Calea woke in the morning in a daze, her eyes darting around the tent.
"Calea, what's wrong?" Claus asked as he stirred awake, noticing her standing beside the bed.
Without a word, Calea stepped away and walked outside. Claus quickly followed her. She kept looking left and right, as if searching for someone, until her gaze locked onto Dereus, who was tending to a fire. She picked up her pace, Claus trailing behind her, and without any warning, Calea threw her arms around Dereus.
"Calea?" he said softly.
"Are you alright?" Dereus asked, hugging her back.
She didn't respond, as if she couldn't hear him at all.
"Lycan," Dereus said, glancing toward Claus. "Is she sleepwalking?"
"Most likely."
Calea had already fallen asleep again in Dereus's arms. Claus gently took her from him and carried her back to the tent in a bridal hold. He laid her down carefully, covered her with a blanket, kissed her forehead, and stepped outside.
"She had a nightmare," Claus said quietly.
"How do you know? Did she tell you?"
"No, she didn't need to. I'm sure you smelled it too—my scent on her. I marked her."
"You saw her nightmare."
"Yes."
"You telling me this, and Calea's actions just now, must mean I'm in that nightmare."
"Yes. She saw you die. Why would she see that?"
Dereus let out a long sigh.
"You know why. Tell me."
Dereus hesitated. He didn't know if it was a good idea, but maybe it would help her.
"The person you saw in her dream wasn't me."
"But it looked just like you."
"I know… he's Calea's real father."
Claus froze. Her father… the one he killed fifteen years ago.
Is this why she didn't accept me? Because I took the most precious thing from her? Are her nightmares the result of everything that's happened—accepting her father's killer, the stress of the war?
Claus had misunderstood everything.
He returned to their tent and lay beside her, wrapping his arms around her sleeping form.
"Calea, I'm so sorry," he whispered, gently caressing her hair.
"Tonight, we are going to be attacked."
"And how do you know that?"
"We are most likely to be attacked throughout the night."
"And who made you the boss?"
"Why would I listen to a little girl?"
Calea now stood in a meeting with the alphas of the Artemis brothers' packs, the dragon leaders, and the witches' leaders. The witches, dragons, and Claus's pack had no objection to listening to her—they had all seen what Calea was capable of. The only ones who resisted were the alphas under Zhen and Dion, the ones who had never truly seen her power.
"I don't need your approval to take the lead, nor do I need you on my team," Calea said calmly. "If you feel like going against me, you can join the devil's army. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to take you in. But keep this in mind—I will win this war with or without you. So either shut your mouths and listen, or leave."
Her calm tone was far more terrifying than anger. The alphas could feel her power and dominance pressing down on them, bruising their pride.
"Calea, what makes you think they'll attack tonight?" Zela asked.
"They're night creatures. They're stronger after dark, so a surprise attack tonight is their best option."
"I see."
"We need to be prepared for when they come."
"So what's the strategy?"
Claus let Calea take the lead. He loved watching her put these arrogant alphas in their place—and if he stepped in now, they wouldn't take her seriously.
"First, we'll need bait. We'll make it look like everyone is asleep in their tents. One team will place rocks under the blankets, anything that makes it appear as if people are sleeping.
The second team will consist only of witches. You'll create talismans that make the intruders believe our puppets are alive.
The last team will be dragons. You'll take some lycans and fly to the former battlefield—because that's where the rest of the enemy will be. The witches can teleport themselves there.
One witch will stay behind with me to teleport me after I deal with the intruders here."
She paused, scanning the room.
"Alright. Now get to work, everyone."