Levi, still holding Archmage Elric gently in his jaws, looked exhausted, so he didn’t pull back when Zion prepared to carry Addison on his back. Zion shifted into his wolf form, nudging Addison’s leg to help her climb up. Once she was securely on his back, the group resud their run, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the biochemical mist.
They ran for several more miles without stopping, heading straight for the temporary shelter. Zion led at the forefront, followed by Levi, while the rest maintained their formation. Everyone was exhausted, but no one slowed. The only goal now was to keep moving, no matter how drained their bodies felt.
Addison didn’t say a word. She forced herself not to dwell on what she had just witnessed, but the images refused to fully leave her mind. Instead, they hardened her resolve.
More than ever, she was convinced that Royal Alchemist Malveric needed to be pushed to develop their own pesticide, one that was safe for humans and animals, yet lethal to pests. If they succeeded, disasters like the locust swarm would never be allowed to grow unchecked again.
With a reliable pesticide of their own, they could also significantly increase crop yields every harvest. Pests would no longer devour fields before they could be reaped, one of the main reasons their grain and vegetable production sotis fell short.
This wasn’t just about preventing another tragedy; it was about securing their future.
More importantly, they needed to return to the Royal Capital as soon as possible to inform her father, the Alpha King, of everything that had transpired in the West. Only then could a thorough investigation be launched into the matters they had already been wary of, and proper preparations be made for the worst.
"Grrr..." Zion growled, but it wasn’t hostile or aggressive. It was a low, restrained sound ant to pull Addison back to her senses, a reflex born from worry over her ntal state. He didn’t even want to imagine what she might do if the worst truly ca to pass.
If Levi and the others already knew about the demonic insects, then why had they still used a biochemical agent? The contradiction gnawed at him, but Zion forced himself not to jump to conclusions. There wasn’t ti for that now.
Pushing the questions aside, he focused on running, even as his body scread in protest because it was already stretched to its limits from sprinting back and forth between the temporary shelter and the Golden Hue Pack and then back.
Without stopping, they ran at full speed. Nearly three hours later, they finally reached the periter of the temporary shelter.
The mont Zion and the others crossed into range, the shelter erupted into high alert. Werewolves snapped to attention, instincts flaring. Maxwell was already sprinting to the front line, his eyes fixed on the figures charging toward them. From the distance and timing alone, he was far more inclined to believe the incoming werewolves were enemies.
After all, Zion had only left earlier. No matter how he calculated it, returning this soon didn’t make sense. Maxwell lifted his hand and signaled sharply. The werewolves around him moved at once, falling into formation.
"Hold your formation. Be ready to attack at any second!" Maxwell commanded as he took position at the front, muscles coiled, ready to shift at a mont’s notice.
"Understood, Alpha Maxwell!" Warriors from different packs roared in unison as they spread out and took their positions.
"Alpha Maxwell—!" A scout who had rushed ahead ca sprinting back, panting hard. "I-It’s the princess! She’s with Alpha Zion!"
The mont the words fell, the tension snapped.
Weapons were lowered, claws retracted, and battle stances dissolved. The warriors straightened and stepped aside, forming a clear path down the road. Heads dipped in respect as they prepared to welco Addison and the others back, who were safe, victorious, and returned from a successful mission.
"The princess is back! They’re back!" the warriors cheered.
By now, Mary had already inford the other Alphas and their pack mbers about what had happened to the Golden Hue Pack, how the evacuation went, and the sudden night attack. Because of that, when Addison and the others remained behind, worry had spread through the shelter like wildfire.
Everyone knew how strong Addison was; her past achievents were more than enough proof. But she hadn’t stayed behind with an army, only a handful of warriors. If a full-scale attack like the previous one had occurred, it was entirely possible she could have been killed.
And if that had happened... how would they have explained it to the Alpha King, her father?
Although the Alpha King was known as a benevolent ruler, if his only daughter had died trying to save them while they stood by and did nothing, he might have gone feral and slaughtered them all.
Yet they had no choice but to follow the princess’s orders.
The temporary shelter housed the grain reserves they had painstakingly gathered together, along with their livestock. If those grains and vegetables were destroyed, or if the animals were killed, the entire werewolf kingdom would be plunged into famine.
Soon enough, Addison’s beautiful face and long silver hair ca into view, her hair streaming in the wind. Yet her complexion was so pale it was heartbreaking, her bloodless skin standing in stark contrast to Zion’s midnight-black wolf form beneath her.
Everyone waited for Zion’s group to reach the gates of the temporary shelter, expecting Addison and the other mages to dismount from the werewolves carrying them. But before they could, Maxwell noticed sothing was wrong.
Many of the mages looked gravely unwell, so reeling from magical backlash, others visibly suffering from severe mana depletion. Among them was Archmage Elric. He remained curled in on himself, as still as if he was frozen like a shrimp, completely unmoving, his face as white as a sheet of paper.
"Hurry! Call the doctors and healers, now!" Maxwell barked as he rushed forward to help Addison down from Zion’s back.
Before her feet could even touch the ground, her body went limp.
"Addie!" Maxwell’s growl tore through the air, so loud that everyone froze in place. Heads snapped in their direction as a wave of gasps rippled through the crowd.
Zion, who had crouched low to let her dismount safely, felt her weight suddenly slip from his back. Maxwell’s panicked roar made his heart lurch. He shifted back into his human form in an instant and dropped to his knees beside Addison, fear clawing tight around his chest.
"Addie, can you hear ?! Addie!" Zion called her na frantically, his hands trembling as he hovered beside her.
He snapped his head up, eyes locking onto Levi. "Levi, what happened?!"
Zion hadn’t been there from the beginning. He didn’t know what Levi and Addison had done before he arrived, but he rembered it clearly that when he reached them, Addison had already been sitting on Levi’s back, looking pale and weak.
There was only one conclusion he could draw.
She had pushed herself far past her limits long before the operation even began.
But what did she do to end up so weak like this?
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