Retreat Novels & Stories

Never in all years of subbing or being in classes myself did I see such a level of combative encouragement. “I don’t…” Winter gave him such a dead-panned look that I almost snorted out a laugh. Instead, I pushed my glasses up my nose as she snapped back. She wasn’t letting it go though. “You do. Now read the damn sentence.” He threw his hands up and pointed to the board. “Poetae relinquunt Orcum et astra respiciunt.” “And it means?” “It means…” Maverik growled at her. “Poets leave…the underworld…and look again at the stars.”

The putrid stench of death in the room had my stomach and head constantly rolling as if they were stuck in the waves of a rough, turbulent sea. My vision started to clear just as all the aggressive symptoms of the wolfsbane started to ease up, just as I was finally reaching the light at the end of the tunnel. But as my vision focused on the end, it was Reid’s handsome face that came pushing through the glow of the lights in the background. I scrambled away as fast as I could, still in my clouded state but he reached forward and grabbed my arms, holding me as still as possible in my fight for space. The tingles from the mate bond on my arms were starting to soothe every twitch.

##Chapter 27: Cassidy Book One: Stay Meet me downstairs ASAP with your hockey bag. I stare at the phone in my hand before typing out a response. Are you serious? Just do it. Bossy much? The eye roll emoji pops up on the screen. Fine. I'll be down in 5.

“Retreated?” “Yes. All at once.” The Beta motioned toward the forest beyond the windows. “They just… fell back. Like something pulled them away. Like they were done.” His voice dropped. “Like their purpose was completed.” I felt cold. Ice cold. Mama slowly turned toward Lily. Papa followed her gaze. The implication hit all of us at the same time. Their purpose. Her. “One thing is strange,” another warrior added hesitantly. “When they withdrew… they didn’t scatter. They went in one direction. Deep into the woods. Like… returning to something.”

I said slowly, “it didn’t die with them.” Kael’s gaze snapped to mine, sharp with understanding that came faster to him than anyone else. “It retreated.” I nodded. “Yes.” The word settled like a warning, because retreat meant regrouping. It meant this wasn’t random or a single attempt, but part of something larger, something planned, controlled, and watching. The forest no longer felt quiet. It felt like something had stepped back just far enough to stay out of reach, but not out of sight. Kael stood slowly, his expression shifting into something harder and more controlled, the kind of focus that came when uncertainty gave way t

‘But Your Majesty, we have never retreated from—’ ‘That is an order!’ Quinn interrupted, his voice dropping into a no-nonsense tone. ‘Pull everyone back to camp immediately!’ Commander Buntus didn't argue further. He reached for the whistle hanging around his neck and blew three long blasts. "Retreat! Fall back to camp!" he shouted across the field. The warriors began pulling back quickly, forming a defensive line as they retreated into the trees. But the rogues refused to let us go. They pressed forward aggressively, snapping at our heels and trying to cut off our exit.

Interesting. Very interesting. The hours passed quickly. Ideas turned into plans. Plans turned into possibilities. By early afternoon the retreat no longer felt theoretical. It felt real. The kind of real that made people nervous. The kind of real that made people hopeful. Both emotions often arrived together. Eventually Damian closed one of the folders. “There is one thing left.” The room grew quieter. Interesting. Very interesting. “The name.” Adrian looked up. “The retreat needs a name.” Nobody spoke immediately. Because names mattered.

“They retreated because they are regrouping, not because they are repentant,” She stood up, her chair scraping harshly against the stone floor. She walked to the large map on the wall, pointing to the jagged mountain passes. “A retreat is a tactic, Harlen. Not a surrender. If you send a peace treaty now, do you know what they will see?” “They will see a leader willing to heal the land!” Harlen insisted. “No,” Maera hissed, turning back to the table. “They will see a pack that is too tired to finish the job. They will see a King who is afraid of his own shadow. They will see weakness.”

Dead, if such a thing could truly die. That left the one fighting Axel, Brady, and Marcus. "RETREAT PROTOCOL INITIATED," it announced suddenly, its voice cutting through the sounds of combat. "INTELLIGENCE GATHERED. COMBAT DATA ACQUIRED. MISSION OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED. WITHDRAWAL AUTHORIZED." "Like hell you're retreating!" Brady swung his blade at its head with everything he had.

Retreat is not a word Council uses. In Wolf Creek, when Harlan says retreat, his men run. When Council says retreat, it means something else. It means they will come back with more silver, more nets, more collars, more trucks, more law written on paper that says Whites belong to Council.