NOVEL NEXT Chapter 303 Quick Thinking
As always, Lance made sure to stick close to her, as if trying to remind her of his presence. To the three others, however, it felt no different from a fly buzzing persistently around their mate—annoying and intrusive.
The two Alphas, in particular, had to work hard to hold their tempers. Normally, either one of them would have already exploded, but knowing how pressed for time Addison was and how focused she needed to be on planning their next move, they swallowed their irritation.
Even they were surprised at how much restraint they could show for her sake. In truth, if this had been before, they would have already caused havoc, especially with Lance so openly testing their patience and making his disdain toward them clear while shamelessly clinging where he didn't belong.
Even the most "docile" of them, Levi, was already growing irritated with Lance's persistence in sticking so close to Addison. But like the others, he held himself back. After all, they had tagged along on this mission only to support Addison, not to add to her burdens.
This assignment was originally meant for Addison and Lance alone, their presence was never part of the plan, so the least they could do was be useful rather than troublesome. Still, it was impossible to completely suppress their wolves, who growled and paced restlessly inside them.
In the end, they had no choice but to shift back into human form, hastily pulling on clothes while Addison busied herself discussing matters with the farmer group's section leaders. They forced their wolves to the back of their minds, knowing full well that if Shura and the others surfaced, they would leap at Lance without hesitation, and that would only create the kind of chaos Addison didn't need right now.
Maxwell and Zion clenched their fists tightly, silently reminding themselves over and over to stay calm. But Lance's behavior only stoked their tempers.
And the truth was, the moment Lance drew close to Addison, he had caught Maxwell's musky scent on her. It clung so strongly that no matter how much he tried to ignore it or convince himself otherwise, he couldn't deny what it meant.
That Addison and Maxwell had mated. The intimate scent was so overwhelming, so undeniable, that it left Lance shaken to his core. In truth, it made him restless, unable to feel at ease leaving Addison alone with her mates.
He feared that the moment he did, they would fall into each other's embrace again and give in to the raw instincts of wolves with fated mates. That intrusive, selfish fear consumed him until he could think of nothing else.
He wanted to stay close and keep an eye on Addison, so close that no one else could have her, and so he did.
Lance wasn't blind, nor was he insensitive; he could feel the crushing aura radiating from Zion and Maxwell, hear the low, restrained growls they released whenever he drew too close to Addison.
But he had already thrown caution to the wind. He didn't care if they tore him apart; he knew Addison would never allow her mates to lay a hand on him, and he gambled everything on that.
It was reckless, audacious, even unbecoming of him, yet he couldn't stop. Maybe it was possessiveness, maybe it was already slipping into obsession—but every time he thought of Addison leaving him again, vanishing from his life as she had before, it felt like his gut was being ripped open.
He simply couldn't let her go.
"Princess, if we're truly expediting the harvest, then we'll need every available hand, I mean all of them," one of the section leaders said. Each section group only had a few dozen people, and even if they worked day and night, exhaustion would soon catch up to them.
They were already stretched thin, but with the locust swarm wreaking havoc inside the barrier and the barrier itself threatening to collapse, time was something they could no longer afford to waste.
The only option was to leave just enough pack members to manage the farm animals and recall most of the border patrol to join the harvest. That way, they could gather crops much faster than planned.
If they followed the original schedule, it would still take days to finish, and with their farmland being the largest, that would really take long and they wouldn't have other choice then.
Addison felt a knot of unease tighten in her chest. She hadn't told the pack about the very real possibility that rogues were lurking along the edges of their territory. If she pulled all the border patrol to help with the harvest, they would be leaving themselves dangerously exposed to an attack when they least expected it.
Yet, keeping the patrol in place meant slowing the harvest, and with time already slipping through their fingers, she felt cornered. No matter which choice she made, the risk was heavy.
"Addie, I can take a squad and cover the Northwest border. That stretch is the most vulnerable to rogue attacks, with too many blind spots that are easy to exploit. If I hold that line, you can pull back the rest of the patrol to help with the harvest. What do you think?" Zion offered, his tone steady but resolute.
He had read the tension on Addison's face, understood the weight pressing on her shoulders, and gave her the solution she hadn't dared voice. True to his instincts, the moment the words left his mouth, she felt the knot in her chest ease.
The northwest border was notorious for being the hardest to defend, the very reason more patrols were usually stationed there, and it was also the point that had endured the most rogue incursions.
Yet, if anyone could handle it, it was Zion. His strength and ability made her believe he truly could shoulder that burden, and with renewed confidence, Addison gave him a firm nod.
"Then I'll take the Southeast, Levi can cover the Northeast, and Lance the Southwest. That way, we can pull back most of the border patrol to help with the harvest, while the four of us guard the perimeter," Maxwell said, glancing at Zion after catching on to his plan.
He quickly realized what Zion was doing, splitting their positions so Lance wouldn't have an excuse to hover around Addison. It was a clever move, one that would force their rivalry to a standstill by putting distance between them.
And when Maxwell weighed the risks, the plan made sense. With them covering the borders, rogues would have no chance to sneak through, keeping Addison safe from outside threats.
As for potential trouble from within, the possibility of a mole trying to take advantage of the chaos, Maxwell reasoned they could assign guards from the caravan to stay close to Addison.
That way, not only would she have protection, but they could also keep their own tempers in check, away from each other's sight. It would give Addison the breathing room she needed to focus on the harvest without feeling smothered, granting her peace of mind while they secured the territory.
Maxwell almost felt like patting Zion on the back for his quick thinking. Not only had he come up with a way to keep Lance from taking advantage of the situation, but he also ensured no one could hover around their mate with ulterior motives. After all, they'd have to be completely blind not to see what Lance was trying to do.