Chapter 75: Chapter 75 Preparing for Battle
Leo
The war room had emptied hours ago, leaving only the echo of strategy discussions and the lingering scent of Victoria’s distress. I stood at the window of my private office at Devil’s Lair, staring out at the gathering dusk. Tonight would change everything—for better or worse.
My wolf, Ronan, paced restlessly beneath my skin. He hadn’t settled since Marcus’s threat. The thought of Victoria sacrificing herself for Enzo made my blood run cold. She was brave enough—foolish enough—to do it, despite my explicit orders against it.
My phone buzzed with an update from Tiny. Our scouts had confirmed Marcus’s location, and our strike teams were in position. We would move at midnight, using the cover of darkness and the element of surprise to extract Enzo before Marcus realized what was happening.
Victoria stood on the porch steps, directing the efforts with quiet authority. She wore simple jeans and a forest-green sweater, her hair loose around her shoulders. Even in casual clothes, she carried herself with the dignity of an Alpha now—shoulders straight, chin lifted, voice firm but kind.
My chest tightened at the sight of her.She spotted my car and excused herself from the conversation, walking toward me with that graceful stride that always made Ronan rumble with approval.
"You’re early," she said as I stepped out of the car.
"Plans changed." I glanced at the activity around us. "What’s all this?"
Victoria’s expression softened. "Last-minute preparations. If we’re really doing this tonight, I wanted to make sure everything was in order here first."
"You should be resting," I said, more gruffly than intended.
"So should you," she countered, raising an eyebrow. "But here we are."
I couldn’t argue with her logic. Instead, I offered my hand. "Walk with me?"
She slipped her smaller hand into mine, and the contact sent the familiar current of warmth through my body. Every touch between us reinforced the bond neither of us had officially acknowledged yet.
We walked in comfortable silence around the side of the manor, toward the gardens that had been Victoria’s sanctuary since childhood. The evening air carried the scent of late summer flowers and the earthy promise of coming rain.
"I need to know you won’t do anything reckless tonight," I said finally, stopping beneath an ancient oak tree.
Victoria tensed beside me. "Like what?"
"Like offering yourself to Marcus in exchange for Enzo."
Her eyes flashed. "You think I’d go behind your back after everything we’ve planned?"
"I think you’d do whatever you believed necessary to protect your family." I turned to face her fully. "Even if it meant sacrificing yourself."
"That’s not fair," she protested, pulling her hand away. "I’ve agreed to the plan. I’ll stick to it."
"Look me in the eye and promise," I demanded, stepping closer.
Victoria tilted her head back, her brown eyes meeting mine defiantly. "I promise I won’t trade myself for Enzo."
"Or do anything else that puts you directly in Marcus’s hands," I added.
A flicker of frustration crossed her face. "Leo—"
"Promise me, Victoria." My voice dropped lower, an edge of my Alpha command bleeding through despite my efforts to contain it. "I need to hear the words."
"Why? Don’t you trust me?"
"With my life," I answered without hesitation. "But not with yours."
Her expression softened slightly. "That’s not your decision to make."
"If anything happened to you—" I cut myself off, my jaw tightening against the sudden surge of emotion.
I leaned down until our foreheads touched. "Promise me you’ll stay safe. Not for the pack, not for the mission. For me."
Victoria closed her eyes, her hands coming up to grip my wrists. "I promise to try," she whispered. "That’s all I can give you."
It wasn’t the absolute reassurance I wanted, but it was honest. Victoria would never make a promise she couldn’t keep.
"It’ll have to be enough," I murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
She sighed, leaning into me for a moment before straightening with renewed purpose. "There’s somewhere I need to go before tonight. Will you come with me?"
"Anywhere," I replied simply.
Victoria led me through the gardens to a small path I hadn’t noticed before. It wound through a copse of silver birch trees before opening into a secluded clearing. At the center stood two marble headstones, elegant and well-maintained despite being years old.
Her parents’ graves.
I hung back, giving her a moment of privacy as she approached the stones. This was sacred ground, family ground. Although I’d been invited, I felt the weight of intrusion.
Victoria knelt between the graves, placing a hand on each stone. She spoke softly, too quietly for even my enhanced hearing to catch the words. The intimacy of the moment—this daughter seeking strength from parents who could no longer hold her—made my chest ache.
After a few minutes, she looked over her shoulder. "You can come closer. They won’t bite."
I approached slowly, respecting the solemnity of the space. The headstones were simple but beautifully carved, with the Howlthorne pack symbol—a wolf howling at a crescent moon—etched into the marble.
*Dominic Howlthorne, Beloved Alpha, Husband, and Father*
*May your spirit run free under eternal moons*
The second stone was slightly smaller:
*Elisabeth Howlthorne, Cherished Wife and Mother*
*Your light guides us through darkness*
"My father used to bring me here every week," Victoria said, her fingers tracing the engraved letters of her mother’s name. "He’d tell me stories about her—how they met, how she loved wildflowers and thunderstorms, how she sang to me before I was born."
I knelt beside her, sensing she needed to speak these memories aloud. "He loved her very much."
Victoria nodded. "So much that he never remarried, even though the pack elders pressured him to take another Luna." She glanced at me. "Did you know him well?"
"Only professionally," I admitted. "We met at Alpha Council meetings. He was respected—fair but firm in negotiations. He protected his territory fiercely."
"Like you," she said with a small smile.
"He was a better man than I am," I replied honestly. "Less blood on his hands."
Victoria shook her head. "Different times, different challenges." She looked back at the graves. "I wonder what they would think of all this. Of us."
I considered my answer carefully. "Your father would be proud of the Alpha you’ve become. As for your mother..." I paused. "If Marcus is right about her heritage, she must have loved your father enough to leave her people for him. I think she would understand what’s between us."
"I’m afraid," Victoria confessed suddenly, her voice barely audible. "Not of fighting or even dying. I’m afraid of failing them. Failing everyone who’s counting on me."
"Fear keeps us sharp," I told her. "It reminds us what’s at stake." I took her hand, lacing our fingers together. "But you won’t fail. And you’re not alone."