Chapter 273 The Four Alphas‘ Strength

Chapter 273 The Four Alphas‘ Strength

TESSA

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We arrived at the neutral clearing just before midnight. The moon hung lowb, /bcasting its glow over the circle where the four territories had agreed to meet in times of bdire /bneed. bAnd/b, like a cruel reminder, the ce where Cade and Arden got married.

Tonight, the air was filled with unease, every Alpha carrying the weight of their peopleb–/bband /bnow, the weight of Arden’s disappearance.

Cade was already there. Even in the dim light, his posture betrayed him. His shoulders were tense, and his eyes were shadowed with exhaustion.

Beside him stood Honey and her beekeeper boyfriend–the same pair Arden had once spoken about with so much light in her eyes. Arden truly had this iway /iof clinging to little joys, of elevating ordinary people and their stories until they became something extraordinary. It was who she was, and maybe that was why everyone here was so invested in finding her.

I felt

my throat burn. Arden had already gone through so much–betrayal, loss, and the harrowing fight against Mr. Winters—and yet she had somehow pulled us all together, binding fractured alliances with nothing but her stubborn heart and unyielding courage. Near yearster, she was the one in trouble again. It didn’t feel fair.

Cade lifted his head, and the sight of him nearly broke me. His eyes were rimmed red as though he had been crying all this time. He looked like a man standing iat /ithe edge of ba /bcliff, fighting the urge to crumble. However, when he spoke, his voice was still filled with authority.

“We don’t have time to waste,” he said, firm but hoarse. “Let’s split and look for her. Some will head ito /irc-”

Even with his steady voice, I could hear the tremor beneath his words. It was understandable. Cade had been carrying a lot. He was the Preator, after all. However, among his countless responsibilities, Arden was his center.

She was his anchor, the one who steadied his storms. To lose her, ior /ieven to imagine it, was Cade’s greatest weakness.

For a moment, the warriors nodded, ready to scatter across thends. However, something pulled me back ito /iCa’s words.

Aunt Arden is in trouble. She’s in a scary

My daughter’s voice was clear when she said such words. I felt it nowb–/bsearching blindly

b1/4 /b

Chapter 273 The Four Alphas‘ Strength

through our territories would waste precious time, and Arden might not bhave /bbthat /btime.

I swallowed. “Montrose.”

The word left my lips louder than I intended. Heads turned toward me. Cade stilled Rowan’s brows furrowed as he pivoted to face me.

“What?” Rowan asked carefully, his voice both curious and cautious.

I lifted

my chin. “I believe it’s futile for us to keep searching ournds. We’ll lose hours we don’t have. Arden isn’t here.” My gaze swept over the gathering. “She’s in Montrose. That’s where we’ll find her.”

The clearing fell into silence. I trusted my daughter. I trusted that instinct deep inside me that screamed Arden’s name.

“I believe that’s where Arden is,” I said again.

b*** /b

They trusted me.

That thought echoed in my mind as we crossed the borders, an army of warriors behind us, the four Alphas leading at the front. Cade, Rowan, Elias, and Abel–all of them had follow my word, though I wasn’t even sure of it myself.

When the docks of Montrose finally came into view, the sight alone made my breath catch. The water shimmered under the pale glow of the moon, but what mattered wasn’t the sea. It was the line of guards already waiting for us. In that instant when their eyesnded on us, I knew.

It seemed they weren’t surprised by our presence. It appeared they were expecting us. However, from their stances, I could deduce that they were surprised we’d arrived this quickly.

“Have they called them yet?” one of the guards muttered.

That was the confirmation I needed. Arden was here. My daughter was right.

Rowan’s growl rumbled beside me. Cade’s jaw tightened as he stepped forward, “Stand aside.” Cademanded.

The guards did the opposite. Magic red across the dock. The first wave came fast–fireballs hurled toward us, wind slicing through the nks of wood beneath our feet, water rising like serpents from the sea.

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Chapter 273 The Four Alphas‘ Strength

However, none of it touched us.

The four Alphas stepped into ce, shoulder to shoulder, forming what appeared to be a living wall.

Cade raised his hand, and the mes came to a stop as the guards‘ hands were restrained. Abel moved to cover the wind, and the serpents of it turned back on their casters, drenching them in their own fury.

I stood behind them, my heart pounding. It was epic. Terrifying. Beautiful. The unity of four rulers with their own strengths was breathtaking to watch.

One of the guards stumbled forward, barely more than a teenager–his armor too big, his movements clumsy. He couldn’t have been older than fifteen. He summoned a handful of rocks and hurled them with all his might toward Rowan. They bounced harmlessly off his chest, falling with pitiful tters to the ground.

Rowan’s eyes darkened, his w rising instinctively.

“Rowan!” I called sharply.

His arm stilled. His gaze went back to me, and for a moment, I saw the struggle in his eyes.

“I know,” he muttered atst, lowering his w. He didn’t need me to say more. We both understood. They were children, pawns forced into this fight, not enemies.

The boy stumbled back, wide–eyed, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

The battle continued, but the Alphas didn’t ughter the enemies. They restrained them instead. It was overwhelming, watching them. For every guard that fell, none were killed.

Finally, when thest of them copsed, drained of magic and shaking with exhaustion, Rowan turned ito /ithe warriors behind us.

“Tie them up,” hemanded.

The warriors moved quickly, binding wrists and ankles, ensuring none of the guards could rise again to sound the rm.

I looked at the boy again–the one who had thrown rocks at Rowan. He sat slumped against a piling, his chest heaving. He wasn’t dangerous. None of them was, truly. They were desperate, forced, caught in a war they didn’t even understand.

The Alphas knew it, too.

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Chapter 273 The Four Alphas‘ Strength

In doing this, we were also going to be helping the likes of them.

20

Rowan’s hand brushed mine briefly. His ws were gone, and his touch was warm once more. His eyes

held mine, and I knew. We were getting closer.

We turned back to the docks, to the looming shadows of Montrose beyond. Arden was here. And we wereing for her.