The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate-Chapter 115: They Said Emotional. She Said Checkmate.

The war room was tense.

Serena met Dex’s eyes for a moment. She looked like she wanted to say something. But then she looked away, swallowing.

"What is it?" Dex asked.

"Where’s Hyran?" she asked. "I haven’t seen him all day."

"He’s handling crown business," Dex said, reaching for his goblet of water. "He’ll be back soon. Probably complaining about something within five minutes of walking through the door."

Before she could push further, the door opened and King Tiberon walked in. The temperature in the room shifted immediately. Conversations died.

Everyone rose to their feet, Serena and Dex included.

To Serena’s shock, Bellatrix was behind him. This was a full house outside of Hyran.

Tiberon’s gaze swept the room. Something softened almost imperceptibly when he looked at Serena and Dex.

"Good. She’s here," he said. He moved to the head of the table. Bellatrix at his right. Everyone else sat only after he did. Elara made eye contact with Serena from across the table.

They’d seen Bellatrix misbehave for Tiberon a few too many times to be buying this.

"First order of business, Viremont escaped during the Dark Fae raid."

Serena glanced at Dex, who met her gaze. She wanted to know why he didn’t tell her that. And he clearly didn’t want her to find out that way. She looked away first.

"He found out Agnes lied about being pregnant with Dexmon’s child and that she confessed to everything," Tiberon continued. "We have reason to believe Viremont is coming for you next, Serena."

He waited for her to respond.

"Unfortunate," Serena said, not flinching. The constant worry of him finding out her identity had made her numb to the concern.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for a reaction. She wouldn’t give them one. What did they expect? She’d crumble at that? Please.

"Unfortunate indeed," Tiberon said, continuing the meeting.

The war summit camp had been decimated. Between the Dark Fae attack and the battle that preceded it. The allied kingdoms had dispersed, promising to reconvene once the damage was assessed and their forces restored.

Another hour into the meeting and a large map was spread out on the table. Dexmon, Hale, and Tiberon were running things. Gav would also chime in occasionally.

Serena and Elara listened.

Even with everything that’d happened between her and Dex, Serena had to admit he was brilliant and every bit Tiberon’s son. She’d not seen him in action to this degree before.

He mindlinked her mid-sentence.

Dex: I can feel you being impressed. You know that, right? Matebond works both ways, Frostborne.

Serena’s face went red and she shook her head.

She was surprised to hear Orosia had invaded more kingdoms in the two days she was unconscious. And they successfully conquered Valegrave. No one had been able to make contact with them.

Colonel Varflarous and Captain Halvek began discussing strategy to aid them.

Serena noticed holes in their plan immediately, but continued listening.

Dex clocked it instantly through their matebond. She’d seen something the rest of them hadn’t yet. He waited, but she didn’t speak.

Finally he turned, glancing at her. "Serena? What is it?"

The room silenced and every pair of eyes went to her.

Serena found her voice. "I don’t think we should directly invade Valegrave to aid them."

A buzz of whispers erupted like a lit match in a pile of dry leaves. A few officers shifted in their chairs. Bellatrix’s lips pursed.

"You’d let him keep Valegrave? Then what? He conquers more territory in Skardos."

"She’s not a general—"

"This isn’t the time for emotional—"

Tiberon held his hand up, and the room silenced. "Explain."

"Your plan assumes we’re dealing with a logical enemy," Serena stated calmly. "We’re not. He’s emotional. And he’s baiting us."

"You’re also not accounting for the Queen Mother of the High Emperor, who was born in Elaris. She’s still very well connected there. Mages are the predominant population there and battalions deploy by mage portals."

She scanned the table. They didn’t fully understand yet.

"They’ve lost over fifty dragons in the last week. Zero survivors on two separate invasions of all Fae armies," Serena added. "Dark Fae are not soldiers he can recruit or replenish on command. They are weapons he is running out of. Whether they understand what the reason is or not, the High Emperor would be a fool to continue that. He is leveraging Elaris. Mage warfare makes sense for the terrain conquered in Valegrave as well."

Captain Halvek grunted in agreement. Tiberon’s attention sharpened.

Serena continued. "The rift portal was devastating, but it was a sledgehammer, not a supply line. He can tear a hole open, shove an army through, and hope for the best. But he cannot sustain an occupation through a rift. Which means if he intends to hold Valegrave and push further into Skardos, he needs stable portal corridors. Conventional ones." She paused. Everyone leaned in. "Which is why he’s borrowing his mother’s."

Laughs broke the tension.

"I am saying we let him believe we are going to invade," Serena continued. "We let him believe we are practicing warfare the way we always have. But instead, we establish full battlespace denial."

It dawned on her then that they were less familiar with pure mage armies. Even with all the mages in Drakenfell. No wolves or dragons changed the game entirely.

