Page 41 of Savage Prince

As I hug Chase goodbye, thanking him again and promising we’ll catch up more on the West Coast, once Zion pack lands are under new leadership, I feel confident. I know lives will likely be lost in the fight and that Hammer might hurt the people I love in an attempt to punish me for rising against him, but at the end of the day, victory will be ours.

I believe that. I truly do.

I believe it right up until the moment everything goes wrong.

NINETEEN

ford

I’m assignedto lead the first wave attack at the front of the school, the one we hope will distract Hammer’s forces so completely that they won’t notice the boats landing on the beach until it’s too late.

Maxim’s fully aware that I have no real-world military experience, but this is more about the psychological effect seeing me at the head of an army will have on my stepfather than anything else. The men I’ll be “leading” already have their orders and have honed their combat skills in fights way more intense than this one.

I feel confident in the plan and grateful that Juliet will be part of the third wave, the force that will only see combat if the first two waves encounter enough resistance to need backup.

She wasn’t happy about being placed on one of the last boats, with Jean-Paul, the Alpha of Montreal, and his infamously capable bodyguards, but Maxim and Jean-Paul both agreed that as the heir to the throne, caution was wise.

If Juliet’s killed, I have a claim to Zion, but it’s not as strong or solid as hers. She’s Hammer’s oldest biological child. Challenging her right to rule will be harder for other heirs or other West Coast Alphas who might be interested in assimilating the Zion pack into their holdings. In the interest of a smooth transition of power and the good of our people, Juliet should be one of the last sent to fight.

And knowing she’ll be watching the sun rise on Lost Moon from a safe distance across the water makes it easier to focus on the job at hand.

I join Hermione at the head of the lines of armed motorcycle riders, artillery vehicles, and two tanks perched on the hill above the school. The tall, muscled blonde with short-cropped hair greets me with an extended hand that I clasp and squeeze. “Ready?” she asks, releasing my palm.

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Nice sword,” she says, observing the blade strapped to my back, the one I borrowed from Jean-Paul’s armory room while I was picking my weapons last night.

“Thanks,” I say. “I have guns for the initial advance, but I thought it would be nice to have something a little more personal for the hand-to-hand fighting inside the walls. Hammer taught me how to fight with a sword when I was a kid. He was always so proud when I destroyed the other boys in the yearly war games. Curious to see if he’s as proud when I use it to put his ass in prison.”

She hums beneath her breath. “So, it’s poetic justice then. Juliet told me you had an artist’s heart.”

My brows lift. “She did?”

“She did,” Hermione confirms. “She also told me to make sure you didn’t try to be a hero. Use the guns as long as the people you’re fighting are using guns, would be my advice. Save the poetry for your victory speech.”

My lips curve in a grim smile. “I hear you. But I’m keeping the sword. If I have the chance to separate Hammer from his head with the combat skills he taught me, I don’t want to let that opportunity pass me by.”

“Understood,” Hermione says. “But try to lean into that calm steadiness at your center as much as you can. A lot of men here would tell you that rage fuels a fight, but the steadier and more peaceful you are, the faster you can react to threats that come your way. Battles like this, where you’re fighting in an enclosed space, tend to be chaotic. Best if you aren’t.”

“Unless we can’t get inside,” I remind her. “Then we might end up laying siege to the campus for months. They have enough food and supplies to keep everyone inside fed and armed for a long time.”

“We’ll get in,” Hermione says. “You trust your spy, right?”

“I do,” I confirm. “As long as he isn’t found out, Trevor will open the back gate fifteen minutes into the fight.”

“And Maxim will be there with the second wave to meet him,” Hermione says, giving my shoulder a squeeze. “We should mount up. The sun will be rising soon.”

As she heads back to check in with the rest of the senior personnel, I move to the front of the force. The black motorcycle I rode down the mountain from the helicopter landing pad earlier sits beside Hermione’s gray chopper. Both are top of the line, outfitted with a monstrous amount of horsepower and bulletproof armor that should offer decent protection from anyone firing on us from above.

There’s still a zone of vulnerability, however, weaknesses a sharpshooter with solid aim could exploit to take us out. And as part of the first wave, we’re automatically in more danger than the others. For at least the first ten or fifteen minutes, Hammer and his men will be focusing all their defensive efforts on us.

It’s going to be the most perilous part of the fight and it makes me want to call Juliet.

I already said goodbye in Montreal, when she boarded one of the ships heading up the river and I jumped onto the massive helicopter carrying the first load of motorcycles and soldiers to the rendezvous spot. But just in case my luck runs out at sunrise, I wish I could tell her I love her one last time.

And tell her that if I die, I approve of her moving on with Chase.

He’s a good guy with loads of money and incredible connections, who clearly still adores her. If I can’t have Juliet, knowing someone who sees how special she is will take care of her in my place, is the next best thing.

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