The Princess's Revenge Chapter 30

Valencia’s POV

Amara nodded. "How many rogues are we talking about?"

"Too many," Dorian replied grimly. "This isn't a random attack. This is coordinated."

I thought about Delphine. Her smile, her concerned eyes - it all made my chest feel tight. She was the first friend I've made here, and I was scared I might lose her. The thought made my chest tighten with panic.

"What about me?" I asked.

Dorian's eyes moved to my torn arm and the bite wounds on my leg. Blood had soaked through my chemise, and I could feel it still trickling down my skin.

"You stay here," he said firmly. "Safety is the your priority. Lock the door behind us and don't come out until morning."

"No," I said immediately.

Dorian stared at me in surprise.

"I need to go help," I continued. "There are people in the castle who need-"

"You're injured and you have no combat experience," Dorian interrupted. "You'll only get yourself killed."

"I killed two rogues tonight," I said.

Xander's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

"Two rogues attacked me during the fight. I killed both of them with my dagger."

Amara let out a harsh laugh. "Bullshit. You're lying to make yourself sound useful. You just a fucking useless whore."

Anger flared in my chest, the same burning sensation I'd felt during the battle. It spread through my veins like fire. "Shut up, bitch!" I roared at her.

The words came out with more force than I'd intended. Amara's eyes went wide with shock, and even Dorian and Xander looked stunned. I had just shouted at a Gamma.

I took a deep breath, trying to control the rage still simmering inside me. "You can check in the morning," I said more calmly. "By the wall where we were standing. There are two bodies there. One has my dagger through its chest, the other has its throat cut."

I met each of their eyes in turn, my gaze steady. "I'm not helpless."

Dorian studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Fine," he said finally. "But you follow our lead and you don't take unnecessary risks."

"Agreed."

"Then let's move," Dorian said. "Every second we waste here is another second our people are dying."

He and Xander shifted back into their wolf forms. Amara shifted as well, preparing to head north toward the border.

As we prepared to leave the stone building, I noticed something strange. The pain in my arm and leg was fading. Not completely, but enough that I could move more easily.

We stepped out into the darkness. In the distance, I could hear the sounds of battle coming from the direction of the castle - roars, screams, the clash of weapons.

Dorian and Xander moved ahead of me, their wolf silent on the stone. I followed behind them, expecting to struggle with my injuries. But as we ran, I realized I was keeping up with them.

What was happening to me?

We reached the edge of the training grounds and paused. Ahead of us, the castle was partially lit by fires. Smoke rose into the night sky.

The rogues had definitely reached the castle.

We moved carefully along the outer wall of the castle, staying in the shadows. As we got closer to the courtyard, the sounds of battle grew louder. I could hear people screaming, wolves snarling.

I drew my dagger and followed Dorian and Xander's wolves as we charged into the courtyard. They leaped toward the rogues that were battling our warriors.

The sight made my stomach drop. Bodies were scattered everywhere - pack members torn apart, their blood painting the stone ground dark red. Severed limbs lay twisted at unnatural angles. In the center of the courtyard was a massive crater. The beautiful space where Isaiah had been performing just hours ago was now a hellscape.

My heart sank as I searched desperately for any sign of Delphine among the carnage. Tables were overturned, their contents spilled across the bloody stones. Broken instruments lay crushed underfoot. There was no sign of her.

"Valencia, watch out!" Dorian's wolf voice roared.

A gray rogue wolf launched itself at me from behind an overturned table. I raised my dagger instinctively, the blade catching its claws as it swiped at my throat. The force knocked me backward, but I managed to stay on my feet.

The rogue circled me, its red eyes gleaming with hunger. I gripped my dagger tighter.

The rogue lunged again. I sidestepped and slashed across its ribs, drawing blood. It yelped but didn't slow down. We danced around each other, the wolf trying to get past my blade while I fought to keep it at a distance.

It feinted left, then attacked from the right. Its claws raked across my shoulder, tearing my chemise and leaving burning scratches. But as it landed, I drove my dagger up into its chest. The blade sank deep between its ribs. The rogue's eyes went wide before it collapsed.

I pulled my weapon free, breathing hard. Around me, Dorian and Xander were finishing off the remaining rogues in the courtyard. Bodies of both rogues and pack members lay scattered across the stones.

"Five down," Xander's wolf growled as he shook blood from his muzzle.

Battle sounds echoed from inside the castle. My heart still racing. I maintained high alert and didn't dare to be careless.

"It must be the armory!" Dorian's wolf roared. "We need to help them!"

He bounded toward the castle entrance, his paws splashing through pools of blood. I understood now why the rogues had let us retreat to the stone building. They wanted us out of the way while they attacked the real target.

Xander's wolf and I followed close behind as we charged into the castle's main level.

