CHAPTER 347: CHAPTER 347 ATTACKED FROM ALL SIDES

A deep wound here could kill, or at best, leave them bleeding out and facing terrible complications. Her hands trembled as she urged them on, every word threaded with fear and fierce, desperate care.

She felt awful, knowing that she was one of the reasons these young warriors were still fighting, bleeding, and struggling to hold the line. If it weren’t for her and the other old folks, they could’ve evaded the goblins’ attacks instead of taking the blows meant for others.

But these young warriors had been trained since childhood to protect their pack above all else. That was the creed etched into their hearts, to defend, to endure, even to sacrifice their own lives if it meant keeping their people safe.

So, although they understood the elderly woman’s heartbreak, none of them could turn away. Abandoning the old and the young to be slaughtered was something no true warrior could ever do.

To the elderly woman, the sight before her was heartbreaking. These young warriors were supposed to be the future of their pack, the next generation who would rise to protect their people.

But here they were, fighting for their lives, and if they were killed now, their potential would be snuffed out before they even reached their peak or met their wolves.

The elderly could only cry and beg them not to die for their sake, their voices trembling with guilt and sorrow. Yet, rather than feeling helpless, the young warriors drew strength from their concern.

Seeing the fear and worry in the elders’ eyes only fueled their resolve to protect them no matter what.

Meanwhile, the goblins watched with twisted delight. The emotional scene before them, the young werewolves defending the weak while bleeding and trembling, was nothing short of entertainment.

They didn’t rush to kill. Instead, they toyed with their prey, driving the young warriors into corners and striking them with shallow cuts, prolonging their suffering as if it were a game.

Mary’s attention faltered for just a moment when she heard one of the young warriors cry out in pain after being stabbed in the thigh. Instinctively, she wanted to rush over and protect them, but that single second of distraction cost her.

A goblin darted in close and drove its bone knife deep into her hind leg.

"Grrr..." Mary growled through gritted teeth, the pain searing through her nerves. But she didn’t let it overwhelm her. With a swift turn, she snapped her powerful jaws toward the attacker, sinking her teeth into its neck.

The goblin screeched, thrashing in panic, but Mary only shook her head violently until she tore its head clean off.

Blood splattered across the ground as she flung the severed head back toward the horde, a wordless declaration that she wasn’t afraid, and she wasn’t backing down.

Mary knew that in her current condition, she had no capacity to support the others. If she fell now, her people would be in far greater danger later on. So she forced herself to focus; she needed to regain her strength first.

Fortunately, the pain from her wound had one advantage: it jolted her senses awake. The sharp sting coursing through her leg drove the sedative from her veins, helping her mind clear little by little.

She shook her head and bared her fangs at the goblins circling her, a low snarl rumbling from her throat. Then, she launched her counterattack, each strike measured, each movement deliberate, as she tried to carve a path out of their encirclement. She wanted to reach the others, to lend her strength to the rest of the caravan.

But she couldn’t, not yet. Turning her back now would mean death. And if she fell, her pack would only rush in to save her, throwing themselves into the enemy’s jaws. That was the last thing she could allow.

And so, Mary knew she couldn’t recklessly put her life on the line. Forcing herself to provide support in her current state would only do more harm than good. Instead, she focused on clearing the goblins surrounding her.

Through the mindlink, she called out to her pack, everyone except the coachmen, who weren’t part of it. "Everyone, hold your ground for now! I’ll push them back! Huddle together and guard each other’s backs! Don’t rush in to fight!" she commanded, her voice calm but urgent.

Right after sending the message, she lunged forward, her claws flashing. In one clean swipe, she tore through the throat of the goblin before her. The pain from the stab in her leg burned like fire, but it also sharpened her senses, pushing her to move faster. The goblins hadn’t expected her sudden burst of speed, and two of them fell from that single attack.

But Mary didn’t stop there. She spun around, her tail whipping out and slamming into a cluster of goblins at her flank, sending their small bodies flying. Fueled by adrenaline, she tore into the remaining ones, biting, slashing, striking with precision and fury.

To an outsider, she might have seemed feral, completely lost to rage. But in truth, she was in full control, channeling her pain and instincts to push her body beyond its limits.

"Whimper..." Mary let out another low cry as a small arrow embedded itself in her side, shot by an archer goblin lurking at the edge of the battlefield, trying to control her movements.

Her eyes flared red with rage. Every instinct in her screamed to charge forward and tear the archers apart first, to silence those pests raining arrows from afar. But she couldn’t. The goblins surrounding her formed a tight ring, blocking every path.

If she wanted to reach the archers, she’d have to cut down every last one of these goblins first. The archers, clever enough to keep their distance, stayed well beyond her immediate reach, exactly as archers should.

’At least they have some brains, enough to keep their distance instead of swarming me like mindless moths.’ Mary thought bitterly as she sank her teeth into another goblin beside her.

Before she could even fling the corpse aside, another arrow struck her. She growled, a deep, guttural sound of fury and defiance, baring her bloodstained teeth at the archers. Her body was already slick with blood, some hers, some not, but her eyes burned brighter, daring them to shoot again.

Hearing Mary’s command, both the elderly and the children could only do their best not to become a burden, while the young warriors tightened their grip on their weapons and fought with everything they had.

Unfortunately, several of their livestock were slain in the chaos, driving the coachmen into silent rage as they gritted their teeth. But being outnumbered by the goblins, there was little they could do. Like the warriors, all they could manage was to hold their ground and fend off the relentless attacks.

Yet, it soon became clear that the goblins were merely toying with them. They struck hard enough to wound, but not to kill. The young warriors and coachmen didn’t know whether to feel grateful for being spared or humiliated for being deemed too weak to be finished off.

Meanwhile, the brunt of the goblins’ true assault was directed entirely toward Mary.

Even though everyone knew Mary was the future Alpha of the Golden Hue Pack and possessed an Alpha’s resilience and strength, seeing her riddled with wounds still broke their hearts.

By now, countless small arrows were embedded deep in her flesh, yet she refused to stop fighting. Fortunately, her wolf was working desperately to heal her injuries and slow her bleeding, keeping her on her feet.

But that same healing made the arrows harder to remove. Once everything was over, they would have to cut into her flesh just to pull the arrowheads out.

Mary now looked almost like a hedgehog, her body bristling with arrows, but not once did she falter.

’Damn, that hurt!’ Mary cursed inwardly as she snarled and bellowed, hot steam bursting from her nostrils with each heavy breath. Her body heaved violently, exhaustion creeping in as she fended off and countered every goblin that dared to strike her.

She was battered, stabbed, and slashed from every direction, but through sheer will, she kept going, each strike driving the goblins farther back.

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Hello everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I might only be able to update one Chapter a day for the next two weeks, as I’ll be away for a bit. But don’t worry, I’ll do my best to write and post as much as I can!

Thank you all so much for your understanding, and especially for your continuous support and love.

A special shout-out to:gmartina0309, Shell_G, Nancy_Hasse, Kimberly_Lankford_0455, Shakeia_Peghee, DaoistwgExwv, Diabolique1369, Jackie_Minton, Carol_Rothschild, Monica_Guerra_1500, DaoistgCw2rA, Rose_Martin_0361, Marcia_Natowcappo, and last but certainly not least, Shirley_Law_7534, for all the Golden Tickets and gifts!

Your support truly means the world to me. I feel so happy and grateful for all your encouragement; it really keeps me going. Thank you so much, everyone!