Chapter 110

Chapter 110
A tall man shouted from a distance, “Find them! Don’t let them get away!”
Naya’s heart skipped a beat as she recognized the voice—it was the same general who had visited the family before. His commanding tone cut through the night air.
A soldier approached him, breathless. “General, a report came from the South. It seems Sir Fabian took that route. They’re heading to the lake!”
The general’s face twisted in anger. “Fabian… That trickster… How dare he betray his own pack? Find him! No matter what happens tonight, we will not stop until we capture that traitor!”
With a united roar, the soldiers growled and marched south, their footsteps echoing through the forest as the general led them.
Suddenly, the scene shifted, and Naya found herself by the lake. The moonlight reflected off the water, casting eerie shadows across the surface. Fabian was locked in battle with soldiers, while Louisa pushed a canoe with Luna Sandra and Rosanne inside.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you getting in?” Luna Sandra’s voice trembled with fear.
“I have to find Ruben,” Louisa said, her voice firm despite the terror in her eyes. “Sandra, please, watch Rosanne and get to the other side first.”
Tears streamed down Sandra’s face. “No, no… I can’t leave you here. You should come with us.”
“Mama!” Even Rosanne began to cry, her small hands reaching out.
Louisa’s gaze darted to the side, where she saw Fabian struggling, a wolf’s teeth sinking into his arm. Her heart sank.
“I’m sorry, I will be back,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to Rosanne’s forehead before pushing the boat into the water.
Louisa sprinted back to Fabian, kicking the wolves off him with fierce determination. She fought with everything she had, her movements swift and precise, beating down their opponents until the ground was littered with their defeated bodies.
Panting, she helped Fabian to his feet. “I’m going to find Ruben.”
Fabian nodded, his breath ragged. “Gaston and Alfredo said they’d find him and bring him here.”
Relief washed over Louisa. “Okay, good. We just need to hold them off until then. Let’s do this, honey.”
Fabian managed a weak smile. “All right.”
Together, they fought like beasts. Their agility and strength matched the soldiers, whether they were human or wolf. The sounds of growling, tearing flesh, and the splatter of blood filled the air.
Naya’s pulse quickened as she watched the fierce battle unfold. But curiosity gnawed at her. These were members of the same pack—why were they fighting each other?
Suddenly, two figures emerged from the shadows.
“Gaston! Alfredo!” Louisa rushed to them, her eyes scanning the area frantically. “Where’s Ruben?”
Gaston’s face was grave. “He wasn’t there when we arrived.”
“Are you sure?” Louisa asked, panic rising in her voice. “He has long black hair and his eyes—”
“It was too late,” Alfredo cut in. “The tower was empty.”
Horror washed over Louisa, her face pale.
Fabian squeezed her shoulder gently. “Don’t lose hope. I’ll find him myself.”
Louisa took a shaky breath, nodding as she tried to steady herself.
Before they could regroup, another wave of soldiers attacked. With Gaston and Alfredo’s help, they fought off the enemies, but the battle was growing fiercer. When Fabian was nearly clawed to death, Alfredo lunged forward, saving him with a quick strike to the attacker’s chest.
Fabian gave him a grateful nod. “Thank you, Alfredo.”
Alfredo returned the nod silently.
Despite being outnumbered, the four fought with unwavering determination. But then, the general arrived, leading more than twenty soldiers, all highly skilled.
“Just give up, you’re outnumbered,” the general said coldly.
“Outnumbered doesn’t mean you can beat us,” Gaston shot back. “Return to the village, General Han.”
General Han’s face darkened. “You talk big now, but don’t forget—you and Alfredo were part of our pack for years!”
“That was before you enslaved us,” Gaston snarled, his eyes flashing red. “We’re done being fooled.”
General Han laughed bitterly. “And you think your new leader is any better? You’ve picked the wrong side. Reid is nothing but a cursed prince. Even his parents banished him!”
Alfredo growled, his eyes narrowing. “Watch your mouth.”
General Han’s expression turned serious. “You’re his beta, aren’t you? Too bad, Alfredo. You used to be smart, but look at you now.” 
“You little–” Gaston was about to fight General Han when the latter continued, still speaking directly at Alfredo. 
“Did you know that your fate will be bound forever to that cursed prince? As an alpha blood’s beta, you are to follow everything that happens to him whether you like it or not. If he loses his mate, you will also lose yours. If he dies, you will also die. And you very well know that he is cursed. Sooner or later, he will meet more misfortunes in this life and you, Alfredo, will be dragged along with the same fate.” 
Alfredo clenched his hands into fists, trembling in anger. 
Gaston held Alfredo back as he trembled with rage. “Don’t listen to him, Alfredo. Han doesn’t know crap. Come on, we have to help Fabian leave this place first.” 
Quickly enough, the mood changed as another battle erupted. 
Naya watched in awe as her father fought against the Crimson Stone Pack. She began to understand why he left—they had found their true purpose, their loyalty to Alpha Reid of the Light Shadow Pack.
