All Chapters of Fated to my Alpha nemesis : Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

210 Chapters

Thoroughly confused

MICHAELA'S POVAt first glance, it resembles a rock.I straighten, staring at the offending object with disdain.A rock that has apparently dedicated its existence to attacking my toes.I narrow my eyes at it and slowly brush aside a layer of leaves with my boot.Something feels slightly off.I crouch downas I examine the small patch of stone visible through the foliage.With both hands, I brush away another layer of dirt and leaves.Then another.And another.I even yank out a few lightly rooted plants in the process.My irritation begins to fade as more of the surface beneath the forest floor becomes visible.The object beneath the dirt isn't rounded like most stones.It isn't jagged either.It's...Straight.Perfectly straight.I crouch lower."That's weird."Reaching down, I sweep away more soil with my hands.A sharp, defined corner emerges.Far too precise to be natural.A strange uneasiness settles in my stomach.I clear away more dirt as the shape continues.It becomes visible

Genuine excitement

MICHAELA'S POVThe stairs remain on my mind long after they disappear from sight.I have questions.Far too many questions.Ancient stone buried beneath the forest and hidden for who knows how long.The more I think about it, the less sense it makes.Eventually, the terrain begins to rise.The incline is gradual at first and then it becomes annoyingly steep. And not long after, downright offensive.I mutter several highly unflattering things about hills under my breath as I climb.By the time I reach the top, my legs are burning, aching and terribly exhausted.Sweat clings to the back of my neck.And for the first time since entering the Wilds, I realize something equally important.I'm tired.Tired enough to know that continuing without a proper sense of direction would be incredibly stupid.The Wilds are dangerous.Walking aimlessly through them is probably an excellent way to die.And I don't plan to die.At least, not today.Not here.Nearly another twenty minutes passes before I

Geography

MICHAELA'S POVMany centuries ago, the territories had been a united nation known as Lyvros. However, as time passed, due to migration, differences in opinion, greed, cruelty, war, and rebellion, the nation divided into several states, provinces, smaller nations, and territories.Some of these separations occurred through wars and rebellions, others through migration, treaties, and civil discussions.Despite the numerous records giving different accounts of how these divisions happened across different eras, centuries, and peoples, one detail remained recurring in practically every record, account, and retelling of Lyvros' dissociation.The Crimson War.A war said to have lasted for years.A war believed by scholars to have diminished both the werewolf and vampire populations, spearheading the approach of vampirekind's extinction in modern day.A war rumored to have been fought between the living and the dead.During the Crimson War, it was recorded that a great number of people fled

Four locations

MICHAELA'S POVAlthough I had already suspected the Wilds had once been something more than trees and vegetation after finding the buried staircase, the confirmation that it had once been a city raised a few questions.How long ago had the city existed?Did the scholars and researchers know about this?Why was the city abandoned?Something told me the last question had a lot to do with the famed monsters and beasts that supposedly resided in these parts, which I was still fortunate enough not to have encountered.Hopefully, I would never become acquainted with them.I didn't linger on those questions, though.Not because I wasn't curious.I was.But curiosity wasn't going to find the Moonshade Root before the trial deadline ran out.Survival first.Ancient mysteries later.After recognizing the map for what it truly was, I immediately spread it beside the incomplete map of the Wilds and began comparing the two.At first, it felt like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missi

I can't explain it

MICHAELA'S POV By the time I head toward the third location, night is already approaching.I contemplate focusing on finding a place to camp instead of continuing my search.The third location is a stream southeast of my current position.According to the ancient map, a watchtower once stood there, with a stream running alongside the structure.I still don't know what to expect when I finally come face-to-face with the ruins.The last few hours have taught me that nothing in this forest is ever what it initially appears to be.The buried staircase had proven that.So had everything else.As I continued my trek, I found myself recognizing more evidence of the civilization that had once existed here.What had initially looked like unusual clusters of stones revealed themselves to be collapsed walls.Uneven ridges became the remnants of roads.Half-swallowed mounds of earth turned out to be the foundations of structures long consumed by the forest.Twenty minutes earlier, I had even stu

