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Chapter One-Hundred and Sixty: The Eastern Ridge

Author: Lyanna Rose
last update publish date: 2026-08-14 20:37:27

The eastern ridge loomed against the pale dawn sky like the spine of some ancient beast, its slopes choked with frost-bitten scrub and loose shale that shifted underfoot with every step.

Damien led the column upward, his breath pluming white in the bitter air, crystal blue eyes scanning the terrain ahead with predatory focus. Behind him, two hundred Shadow Fang warriors climbed in disciplined silence, their movements synchronized by years of training and the unspoken understanding that one wron
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  • Fated to the Shadow Alpha   Chapter Two-Hundred-and-Sixty-Seven: The Silence Below

    The ride back to Shadow Fang territory took Marcus nearly four hours through the deepening snow. His horse laboured through drifts that reached its chest, and twice he had to dismount to break a path forward. The cold gnawed at his exposed skin, but his mind burned with a single thought: someone might be alive beneath that watchpost.He didn't know who. Couldn't know for certain. But the fresh scratches on that trapdoor and the thread of dark wool caught in the gap suggested someone had been there recently.When the pack's outer perimeter finally emerged through the trees, Marcus pushed his horse harder, focused solely on reaching the main house.Damien met him in the courtyard, Natasha at his side. Snowflakes caught in her brown hair, and her green eyes were sharp with concern."What did you find?"Marcus dismounted, his legs nearly buckling from exhaustion. "A hidden chamber. Beneath the floorboards near the hearth at Blackwood Ridge. The trapdoor's damaged. We couldn't open it safe

  • Fated to the Shadow Alpha   Chapter Two-Hundred-and-Sixty-Six: What Lies Below

    The ride to Blackwood Ridge took longer than Marcus expected.Snow had drifted high across the northern paths, forcing his team to dismount and lead their horses through drifts that reached their waists. By the time the watchpost emerged from the grey tree line, Marcus had lost feeling in his fingers and patience in equal measure."Spread out," he told the three warriors behind him. "Circle the structure before we enter. I want fresh tracks, disturbed snow, anything that suggests recent activity."They moved without question. Marcus waited until they returned, shaking their heads."Nothing," Joren reported. "Snow's been falling too long. Any tracks would be buried."Marcus nodded and pushed through the watchpost door.Inside, the cold was different. Still and dry, like a tomb. The hearth sat dark and cold, the ashes they'd found days ago now scattered by wind through gaps in the walls. Dust coated every surface, undisturbed since their last search.Marcus pulled the architectural plan

  • Fated to the Shadow Alpha   Chapter Two-Hundred-and-Sixty-Five: Beneath the Surface

    Reed's hand trembled beneath hers, his breathing still ragged."The door," Natasha said softly. "Can you describe it?"He stared at the wall, his eyes unfocused. "Wood. Dark wood, worn by weather. Iron hinges, three of them. The handle was..." He frowned. "There was a handle. I can see it, but I can't reach the memory.""Was it inside the watchpost? Or outside?""I don't know." His voice cracked. "It's just there. In my head. But when I try to focus on it, something stops me. Like a wall I can't see past."Natasha squeezed his hand gently. "You're doing well. Rest now."She rose and left him staring into nothing, his mug growing cold between his palms. *** Damien and Marcus were waiting in the council chamber when Natasha returned. The fire had been banked low, casting long shadows across the map."Reed recognizes Blackwood Ridge," she said, settling into the chair beside Damien. "He can't explain how. But he described a door, dark wood, iron hinges, three of them. He sees it clearl

  • Fated to the Shadow Alpha   Chapter Two-Hundred-and-Sixty-Four: Whispers in the Frost

    The knife sat on the table between them, its carved handle catching the firelight.Natasha studied the marking, the howling wolf surrounded by crescent moons. The distinctive pattern was recognizable among Kieran's personal belongings."It doesn't make sense," she said. "Blackwood Ridge is nearly fifteen miles from the northeastern patrol route. Even if Kieran fled in disorientation, why would he travel that far north? And in what direction?"Damien stood at the window, his arms crossed as he stared into the darkness. "He wouldn't. Not unless something led him there. Or someone.""You think he was taken?""I think we don't have enough information to think anything." He turned to face her. "But I don't believe in coincidences. Not with everything else that's happened."Natasha reached for the knife, turning it over in her hands. The metal was cold, the blade still sharp. Whatever had happened to Kieran, the knife offered no answers. It had simply been left behind.Like a message."The

  • Fated to the Shadow Alpha   Chapter Two-Hundred-and-Sixty-Three: Beyond the Boundary

    Morning light crept through the heavy curtains, pale and wintry, casting long shadows across the chamber. Natasha woke slowly, her body heavy with the particular exhaustion that came from a fortnight of broken sleep. Beside her, Damien lay on his back, one arm flung across his eyes, his breathing deep and even.She turned her head toward the cradle. Cassian was awake, she could tell by the small sounds of movement, the soft rustle of blankets, the tiny squeak that preceded either contentment or demand. But he wasn't crying. Not yet.The events of the previous night lingered in her mind. That strange stillness, the way Cassian's body had tensed and his unfocused eyes had seemed to fix on something unseen. She had replayed it dozens of times in the dark hours before sleep finally claimed her.She slipped from the bed carefully, moving to the cradle. Cassian lay on his back, his small fists curled near his face, his dark hair sticking up in tufts. His eyes, still that newborn blue, not y

  • Fated to the Shadow Alpha   Chapter Two-Hundred-and-Sixty-Two: The Spaces Between

    The torchlight flickered against the stone walls, casting dancing shadows that seemed to pulse with the rhythm of Natasha's own heartbeat. She stood motionless, her mind turning over Reed's impossible account."We should not jump to conclusions," she said finally, her voice steady despite the chill that had settled in her bones. "His memories are fragmented. He admitted himself that time has no meaning in what he remembers."Damien nodded slowly, though his jaw remained tight."I know. Trauma can distort perception. Exhaustion can create phantom sounds."He paused, dragging a hand through his dark hair."But the timing troubles me. He was certain the cry came after the first breach, before the main attack.""Certainty does not mean accuracy."Natasha moved toward the door, needing to check on Cassian even though she had left him with a trusted attendant barely an hour ago."Reed is confused. His sense of time may be completely unreliable."Damien fell into step beside her, his hand fi

  • Fated to the Shadow Alpha   Chapter One: The Summons

    "You're twenty-two and still unmated."The words followed Natasha across the training grounds like an unwanted shadow.She ignored them.With a sharp twist, she caught her brother's wrist and used his momentum against him. Kael hit the dirt hard enough to shake the ground beneath them.A chorus of w

  • Fated to the Shadow Alpha   Chapter Five: Mate Denied

    Natasha stood frozen for a long moment after Damien’s silhouette disappeared through the velvet curtain. The cold night air clung to her skin, but the heat radiating from her chest—from the bond she refused to name—made her feel feverish. Her wolf, a restless presence she’d always kept tightly leas

  • Fated to the Shadow Alpha   Chapter Four: Moonlit Intervention

    Damien’s wolf had been clawing at his ribs for hours, a relentless, snarling pressure that made every polite smile a lie. The moment he’d walked into the ballroom and caught Natasha’s scent—wildflowers and steel—the beast inside him had lunged against its chains. Mate. The word was a drumbeat in hi

  • Fated to the Shadow Alpha   Chapter Three: The Edge of Control

    The ballroom no longer felt like a celebration.It felt like observation.Natasha moved through it with controlled precision, each step measured, each expression carefully restrained. The emerald gown made her feel exposed in ways armor never had, not because it was revealing, but because it was des

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