The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna

Chapter 464: Chapter 464 Zion And Maxwell’s Plan

If that was the case...

Then the threat was no longer limited to the Royal Palace. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

It was the entire Werewolf Kingdom.

Worse still, their enemy might no longer be an external force, but their own kind.

Hearing this, Levi’s expression turned grim, his chest rising and falling heavily. The wolf inside him stirred violently; he couldn’t bear the sight of Addison so heartbroken. She had returned believing she would inherit her father’s legacy, only to discover that her kingdom had long since fallen into darkness, teetering on the brink of collapse. Worse still, they had nearly failed to notice it at all, which meant their enemy’s schemes ran far deeper and darker than they had ever imagined.

Levi also remembered Addison mentioning the components of the biochemical agent and its potential impact on the land, one of the main reasons they had decided to evacuate the people. Yet amid everything that had happened, it had slipped his mind.

Even when Chase offered subtle hints, Levi remained stubbornly focused on the locust swarm and the scheme behind it. So when Addison brought up the biochemical agent again, he was still slow to grasp its significance.

It wasn’t until Addison laid out every possibility before him that the truth finally sank in. Only then did Levi realize how much he still lacked in foresight. Addison had already pieced everything together, digging straight to the heart of the problem and exposing the darkest underbelly of the Royal Capital itself.

That realization hit hard. If even the Royal Capital had already fallen into the enemy’s grasp, then they were no longer chasing shadows; the enemy was toying with them, deliberately revealing just enough to show how insignificant they had become.

More than ever, Addison needed him and her other fated mate by her side. She was walking into the unknown, with no idea where their enemy was hiding, and Levi knew he could no longer afford to lag behind.

”Then what should we do?” Levi cut straight to the heart of the matter. ”If both the locust swarm and the biochemical agent are problematic, should we simply abandon the biochemical agent and burn those demonic insects to ash?”

Addison shook her head. They had already considered fire as a solution, but it would come at a devastating cost. To wipe out the locust swarm, they would have to set the entire territory ablaze. While the land might eventually recover more easily than if the biochemical agent were used, the destruction would be absolute.

With the biochemical agent, there was still hope. Royal Alchemist Malveric was developing a treatment, and with Saintess Silas assisting in purifying the land, recovery, though slow, was possible. But fire was different.

Once the flames died out, nothing would remain but ash. They would have to reclaim the land from nothing, replant every tree, and wait years, perhaps decades, for the territory to recover.

The only advantage of setting the territory ablaze was that the ash could enrich the soil, allowing life to eventually take root again once the land was ready. But the risk was enormous.

There was no guarantee that fire alone would be enough to eradicate the locust swarm, especially now that they knew the insects were demonic in nature. If the flames failed, they would have reduced the entire territory to ashes for nothing.

As for the biochemical agent, it was no longer an option. That path was closed, leaving them with fewer and fewer choices.

Addison racked her brain for an alternative, but time was not on their side. There was no room to prepare another elaborate plan. The pressure bore down on her like a massive boulder crushing an ant, suffocating and relentless.

「Before the sun rose...」

”Don’t worry about the people here. We’ve already escorted them to the temporary settlement, leave them to me. I’ll protect them. Now go. Return to Addison as quickly as possible,” Maxwell said, half-pushing Zion, who had already shifted into his wolf form.

Maxwell had wanted to be the one to return and deliver the warning himself. Unfortunately, he’d lost to Zion in a game of rock–paper–scissors. Why they had even resorted to something so childish was beyond him, but they’d had no better option. Fighting among themselves would only waste time, and neither of them was magnanimous enough to selflessly volunteer to stay behind.

During the escort of the Alphas and their packs to the temporary settlement where Mary was waiting, the two of them had racked their brains for a solution. Yet until they reached the settlement safely, without being ambushed, they hadn’t been able to come up with anything better.

Even so, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down. No matter how thoroughly they patrolled the perimeter, it did nothing to calm their nerves; in fact, it only made them more alert. They couldn’t tell whether someone truly was watching them and simply hiding their presence well, or if their own nerves were betraying them. There was no way to be certain.

And so, caught between caution and doubt, they advanced slowly. By the time they reached the temporary shelter, far more time had been wasted than they liked. Yet even then, they didn’t dare move recklessly. One wrong step could backfire on Addison or alert whoever might be lurking in the shadows, waiting for them to slip.

Now that they had finally reached the settlement and decided who would leave, Zion didn’t hesitate. The moment Maxwell shoved him through the newly built gate, Zion broke into a full sprint.

They had long agreed on their cover story: Zion was returning simply because he wanted to be with their mate. That was why they had deliberately made a spectacle earlier, arguing, bickering, even acting like lovestruck fools fighting over who would go back. The performance was intentional. If someone was watching them, they wanted that observer to see nothing more than irrational emotions, not a calculated response to a hidden threat.

But the act had cost them time. Now there was no room to spare. Zion ran at top speed, pushing his body to its limits, determined to reach Addison as fast as possible, even if it meant shattering his previous records.

”Remember, give the fruits I picked up along the way to Addie!” Maxwell shouted after Zion, deliberately sounding reluctant to let him go. It was all an act, though.

They dragged things out until dawn on purpose, making sure that anyone watching would believe they were still clueless about the demonic insects. Both of them suspected there was an informant among their ranks; otherwise, how could the enemy time their attacks so precisely, or know exactly when to strike? If the enemy were truly blind, they wouldn’t be able to move the Alphas like pawns on a chessboard.

That realization chilled them. The informant had to be someone close, far too close for comfort. Trust was a luxury they could no longer afford. For now, all they could do was put on a convincing performance and let the enemy believe they were still dancing to the wrong tune.

”Alpha Maxwell, since you lost the rock–paper–scissors, all you can do now is wait for Alpha Zion and Beta Levi to escort the princess back here. Go rest for a bit, you’ve been on edge the entire journey, guarding the convoy,” Alpha Hue said with a chuckle as he approached, carrying a bowl of soup and some bread prepared by Mary’s team.

”Uh... thanks,” Maxwell replied, accepting the food from Alpha Hue.

”Alright, come on, eat some more. Mary and the others prepared plenty of meat and vegetables,” Alpha Hue said, patting Maxwell on the shoulder. He looked at him the way one might look at a young man in love.

Although Alpha Hue didn’t fully understand the dynamic between Maxwell, Addison, Zion, and Levi, this being the first time in history a she-wolf had multiple mates, he couldn’t deny his fascination.

The fact that the three male werewolves weren’t fighting each other to the death was already surprising enough. More than that, Maxwell and Zion didn’t seem to be at each other’s throats at all, which only deepened his curiosity about how their unusual bond actually worked.

”Alright. But Alpha Hue, send more people to patrol the perimeter. Assign them in groups and increase the frequency of the patrols to ensure the supplies are fully secured. We’ll have to wait for the mages to prepare the portal back to the Royal Capital and transport the supplies to their designated warehouses,” Maxwell said, his expression unreadable.

Alpha Hue couldn’t read what was on Maxwell’s mind, so he simply nodded.

”Understood. Leave it to me,” Alpha Hue replied before turning toward the warriors lining up near the gate as they began their shift change. He moved to join them, ready to relay Maxwell’s instructions and oversee the patrols himself.

After parting ways with Alpha Hue, Maxwell’s expression shifted, from faintly casual to grim. Unease coiled tightly in his chest.