The Lycan King's Outcast Omega (by Cara Anderson) novel Chapter 141

Sage

Victory's sweetness lasts mere moments. We've barely left the temple grounds when a scout races toward us, blood staining his uniform, eyes wild with urgency.

"My King!" He drops to one knee before Alaric, breathing heavily. "The kingdom—mutant wolves—everywhere."

Through our bond, Alaric's triumph turns to cold dread. "Report. Clearly."

"While you were occupied here, coordinated attacks began across all territories." The scout's voice steadies as he delivers the grim news. "Hundreds of mutant wolves, more advanced than any we've encountered. They struck simultaneously—villages, outposts, even the packhouse itself."

Ice slides down my spine as understanding dawns. The temple operation wasn't Cassius's true endgame—it was the distraction.

"Helena? Iris?" Alaric's voice holds deadly calm.

"Safe, my King. They led the defense of the packhouse. But many others..." The scout falters.

Through our bond, Alaric's strategic mind shifts instantly to war footing. His power fills the clearing as he issues rapid commands, organizing our forces for immediate return.

"This was his contingency plan," I realize, the pattern suddenly clear. "He knew we might disrupt the extraction. So he prepared something we couldn't ignore, something to keep us from pursuing him."

"An army he's been building for months." Alaric's eyes meet mine, grim understanding passing between us. "Every experiment, every test attack—they were preparing for this."

We move at breakneck speed back toward our territory. Through our bond, I feel Alaric calculating losses, strategies, priorities—the weight of kingship never heavier than when his people suffer while he's elsewhere.

We crest the final ridge to find a kingdom transformed by chaos. Smoke rises from multiple villages, the distant sounds of battle carrying on night wind. Through our bond, determination replaces despair as Alaric surveys what we're facing.

"Gather the Alpha leaders," he commands as warriors rally around us. "All loyal packs. This ends now."

Dawn breaks over a kingdom at war. In the packhouse great hall, now converted to a command center, Alpha leaders from loyal territories gather around maps marked with attack sites. Alaric stands at their center, power and purpose radiating from him as he outlines our defense strategy.

"The mutants move in coordinated patterns," he explains, indicating documented attack formations. "They're being controlled somehow, directed with tactical precision."

"By whom?" An Alpha from the western territories questions. "If Cassius escaped—"

"Someone executes his plan," I interject, stepping forward with the research recovered from the temple. "These mutations were designed with command protocols. Signals that can direct them remotely."

The Alphas study me with new interest—some with lingering suspicion, others with growing respect. Through our bond, Alaric's pride flows as I explain the scientific principles behind what we're facing.

"If they're receiving commands," I conclude, "we can disrupt them. Break whatever control mechanism Cassius established."

"And while we work on that," Alaric continues seamlessly, "we fight. Protect our people. Drive these abominations from our lands."

Battle plans form quickly—territories divided among Alpha forces, defense priorities established, communication systems organized. Through our bond, I feel Alaric's awareness that this isn't just a fight for territory, but a fight for the future of our kind.

And for the first time, I'm not relegated to the healing wing, waiting for warriors to return. My place is at the center of this—not just as the Lycan King's mate, but as someone whose evolved abilities offer unique advantages against what we face.

The Alpha leaders' reactions vary as they absorb our strategy - some nodding with grim determination, others exchanging skeptical glances at the central role I'm taking in these plans.

"With respect," a grizzled Alpha from the southern territories speaks up, "how do we know these... abilities... won't make things worse? The corruption spreads through contact. If you engage directly—"

"I understand your concern," I step forward, meeting his gaze steadily. "But my powers don't just interact with corruption—they comprehend it. Transform it. What happened at the temple proves that."

Garrett enters with fresh intelligence, his expression grim. "First reports from northern villages. The mutations are... different. More coordinated. They're targeting healers specifically."

Ice slides down my spine at the implication. "He designed them to hunt healing abilities. Just like at the temple."

"Which means you'll be a priority target," Alaric's protective instinct surges through our bond.

"Or our greatest advantage," I counter. "They're programmed to focus on me. We can use that."

His objection rises automatically, but strategic necessity quickly overtakes protective instinct. Through our bond, I feel his grudging agreement form—my abilities represent our best hope against this threat, despite the personal risk.

"We move in paired teams," he compromises. "No healer works alone. No village left completely undefended."

As final preparations are made, warriors gathering weapons and supplies, I find a moment alone with Alaric in the strategy room. His hand finds mine, grip tightening as if to physically prevent what's coming.

"I can't lose you," he says simply. "Not to Cassius. Not to this war."

"You won't." I step into his embrace, drawing strength from his solid presence. "My powers evolved specifically to counter this threat. Almost as if..."

"As if they knew what was coming," he finishes. "Adapting not just to past attacks but to future ones."

The concept should seem impossible, yet after everything we've witnessed, neither of us dismisses it. Through our bond, certainty flows both ways—whatever these evolved abilities represent, they emerged precisely when needed most.

"Together," I promise, sealing the word with a kiss that carries every ounce of determination I possess. "Whatever comes next, we face it together."