* Alpha Archer *As I stood at the battlefield I could smell both ash and blood, of fur still burning and earth overturned by sharp claws of the wolves. My chest heaved as I stood above Alpha Douglas, his body half-shifted, his wolf form broken. His once-proud shoulders sagged, and for the first time since I saw him, I saw no fire in his eyes, only weak desperation."I yield, Alpha Archer please let me live."His voice cracked, rough as gravel dragged across stone. His hands trembled as he pushed himself to his knees, my sharp claws aimed at his throat gleaming with his sweat and blood. "Alpha Archer please spare me. I beg of you."I did not move, only pressed my claws harder until a bead of blood traced his skin. Around us, my warriors stood still, their howls quiet, waiting for my decision.Alpha Douglas swallowed hard, his jaw quivering, pride warring with terror. "My Luna, she is with child. She could give birth any moment now. If you end me here, you end them too. Do not stain
* Regina *We went inside a secret room situated between two shattered stones of the inner ring, the place that Alpha Archer said we could be safe. My mother's hands, were cold against my cheek, her fingers trembling as if she could only hold me steady by using her full strength. The wall smelled of smoke and old blood, the mortar had the sweet, metal tang of a hundred battles that perhaps unfolded in this place in the past. Every footstep that I heard outside was like a bell in my chest."Regina," she breathed my name in her trembling voice. "Breathe. But do not make a sound."I could feel the thud of my heart like a trapped animal inside a cage. My lungs wanted air and my mouth wanted to scream, scream for Alpha Archer to come, for his wolves to rip the South apart, and that we were not theirs to take. But all I could do was to press my forehead to the cold stone and listen to what was happening outside.Something moved in the corridor beyond the ruined gate. Not a wolf, boots, not
* Alpha Archer *I could feel the slight tremble of my land beneath the march of the Southern warriors invading. Even before I saw them crest the ridge, I smelled the scent of their blood, the iron, sweat, and the musk of wolves bred for war, not honor. Alpha Douglas's banner split the horizon like a wound, black and crimson snapping in the wind, his warriors flooding the valley as if they meant to drown the West in numbers alone. But I never felt afraid; I am ready to take them on!I shifted, hot and restless, my big wolf rising just beneath the surface. Around me, the Western pack warriors bristled. The air was alive with growls, claws itching for soil. Yet my command held them steady. Fear fed chaos, discipline starved it. I remembered my years of training since I was young, now is the time to execute."Alpha Archer." Beta Aldin's voice cut through the roar of my pulse. He stood at my side, his eyes sharp, his posture ready to fight. I am grateful that he did not go with my parent
* Regina *The grass under my boots still smelled of trampled dew and smoke from the wolf riders' torches where they'd passed. The world felt stretched thin, like a skin pulled over too much bone. When my mother used to say that fear makes the air taste like iron, I never believed her. Now every breath I took carried that metallic tang, and inside my ribs something small and stubborn clenched against it.Mama's hand shook when she reached for me. Her fingers were cool and callused, the same hands that had scrubbed my skirts and braided my hair for years until the day Luna Diana said we had no right to stay in the Southern pack. She touched the fabric of my sleeve as though she could anchor me back to something steady or perhaps to gain strength for herself."Alpha Archer," she began. She stayed behind me, but the words were meant for him, and for the lean line of warriors, for the land itself. "Please, Alpha Archer. You have given us shelter. You said the West would stand between us
* Alpha Archer *They came at dawn like a bruise spreading across the land of the West, just like a dark line on the horizon the wolves of the South. I watched them from the ridge above the western clearing, cloak pulled tight against the coldness of the weather, and counted breaths until the shape of their column resolved, banners I had seen once before in nightmares, horses with hooves like thunder, warrior wolves moving with the slow, heavy certainty of those who have taken too many things and never been asked to give any back.Alpha Douglas rode at their head, of course. No Luna at his side, he was smart enough not to bring her. No softening shadow to temper the hard angles of his face, I heard she is pregnant and close to giving birth. Alpha Douglas sat like a king on a horse that seemed to carry disdain as easily as it carried weight. The sun cut across him and turned his armor to a smear of light, his eyes were flat, predatory. When his gaze swept the valley and landed where I
* Regina *The moment the whispers reached my ears, the world tilted. Alpha Douglas was coming to the Western pack. Without his Luna, without Luna Diana.My heart clenched, my hands trembling where they gripped the edge of the wooden table in the chamber my mother and I shared. Amanda's face turned pale, the lines of weariness deepening as though the years of servitude to him had caught up in a single breath."He's coming," I whispered, the words sharp, a secret torn free. "Mother, I am sure he's coming here. For us."Her gaze flicked to mine, wide, fearful, then quickly dropped, as though even naming that fear aloud would summon him faster. "Of course he is. He always comes when he feels control slipping from his hands."I shook my head, a bitter laugh escaping before I could stop it. "Control. That's all we ever were to him, weren't we? Chains on his belt. Names in his ledger. Never people."Amanda flinched. I hated myself instantly. She still bore his mark on her soul, even if she