Chapter 138

The first explosion hit the east wing like a thunderclap from hell itself.

I was in the strategy room with Kane and Raymond, reviewing defensive positions when the blast threw all three of us to the ground. The pack house's stone walls trembled under the force. Dust and chunks of ceiling crashed down around us while the whole building groaned like it might collapse.

"What the hell was that?" Raymond shouted, pulling himself upright as emergency alarms began blaring throughout the territory.

Before anyone could answer, a second explosion rocked the training grounds. Then a third at the storage facilities. The communication tower burst into flames and its metal framework came crashing down into the courtyard.

Coordinated. Precise. Devastating.

"It's starting," I said, my voice barely audible over the chaos erupting outside our windows. "Giana's making her final move."

Kane was already on his feet, his military training taking over as he assessed the situation with professional detachment. "Multiple simultaneous detonations across strategic infrastructure points. This is the opening phase of a full assault."

Pack members were screaming outside. Smoke choked the air while evacuation sirens wailed. Through the shattered windows, I could see people running in panic, some carrying children, others helping the elderly escape the chaos.

"We need to coordinate response teams," Kane said, moving toward the door with lethal purpose. "I'll handle emergency assessment and damage control."

"I'll manage evacuation procedures," I replied, following him into the corridor that was now filled with dust and confused pack members. "Raymond, you coordinate with other territories. We need to know if this is isolated or part of something bigger."

Raymond nodded grimly, his Alpha authority cutting through the panic around us. Despite everything that had happened between us, when crisis struck, we functioned as an effective team.

The pack house corridors were chaos. People scattered in every direction—some bleeding from debris, others coughing from smoke. The emergency lighting bathed everything in harsh red shadows that made the destruction look even worse.

Kane moved through the evacuation with military precision, directing people toward safe exits while assessing structural damage. His voice carried over the confusion, calm and authoritative despite the circumstances.

"Eastern stairwell is compromised," he called to me as I helped an elderly pack member navigate around fallen beams. "Route everyone through the western corridors."

I coordinated with pack members who had emergency training, establishing evacuation routes and checking for anyone trapped in damaged sections. My Luna authority helped maintain some order despite the terror gripping everyone.

"Has anyone seen casualties from the blast sites?" I asked a guard who was helping direct traffic away from the damaged areas.

"That's the strange thing, Luna," he replied, his voice puzzled despite the urgency. "The explosions were massive, but so far no serious injuries reported. Lots of property damage, but people seem to have gotten clear."

That observation made me pause in the middle of coordinating evacuations. Something about that didn't make tactical sense if this was meant to be a devastating opening assault.

Kane appeared beside me, his assessment complete. "Aurora, I need to show you something. The blast patterns are all wrong for a serious military strike."

He led me to a window overlooking the training grounds where one of the explosions had occurred. The facility was destroyed, equipment scattered and buildings collapsed. But the destruction looked almost... careful.

"Check out this debris pattern," Kane said, gesturing to the wreckage below. "The explosions hit for maximum noise and visual drama, but they avoided casualties. If Giana wanted to kill people, she'd have timed these for when everyone was training."

The tactical analysis sent chills down my spine as I processed the implications. "She's not trying to destroy us yet. She's trying to terrorize us."

"No casualties reported from any blast site," another guard confirmed as he approached our position. "Some cuts and smoke problems, but nobody's dead. It's weird—like they deliberately avoided killing anyone."

I felt ice form in my stomach as the pattern clicked into place. This wasn't the opening of a war—it was psychological warfare designed to break our morale before the real attack began.

"She's toying with us," I said, anger sharpening my voice. "Scaring us before she actually moves. Demonstrating that she can reach us anywhere, anytime, but choosing not to kill us yet."

Kane's expression darkened as he understood my reasoning. "She wants us afraid and scattered when the real assault begins. These explosions are meant to shake our confidence and test our response coordination."

Raymond joined us at the window, his face grim with the weight of Alpha responsibility. "I've been in contact with Moonrise and Swift River. They're reporting similar attacks—loud, destructive, but with minimal casualties. Same tactical pattern across all allied territories."

The scope of the coordinated assault was staggering. Giana wasn't just hitting Blood Moon—she was attacking every pack that had allied against the Rogue King at the same time. Even with minimal physical damage, the psychological blow was crushing.

"She's timing our responses," I said, watching pack members slowly return from evacuation areas as emergency teams gave the all-clear. "Learning how we coordinate under pressure, where our weaknesses are."

Kane nodded grimly. "Standard military reconnaissance. Hit them with non-lethal attacks to observe defensive patterns, then exploit what you learned during the real invasion."

The sound of approaching vehicles drew our attention to the main gates. More Alpha King forces were arriving in response to our emergency signals, but their presence felt almost anticlimactic given the relatively minimal actual damage.

"The Alpha King will want a full tactical assessment," Kane said, already moving toward the stairs. "I need to document everything for the strategic briefing."

As we moved through the pack house, now buzzing with nervous but mostly unharmed pack members, I could see Giana's psychological warfare working exactly as she'd planned. People flinched at every sound, constantly watching for the next attack.

"She wants us scared," I said to Raymond as we reached the main hall where pack leaders were gathering. "Afraid to sleep, afraid to plan, afraid to trust our own security."

"Then we don't give her that satisfaction," Raymond replied with grim determination. "We treat this as intelligence gathering and prepare for what's really coming."

Kane returned from his assessment with reports that confirmed our worst fears. "Explosive residue suggests sophisticated military-grade charges placed by professionals. These people knew our infrastructure and security schedules inside and out."

The thought that we'd been watched for much longer than we'd realized was deeply unsettling. Giana's forces had been studying us, learning our patterns, preparing for this moment for weeks or possibly months.

"How long until the real attack?" I asked, though I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.

Kane's expression stayed professionally neutral, but I caught the worry in his eyes. "Standard military doctrine? The psychological phase usually runs twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Long enough to maximize fear and confusion, short enough to prevent effective countermeasures."

Intelligence reports were arriving from other territories confirming the pattern. Every allied pack had suffered similar non-lethal attacks timed for maximum psychological impact. The level of coordination required suggested Giana's forces were far more sophisticated than we'd realized.

"We need to use this time to strengthen our coordination," I said, looking around at the pack leaders who had gathered for emergency consultation. "If she's testing our response capabilities, let's make sure we're ready for the real thing."

Raymond nodded, his Alpha authority cutting through the lingering panic. "Double the guard rotations, establish better communication protocols between territories, and make sure everyone knows this was just the beginning."

Kane added his tactical expertise to the planning. "We should also prepare for the possibility that the real attack will come from unexpected directions. These explosions might have been meant to focus our attention on infrastructure while they move forces into position elsewhere."

As we worked through the night preparing for what was coming, I realized that despite the fear and destruction, Giana's psychological warfare had accomplished something she probably hadn't intended.

The crisis had forced Raymond, Kane, and me back into an effective team. Personal tensions melted away as we focused on what truly mattered—protecting our people from a threat none of us could face alone.

Our collaboration during damage assessment and defensive planning proved we could overcome even the deepest personal conflicts when the stakes were high enough.

Giana had shown her hand, revealed her capabilities, and demonstrated her reach. But she'd also given us something invaluable, time to prepare and motivation to unite against a common enemy.