Damion's POV
"Why not simply grant him his wishes?" Lucas inquired; his voice quiet yet incisive. "For the greater good, we can spare one of our own."
Damion's jaw clenched and the vein in his neck pulsed with anger. "You believe we can rely on him?" To him, this is only a game. He will come for the next one and the next until all we are left are his puppets.
The pack shifted uncomfortably. Lucas was correct; giving up one member could appear a minor cost for the survival of the others. Damion's words, however, lingered in the air like a warning.
Missy, her lips tightly squeezed together and her stance stiff as she gazed down at the floor, was someone I observed. She was the key to this, but with each passing instant the burden of her strength, her link to the prophecy, was becoming more and more into a curse. She had the strength, but would it be enough to save all?
Damion's voice was soft and comforting as he extended his hand to "Missy." "We don't have to provide him anything. You are our leader. You choose.
She did not respond immediately. Her knuckles white as her internal conflict unfolded on her face, her fingers curled into fists. She was fighting for her own soul, her own position in this conflict, not only for the pack's survival. The rebel alpha wasn't only seeking supremacy for our pack. He wanted her, her abilities, her prophetic function, and she was aware of it.
Missy eventually declared, her voice raspy as though saying the words had sapped her strength, "I won't back down." "I won't offer him anyone. We battle.
The room became quiet. Already intolerable, the tension became much more. The rogue alpha would not be happy. The pack was now on the line; there was no going back.
But just as we believed the standoff was finished, the rogue's message appeared on the screen. Though brief, it was significant enough to make everyone shudder.
I will not stop until you give up what belongs to me. Time is running out.
The decision had been taken; nevertheless, the pack's cohesion was now hanging by a thread. Missy's unwillingness to compromise had ignited something more profound among the alphas: uncertainty not only about her choice but also about her capacity to guide us into the approaching storm.
Watching the silent conflicts play out in whispers and glances, I stood aside from the rest. Some of the alphas backed Missy, their allegiance unshakeable. Others, like Xavier, were anxious and quietly doubtful. The lines were being drawn; shortly it would be obvious who stood with us and who remained unsure.
"I don't know, Damion," Mason said under his breath, glancing across to where Missy stood. "Is she really qualified to guide us?" She's too emotionally engaged. We want someone able to make difficult choices.
Damion's eyes fixed on Mason; his jaw tight. She is strong. Stronger than you think. She is this pack's future.
Mason wasn't the only one doubting her, though. Usually the peacekeeper, Ethan looked worried. Her hearts in the right place, but can we rely on her judgment when it matters? We want someone who can consider beyond her feelings. The army of the renegade alpha is not going to wait for us to resolve our conflicts.
The remarks hurt, but Missy ignored them. I could see her alone, her eyes far away, staring at nothing like lost in contemplation. She had sacrificed all for this pack. Now they were doubting her.
Damion hissed, his eyes sparkling with resolve, "I'm not letting her fail." Her leadership will guide us to success. Should you doubt her, you are no better than the rogue.
When Missy got the news, the tension was still obvious. Though the message was straightforward, the consequences were obvious. Her own sister Layla had been collaborating with the rogue alpha all along. The treachery cut like a knife to the stomach. Missy had always felt Layla's conduct was strange, but this? This was completely outside her expectations.
Missy said, her voice quaking with surprise, "She's been playing us all." "She's been assisting him."
Stepping forward, Damion put a hand on her shoulder to ground her. Missy, you need not go through this alone. We'll take care of this.
Missy, however, shook her head and moved away from him, her eyes full of rage and sorrow. Trusting others is becoming increasingly difficult for me. My own sibling… Her voice cracked and she had to inhale deeply to calm herself. "How could she treat me this way?"
The room was suffocating with the weight of unspoken items. Missy stood in the middle of the pack's command, her shoulders stiff and her eyes set somewhere beyond us. Her leadership, the decisions she had to make, everything about her future all contributed to the thick air between her and the alphas. Every one of them observed her like vultures waiting for her to fail, but I could tell the pressure she was under.
Missy grumbled beneath her breath, just loud enough for me to hear, "I can't keep doing this." The pack was arguing about whether to fight or negotiate the next move, but it seemed to her as though the walls were closing in. Unpredictable and great, her abilities served as a continual reminder of the great duty she carried; under the strain she was buckling.
Xavier growled, fists tight, "Hesitation is not something we can afford." The rogue alpha isn't waiting for us to sort out our emotions. He's moving; we have to be prepared.
That's sufficient! Missy spoke out, louder than I had ever heard. Though the room quieted at her order, the rage in her eyes was clear. "I know what needs to be done. But I need you to trust me. Every one of you. Arguing won't help us to win this. We have to be one.
A hush too long drawn out hung there. The pack's eyes flashed around, uncertain. Then came the time, unlike any other I had seen before. Missy's powers surged, crackling through the room like a hurricane unleashed. The walls creaked beneath the strain, windows shook, and a quick breeze swept across the room.
I barely had time to react before one of the alphas, Mason, was driven back by the shockwave, slamming into a wall with a loud crash. His breath wheezed out, the intensity of the blow knocking the wind from him.
"Dammit, Missy!" Damion's voice pierced through the pandemonium as he rushed to Mason's side. "Control it! You cannot,
But Missy was already on her knees, hands gripping her head, the agony from the surge showing all over her face. The burden of her own abilities crushing her, she was struggling for breath.
I didn't mean to. I did not, Her speech stumbled as she gazed at Mason, his eyes shut and his body unmoving.
The room was eerily silent. I went to her side and extended a hand to help her balance; she withdrew, her face a mask of anger and remorse.
Barely audible, she said, "I can't do this." I hurt the pack... I hurt him. Perhaps I am unqualified to guide.
As the pack readied for the fight that now looked unavoidable, the camp was disturbingly silent. Tensions had reached a breaking point. Missy, Damion, and the other alphas convened in the battle room, but the atmosphere was thick. Everyone understood that the choice made today will not only shape Missy's position inside the pack but also influence its future.
Missy said, her voice strong despite the uncertainty I knew remained in her head, "I'm not asking for your trust; I'm asking for your support." Should we battle, we fight as one. There is no turning back.
The rest stayed quiet as the gravity of her remarks sank in. All of us had witnessed the price of the rogue's influence. Every passing hour, his presence was like a shadow stretching further. But we were battling more than simply the rogue. It was the mistrust among us, the divisions in our togetherness. Missy had attempted to keep us together; but, I could plainly see the fissures in the basis.
Damion, his voice firm, stated, "We can't do this alone." Should we fight, we have to support one another. Every one of us.
Missy, though, was not looking at him. Her eyes were far away, concentrating on something I couldn't see. Damion, there's no turning back from this. Once we battle, once we cross that line, there is no coming back. I'm not only endangering the pack. I'm gambling all. And I'm wondering, are we prepared for this?
The question lingered. Her heart was on the line; so was mine. But it was about loyalty, about sacrifice, not only about the conflict. The pack, the prophesy... the future. It all crashed over me like a wave.
"I can't promise anything," I murmured, my voice cutting through the quiet as I moved forward. "But I can promise you this, Missy. I stand with you. Whatever occurs, we are in this together.