LOGIN* Alpha Archer *That evening I had made up my mind. The decision settled like iron in my chest. I did not summon my guards in the pack. I did not call for my Betas since we had finished talking. I waited until the sky bruised purple and the first stars pricked through the dusk, until the Western Pack relaxed into routine and trust. Then I moved.With my cloak drawn, boots silent, I cut through the lesser corridors carved into the mountain's spine. My wolf pressed close to the surface, urging speed, urging to go faster. Every step away from the heart of the West felt like breathing after being held underwater too long.I was almost at the outer gate of the Western territory when I felt the strong presence of my mother."You always choose the same hour, to leave us."Her voice came from the shadows like moonlight slipping between clouds, soft, calm, and inescapable.I froze on my feet. Slowly, I turned around. Luna Zeina stood beneath the hanging braziers, silver hair braided down her
* Alpha Archer *The messenger came at dusk, when the sun bled low over the western ridge and the camp was settling into its false calm. I had him report to me what was going on in the wild pack. I knew before he spoke.My wolf stirred the moment the runner crossed into my territory, unease crawling under my skin, sharp and restless. The messenger dropped to one knee, fist to his chest, breath still uneven from a hard run."Speak now!” I ordered.His head lifted just enough for his eyes to meet mine. They were apologetic and I don't even want to ask how bad the news is. That alone set my teeth on edge."Alpha," he said carefully, "the elders of the Wild Pack convened this morning. They summoned Alpha Regina. The matter.” He hesitated. "The matter was succession and marriage.”The word struck harder than any blade towards me."Go on.""They are pressuring her to secure an heir. They spoke openly of her bond to you. Of your absence and to choose from the male wolves in their pack."The
* Regina *The summons went out before dawn. Not a howl, howls carried emotion, and I needed discipline, but a runner, silent and fast, carrying my seal to the elders' den. By the time the sun began to burn the mist off the ground, the circle was ready for the meeting.The elders sat first with stones at their backs and cloaks heavy on their shoulders. Graymane at the center. Maeve to his right and Taryn to his left. Others filled the curve their faces carved by years of hunger and survival. Wolves who remembered what it was like to kneel to no one and be hunted by everyone.Elias and Rowan arrived together after me. That alone said more than words ever could.Rowan moved with the ease of a born warrior, broad shoulders relaxed, eyes sharp and assessing the space the way he always did, counting exits, weighing threats, prepared to spill blood if needed. He had stood at my side since the early days, when the Wild Pack was still more scar than structure.Elias followed half a step behin
* Regina *I woke to the cold. Not the sharp kind that bites through bone, but the quiet, aching absence where warmth should have been. My hand rested on the fur beside me out of habit, fingers curling as if they might still find the solid reassurance of a body that had been there only hours ago. Empty. It only means he left, of course he was gone.Alpha Archer never stayed past dawn with me. He never could. The West needed him as their Alpha. His pack required him to see him standing where an Alpha belonged, not vanishing into the Wildlands like a reckless boy following instinct. And I, I needed to learn how to wake without him. Again and Again.I sat up slowly, the fur slipping from my naked shoulders. Pale morning light crept through the gaps of the shelter walls, touching the scars on the floor, the weapons neatly stacked by the entrance, the marks of a life that could never afford softness for long.The bond between us was quieter now. Not severed, never that, but dulled, like a
* Alpha Archer *The days that followed were lonely as I held on and restrained myself. I followed my mother's advice and stayed in the pack but my thoughts were always with Regina.I drove my pack hard, not with cruelty, but with purpose. Dawn drills until their lungs burned in every practice. Night patrols that traced every inch of our borders until even the youngest warriors could walk them blindfolded. I stood among them, not above them. I took blows. Returned them in a sparring with my warriors. I corrected a few mistakes with calm instead of anger. I made them see me again, not the Alpha distracted by a bond tugging him in the far lands, but the wolf who had bled beside them long before Regina ever wore a crown.The unrest eased now that everything is back to normal. Not vanished, but quieted at least. Wolves need consistency more than comfort, and I gave them that.I spoke less of the Wild Pack when they are listening. Never said her name aloud. But the bond did not quiet, I st
* Alpha Archer *The news reached me faster than expected like a blade sliding between my ribs,quiet, precise, and meant to hurt. The Wild Pack had been attacked at dawn. Coordinated and ruthless with large numbers of wolvesAnd Regina still stand together with her trusted warriors. I felt it before the messenger finished speaking. That familiar pull in my chest, sharp and unrelenting, the bond tightening as if to remind me that distance did not mean detachment. That her blood, spilled or not, would always echo in my veins as her mate."You're dismissed," I said before the wolf could stammer out the rest of his report. He bowed quickly in respect and retreated, relief and fear warring on his face.I turned away from the council table, already reaching for my weapons. Armor lay ready along the wall, dark steel, scarred from battles past. My hands moved on instinct. Blade and bracers. Then I grab my cloak. The pack would understand if I have to go quickly.Regina needed me this time I a







