forced myself to remain still, to show no weakness.
"The Queen made us an offer," Janet, who was still representing her Alpha, spoke up from behind Chen. Her pack controlled the Southern Woodlands. "A very generous offer."
"Let me guess," I said flatly. "Freedom from the alliance. Territory expansion. Gold and resources. All you have to do is kill me."
The silence that followed confirmed my suspicion.
"She played you all for fools," I continued, letting my Alpha aura pulse outward. The pressure slammed into them like a physical force. Several warriors stumbled backward. Even the Alphas flinched. "You think she will honor her promises? The Queen uses people and discards them. You are tools to her, nothing more."
"Maybe so." Chen recovered quickly, though sweat beaded on his forehead. "But at least we are free tools. You kept us leashed like dogs, Damon. Forced us into your alliance, threatened our packs if we refused. Did you really think we would forget that?"
"I brought order to chaos," I shot back. "Before the alliance, your territories were constantly at war. Packs fought over scraps while innocent wolves died. I ended that."
"By making yourself king." Alpha Dmitri of the shadow Pack moved forward, his massive frame casting a shadow. "You took our freedom and called it peace. You threatened our families and called it protection. Well, we are done being your subjects."
The other Alphas murmured agreement. I saw it then, the truth behind this rebellion. It was not just about the Queen's promises. It was about wounded pride and resentment that had festered for months.
I had been so focused on Milo, on the curse, on everything else, that I had failed to see the cracks forming in my own foundation.
"So you came here to what?" I asked. "Challenge me? Declare war? Get it over with."
"We declare you unfit to lead," Chen announced loudly, making sure everyone could hear. "Weakened by your miserable mate bond. Corrupted by the curse. Unable to even control your own omega, who fled from you like you were nothing."
His words struck like daggers. Because part of me believed them. Milo had left me. Chosen his sister over our bond. He chose family over what we had. Maybe I was weak. Maybe I did deserve this.
"Your leadership ends today," Kira added. "Step down peacefully, disband the alliance, and we will let you live. Refuse, and we will take everything from you by force."
My warriors shifted restlessly behind me. I could feel their uncertainty, their fear. We could not win this fight. Not outnumbered like this, not with me weakened by the curse's lingering effects.
But I would be damned if I surrendered to these cowards.
"No," I said simply.
Chen’s expression darkened. "You stubborn fool. You will die for nothing."
I scoffed, but it came out dry instead “Do you think you can beat me, just the three of you?”
Chen hesitated, feeling the tension in the air rise. But after looking back, he gave a humourless laugh also. “Just quit Damon, we are stronger in numbers.”
"Then I die standing." I drew my sword slowly. "Who wants to be first?"
"Damon, no!" James's voice cut through the tension. He rushed forward, grabbing my arm. "You cannot fight them all. This is suicide."
"Let me go, James."
"I will not watch you throw your life away because of pride." His grip tightened. "Think, damn you. Think about Milo. If you die here, who will save him from the Queen?"
That stopped me cold. Milo. My mate was trapped, suffering, carrying our child in that hellish place. And I was about to get myself killed in a pointless battle with these spineless idiots.
The fight drained out of me like water through my fingers.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked quietly. "Surrender? Let them tear everything apart?"
"I want you to survive." James's eyes were fierce. "Whatever it takes. Survive."
Rosalie stepped forward then, her voice ringing out clear and strong. "I stand with Alpha Damon. Any who wish to challenge him must go through Crimson Moon Pack first."
A ripple of surprise moved through both armies. Rosalie's pack was respected, powerful and hardly showed up in public matters like this. Her support changed the equation.
But not enough.
Chen laughed. "One pack? Against all of us? You are as foolish as he is, Rosalie."
"Perhaps." She moved to stand beside me, her sword drawn. "But I have honor. Something you clearly lack."
The unrighteous Alphas conferred quietly among themselves. I could see them calculating, weighing their options. Adding Rosalie's forces to mine would make the battle costly. Not impossible, but bloody enough to give them pause.
Cowards,
"We will give you one more chance," Marcus finally said. "Step down. Disband the pack. Walk away. Or we attack at dawn tomorrow."
He turned and walked back to his army, the other Alphas following. Within minutes, they had withdrawn to establish a siege camp just beyond arrow range.
My warriors waited for orders, their faces pale with fear and uncertainty. Rosalie watched me carefully. James stood ready to support whatever decision I made.
I looked at each of them, these loyal souls who had followed me through so much. They deserved better than this. Better than a weakened Alpha who could not even protect his own mate.
The words came before I could stop them, raw and honest and terrible.
"I resign."