Terribly wrong

MICHAELA'S POV I don't like this place, I thought as I looked around repeatedly. The feeling only intensified as I approached the stream. The water flowed quietly beside the ruins. The sight immediately reignited a small spark of hope. A stream. Ancient stone structures. Elevated terrain. Everything matched. This had to be it. Surely. I began searching. The stream bank. The shadows beneath rocks. The bases of trees. Every patch of vegetation that looked even remotely suspicious. At first I moved methodically. Checking one area. Then another. Trying not to get ahead of myself. Trying not to let hope cloud my judgement. Half an hour later, that resolve had completely vanished. I wanted this to be the place. Needed it to be. Every minute that passed without finding anything felt like sand slipping through my fingers. I was circling the far side of the stream when something caught my eye. I froze. Several feet away, beneath a rocky overhang partially concealed b

Jenna Maroney

MICHAELA'S POV I scramble to my feet so fast that I stumble backward, my boots catching on exposed roots and sending me crashing to the forest floor. I scramble up immediately. My heart pounds loudly, a sharp contrast to the forest's constant stillness. Sweat breaks across my forehead, which is ridiculous because just moments ago I had been thinking that nighttime made the forest significantly cooler than it had been during the day. Frantically, I reach for my flashlight where it had fallen during my hurried attempt to get up. I switch it on. Nothing. Shit. Shit. "Shit." Why won't it turn on? I smack the flashlight against my palm repeatedly, unsure what else to do. Only now do I realize I never switched it off when I sat down earlier. The flashlight must have been damaged when it hit the ground. I don't take my eyes off my surroundings as I strike it against my palm again. And again. It flickers. On. Off. On. Off. Then, after several agonizing seconds, the beam s

Grotesque

MICHAELA'S POV I spend a couple more minutes studying the contents of the pack before rising. I don't open the journal again. Not yet. My limbs ache from crouching for so long. I straighten slowly, rolling my shoulders before tossing everything back into the bag. For a moment, I consider leaving it where I found it and continuing toward the shelter I'd picked out. But at the last second, I decide against it. Some of the items might still be useful. They would certainly be of more use to me than they would ever be to the forest floor. The smell reaches me just as I turn to leave. At first, it blends with the scent of damp moss and wet leaves. I frown. Then pause. Something about it feels wrong. I don't even realize my feet have started moving until several seconds later. The odor grows stronger with every step. Beneath the earthy scent of the forest lurks something foul. Something rotten. My pulse begins to quicken. I follow the smell. The further I go,

Sandpaper

MICHAELA'S POV The sounds overlap until it becomes impossible to tell where one ends and the next begins.My pulse slams violently against my ribs. My mouth goes dry. For one terrible second, I simply stand there. Staring into the darkness. Listening. Waiting. The screams continue. Not pausing for a second.Some sound distant. Others sound frighteningly close. One erupts somewhere to my left and I nearly jump out of my skin.A second answers from deeper within the forest. Then a third. And a fourth.The sounds ricochet through the trees like some twisted conversation.I will my body to move but my bones suddenly feel like lead as my gaze moves in every direction trying to comprehend what the hell is happening.When my body finally remembers how to move, the sounds feels like they are closing in on me. Ringing so loudly in my ears that I begin to fear I might be losing my damn mind.Every time I glance back, everything I look around there is still nothing. I see absolutely nothing. T

Last entry

MICHAELA'S POVThe silence feels wrong.I don't know how else to explain it.A few minutes ago, the forest had been filled with those horrible screams. Now there is nothing. Not even lingering echoes.It is as though the forest has simply swallowed the sounds whole.I sit frozen beneath the stone shelter, my flashlight resting beside me. Waiting. Expecting another scream.One minute passes. Then another.Nothing comes.The silence presses against me from every direction.I hate it.My gaze drifts toward the entrance. Darkness stares back. The beam of my flashlight reaches only a short distance beyond the stones before the forest consumes the rest.I tell myself I'm safe. Or at least safer.The thought does very little to comfort me.A shiver runs through me. Not from the cold, but from memory.My stomach twists violently.The corpse flashes through my mind again.The roots.The smell.The face.Goddess.I squeeze my eyes shut.Immediately regret it.The image only becomes clearer.I o

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