"It could be the difference between getting blindsided or not."
The power the Nemeton possessed was something Peter didn't think anyone could truly imagine and though he would do what he could to spare himself whatever calamity the defiled shrine would unleash, he didn't doubt that no one would escape unharmed. Peter, however, refused to let himself be caught unaware. A survivalist by nature, he would exhaust all his options before allowing himself to just accept there was nothing he could do.
Manipulation was too engrained in his repertoire for Peter to ever really give it up, though he was skilled enough with it that even those who knew his tactics never really could tell where he pulled the strings. For the time being, Peter put forward his desire to escape before anything else. His aim to take on an alpha wasn't anything Peter needed to share, especially with Cora or Derek. That was his business alone. His manipulations here would be centered around pulling in whoever could help get him out.
"I've learned those teenagers gave the Nemeton enough power to unleash what read as similar to the ten plagues of Egypt." Peter looked up from the spot on the grass he'd been staring at to fix his eyes on Cora. "It's why I sent your brother after the druids. We need to siphon some of that power."