Few hours ago The path Alex chose was bathed in the faint silver light of the crescent moon. His steps were purposeful, his expression grim as he strode further from his pack's territory. The wind carried the faint scent of damp earth and pine, but something heavier lingered in the air—a tension he couldn't quite place.Dorothy. She was his goal. The old woman who had been nothing but a shadow in his memories, a presence he had tried to push aside but couldn't ignore. Luna's voice had made it clear: Dorothy was significant. And so, when Alex set out, he decided to ask his source and they pointed out she was still in the town where they had first crossed paths. A small town nestled in the dessert , far from his pack's southern borders. He has to be quiet so her decided to change into wolf and run there . It will take just few hours this way.It was a quiet trek, his sharp senses on high alert. The woods stretched endlessly, each creak of a branch and rustle of leaves sounding amplified in the stillness of the night. He moved with the precision of a predator, his muscles coiled and ready, but his mind... it was elsewhere. On Luna. On the way she had looked at him with anger when he locked her in the cell . On the way it vanished into something sad when he looked at her last time before walking away. He couldn't point out but it was bothering him.He shook his head, focusing. She was a distraction he couldn't afford right now.The first attack came suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts. A blur of motion to his left, followed by a low growl. He sidestepped just in time as a rogue wolf lunged for his throat, teeth snapping viciously. Alex moved with lethal precision, his claws extending as he turned, raking them across the rogue's chest. The wolf yelped and fell, but two more emerged from the shadows. Their eyes were wild, their movements uncoordinated but feral. They were strong enough to be Alphas . Alex let out a low growl of his own, his Alphaking aura rippling through the air. It was enough to make one hesitate, but not for long. The second rogue charged, its claws swiping at Alex's side. He dodged and retaliated, his fist connecting with the wolf's muzzle in a sickening crunch. They were Alphas from the pack who went rogues and missing from the last few months. His people had been looking for them but couldn't find them. Alex's eyes blazed in anger as he realised what the perpertrator has done to his kind. The third rogue Alpha was more cunning, circling around him and waiting for an opening. Alex felt the strain of keeping all three in his line of sight, but he didn't falter. He was an Alphaking —the strongest of his kind. He had faced far worse.Within moments, the second rogue Alpha lay crumpled at his feet, its body motionless. The third let out a guttural snarl before launching itself at Alex with reckless abandon. But Alex was faster. He sidestepped, his claws raking through the rogue's side, spilling its lifeblood onto the forest floor. It collapsed with a whimper, leaving only silence in its wake.Alex's breaths came heavy but steady as he surveyed the carnage. His sharp eyes scanned the shadows, waiting for any sign of another attacker. But none came.And then, he saw it.A figure emerged from the darkness, cloaked in an unnatural shadow that seemed to cling to him like a second skin. Quintus. His very presence seemed to leech the warmth from the air, replacing it with an oppressive chill that settled deep into Alex's bones. But he wasn't alone.Beside him, a frail-looking old woman shuffled forward, her gnarled hands clutching a twisted staff. Dorothy. Alex recognized her instantly. The memory of her from the town flashed in his mind, but the kindness he'd once thought he saw in her was now replaced by something sinister. Her eyes glinted like shards of black ice, cold and malevolent.Quintus's smirk widened as he took in the sight of Alex standing tall amidst the carnage. "Well, well," he drawled, his voice a silken mockery. "The mighty Alpha King, all alone in the woods. How poetic."Alex's claws extended further, his muscles coiled and ready. He regarded them with a mixture of wariness and defiance. "What do you want?" he demanded, his voice a low growl that carried the weight of authority."Want?" Quintus echoed with a chuckle. "Oh, I've already got what I want. You. I just thought it'd be fun to reminisce. Tell me, Alex, how did it feel to fail? To watch as Davina slipped through your fingers? To lose your once mate to a mere demon because you weren't strong enough?"Alex's jaw tightened, his golden eyes narrowing. "You think you can provoke me with your lies?" he said coldly. "Davina's fate was never yours to control."Quintus's grin widened, malice flickering in his gaze. "How do you know it wasn't me behind all that?" he asked, his tone dripping with mock innocence. "And you failed. But it's okay. I'll help you the second time... with Luna. Imagine this: your claws ripping her heart out while her lifeless body