Suddenly, the scene shifted again, and Naya was back in the woods. The cabin where Fabian and Louisa lived was now engulfed in flames. A small figure stood before it, wearing a thick hood that hid their face.
The figure fell to their knees, weeping. “Mama… Rosanne…”
Naya’s heart clenched as she realized it was Ruben, Louisa’s son.
Suddenly, five men emerged from the darkness, circling Ruben and carrying their weapons each. 
“That’s him! The heir of the Crimson Stone Pack!” one of them exclaimed.
The leader, with a dark expression, barked, “Kill him!”
Ruben was cornered, his young face twisted in fear. But despite his terror, he fought back with everything he had. Naya’s heart raced as she watched him fend off the attackers, but he was just a child, and his strength was fading. Grinding his teeth, he tried to fight off the people trying to seize him and ran away. 
Naya was taken along, following his direction. Ruben did not back down at all. He didn’t stop and continued running until he reached what appeared to be a cliff. 
The people who were chasing Ruben eventually caught up to him. 
“Just give up, little prince,” one of them taunted.
Naya’s blood ran cold when she recognized the voice—it was the general of the Night Ridge Pack she had encountered before. General Gaspar, if she remembered it correctly. 
Ruben stood his ground, glaring at the general as he caught his breath.
General Gaspar's eyes were cold and merciless. “End him. Bring me his head.”
Naya’s heart pounded in her chest as she watched the soldiers close in on Ruben, all of them charging at him with the same intent to kill. 
Before Naya knew it, the images vanished, and her consciousness returned. 
Gradually, she began to hear voices—shouts of urgency.
“Don’t let them get away! Hurry up and find them!” echoed through the air.
The sound of hurried footsteps, the scent of wood, grass, and soil permeated her senses. Naya’s eyes fluttered open, revealing the deeply concerned face of her teammate, Billy, leaning over her. 
“Captain!” Billy called out. “Are you okay?”
Naya inhaled deeply, realizing they were no longer in the confined bedroom where Jed had taken her. 
“Where’s the prince’s assistant?” Naya asked, noticing Jed was nowhere to be seen.
There was silence. For a moment, Naya felt her heart skip a beat. They were truly outside, inside a carriage that seemed to be for delivering goods. The thought that her team might have done something to Jed made her heart freeze.
Before her mind could wander further, Reo spoke up, “We left him in the room and locked him up there.”
Naya was surprised. Jed wasn’t the type to disobey Prince Kael’s orders.
“This female servant helped us,” Reo continued, gesturing toward the other person with them. “She brought medicine and took that assistant down, putting him to sleep! She’s pretty amazing, right?”
“This isn’t the time to flirt,” Nile commented, shaking his head.
“Who’s flirting? I’m just saying, without her help, we wouldn’t have escaped that madman. I mean, he wouldn’t even leave Captain alone!” Reo exclaimed, his tone tinged with irritation.
It was then Naya finally noticed the figure cloaked in black beside Reo. The figure slowly turned toward Naya, wearing a sweet smile.
“I guess you remember me,” she said. “If so, you wouldn’t be surprised at all, would you?”
Naya froze. She was almost certain she had seen this face before. The realization struck her—it was none other than Alpha Princess Margaux, the princess Kael was supposed to mate with, from the Night Ridge Pack.
Before Naya could respond, the carriage stopped.
Naya saw Margaux’s sweet smile, and her heart sank.
As quickly as she could, she moved to Margaux’s side, pressing a knife to her throat.
At the same time, about ten arrows from different directions were aimed at their carriage.
Billy, Jeffrey, Nile, and Reo all looked at the archers, their faces full of shock. They were even more stunned when they heard the archers shout, “Princess!”
Margaux shouted back, “These people are rogues. You know what to do.”
The four members of the Midnight Seven looked around, frozen and speechless as they saw the archers pointing their arrows at them.
Jeffrey turned to Margaux, realizing her betrayal. “You tricked us!”
“Didn’t you say you were a female servant?!” Reo added, his face full of disbelief.
Even with the knife at her throat, Margaux maintained a sweet, confident smile. “You’re a fool for believing every word a woman says. Besides, I never said I would help you once we were outside the West Wood Pack’s territory.”
Her words made Jeffrey’s eyes flare with anger. “You witch—”
Billy quickly stopped him.
Naya tightened her grip on Margaux, pressing the blade closer to her neck. Coldly, she ordered, “Tell your people to drop their weapons, or this blade will pierce your skin.”
Margaux sighed. “I guess I have no choice.” She took a deep breath and shouted, “Everyone, step back. Drop your weapons. Now.”
Naya signaled her teammates, who still looked conflicted and extremely frustrated at having been tricked. Fortunately, she no longer felt as disoriented as before. Leading her team, the archers slowly backed down, along with the other soldiers surrounding them.
“Give our princess back!” one of them shouted.
Naya ignored them as she took Margaux with them until they reached the far end of the area. All the while, her four other teammates warily watched for any sign of attack.
