Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother - Chapter 257

Chapter 257: Chapter 257
Damien’s POV

“What is it?” I grabbed the guard’s shoulder. Steadied him.

“Movement.” He gasped. Pointing north. “A lot of it. They’re coming.”

My blood turned cold. “How many?”

“Too many to count. Sir, they’re everywhere. Surrounding us.”

Shit.

I turned. Shouted. “Everyone up! Now! We’re under attack!”

The camp exploded into motion. Warriors pouring from tents. Grabbing weapons. Taking positions.

But we were too slow. Too disorganized. Too unprepared.

The first wave hit before we were ready.

They came from the trees. Dozens of them. Rogues. Wild-eyed. Snarling. Moving like a pack but fighting like animals.

No formation. No strategy. Just pure violence.

“Hold the line!” I shifted. Let my wolf take over. Alex burst through. Massive. Silver-white. Ready.

The battle was chaos.

Teeth and claws and blood. Screaming. Howling. The smell of death everywhere.

I tore through three rogues in seconds. My jaws closing around throats. My claws ripping. Efficient. Brutal.

But for every one we killed, two more appeared.

They kept coming. Wave after wave. Pouring from the forest like an endless tide.

“Fall back!” Lucas’s voice cut through the noise. “Regroup at the command tent!”

We tried. But the rogues were between us and safety. Cutting off escape routes. Isolating warriors.

I saw Marcus go down. Three rogues on him. Tearing. Biting.

I charged. Threw them off. Stood over him while he scrambled up. Blood streaming from his shoulder.

“Get to the tent!” I snarled.

He limped away. I turned back to the fight.

A massive rogue lunged. I dodged. Barely. His claws caught my side. Tore through fur and flesh.

Pain exploded. Hot. Sharp. I ignored it.

Spun. Caught his throat. Crushed it. He dropped.

Another came. Then another. They were targeting me specifically. Trying to bring down the Alpha.

Smart. Take out the leader and the pack falls apart.

Not happening.

I fought harder. Faster. Using every trick I’d ever learned. Every advantage my size and strength gave me.

But there were too many. And I was bleeding now. My side screaming. My movements slowing.

A rogue hit me from behind. Drove me to the ground. His teeth closing on my neck.

I twisted. Threw him off. But two more took his place.

Teeth in my leg. Claws raking my back. Pain everywhere.

I was going to die here. In this forest. Torn apart by rogues.

*Sera.*

Her face flashed through my mind. Those green eyes. That stubborn chin. The way she looked at me that last night.

*The kids.*

Rage burned through the pain. Hot. Consuming. Giving me strength I shouldn’t have.

I roared. The sound echoing through the trees. Pure Alpha command. Undeniable.

Every wolf within hearing distance froze. Even the rogues. That primal instinct responding to dominance.

I used those seconds. Tore free. Stood. Blood streaming from a dozen wounds.

“To me!” My voice was barely recognizable. “Everyone to me now!”

My warriors responded. Disengaging. Fighting their way toward me. Forming a circle around the command tent.

The rogues recovered. Charged again.

But we were ready this time. United. Fighting as a pack instead of individuals.

The tide turned.

Slowly. Painfully. But it turned.

We pushed them back. Step by bloody step. Warriors working together. Covering weaknesses. Protecting wounded.

Lucas was a blur of motion. Taking down rogues with brutal efficiency. His strategy sense keeping our formation tight.

Marcus fought one-handed. His injured shoulder useless. But he didn’t fall back. Didn’t quit.

None of them did.

They were magnificent. Every single one.

The rogues started retreating. Slowly at first. Then faster. Melting back into the forest.

We didn’t chase. Couldn’t chase. Too exhausted. Too injured.

The silence that followed the battle was deafening.

Just breathing. Groaning. The sound of warriors collapsing.

I shifted back to human. My body screaming in protest. Blood everywhere. Mine. Theirs. Impossible to tell the difference.

“Count off!” My voice was raw. “I need numbers!”

The responses came slowly. Weak. But they came.

Forty-seven warriors. We’d started with sixty.

Thirteen dead. Thirteen warriors who wouldn’t go home. Wouldn’t see their families. Wouldn’t live another day.

My fault. My responsibility. My failure.

“Get the wounded to medical.” I forced myself to stand. Every movement agony. “Gather the dead. We’re pulling back to secondary camp.”

“Sir.” Lucas appeared at my side. His face covered in blood and dirt. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re bleeding from at least six different wounds.” His voice got harder. “You need medical attention.”

“After everyone else is treated.”

“Damien”

“That’s an order.” I met his eyes. Made sure he understood. “Our warriors first. Always.”

He nodded reluctantly. Started organizing the retreat.

My side throbbed. Hot. Wet. I looked down. Blood soaking through my shirt. Dripping onto the ground.

A lot of blood.

“Damien!” Lucas’s voice. “Sit down before you fall down.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.” He grabbed my arm. “Medical tent. Now.”

I didn’t argue. Couldn’t argue. The adrenaline was wearing off. Pain replacing it. Sharp. Overwhelming.

The medical tent was chaos. Wounded everywhere. Not enough medics. Not enough supplies.

“Alpha needs treatment!”

“Wait your turn!” Someone yelled back. “We’ve got critical cases here!”

I sat. The world tilted slightly. When had that happened?

A medic appeared. Young. Stressed. Her hands shaking as she examined my wounds.

“This needs stitches.” She pointed to my side. “And this. And probably this.”

“Just bandage it.” I started to stand. “I need to get back to”

“You need to stop bleeding.” She pushed me back down. Not gentle. “Sir, with respect, you’re not helping anyone if you die from blood loss.”

Valid point.

I let her work. Cleaning wounds. Stitching. Bandaging. Each touch fire on my skin.

“We need to plan.” I forced myself upright. “They’ll attack again. Soon. We have to”

“We’re pulling everyone back to the main camp.” He cut me off. “Evacuating the wounded. Bringing in reinforcements. This position is compromised.”

“We can’t retreat.”

“We’re not retreating. We’re regrouping.” His voice was calm. Patient. The same tone he used when talking me down from something stupid. “You’ve been pushing for five days straight. The warriors are exhausted. We need time to recover.”

He was right. I hated it. But he was right.

He helped me to a tent. Private. Quiet. Set up specifically for senior command.

A real cot. Clean blankets. Medical supplies within reach.

I collapsed onto it. Every muscle screaming. My wounds throbbing in time with my heartbeat.

Lucas stood in the doorway. “I’ll wake you if anything urgent happens.”

“You better.”