novelraw Chapter 123: Turned Against Us
Chapter 123: Turned Against Us
Liam’s POV
"We’re scared?" Leo’s voice cracked through the silence of the room, sharp and disbelieving. He began to pace, his movements like those of a caged tiger. "Leon, Liam—look at us. We are the largest pack in the North. Our warriors are the strongest. The Silver Lake Pack shouldn’t even be able to get close to our borders, let alone threaten us. We could fight. We could crush them before they even see our gates!"
He slammed his fist into the palm of his hand, his eyes glowing a fierce, golden amber. "I am an Alpha! I was born to fight, not to crawl at the feet of some King who uses his daughters as pawns. We could win this war, and you both know it."
Leon stood by the window, his back to us. His shoulders were tense, his frame rigid. "You’re right, Leo," he said, his voice a low, heavy rumble. "We could win. We would tear them apart."
He turned around, and the look in his eyes stopped Leo in his tracks. It wasn’t fear; it was a deep, crushing sadness.
"But at what cost?" Leon asked. "Yes, we would win. But no matter how strong we are, lives will be lost. Good men—fathers, sons, brothers—will die for our sake. They will bleed because we couldn’t keep our pants up for one night, even if it wasn’t our fault. Can you look at the warriors’ wives and tell them that their husbands died because we didn’t want to marry these snakes? Can you carry that on your conscience for the rest of your life?"
"I can’t do it," Leo whispered, his voice breaking. "I can’t marry her. I can’t mark any of them. Marking is for a mate. It’s supposed to be the soul’s choice, not a ransom payment for a peace treaty."
Just then, a low hum of noise started to drift up from below. It wasn’t the sound of war; it was the sound of voices. Hundreds of them.
We moved as one to the large balcony that overlooked the main pack square. My heart stopped at the sight.
Hundreds of pack members were gathered in the dim light of the evening. They weren’t holding weapons. They were just standing there, looking up at our balcony with eyes full of fear. I saw mothers holding sleeping babies close to their chests. I saw the elderly leaning on their canes.
"Alphas! We heard the rumors!" an older woman shouted from the crowd, her voice trembling but loud. "We know what happened with the sisters! The news about the impending war is everywhere."
I frowned, my heart skipping a beat. My eyes scanned the sea of faces, confusion mixing with my anger. How did they know so quickly? It had barely been twenty-four hours, and the news had spread through the pack like a wildfire in a dry forest. Someone had leaked this—someone wanted the pack to know our "shame" before we even had a chance to explain.
"You got yourselves drunk, and this is the price!" another woman yelled, pointing a finger up at the balcony. "You have taken their purity! You have dishonored royalty, and now our children have to pay for your mistakes?"
"You can’t send our warriors to die for your pride!" a man shouted from the back. "We won’t let our sons die because you three couldn’t stay away from the bottle!"
They were completely against us. Even the people who usually looked at us with respect now had eyes full of judgment and accusation. It didn’t matter that we had led them through winters and raids. To them, we were just three reckless men who had brought a war to their doorsteps.
The noise grew louder, a wall of sound that felt like it was trying to push us off the balcony. The frustration in my chest boiled over.
"ENOUGH!"
I let my Alpha command rip from my throat. The power behind it hit the crowd, slamming their mouths shut and forcing several people to bow their heads. The square went deathly silent, the only sound being the wind whistling through the trees.
"We were drugged!" I yelled, leaning over the stone railing. "We were trapped and raped in our own home! Do you truly think so little of us? Do you think we would ever throw away our honor for those snakes?"
I expected them to look ashamed. I expected them to realize the truth. But as I looked at them, I saw something worse than anger. They didn’t care if we were drugged. They didn’t care if we were the victims. All they cared about was the impending war. Even knowing our strength—knowing we were the biggest pack in the North—they were still terrified. It was obvious; they wanted us to marry the sisters not because of the threat, but because of the alliances.
"The truth won’t stop the Silver Lake wolves from burning our barns!" a man from the back shouted, his voice emboldened by the number of the crowd.
"The truth won’t bring back my son if he dies in your war!" a mother screamed, lifting her infant high as if the child were a shield.
"Go home!" Leon suddenly commanded, his voice deep and weary. "Go back to your houses. We will solve this."
But for the first time in our lives, they refused. They didn’t move.
"No!" someone shouted, breaking through the silence. "We want peace! Marry them! Save the pack!"
"Marry them! Marry them!"
The chant started small but grew until the entire square was roaring the words. It felt like a betrayal. We had spent our lives protecting these people, and now they were chanting for us to sell our souls.
We couldn’t take it anymore. We stepped back from the balcony and retreated into the study, slamming the heavy glass doors shut. But even inside, the sound of their roars followed us. The "Marry them!" chant vibrated through the floorboards, shaking the very foundation of the house.