Chapter 343: Chapter 343

I turned to Dane as I shook my head, “No… Dane is nothing like you… I know him.”

“You…” Orion growled as he tried to lift his sword, he fell to his knees instead, in front of me.”

I lifted my weapon as I aimed for his neck, my hands trembling. Was I capable of delivering the finishing blow?

“Do it!” Dane said to me from beside. “End this now!”

My grip tightened, my mind racing. In his eyes, I saw defiance, but a flicker of something else too–pride, arrogance–which sent a shiver through me.

“You don’t deserve mercy,” I breathed.

“And yet you hesitate,” Orion replied, curling his lips into a grim. smile.

The only sounds that reached our ears were the remnants of Orion’s forces fleeing desperately into the forest in scattered

retreats.

I lowered my weapon and started breathing fast. My gaze latched onto and hurried after his warriors.

Blood dripped steadily from the wound on his side, but he remained defiant, his piercing gaze meeting mine with unwavering intensity. His lips curled into a grim smirk.

“You think you’ve won, Luna,” he said, his voice low but cutting

through the silence like a blade. “But victory is an illusion.”

I stepped forward, my muscles tense. “Your men are running, Orion. That doesn’t look like victory to me.”

He chuckled, the sound low and mocking. “Running? No, this is a tactical withdrawal. Unlike you, I understand the long game. And trust me, this game is far from over.”

Dane limped to my side, his breathing labored but his

presence commanding. “We outsmarted you today, Orion. You underestimated her.”

Orion’s gaze flickered to Dane, a flicker of disgust crossing his face.

“Ah, the broken Alpha. Surprising to see you standing. But then again, it’s always the desperate who fight hardest.”

“Enough,” I snapped, my voice hard. “This ends here, Orion. Walk away and don’t come back.”

Orion leaned to the side, his smile deepening. “You don’t have the stomach for this, do you? That’s your weakness, Luna. You hesitate, you negotiate, you beg. It’s why you’ll always lose in the end.”

The hold on my weapon tightened, though my feet seemed nailed to the floor.

And he was right, actually. I hesitated, unsure if ending him now would truly solve anything.

“Go,” I said finally, my voice steady despite the storm within me. “And tell your pack this is the last time you’ll set foot here.”

Orion gritted his teeth and got up as he ran into the darkness with his retreating wolves, their footsteps fading deep into the forest.

Dane then turned to me, his face a mixture of pride and concern. “You should’ve ended him,” he said quietly.

“Maybe,” I conceded, my voice soft. “But I won’t kill out of anger. That’s not who I am.”

Dane shook his head. Frustration flickered across his face. “That’s why he’ll come back stronger. He’s already planning his

next move.”

I nodded, my jaw set. “I doubt it.”

As we turned to face my warriors, the weight of my decision bore down heavily upon my shoulders. The wolves looked to me with hope and exhaustion etched upon their faces, their faith in me unwavering.