At last, Naya reached an empty space where the other soldiers could no longer see them. She signaled her team before releasing Margaux.
“You’re pretty confident you’ll survive even after releasing me,” Margaux stated with a smirk. “Did you know? I can call them anytime, and you all will be on your knees, begging for your lives.”
“But you didn’t,” Naya replied.
She looked at Margaux with cold, clear eyes that seemed to glow under the moonlight.
Margaux fell silent, her devious smile fading. She clenched her fists and muttered, “You’re a rogue. You’ll never be enough for Prince Kael. I’m the right woman for him.”
Naya glanced aside, unable to hide her own cold, sad smile. If only things were that simple, she thought.
If only the matters she had to deal with were as simple as winning over a man’s heart like this woman before her…
But it was different for her. Her destiny wasn’t to steal an alpha from another woman, become Luna, or bear a child.
It was to find the heir of the Crimson Stone Pack and slay him.
As she remembered this, she felt a prick in her heart. She looked down at her hands, her eyes dimming.
“Captain?” Billy called, pulling her back to reality.
When Naya looked up, Margaux was gone. Billy gave her a concerned look, as if asking if she was okay.
Just then, two figures came into view, rushing toward them.
“Captain! Guys!” Kevin shouted as he approached the team.
Kevin quickly hugged Naya. “Captain, I thought you were dead!”
“Stop saying ominous things,” Sage scolded coldly.
Kevin ignored her and only hugged Naya tighter, tears streaming down his face. “Because I heard from the soldiers that you were unwell. Ah, but they saved you. Thank goodness. You didn’t catch any incurable disease, did you?”
“I didn’t,” Naya replied, slowly pulling away from Kevin.
She then looked at Sage, expecting a quick report on the current situation at the border. Sage quickly filled her in on the details. When she mentioned Kael, Naya’s heart skipped a beat.
“Do you want to see him?” Sage asked.
Naya was silent. She noticed all eyes were on her.
“No,” Naya finally said. “I heard someone from the Crimson Stone Pack is coming tonight. An alpha princess.”
“What’s the plan, Captain?” Nile asked.
Naya took a deep breath and declared, “Let’s ambush her and take her as a hostage.”
The six members of the Midnight Seven were stunned, listening to Naya's plan. She explained everything as her team gave their undivided attention. 
“Captain, are we really going to enter that pack by force?” Kevin asked after a while. 
“Yes,” Naya said, her eyes cold as she remembered the mission given to her by her father. “It's best to take action while there's a distraction. Let’s take advantage of this war. Let’s enter the enemy base and find the heir…”
The words “and kill him” hung on her lips, almost as if she couldn’t bring herself to say them. Especially when she remembered the child in her dreams, the little boy running and fighting for his life, which sent a twinge through her heart.
Soon, they managed to ambush the carriage carrying Alpha Princess Samantha of the Crimson Stone Pack. Taking her as a hostage, the Midnight Seven finally entered the pack they had been targeting for so long. 
“Just leave my guards and servants here,” Alpha Princess Samantha said inside the carriage.
Reo pressed his dagger against one of the guards, his eyes narrowing at Samantha. “I’m not falling for any tricks today. Princess or servant, I won’t be deceived by women again!”
Naya glanced at the strangers, then shifted her gaze to Reo. “That’s enough. Lower your weapon.”
“But, Captain—”
Naya shot him a stern look.
With a frustrated hiss, Reo reluctantly stepped back, though his eyes remained fixed on Samantha.
Samantha, however, kept her gaze solely on Naya, silently observing her every move.
Whether Naya noticed or not, she commanded, “Throw them out.”
The Midnight Seven quickly followed her order, shoving the servants and guards out of the carriage after sedating them with the remaining medicine they’d taken from Margaux. Billy had managed to swipe it when she wasn’t looking.
The journey to the Crimson Stone Pack was steeped in darkness and silence for Samantha. For the Midnight Seven, just being near a member of the Crimson Stone Pack was already overwhelming.
After all, everyone from that pack was their enemy.
Years ago, when they were still children, the Crimson Stone Pack had invaded their home. It was this pack that had destroyed their lives, slaughtered many of their members, including their Luna. Her death symbolized the pack’s cruelty and reignited the Light Shadow Pack’s purpose, giving birth to a new mission.
“Kill the heir,” they all remembered receiving the order back then.
Naya was their leader, and she was the one who had laid out their plan.
“Each one of you will join me on this mission,” Naya had told them. She was only 13 at the time. “We will infiltrate their pack, and I will kill the heir.”
The six members she had personally chosen could only stand before her, listening as she outlined the plan. It had taken years of training and hard work to become the fighters they were now.
But finally, at long last, they had reached this moment—on the brink of the final stage of their mission.
“Captain,” Sage called out, “I think we’ve arrived. We’re at the Crimson Stone Pack’s territory.”
Naya and the rest of the Midnight Seven looked ahead. Sure enough, the towering walls of the enemy’s territory loomed before them.