bleeds on the floor. Doesn't that sound fun?"The taunt struck a nerve, and Alex's patience snapped. With a feral roar, he lunged forward, his claws aiming for Quintus's throat. But before he could reach him, Alex's body froze mid-step. His limbs locked in place, as if bound by invisible chains."What—" he choked, his golden eyes widening as he fought against the force holding him.Dorothy's lips moved in a venomous whisper, the ancient incantation spilling from her mouth with a cadence that resonated with dark power. Her voice rasped like dry leaves, the words incomprehensible yet laced with malevolence."You should have stayed in your pack," she hissed, her voice cold and merciless. "But now, you've delivered yourself to us."Quintus stepped closer, his smirk unshaken. "Strong, resilient," he mused, circling Alex like a predator savoring its prey. "But still so predictable. Tell me, Alex, how does it feel to lose control? To know that your strength means nothing against us?"Alex growled, his teeth bared as he strained against the force holding him. "I'm not done yet," he spat, his voice filled with raw defiance.He drew upon every ounce of his Alpha strength, his muscles bulging as he fought to break free. The forest seemed to respond to his determination, the wind picking up and the ground trembling beneath his feet. His golden eyes burned with an unyielding fire, and for a moment, the spell faltered. He took a single, defiant step forward, his claws reaching for Quintus.But Dorothy's chanting intensified, her voice rising to a fever pitch. The dark energy swirling around them grew denser, coiling like a serpent and striking with unrelenting force. Alex's body convulsed as the energy wrapped around him, tightening its grip."Stay down," Dorothy hissed, her tone filled with venom."Never," Alex growled through gritted teeth, his voice trembling but resolute. He fought harder, his mind a storm of rage and determination. He would not be taken. Not like this. Not without a fight.Quintus watched with a glimmer of admiration in his dark eyes. "Impressive," he admitted, his tone almost begrudging. "But futile. You're strong, Alex. Stronger than most. But you're still mortal. And against us? Mortality is your greatest weakness."Alex roared, his defiance echoing through the forest. He pushed harder, his claws scraping against the invisible bonds. The energy around him crackled, and for a moment, it seemed like he might break free. But then Dorothy's voice shifted, her words taking on a harsher, more guttural tone. The spell tightened, crushing Alex's resistance like a vice.Pain exploded through his body, raw and unrelenting. It felt as though his very soul was being ripped apart, torn from its foundation. Alex's screams filled the air, a sound of pure agony that made even the shadows shudder. But still, he fought. His will refused to break, his soul clinging desperately to his body.Dorothy's eyes narrowed, frustration flickering across her features. "Enough," she snapped, her voice echoing with unnatural authority. She raised her staff, dark energy pouring from its tip and striking Alex with unrelenting force.Alex growled, his voice a low rumble that seemed to shake the ground beneath him. Quintus and Dorothy had underestimated him, and now they were paying the price. Every fiber of his being surged with fury and strength as he fought back against the dark energy attempting to overtake him. He had broken Dorothy's initial binds, his sheer will overpowering her incantation. His claws slashed through the air, narrowly missing Quintus's smug face as the man sidestepped with a cocky grin."You should've just stayed down," Quintus sneered, but Alex was beyond words, beyond reasoning. His feral instincts took over, the Alpha King fighting like a force of nature. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he lunged again, this time sending Quintus skidding backward into a tree.Dorothy snarled in frustration, her dark eyes blazing with fury. She raised her hands, her lips moving faster than Alex could follow, but it didn't matter. He was on her before she could finish, claws aimed straight for her throat.But just as his strike was about to land, Dorothy unleashed a piercing scream, the sound splitting the air like a thunderclap. Alex faltered for only a fraction of a second, but it was enough. Dorothy staggered back, panting as she glared at him."You think you can win?" she hissed, her voice trembling with rage. "You may be strong, but even the mighty Alpha King has his limits."Alex straightened, his chest heaving as he glared at her. "I'll die before I let you take me," he growled."Ah, that's the problem," Dorothy said, a sinister smile curling her lips. "You will die - your soul will perish. I just need you to live just a while longer as your lifeless body is no use to me."And then she raised her arms, her voice cutting through the night like a blade. It was an incantation unlike any Alex had heard before, ancient and primal, dripping with malice.The