The Wannabe Warrior
Chapter 195

Masison POV

When Peggy told us that Zeek was a traitor, it did not surprise me. I felt something was off, when he killed those two men so fast, and the look of shock at the second one that died, showed he was not expecting Zeek to react the way he had.

‘Peggy, are you alright?’ I asked, concerned not just about her health, but about her mind as well. Her mate had just betrayed her and her pack and she would have seen the warriors killed with Zeek’s blessing. She had to be hurt by all of this.

‘Thank you for your concern, but now is not the time for me to mourn. I must get our men ready for the assault. Those mercenaries are here for a reason, and I know that our other packs will not come to our aid, we are alone in this, with little real combat experience.’ Peggy did not look at me as she spoke, but looked at the diorama, trying to work out how to protect her pack.

‘Talk to me Peggy, let me help you, what do you know about what has been planned, what you heard, we can get more of our men here to help, if Alex will let them through the tunnels.’ I almost felt like I was begging to help her.

Peggy looked up at me in surprise, still processing what I had just said.

‘Will you help?’ she asked incredulously.

‘Yes, why not, we can get men here that are experienced in combat, but don’t you have a lot of warriors too?’ Zane answered instead of me.

‘We have lots of warriors, but none with combat experience, only in training, leaving us weaker than I had realized and Zeek knows our tactics, and that is where I am stuck a little, somehow I have to change what we know and replace a solution Zeek won’t know.’ Peggy g*****d out frustratedly, the part that Zeek knows their ways was going to make some of it difficult.

‘Let me get some men sent here, we can help.’ Zane tried this time, Peggy not really hearing me.

The mercenaries will start digging out the tunnels until they break through. I have ordered all the tunnels to be collapsed at the first two doors, and now that one you were in today, we need to block that one too, just in case they replace it.’ Peggy said softly.

‘What about the tunnels, to the other packs?’ I asked, shocked by the severity they go to when under threat.

‘Yes, we will block them last. We have a trigger system. If they make it a certain distance, we collapse them too. We have to protect the people, we cannot risk any travelling there, they will be wiped out, that is how it has always been.’ Peggy said, pointing to places on the diorama.

‘What about your vents? Zeek knows about these, you need to block them if people can climb down them.’ I suggested and Peggy paled.

‘You are right, he knows everything we have to block them now.’ Peggy started giving out orders for the vents to be blocked, and put things in them to stop people climbing down but still let some air out, and I sent some Blue Warriors out to help with that and see what can be done in the tunnel we had come down.

‘Alex.’ I called through the mic hoping he was still wearing it.

‘Yes? Madison?.’ Alex’s voice floated back to me.

‘They need help here. Will you allow men to enter the tunnels at your end and send one scout to lead them here, please?’ I asked. I knew the Gerome would be listening to this and hopefully the king and warriors would be getting organised as I spoke.

‘It is not our way.’ Alex started to argue.

‘So you are happy for a whole pack to be wiped out and not do anything about it?’ I asked, annoyed by the lack of camaraderie between the packs.

‘No, I am not okay with it, but it is our way,’ he argued again.

‘Stop, right there Alex, I don’t care what you say your way was, you reached out when you were in need, what is the difference this time?’ I growled back at him.

‘I hear you, Madison, I will allow it, but the elders won’t like it one bit, and I will most likely be reprimanded over this.’ Alex answered resolutely.

‘Your majesty are you listening?’ I called, hoping he was and that I would not need to repeat all of this.

‘Yes, I have been listening to the whole thing, I feel for Peggy, it is hard to accept betrayals.’ The king replied sympathetically.

‘Can you get men together that can handle mercenaries?’ I know some of the Blue River warriors did not return with alpha Daniel and I hoped they had not left since I had been away.

‘Yes, already on it, we have quite a few of them here, that are part of the first call, as well as some of the ones the alpha brought with them. I can send you about one thousand and let us hope that is enough.’ he said speculatively.

‘You hear that Alex?’ I said in defiance, one thousand willing men, who would put their lives on the line for their people and their ways.

‘Yes, when will they arrive and which tunnel entrance?’ He enquired.

‘We shall send them in an hour and to the closest one that Zane entered.’ I replied, not sure which tunnel Zane used, but he had said it was closer than the one that housed the main pack.

‘Done, Madison, hold on, help is coming, as quickly as we can.’ the king said, and I knew he would do the best he could.

‘Thank you, we shall prepare. Many tunnels are being collapsed as we speak. I will request we keep that one open for as long as we can.’ I replied, grateful.

‘Peggy.’ I gain her attention and she turns away from one of the warriors, who in turn rushes out the door.

‘Yes?’ she looked tired. Peggy had been busy, trying to get everything in order and had to be concerned about what Zeek and that he was divulging all the Deep Earth secrets to that woman and the mercenaries.

‘We are having one thousand experienced warriors coming, they will start in the tunnels at Alex’s end in an hour. Do we have time or will you be closing that tunnel before they arrive?’ I was hopeful, but at the same, I needed to know what we had to work with.

‘Really? You are going to send men? I am so grateful, that is amazing. I will keep that tunnel open, and protect it if I need to, we need those men.’ For the first time since we met Peggy, she burst into tears with relief and hugged me.