Chapter79: Bracing for the black faes

KELLY THOMPSON'S POV The grand hall of the royal palace, usually alight with the easy camaraderie of my pack, now thrummed with an ominous intensity. Council members, their faces etched with grim determination, circled around the ancient stone table that had borne witness to countless wars and uneasy truces. "An aerial assault," Gamma Thorne declared, his voice cutting through the murmuring undercurrents like a knife. "We have the advantage in numbers. A swift strike from above could scatter their forces before they consolidate." "Numbers mean nothing if we lose half our warriors in a head-on clash," countered Delta Pierce, his fingers drumming on the granite surface. "We should draw them out, use guerrilla tactics. Hit and run until they're weary and weak." "Both of you speak of war as if it were a game of chess," I interjected, feeling Shelly stir within me, her presence lending me strength. "These are lives you're gambling with-our people's lives." The room fell into a heavy silence