LOGIN* Alpha Archer *The roar of the mountain winds returned as the light faded from our sorroundings, and my knees struck solid ground once more. The Hollow where the Alpha King held the trial came back into focus, the mist, the cold, the circle of ancient stones. The Alpha King's horns still echoed soundly through the air, a solemn hymn for those who had survived the Binding Oath.But all I could hear in my ears was Regina's breathing. It was ragged, real, and alive.Her hand trembled as I hold it in mine, still glowing faintly from the mark that now bound us both. Silver and red, our bond sealed not by choice, but by survival from the trial. The spirit's decree still reverberated inside my head.Two wolves with hearts that have only one will.It should have felt like victory. It should have been a triumph. But the truth was, it felt more like surrender.I rose slowly, helping Regina to her feet. The Alphas who stood on the outer rim of the Hollow looked at us with awe, some with suspic
* Regina *When the moment came that the ground vanished beneath our feet, I felt as though I was falling through the sky, through mist, through silence, through every breath I hadn't dared to take. My fingers were still locked around Alpha Archer's, but the world around us was gone. No cold mountain air, no roaring crowd, only light, blinding and silver, swallowing us whole.When it finally turned dim, I found myself standing in a place that didn't feel real, more like a dream. The Hollow of the summit was gone. Instead, we stood on a narrow stretch of land suspended between two abysses, with crimson skies above and an endless void below—the air pulsed with power, thick enough to choke on anyone. Every breath burned my lungs from the inside."Alpha Archer," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Where are we? What is this place?"His gaze swept across the strange realm, jaw tight, eyes glinting like steel. "We are inside the spirit circle," he muttered. "This is where the Binding Oath te
* Alpha Archer *Then we heard the sound of the horns that echoed through the mist, deep, ancient, summoning all who still dared to fight for the favor of the Alpha King. The cry of the mountain wolves echoed with it, a reminder that the next trial had finally begun.Regina's eyes widened when she heard it, her breath visible in the freezing air, trembling like her voice. But I didn't let her go. Not this time when I have her."Come with me, Regina," I said, my tone low but final. It was more of a command.She shook her head, her lips parting, her voice barely holding. "Alpha, I can't. I can't go with you.""I said come with me, Regina! I am not asking."The authority slipped through my words before I could stop it. It wasn't a command born of dominance, but of desperation, I am her Alpha. My voice feels like the kind that claws from your chest when you're about to lose something that has already become part of you.Her gaze met mine, conflicted, terrified, and yet full of that same
* Regina *The coldness of the mountain air bit into my lungs as I continued walking, the mist curling low around my legs like ghosts that didn't want to let me go. I didn't look back, not at the camp, not at the banners fluttering with the crests of Alphas, and certainly not at the tent I had shared with him.Every step away from Alpha Archer felt like tearing a piece of my heart loose. But I can no longer stay and watch him choose another she wolf.I wrapped my cloak tighter, though the fabric did little against the sting in my chest. The whispers of the other warriors followed me as I passed, some pitying, some cruel, most simply curious about me or where am I heading. They all knew that I had spent the night at his tent. Word traveled fast in the summit, faster than the cold winds.They all knew that the Alpha King had summoned Alpha Archer this morning. And I am not sure if they already know what it was for. They all knew what it meant for me to sleep in his tent.As an Alpha who
* Alpha Archer *The thick morning mist clung to my armor as I left the Alpha King's tent, my jaw locked, the words still echoing in my head. Choose a mate Alpha Archer. The command was simple, but it tore through my skin like a sharp blade. The Alpha King had spoken, no unmated Alpha would stand at the summit's end without a mate by his side. It was the law, an old one, born of power and legacy, not of choice.I found Beta Kael near the edge of the camp, already waiting for me, his sharp eyes scanning my expression the moment I approached him. He knew something was wrong. He knew I had just come from the Alpha King's tent."What did the Alpha King say, Alpha?" He asked, his tone careful, though his brow furrowed with concern. He knows I was summoned and now I carry a burden.I exhaled, rubbing the back of my neck to soothe my headache. All the trials we have worked so hard to win will come to nothing."He wants me mated before the summit ends to one of the Alpha daughters. Northern,
* Regina *It was like a dream and my world was still spinning when I woke. The tent smelled faintly of smoke and him, of pine, earth, and heat that clung to my skin. Every muscle in my body ached, tender and sore in ways I'd never known before. The sheets beneath me were tangled and damp with our scent, and the morning air slipped through the flap, cool against my bare back.For a long moment, I just lay there, staring at the faint light filtering through the canvas, trying to make sense of what had happened, of what I had done. My wolf was quiet now, sated, curled deep inside me as if resting after a storm has passed. But my heart, my heart wouldn't still, it beats rapidly inside my chest.I turned slightly, and there he was beside me, Alpha Archer, half-covered in the thin blanket, his breathing deep but uneven, like even in sleep he was fighting something unseen. The marks I left on him were faint, scratches and small bites that my omega instincts couldn't help but make. His skin