The interior was even worse than the courtyard. Blood streaked the stone walls in dark red smears. Bodies of servants and guards lay crumpled in doorways and corridors. The air was thick with the metallic smell of death and the acrid smoke from burning torches.

We followed a trail of blood and destruction deeper into the castle. Broken furniture lay scattered across the floors. Tapestries had been torn down and trampled. The rogues had torn through this place like a hurricane.

We passed the water well in the center of the first level. Surprisingly, it looked untouched. The stone rim was clean, no blood or damage visible. Maybe the rogues hadn't discovered it.

The sounds of fighting grew louder as we approached the armory. Snarls and roars echoed off the stone walls. Someone screamed in pain.

"They're trying to get to our weapons," Dorian's wolf snarled. "We can't let them arm themselves."

We turned the corner and saw the battle raging outside the armory doors. Seven or eight rogues were locked in combat with the remaining warriors. The pack members were fighting desperately to protect the entrance, but they were outnumbered.

Dorian’s and Xander’s wolves crashed into the fight without hesitation. Dorian's wolf latched onto the throat of a black rogue, shaking it violently. Xander tackled another rogue away from the wounded warrior.

I spotted Gareth swinging a massive war hammer at two rogues. His face was streaked with blood.

"Gareth!" I ran toward him. One rogue had clamped its jaws around his left arm while the other circled behind him for a killing blow.

I drove my dagger into the back rogue's neck before it could attack. It collapsed with a gurgled howl. Gareth used the distraction to bring his hammer down on the other rogue's skull with a crack.

"Valencia!" he gasped, staring at me in amazement. "You're alive!"

"So are you," I panted. "How many more are there?"

"These were the last ones here," he replied, wiping blood from his face.

Around us, the battle was winding down. Dorian and Xander had killed the remaining rogues. The pack warriors slumped against the wall, clutching a deep gash in his side.

I looked around at the carnage. The iron doors of the armory was dented from the assault. Eight dead rogues lay scattered across the stone floor. I was stunned by the number of rogues this time.

"What the hell happened here?" Dorian's voice was sharp with anger.

A blood-covered warrior stumbled forward from behind an overturned weapons rack. His face was pale with shock, and his hands shook as he clutched a deep wound on his arm.

"Beta Dorian," he gasped, his voice barely above a whisper. "I... I'm the only one left."

"Speak clearly," Dorian commanded. "Tell me everything."

The guard swallowed hard, trying to steady his breathing. "We heard two massive explosions from the courtyard. Then they came pouring in - at least fifteen rogues, maybe more. They killed Tatum, killed Willem, killed everyone except me." His voice broke as he spoke the names of his fallen members.

"How did you survive?" Xander asked, his tone suspicious.

"I hid behind the weapon racks when the others fell," the guard admitted, shame coloring his voice. "I know I should have fought, but there were so many of them. Then Gareth arrived with reinforcements, and we managed to drive them back."

Gareth nodded grimly. "When I got here, they were trying to break down the armory doors. We fought them off, but barely."

Another warrior limped toward us, and my stomach lurched when I saw that his left hand was completely gone. Blood soaked the bandages wrapped around his wrist, and his face was gray with pain and blood loss.

"Beta!" the wounded warrior called out urgently. "The rogues - they're still in the castle!"

Dorian's face darkened. "Where?"

"The storage rooms," the one-handed warrior gasped. "They broke into the food storage and the supply rooms. We need reinforcements immediately!"

"Fucking assholes!" Dorian snarled, his hands clenching into fists.

He looked around at the surviving warriors, quickly assessing who was still capable of fighting. Besides Gareth, there were six warriors left standing, though most were wounded to some degree.

"Listen up," Dorian commanded. "We're splitting into two groups. Xander, take four warriors and secure the food storage room. I'll take three warriors to the supply storage."

He pointed to the warriors he wanted in each group. As he made his selections, I noticed something odd - the four warriors he assigned to Xander were noticeably smaller than the ones he kept for himself. They looked young, barely out of training.

"You, you, you, and you - with Xander," Dorian said, gesturing to the weaker group. "The rest of you, with me."

Xander's jaw tightened slightly as he looked at his assigned team, clearly noticing the disparity. His eyes flicked back to Dorian with a hint of irritation, but he said nothing.

"If we can capture any alive, that would be ideal," Dorian added casually. "It's a good opportunity to earn Alpha Logan's praise. Live prisoners are far more valuable than dead rogues."

Xander's expression brightened with excitement. "Understood. We'll do our best to take them alive."

Despite the weaker warriors assigned to him, Xander seemed energized by the prospect of impressing Alpha Logan.

Dorian's eyes found mine. "Can you still fight?" he asked me directly.