Chapter 390: Wolves Do Not Abandon Their Own

Chapter 389: Wolves Do Not Abandon Their Own

Holly’s gasp tore through the clearing like a cracked bell.

"What—what is wrong with you?" she demanded, her voice sharp and trembling all at once. "Are you even hearing yourself? Why would you say something like that?"

Her eyes darted wildly between Orion and the watching crowd, searching for support and finding none.

"You’re acting like Sophia is some kind of goddess reincarnate or something, or maybe even the goddess herself," Holly continued bitterly. "Like she can’t do anything wrong. Like she’s perfect and untouchable."

She tried to lift her hands but remembered that they were tied behind her back. She released an annoyed sound, but that didn’t deter her. She continued speaking.

"Look at me! Look at my cheeks! They’re swollen, and even as I speak, they hurt. She did that. Sophia hit me. She attacked me." Her voice cracked with outrage. "If you’re going to punish me by exiling me from the pack, then you should exile her too! She attacked a pack member. One who originally belongs to the pack. One who was born in the pack."

Orion stared at her.

Then he laughed.

It was dry and hollow, stripped of warmth — a sound that carried more menace than any growl ever could.

"You really don’t know when to stop, do you?" he asked calmly.

Holly stiffened. She did not understand why he was laughing. There was nothing funny about what she had just said, so why was he laughing?

"If you looked properly," Orion told her calmly, "and stopped being so self-absorbed for even half a heartbeat, you would realize that Sophia is far from flawless."

Holly blinked.

The words clearly weren’t what she had expected.

Orion’s gaze drifted away briefly, as though he could see Sophia standing somewhere in the distance — stubborn chin lifted, eyes blazing with reckless resolve.

"She trips over nothing. Sometimes things fall just from her presence. I’m sure most of you remember the first day I started training you all and how the weapons rack fell," he continued evenly. "She misjudges her own strength constantly. She’s so stubborn it borders on insanity." A faint edge of reluctant fondness brushed his voice before hardening again. "She challenges danger head-on instead of avoiding it like a coward would."

Several trainees exchanged quiet glances. Most had not trained with Sophia directly, but her teammates and friends had, and everything Orion said was accurate.

"But," Orion said firmly, his eyes snapping back to Holly, "she would never abandon a pack member to die."

Holly swallowed.

"She wouldn’t leave someone bleeding in the snow because of fear, prejudice, or selfish reasoning. She wouldn’t decide that someone’s life is disposable because the person inconveniences her — or in your case, because the person has what you have coveted for a while."

His voice sharpened.

"She protects people even when it costs her. Sophia would rather find a way to make sure everyone is safe than abandon even one person. That is the person you claim isn’t part of the pack just because she wasn’t born in it. The person you claim doesn’t belong but has carved a place for herself. The person you claim doesn’t belong but cares for the members of this pack more than you, who claim to belong."

Holly’s lips parted, but nothing came out.

"If your cheeks are swollen," Orion added coolly, "then I’m confident it’s because you deserved it. Sophia wouldn’t do anything you didn’t deserve."

Holly stared at him as if he had slapped her.

"You trust her that much?" Holly asked.

Orion smirked. "Isn’t it obvious?" he asked.

Holly stared at him. She hated this. She hated what was happening. Hated that Sophia had managed to influence Orion and wrap him around her finger.

"But you don’t know if you—"

Orion sighed loudly in exhaustion. He did not have time for this at all.

"I’m tired of hearing you speak," he said flatly. "Someone gag her."

For half a heartbeat, no one moved.

Then Laia smiled widely in delight.

"With pleasure."

Genevieve was already digging into her medical box, pulling out a long strip of clean bandage. She passed it over without hesitation, her lips twitching with restrained amusement.

"Try not to cut off circulation," Genevieve added dryly. "We still need her conscious."

Laia took the bandage like it was a gift from the goddess herself.

"Oh, don’t worry," she said sweetly, stepping toward Holly. "I’ll be gentle."

Holly’s eyes widened.

"Wait— no— you can’t— mmmph!"

Laia worked quickly and efficiently, looping the bandage firmly around Holly’s mouth and knotting it securely behind her head. Holly struggled briefly, muffled protests vibrating uselessly through the fabric, but Laia merely tightened it a fraction more and patted her cheek.

"There," Laia said cheerfully. "Much better."

The clearing felt lighter instantly.

Several trainees visibly relaxed. Someone actually snorted before catching themselves.

Holly glared daggers, but all that escaped her now were muffled, furious noises.

Orion turned away from her as if she no longer existed.

His attention shifted toward the gathered examiners and trainees.

"I’m curious — why are you all gathered here?" he asked. "Is the test over?"

The examiners exchanged glances.

One of them — a tall man with graying temples and sharp amber eyes — stepped forward.

"The emergency signal was triggered," Calder said respectfully. "Protocol required immediate regrouping."

Orion’s expression hardened subtly.

"Emergency signal?" he repeated.

Wesley cleared his throat and stepped forward, his posture tense, eyes flicking briefly toward the trees before returning to Orion.

"Alpha," Wesley said carefully, "I need to speak with you."

Orion turned toward him. "Okay."

Wesley hesitated. "Privately."

Orion studied him for a moment — the tight jaw, the controlled breathing, the faint strain in his eyes. Whatever Wesley had to say wasn’t minor.

He nodded once.

"Fine."

They moved away from the center of the clearing, walking toward a secluded edge where the trees grew thicker and the murmurs of the others faded into distant background noise. Snow crunched softly beneath their boots as they stopped beside a thick pine.

Wesley exhaled slowly.

His fingers flexed at his sides before he finally spoke.

"We found a body in the forest," he said quietly.

Orion’s eyes sharpened instantly. "Whose?"

"An enclave member," Wesley replied.