Chapter 612

Chapter 112 : A Losing Battle

*Xander*

Adrian was pacing along the railing of the auxiliary ship taking us back to Breles. It had been a month since I’d left Lena behind in Winter Forest, and other than a letter I’d written and mailed to Winter Forest before I’d left for the portal back to my realm, I hadn’t spoken to her since.

The ship was as full as possible with warriors from my territory, with more on the way. Adrian and I had gathered the entire force of my warriors, ten thousand strong. A portion of that would be guarding the portal to our realm from both sides if worse came to worst and the pack lands lost their hold on their territories. The rest had been ordered to stay back to guard their own people. As much as I wanted to help in this realm, I couldn’t risk letting anything happen to my own people which I was sworn to protect.

Costas had told me his estimation of the number of warriors King Nikolas had at his disposal.

It was a lot more than ten thousand.

I gripped the railing of the boat as we towered above the water. The Isles of Denali rose above the water in the distance, glimmering like emeralds against a blanket of turquoise and sapphire. When I’d left Breles, I’d heard Prince William was standing in as Alpha while Troy and his Beta, Keaton, commanded their warriors as the armies of the Alphas began to push further west. Hybrids had been attacking at night in the rural villages when I left, going far enough to destroy several villages completely. I prayed nothing much had changed, or that it had changed for the better, since we left for reinforcements.

Charlie walked up beside me. He rested his elbows on the railing, the wind ruffling his brown curls that glinted as red as port wine in the sun.

“We’ll make landfall in Breles around dusk at this rate,” he said with a sigh.

“Any news from the mainland?” I asked.

He was quiet for a moment, his gaze clouded by concern.

“Breles is the last stronghold in the south, and our forces are holding on to the territory. But everything west of it–up to the border of northern Finadli and the mountain territories–those have fallen.”

“Fallen?”

“Overrun.”

I chewed on the inside of my lower lip, turning away from him to look out over the water. I couldn’t fathom the loss of life. I couldn’t even come close to imagining the destruction.

“The Alpha King of the West and the Alphas of the north have their armies situated on the border of the northern territories. So far they’ve been able to hold the beasts back.”

I nodded, no immediate reply forming on the tip of my tongue. I needed to find a way to reach out to Gideon. He was adamant about staying in Crimson Creek, where a small force had accumulated to stem the flow of hybrids coming through the portal, but they were useless against the temporary breaks between the realm the king was creating using the bloodstones he was using slaves to mine.

stood a chance against an onslaught of the vampire warriors under King Nikolas’s control, however. Those gray, molted, lifeless undead had no feelings of fear. I’d fought them off when we broke Lena out of the

your family?”

meeting

mean Lena? Your

stammered, shaking my

is good news,” he replied, clapping me on the shoulder before he turned and

retreat into the

are we getting into when we get

stand,” I replied with a sigh, watching as

***

pointed to a map in the center of the table beneath a wide canvas tent, his face covered in grime and

here. Another hive was discovered here, this morning,” Troy breathed, his

the sprawling metropolis of Breles, which stretched for miles. The vampires were right on the edge of the city now, trying to push

daylight hours in the remains of the outer neighborhoods in Breles, I had a sinking feeling in my gut that it wouldn’t matter. Taking out the known hives in the daylight

with every passing minute, that seemed more

eye, his expression

hand as he sighed and reached up to run his hands

table. His eyes moved from the map to my face, where they fixed on my own. “If we lose our hold on Breles,” he said with a tremble in his voice, “your forces will be needed

men standing

center of the war camp. We were near the edge of the city, only a mile

in suits of armor, followed by warriors decked out in spears and knives, some made of wood. Rowan had listened to me then. He’d really listened when I told him

before and were immediately escorted here, to the tent where the Alphas and

was currently with our

I met the eyes of Troy, Keaton, and Rowan, that those

breathed, looking from Keaton to Rowan with a tight

pull our forces back, have them hold strong in the

the outer neighborhoods,” Troy added, running his finger across the map, a distant

Torch the neighborhoods?

been evacuated several weeks ago, but still, the idea of laying waste to the entire

here, possibly here,” Rowan continued, dark circles lining his eyes. “That is where we’ll

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