earth seemed to shift beneath him, and Alex's sharp senses picked up on something—movement. From every direction, shadows emerged, their glowing eyes reflecting the moonlight. Rogue wolves. Hundreds of them. No, thousands. They poured out of the forest, surrounding the clearing in a suffocating wave of fur and claws.Alex's stomach dropped. His kind. Wolves, some of them barely more than pups, their bodies gaunt and broken from months of starvation and servitude under Dorothy's control. Their eyes held no light, only the hollow void of puppets under a spell.Dorothy smirked, her voice rising as the wolves formed a solid, impenetrable circle around them. "Do you see, Alpha King? This is my power. Every wolf here belongs to me. Their lives, their strength, their souls—they are mine to command."Alex's eyes widened in horror as the rogue wolves whimpered, their bodies trembling as Dorothy channeled her dark energy. A black mist swirled around her, growing thicker with every passing second. Then, with a flick of her hand, the mist shot out like tendrils, piercing through the wolves one by one."No!" Alex roared, his voice shaking with rage. He charged forward, but the mist reached them first.The wolves dropped to the ground, their howls turning into anguished cries as Dorothy drained their wolf power. Their fur dulled, their bodies shrinking as they were reduced to shells of their former selves. The air filled with their pitiful whimpers, a sound that cut through Alex like a blade."Stop!" Alex bellowed, his voice cracking with desperation. "They're innocent! Leave them out of this!"Dorothy only laughed, her face twisted with dark glee. "Innocent? The human burned by their ancestors were innocent too" she spat. "They're anything but innocents. And now they pay for their ancestor's sins . Like you all will do."Alex froze, his claws digging into the dirt as he watched the wolves collapse, one after another. His heart pounded, the weight of their suffering pressing down on him like a vice. He had fought tooth and nail to protect his pack, his kind. And now, because of him, these wolves were being slaughtered."Do you see now?" Quintus taunted, his voice dripping with mockery. "This is what happens when you try to stand against us. You lose everything."Alex's body trembled with rage, but his resolve wavered. He could keep fighting—he would—but at what cost? Dorothy would not stop. She would drain every last wolf here, leaving them to die in agony, just to break him.His vision blurred, the sight of the fallen wolves burning into his mind. He clenched his fists, his claws retracting as his shoulders sagged. His chest heaved with ragged breaths, and for the first time in his life, Alex felt truly powerless.Dorothy's chanting grew louder, the dark mist now coiling toward him like a serpent. Alex fell to his knees, his head bowing as tears stung his eyes."I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the howling wind of Dorothy's spell. "I'm sorry, Luna... I can't protect you anymore."The words broke from him like a dam, each one laced with a pain so profound it left him trembling. He closed his eyes, his mind filled with the image of her face—her strength, her defiance, her unyielding spirit. She deserved someone stronger. Someone who could fight until the bitter end.But he couldn't. Not like this.As the mist engulfed him, Alex's body convulsed. His screams echoed through the forest, a haunting sound that carried the weight of his defeat. He fought against the darkness, his soul resisting with every ounce of strength he had left. But it wasn't enough.Dorothy's spell tightened around him, locking him in place as the dark energy poured into his body. Alex's eyes glowed briefly with his Alpha power, a final spark of defiance before it was snuffed out.When his body hit the ground, the forest fell silent.For a moment, there was nothing but the faint rustling of leaves and the distant sound of wolves retreating into the shadows. Then, slowly, Alex's eyes opened.But they were not his.Quintus sat up, a wicked smile spreading across his face as he flexed his fingers. "Well, that was exhilarating," he said, his voice smooth and dripping with malice. He glanced at Dorothy, who stood over him with a triumphant smirk."The spell is unbreakable," she said, her voice filled with dark satisfaction. "His soul is locked away, and yours now reigns."Quintus chuckled, standing and stretching as if testing his new body. "And what a body it is," he said, his tone laced with dark amusement. He turned his gaze toward the horizon, his lips curling into a sinister grin. "Now, let's go pay our dear Elynn a visit. I can't wait to see the look on her face."He walked away, his movements fluid yet disturbingly foreign, with Dorothy following close behind.The forest, once filled with the echoes of Alex's defiance, was now eerily silent. Only the faint trace of his whispered apology lingered in the air, a haunting reminder of the Alpha King who had fought until the very end.