240 Ashes and Broadcasts

Lucian

When the gas finally cleared and our ammo was gone, we jumped. One by one, we shifted mid-air, hitting the ground in full form. Inded hard, my ws digging into the dirt. Around me, wolves bearing my marknded and rose in unison, deadly,

silent, ready.

The ce wasn’t just civilians. Rockville had teeth. Warriors poured out of buildings and from behind trees, weapons drawn and rage in their eyes. Good. That made this worth it.

I moved fast, faster than thought. I tore through fur and muscle, ripped into chests, crushed bones beneath my jaws. I

wasn’t counting bodies. I didn’t need to. The only thing I looked for was my mark. If they didn’t bear it, they died.

Their alpha wasn’t here. Coward.

But his pack would carry the message back. Or rather, what was left of it.

“We surrender,” someone said in my mind. A voice, shaking. I didn’t bother to identify who.

“I didn’te for prisoners,” I replied coldly. “Chase Nighthorn started this.”

I kept killing.

They tried to fight. Some of them even fought well. But they were unprepared, disorganized and outgunned. They didn’t

expect this kind of wrath. They didn’t believe we woulde this hard.

They believed wrong.

“Please,” another voice reached me, female, trembling. “We’ll give you anything.”

“I want your Alpha,” I answered.

Silence.

“Our Alpha’s not here. He traveled. But our Beta and Gamma,”

“Not good enough,” I cut her off and severed the link. I didn’t care about their chain ofmand. I didn’t want negotiations. I wanted them gone. I wanted fear.

I shut my mindpletely and let instinct take over.

We stayed in Rockville until dawn. When the sun rose, there was no one left to scream.

Just blood, ash, and the message we came to deliver.

To be sure it was over, webed through the wreckage in wolf form, checking every body. No survivors. No cries. Just

silence and smoke.

When I was satisfied, I signaled the chopper tond. It touched down near the edge of the ruined settlement, des still turning. The camera was ready, mounted and linked for a live broadcast. Time to send a message.

I shifted back to human form, blood drying on my skin as I pulled on a pair of joggers. Rowan handed me the camera. He

didn’t need instruction. He knew what this was.

We went live.

“This is Alpha Lucian Nighthorn of the Mooncrest Pack,” I said, staring into the lens. My voice was calm. Unapologetic.

“What you’re looking at… is the remains of Rockville. Their only crime? Choosing to stand with Chase Nighthorn.”

I paused just long enough to let that sink in.

“Chase has gued this ind long enough. He’s robbed from my people. Destroyed livelihoods. I have families in Mooncrest who haven’t worked in months because of what he’s done.”

“I promised them peace. I promised them justice. This”, I gestured to the ruins behind me, “is me keeping that promise.”

“If your pack harbors Chase Nighthorn or supports his cause, know this, I wille for you. I will do this again. And again. Until he has nowhere left to run.”

“He knows where to find me. He can end this at any time. But until he does, let this be a warning: if you stand with him, you fall with him.”

I stared into the lens for another second. No emotion. No regret.

Then I turned and walked away.

Rowan moved through the remains, filming everything, the bodies, the scorched earth, the remnants of amunity reduced to ash. It wasn’t just destruction. It was a message. A promise.

The ind needed to see what I was willing to do.

And now they would never forget it.

Before leaving, I ordered the troops to sweep the remaining buildings, those still standing through the smoke and rubble. If anyone had hidden during the assault, I wanted them found. But no one was to be killed without my say. I needed to see them first.

The ce wasn’trge. It never had the bones of a real pack. Rockville was hastily built, pieced together with cheap timber and ambition. An artificial settlement. Temporary. They never nned to stay long.

Within hours, the sweep wasplete. And that’s when they brought her to me.

Lacy.

Bloodied but unhurt. Alive.

I stared at her, frowning. “What are you doing here?”

She didn’t answer. Her eyes were vacant, her face pale. Shell-shocked. Her hands trembled at her sides, and it looked like she hadn’t spoken in days.

Darian stepped up beside her, worry shing across his face. “Were you kidnapped?”

Still no answer.

Her lips moved, but nothing came out. Just breath.

Darian and I exchanged a look. She wasn’t present, mentally or emotionally. We couldn’t question her like this. Whatever had brought her here, whatever she’d seen tonight, had pushed her over the edge.

“She’sing with us,” I said. “Get her on the chopper.”

As Darian gently guided her away, I leaned closer.

“You’re not going to tell her your mother is awake?”

He nced back. “Not yet. Her mind’s barely functioning. Let her settle first. Maybe it’ll be a good surpriseter.”

He wasn’t wrong. She was lucky we found her at all. Had I not ordered the search, she’d be another body rotting in silence, forgotten under floorboards or cowering behind broken walls.

We boarded the helicopter and rose into the air, leaving the ash and c*****e behind. From up here, Rockville looked like a

? 240 Ashes and Broadcasts

wound carved into the forest. A warning no one would miss.

This wasn’t just about one settlement.

This was leverage.

The weak, scattered packs that had flirted with rebellion, especially the poor ones, would think twice now. They might not side with me out of loyalty, but fear would be enough. Some would cut ties with Chase immediately. Others would do it

quietly.

Either way, Chase was losing ground.

And the message was clear: I wasn’t going to wait anymore.