Scarred Wolf Queen Chapter 191

**Briony's POV**

"I watched my parents get ripped apart by the Rogue King's army." Freya's voice shook with rage, not weakness. "Then they locked me up in some place with chains. Had to live in my own filth every damn day."

Victoria's face went white. She clawed at Freya's hands, but couldn't break free.

"They poisoned my food with wolfsbane - just enough to keep me breathing so they could hold me down whenever they wanted." Tears ran down Freya's cheeks, but her grip never loosened.

"Don't you dare question other people's pain when you've never suffered a day in your spoiled little life." Freya pulled Victoria closer until they were nose to nose. "You're just jealous of Briony, so you hired thugs to beat her up. First time you left her for dead - that's what made her wolf come out early. Second time would've killed her if her friends hadn't found her."

"I... I don't know what you're talking about..." Victoria's voice cracked.

"Bullshit." Freya's eyes burned. "What you put her through is nothing compared to real torture. But you're still gonna pay for every single thing you did."

She released Victoria, who crumpled to the floor like a broken doll. For the first time ever, I saw genuine fear in Victoria's eyes.

"Sit down and shut up," Freya said, her voice deadly calm.

Victoria stayed on the ground, shaking. Luna Isabella and Delta Diana exchanged a look before Diana stepped forward.

"Come on." Diana's hand landed on Victoria's shoulder. "Got a special room picked out for you tonight. Nice and quiet."

"Where's she going?" I asked, watching them leave.

"The dungeons," Luna Isabella said matter-of-factly. "There'll be a proper trial once this mess is over."

Freya slumped against the wall, looking completely drained. I rushed over to steady her.

"Can we just not talk about her for a while?" Freya's voice was barely a whisper. "Luna Isabella, thanks for everything, but I'm really okay."

Luna Isabella came over and wrapped Freya in a gentle hug. "You're both incredibly brave."

Suddenly I remembered something important. "Luna Isabella, there are still kids trapped at the school library! The tunnel collapsed and they couldn't get through. I need to go back - "

"Absolutely not." Her voice was firm. "It's still dangerous out there. Someone else will handle it."

"But - "

"Briony." She used her Luna voice. "You've done enough tonight. Those children have warriors protecting them. You and Freya need rest."

The adrenaline was wearing off and exhaustion hit me like a truck. My eyelids felt like they weighed a hundred pounds.

Freya had already slid down the wall with her eyes closed. I tried to stay awake, but my vision kept blurring.

The last thing I heard was Luna Isabella's gentle voice: "Sleep, girls. Everything will be alright."

Someone lifted me up - that familiar scent of forest and morning air made me relax instantly. Too tired to figure out which triplet it was, I just curled against the warmth and let myself drift off.

**Maxwell's POV**

The battle felt like it lasted forever, but we won. That's all that mattered.

Dead rogues littered the border, blood thick in the night air. My wolf was still restless - not from fighting, but from worry about Briony.

"Damn it," Christopher growled beside me. "Why can't we reach them through the mind link?"

"Relax," Dad's voice cut through our panic. "Your mother says they're both safe."

We started clearing bodies, dragging rogue corpses to the boundary as a warning to anyone else stupid enough to attack our territory.

On the way back, we met up with Ethan and Noah. Everyone looked beat, but we all had the same worried look.

"Any word on Briony?" Noah asked immediately.

"Mom says they're at the pack house," I replied.

*Boys, I need you to go to the school,* Mom's voice hit our minds. *Some children are still trapped there - tunnel collapsed.*

*What about Briony?* I asked.

*She's sleeping,* Mom's voice was gentle. *But she's been worried sick about those kids. All the warriors are busy, so it has to be you.*

We turned around and headed for the school. Whatever Briony worried about, I worried about too.

In the library, we found over a dozen kids huddled in corners with three warriors standing guard. Their faces lit up when they saw us.

"Alphas!" A little boy ran over and hugged my leg. "Sister Briony said someone would come! Are you here to save us?"

Hearing her name made my chest tight. Even in danger, she'd thought to give these kids hope.

"Yeah, we're taking you home," I crouched down and ruffled his hair. "Everyone ready?"

Christopher carried the two smallest kids while Benjamin took an injured boy on his back. The whole walk home, I couldn't stop thinking about how natural they looked with children.

Back at the pack house, Mom led us to the basement. The moment I opened the door, my breath caught.

There she was - curled against the wall, golden hair falling across her face. Moonlight from the ventilation grate made her glow.

She looked so small, so exhausted. My heart hammered against my ribs.

"They're completely wiped out," Mom said softly. "Help me get them upstairs to the guest room."

I moved forward and carefully lifted Briony. She was way too light - all that training and fighting had worn her down too much.

In my arms, she shifted slightly and pressed closer to my chest. Everything else just stopped existing.

"You're safe now," I whispered, even though she probably couldn't hear me.

She seemed to relax even more, letting out this little satisfied sigh that made my heart do weird things.

I carried her upstairs, taking each step extra carefully.

**Briony's POV**

I woke up slowly, feeling soft sheets and warm blankets. Definitely not the basement floor or my own bed.

Opening my eyes, I found myself on a huge bed I didn't recognize. Morning light leaked through heavy curtains. What surprised me more was that I wasn't alone - several little wolf cubs were curled up next to me, with even more surrounding Freya.

"You're awake?" Noah's voice came from the corner. He looked like he hadn't slept all night.

I sat up carefully, trying not to wake the kids. "Where are we?"

"Guest room." He rubbed his eyes. "We tried separating you guys from the kids last night, but they wouldn't let go. You two were holding onto them too. Finally just moved everyone up here together."

Memory came flooding back - the tunnel collapse, Victoria's tantrum, Freya's breakdown, then that overwhelming tiredness.

"Are all the kids safe?" I asked immediately.