The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna-Chapter 466 Stop!

If Shura could change the way it reacted in every situation, it would change everything and give Zion far greater leverage when responding to any scenario they might face.

"Good doggie..." Zion smirked.

The words almost sent Shura exploding. It surged forward in fury, instinctively trying to tear through Zion’s mental barrier, humiliation and rage boiling over. But midway through the motion, it froze. Seeing the smug provocation in Zion’s stance, Shura suddenly remembered his warning.

This was a test.

Its ragged breathing slowly steadied as the realization sank in. Zion wasn’t mocking it for cruelty’s sake; he was deliberately taunting it, probing its limits, seeing whether Shura could endure provocation without losing control.

"Fuctard!" Shura snorted.

With a huff, it turned its back completely, curled up, and rested its head on its paws, pointedly ignoring Zion. For now, it would cooperate, but it refused to speak another word. The annoyance radiating from it was unmistakable.

Seeing this, Zion’s eyes crinkled slightly. His little experiment... had worked.

The brief spark of triumph faded almost immediately. Zion’s gaze sharpened to a razor’s edge as he refocused on the path ahead, senses sweeping the forest while he ran. Time was precious, and there was no room left for distraction.

His speed surged, and after what felt like an eternity, Zion finally reached the edge of the Golden Hue Pack’s territory. But the sight that greeted him froze his blood; no warriors were guarding the perimeter. Panic crept into his chest, making it hard to breathe, while his legs burned like fire and his body steamed from nonstop sprinting, sweat soaking his skin.

Yet he didn’t stop. If anything, he pushed even harder, racing toward the location where the locust swarm was being held. From a distance, he spotted the faint silhouettes of hot-air balloons hovering above the shimmering barrier. His heart nearly stopped.

"Stop!" he roared, but realized the sound was lost in the wind, and that he was still in his wolf form, so instead of words what came out of his mouth was a growl. With a sudden shift, he transformed into his human body mid-run. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Inertia propelled him forward violently; he stumbled, rolling across rocks and tree roots that tore at his skin, leaving shallow scratches and some deeper cuts. Pain flared, but Zion ignored it all. He kept screaming, louder this time, "Stop!", his voice echoing through the forest, desperate to be heard.

"STOP!!!" Zion roared, his voice tearing through the forest as he sprinted without pause. But the distance and the wind whipping around the hot air balloons above made it impossible for anyone to hear him. The helplessness only spiked his anxiety, sweat glistening across his body, steam rising in the cold air, yet he didn’t slow down.

"I SAID STOP!!!" he bellowed again, desperate that someone, anyone below the balloons, would hear him. His heart slammed against his ribs as he saw the figures above preparing to release the biochemical agent. The moment his eyes fell on the container, his eyes dilated, and for a heartbeat, time seemed to stop.

Before he could scream again, movement caught his attention. Wolves were running toward him from the direction where the locust swarm had been held. At the forefront, a familiar light brown wolf led the charge, its gaze unwavering. Addison rode atop it, determination written on every line of her face. Clutched in the wolf’s jaws, curled up like a small, determined ball, was Archmage Elric, tightly hugging his staff.

"Don’t drop me! I’m telling you, if you drop me while running at full speed, I’ll trap you inside a portal forever!" Archmage Elric shouted, struggling as Levi held the top of his hood firmly in his jaws, while Addison clung to his back.

Levi heard him loud and clear, but all he did was snort, sending a gust of hot steam curling over Elric’s head. The Archmage froze mid-sentence, gripping his staff tighter, eyes wide, afraid that even a single misstep could send him tumbling.

"Don’t drop me!" he muttered again, his voice now much smaller, more pleading than threatening.

On their way, they saw Zion sprinting toward them, while other warriors poured out of the forest, moving quickly to exit the territory. Some of the wolves were biting down on thick ropes tied to the hot air balloon, ready to pull it away once the guards on top dropped the biochemical agent. The balloon would rise slightly into the clouds as it lost weight, keeping the guards safe from exposure.

More and more wolves arrived, some carrying mages on their backs, the mages clutching tightly to avoid falling. Only Archmage Elric was carried like a fragile chick, courtesy of Levi. This arrangement wasn’t just for safety; not being on Levi’s back gave Elric freedom to cast spells at a moment’s notice, unlike the other mages who could barely maneuver while riding their wolves.

"Addie!" Zion shouted, and his voice immediately caught Addison’s attention. Her eyes widened, her mouth parted, but she didn’t utter a word; she simply signaled for Zion to follow.

Meanwhile, the remaining warriors from across the territory had rallied to help carry the mages out. The prisoners had already been sent toward the temporary settlement, and Chase had long slipped out of the territory, while making sure that no one was monitoring the Golden Hue Pack’s movements. Lance, meanwhile, trailed behind Levi, his resentful eyes fixed on him as he moved.

"No, Addie! You have to stop this operation!" Zion shouted, lunging to stop Levi, but then he remembered Levi could hear him through their mindlink. "Levi, stop! Stop the operation! It’ll be a disaster if you use the biochemical agent!" he roared inside Levi’s mind. "Those locust swarms are demonic insects, and that biochemical agent... it’s infused with demonic energy!"

But Levi didn’t slow down. He and Addison were calculating every detail on the fly, timing the drop of the biochemical agent, keeping just enough distance to escape the area safely, pulling the long rope tied to the hot air balloon so the guards dropping the biochemical agent could be pulled to safety too, and ensuring the mages could maintain the barrier intact while they escaped. Every parameter had been accounted for. There was no room for error, and stopping now wasn’t an option.

Instead, Levi sent a mindlink to Zion. "Alpha Zion, just follow us out... We can’t afford a mistake in this operation. People could get hurt, and Addie won’t allow any casualties."

"I know! But we can’t use the biochemical agent! It—" Zion began, but Levi interrupted.

"We already know."

"You... you do?!" Zion slowed in his tracks, dumbfounded. That’s when he saw Addison lean closer to Levi’s wolf form, whispering something he couldn’t catch.

Before they passed him, Levi added in the mindlink: "Addie said you should just follow us for now. We’ll explain everything once we’re clear."

Zion nodded, dumbfounded, as he watched the werewolves carrying the mages pass by. His gaze then flicked to the guards on the hot air balloon, who were surveying the fleeing wolves on the ground. Once they confirmed the area was clear, they released the biochemical agent.

Zion’s eyes widened as he finally came to his senses. He saw the shimmering barrier above opening just enough at the top.