Colonel Morholt slid a pile of gold marker tokens toward her. "You have my attention," he said. "Show us."

Serena nodded and stood.

"In Skardos, portals cannot be opened through the Elaran Range, Highwind Pass, the Ironbound Pass, the Karth Divide, or the Ashen Lowlands," Serena said, placing a marker on each location as she spoke.

"These lands are saturated with nullstone crystal or black aetherstone. Both fae and mage anchors can’t stabilize in either. He’ll be forced to move on foot, dragon, or bypass these regions entirely."

Archibald spoke from across the table, voice carrying authority. "She’s correct on that."

Hale, Captain Halvek, and Taren Calder all gave a single nod at his words. Archibald held more power than Serena realized.

Hyran out. Archibald in. Noted.

She placed two more tokens, both bearing pack emblems, along the southern valley.

"First. We start the clock. Bloodmoon and Ironreach secure the southern valley. His primary ground supply corridor and only viable non-portal route. Once it’s cut, the timer starts."

She placed another pair of pack emblem tokens along the western river route.

"Second. We blindfold them. Moonrend and Darkhowler control the western river. We deny reconnaissance and signal traffic. Command collapses. They stop operating as an army. He fights blind."

She pulled two more tokens marked with pack emblems and placed them on the map.

"Third. Drakenfell and Shadowclaw take the eastern mountain pass. It’s the most viable portal deployment zone in Skardos for Fae and Mages alike."

She shifted her gaze briefly to Archibald.

"She’s correct," he confirmed.

Serena continued, not waiting for nods.

"The terrain there forces ground combat, which gives wolf armies a significant advantage. Portals are useless if troops can’t land together. The next closest viable deployment zone is Viremont territory. His primary portals are forced west."

She placed three tokens on separate points within Viremont territory. "His most viable portal sites."

"Without the aid of portals on all three fronts," Serena continued, "he has no choice but to commit to conventional ground warfare. Foolish, in a wolf-heavy continent."

"We close the map around him." she said.

She began placing the remaining tokens.

From a wolf-mage hybrid warfare perspective, each pack sat where it made the most sense. Terrain they had already fought over. Ground they had already bled for. No one questioned her placement of tokens.

The map had changed.

There were only so many paths left open. Only so many choices.

"Three fronts guarantee one battlefield. That battlefield is fixed," Serena said. "He walks into it."

Silence followed.

She continued, her voice steady. "And there’s nowhere for him to run."

Dex made eye contact with Serena, fighting the urge to grin. She had a talent for amazing him and she had no idea.

She sat back down.

No one moved. All eyes were on the map. About half the room understood it immediately. The others were still working through it, but getting there. Serena waited.

This wasn’t a plan. It was a conclusion. An airtight one, and she knew it.

Another murmur rippled through the war room. Some leaned forward again, studying the map with new eyes.

Serena assumed most of the room was mindlinking. Fact-checking. Testing the edges of it. She waited.

Hale leaned forward and placed a token on the map. "Airtight from my standpoint."

Colonel Morholt’s eyes hadn’t left Serena for the last five minutes at this point. His expression blank, but unable to look away. With a chuckle, he commented, "Frostborne doesn’t play around."

Another murmur swarmed. But at this point, it was clear that the consensus had tipped in Serena’s favor.

Dex, sitting next to her, felt his entire chest tighten. Pride. Pride so fierce it burned behind his ribs.

He’d seen Serena in his arms. But this? This was something else. This was a queen claiming her place.

"If she weren’t already taken, half this room would propose," Gav said, cracking a grin. Hale whacked him on cue. He put both his arms up in surrender. "What? Too soon?"

Bellatrix tilted her head, smiling. "Charming. We are listening to a princess of five minutes who we were questioning if she was literate, up until recently."

The room went silent.

"Let’s hope your war strategy holds up better than your first matebond did, dear."

Serena exhaled. Here we go.

"No one was questioning her literacy, except for you," Dex snapped immediately. "Every chair in this room was earned, including hers."

"Let her talk, Dex." Serena said, eyes on Bellatrix. "I want to hear the rest."

"Oh, I wasn’t questioning her chair, darling. I was questioning her map." Bellatrix gestured toward it without looking at Serena. "There is a difference."

"I welcome the critique," Serena said, voice calm. "I just need it to be specific."

"Well there’s a lot on there that should be questioned."

"If you see a flaw, share it. We’d all benefit." Serena gestured to the map. "Pick a placement. Any one. Tell me where I’m wrong."

She waited. Bellatrix didn’t move.

"I have nothing further." Bellatrix picked up her goblet. "I’m sure it’s all perfectly sound." The way she said perfectly sound made it clear she believed the opposite.

The corner of Serena’s mouth lifted. Barely. But Elara caught it from across the table.