<h4>Chapter 340: Chapter 340 Aftermath Of The Fight</h4>


    They had all heard the stories, the tales of Zion on the frontlines, the ruthless "Beast Alpha" who could tear through enemies and allies alike once he lost control. Seeing that terrifying reputatione to life before their very eyes left them trembling.


    Many feared that their deaths wouldn’te from the monsters they fought, but from Zion himself, if he failed to distinguish friend from foe.


    But that fear shattered in an instant when Addison rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. To everyone’s astonishment, the raging Alpha who had just been consumed by bloodlust fell still in her embrace, his massive frame going limp as consciousness slipped away.


    In that moment, the battlefield’s chaos fell silent, reced only by the quiet sound of Addison’s trembling breath as she held him close.


    Seeing Zion finally copse, the warriors slowly released the breaths they hadn’t realized they’d been holding. Their knees buckled beneath them, trembling from the aftermath of sheer terror.


    None of them even had the strength to cry, only the heavy, hollow relief of realizing they’d somehow survived.


    After a moment of stunned silence, they forced themselves to move. Those who could still stand staggered toward their fallenrades, checking who was still breathing. The first ogre’s rampage had thrown many of them across the battlefield; while none were dead, "unharmed" was far from the truth.


    Their bodies were battered, bones fractured, and wounds too deep for their wolves’ natural healing to handle. In the end, they needed healing potions just to keep death at bay.


    The warriors carried the severely injured to the sidelines, while those who had managed to heal themselves were propped against nearby trees, given water, and left to rest. Even self-healing had drained their energy, leaving them pale and trembling from exhaustion.


    A few others moved around, gathering food and helping feed their weakenedrades to restore their strength faster.


    Addison didn’t need to worry; the warriors were taking care of each other with quiet efficiency. Instead, she focused on tending to the most critical ones, pulling out several vials of healing potion she’d received from the Royal Alchemist.


    Malveric had been generous enough to supply her with arge stock for emergencies, and now, those potions were proving to be a blessing.


    After distributing the highest-grade healing potions to the warriors still able to move, they immediately prioritized giving them to the severely injured. Those men looked as though they were only a breath away from death; their wolves had already exhausted themselves trying to heal their human counterparts.


    Even if they had survived the initial impact, it was clear that without help, they could still sumb to their wounds and the strain on their bodies.


    Now that Addison had seen to the rest of the warriors, her attention returned to the unconscious man in her arms. Zion’s chest rose and fell shallowly, so faint that fear gripped her heart.


    Was he in a life-and-death state?


    She leaned closer, pressing her ear against his chest, desperate to catch any sign of life. To her relief, beneath his uneven breaths, his heartbeat thundered strong and steady. Addison finally exhaled, the tension easing from her shoulders as her heart, once clenched with dread, began to calm.


    Zion wasn’t dying; he was merely unconscious, his mind likely drained after the fierce battle between himself and whatever darkness he had been fighting within.


    After confirming that Zion was out of danger, Addison called for a few warriors to help her move him to the shade of arge tree. She wanted him to rest somewhere cooler, away from the harsh re of the sun.


    Addison pulled a clean cloth from her magic bag and poured some water onto it, gently wiping the blood from Zion’s face. The blood on his body had already begun to dry and cake, and she thought it must feel ufortable.


    She wanted to clean him up a little, not just for hisfort but also for safety. As a shifter, the heavy scent of blood was grating on her sharp senses, and if she could smell it this strongly, so could other monsters.


    They couldn’t afford to linger here much longer. Sooner orter, scavengers like Bloody Ravens or Bald Vultures, massive monsters farrger than their ordinary counterparts, would be drawn to the scent of death.


    Those monsters fed on corpses and often circled above battlefields, waiting for the fighting to end before swooping down to feast on the fallen. While they weren’t particrly dangerous, other, more vicious monsters wouldn’t be as patient.


    Some might even attack the living just for more fresh meat.


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    Once the injured warriors had been healed by the potions and could finally move again, Addison finished wiping the blood from Zion’s face and body, though she had only managed to clean his face, arms, and chest before quickly averting her eyes.


    Her cheeks burned as she called one of the warriors over to help dress him properly.


    <i>’Addison! What the hell?!’</i> she scolded herself internally. ’<i>How can you even think of something like that right now?’</i>


    She had only meant to tend to his wounds, but the moment her gaze identally dropped lower, heat rushed to her face. Memories of their intimate moments flickered unbidden in her mind, vivid enough to make her heart race and her stomach twist with an unwee warmth.


    Mortified, she turned away at once, forcing herself to take deep breaths and focus. This wasn’t the time or the ce for such thoughts, and she didn’t even know why her mind had wandered there in the first ce.


    <i>’Oh Goddess, I’m terrible,’</i> Addison thought, lightly pping both her cheeks to shake off her wandering thoughts. She stepped back, intending to give Zion some space so the warriors could finish dressing him, and to get a breath of fresh air to clear her mind.


    But just as she turned, a strong hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her arm, holding her in a firm, unrelenting grip. Startled, she looked down to see a slightly blood-stained hand clinging tightly to her. Her gaze followed the arm up to Zion, who was still lying unconscious.


    "Zion?" she murmured, frowning in confusion as she tried to gently pry his hand away. But his grip didn’t loosen in the slightest. It was as if, even in his unconscious state, his body instinctively refused to let her go, like some deep part of him knew she was about to leave and couldn’t bear it.


    Addison let out a long, weary sigh as she watched one of the warriors continue to help dress Zion. She felt a wave of helplessness wash over her and had no choice but to swallow the quiet shame creeping up inside her.


    Pushing those feelings aside, she called over another warrior and gave her instructions in a calm but firm tone.


    "Once everyone can stand on their feet, we need to move out immediately to follow the caravan’s tracks."


    "Understood, Princess," the warrior replied respectfully. After all, Addison wasn’t just their princess; her actions earlier had saved them all. Her bravery, even when she’d rolled across gravel to dodge the ogre’s blows, didn’t seem disgraceful to them in the slightest.