The Villains Must Win-Chapter 169: Lyander Wolfhart 19

All was well as days passed, but Liora’s bad feeling came true one morning. The sun had barely risen when the challenge was issued.

The crisp morning air carried the tension that had been simmering within the pack for weeks. Jason, the Beta, stood tall in the center of the clearing, his voice echoing through the trees.

"I challenge Henry for the position of Alpha," he declared, his tone smug and arrogant. "We need a leader who can protect us, not a child clinging to his parents’ legacy."

Gasps rippled through the gathered wolves. Some looked to Henry, their young Alpha, who stood with a calm demeanor that belied his age. Others nodded in agreement with Jason, their eyes filled with uncertainty.

The elders, seated in a semi-circle, exchanged glances but remained silent. Their role was to observe and counsel, not to interfere in matters of leadership challenges.

Henry stepped forward, his gaze steady. "I accept your challenge, Jason. But know this: leadership isn’t just about strength. It’s about wisdom, compassion, and the ability to unite our pack."

Jason sneered, his sharp eyes scanning the gathered pack wolves with cool disdain. "Words won’t protect us from the Silver Moon Pack," he said, his voice rising above the murmur of the crowd. "We need a strong leader who can do more than make speeches and spout wisdom. We need someone who can unite packs under one banner—just like Rhett is doing. If we truly want to protect our home, then we need someone stronger than Rhett himself."

A ripple of murmurs ran through the crowd at the mention of Rhett. That name carried weight—a shadow that loomed over all of them. The elders exchanged wary glances, but they did not intervene.

Henry’s eyes narrowed slightly, his voice calm but laced with seriousness. "And you believe that you’re stronger than him?"

Jason didn’t hesitate. There was no doubt, no flicker of uncertainty in his voice as he spoke, "Of course," he said, as if it were an obvious truth. "One-on-one, I could take him. Rhett’s power lies in numbers. His influence. His army. Without them, he’s just another wolf who’s learned to roar louder than the rest. But if it’s just him and me? He’s nothing."

His words sparked more whispers, some of awe, some of disbelief. Even a few heads turned toward Liora, as if hoping she—somehow—might confirm or deny Jason’s bold claim.

Liora remained tight-lipped, her gaze lowered as the crowd reacted to Jason’s challenge. She knew the truth—knew it deep in her bones. It wasn’t Rhett they should truly be afraid of. It was Talia—the Moon Goddess’s chosen.

A wolf blessed with celestial favor. A warrior cloaked in divine strength and healing that made her nearly invincible in battle. Standing beside Rhett, Talia made him something far more dangerous than any brute force alone ever could. With her, Rhett wasn’t just powerful—he was untouchable.

And the worst part? No one here had any idea. They were all so focused on Rhett’s name, his army, his ambition. But the real threat was the radiant wolf at his side, whose presence turned the tide of any fight long before it began.

Only one person could possibly stand a chance against the both of them—Henry. But only if he did the unthinkable . . . only if he accepted the demon seed. A cursed power that could match the Moon Goddess’s blessing—but at a terrible, soul-breaking cost.

Liora clenched her hands in her lap. Could she tell them? Could she speak that truth into the open and risk everything? Risk panic, suspicion, or worse—force Henry’s hand before he was ready?

No.

She couldn’t say a word.

Not yet.

Henry took a slow breath. "You speak of strength as if it’s everything. But strength alone can’t win loyalty. It can’t hold a pack together during times of fear and grief. And it sure as hell can’t build trust."

Jason took a step forward, his tone clipped. "And what has trust gotten us? A fractured alliance. Packs who refuse to stand with us because we’re led by a boy. No one takes us seriously, Henry—not with you as Alpha. They think this pack is weak. And unless we do something now, Rhett won’t even need to fight us. We’ll fall apart on our own."

There was a pause, heavy and charged. The pack was listening. Liora could feel the weight of every gaze, every breath. She could sense the uncertainty crackling in the air like static.

Henry didn’t move. His posture remained poised, controlled. But there was steel in his voice now. "You’re wrong. We don’t need to become like Rhett to defeat him. We don’t need to conquer and force others to follow us. We lead by standing for something better. Something different."

Jason shook his head with a bitter chuckle. "You keep holding on to ideals that don’t work in the real world, Henry. Wolves don’t follow dreams. They follow strength."

"And yet," Henry said quietly, "they followed me for this long."

Jason’s jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck tightening.

"You want to challenge me?" Henry added, his voice rising with quiet force. "Then do it. But don’t pretend it’s for the pack’s sake when really—it’s your pride that can’t handle being second."

Gasps escaped a few mouths. Jason’s eyes darkened. For a moment, it looked like he might lunge right there and then. But instead, he straightened his back and stared Henry down, breathing heavily.

"I challenge you," Jason said again, this time with fire. "Not because I hate you, Henry. But because I refuse to sit back while our people get slaughtered for your idealism."

Henry didn’t flinch. "Then I accept."

Liora’s heart pounded violently in her chest—not just from the looming duel, but from dread curling in her gut. Henry was too young. Too untested. He could barely manifest his wolf, let alone control it in a fight.

What was a fourteen-year-old boy supposed to do against a fully grown, battle-hardened werewolf like Jason?

This wasn’t bravery—it was madness!