Chapter 26 Chapter 26
Leonidas’ POV
The air shifted before they even stepped into view.
I could feel them.
Powerful. Ancient. Dominant.
Every instinct inside my wolf rose sharply to attention as new presences approached the edge of the territory. Wolves from my pack began to shift uneasily around the courtyard, their eyes darting toward the forest line where shadows moved between the trees.
Then the first Alpha stepped out.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark hair tied behind his neck. His eyes glowed faintly amber as he studied the scene before him.
Another Alpha followed behind him.
And then another.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Each one carrying the unmistakable weight of authority that only an Alpha possessed.
My jaw tightened.
'This was no longer a confrontation', I thought.
This was a gathering that was far more dangerous than normal.
Behind me, I could heard Sable’s breathing grow uneven. Her power stirred again. I could feel it like electricity crawling across my skin.
Kael noticed it too.
His sharp gaze flicked toward her, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
"Well", he said slowly, spreading his arms slightly as he turned toward the arriving Alphas. "Looks like the whole kingdom decided to show up".
Asher remained calm as ever, though I saw the subtle tension in his shoulders.
"This wasn’t supposed to happen yet", he murmured.
One of the arriving Alphas stepped forward.
His presence was colder than the rest.
"Leonidas", he said.
I recognized him instantly.
Alpha Marcus of the Iron Ridge Pack.
"What are you doing on my territory?" I asked flatly.
Marcus glanced toward Sable.
And the moment his eyes landed on her—
Everything changed.
His wolf reacted immediately.
I saw it in the slight widening of his eyes.
In the way his shoulders stiffened. In the way the other Alphas suddenly leaned forward, their instincts reacting to something they didn’t fully understand.
The courtyard grew silent.
Then another Alpha spoke.
"What.... is that power?"
No one answered.
Because no one had an answer.
Sable suddenly gasped.
I turned toward her just in time to see her knees buckle.
Her hand flew to her chest.
The energy inside her exploded outward like a shockwave.
Silver light burst from her body.
Wolves around the courtyard stumbled backward as the ground trembled violently beneath our feet.
"What the hell—?" Kael growled.
But before anyone could react—
The light consumed everything.
For a split second, the world vanished.
No courtyard.
No wolves.
No forest.
Just blinding silver.
And then–
Silence.
When the light faded, the first thing I noticed was the ground beneath my feet.
Stone.
Ancient.
Cold.
I looked up slowly.
We were no longer in the pack territory.
The courtyard was gone.
Instead, we stood inside a massive circular ruin carved entirely from white stone. Tall pillars surrounded the area, rising high toward an open sky glowing with an unnatural silver moon.
Strange markings covered the floor beneath us.
Symbols.
Old ones.
Older than any pack territory I had ever seen.
Kael cursed under his breath.
"Where the hell are we?"
Asher’s eyes widened slightly as he looked around.
Recognition flashed across his face.
"No..." he whispered.
My stomach tightened.
"What is this place?"
Asher’s voice dropped.
"The Moon Temple".
A ripple of unease passed through the gathered Alphas.
Marcus frowned.
"That place is a myth".
Asher shook his head slowly.
"No".
He looked toward the center of the temple.
Where Sable now stood.
She hadn’t fallen.
Instead, she stood perfectly still in the middle of the glowing symbols carved into the ground.
Silver light still surrounded her body.
Her eyes were closed and the power radiating from her had become even stronger.
Stronger than before.
Stronger than anything I had ever felt.
Kael stepped forward cautiously.
"She brought us here?"
"I don’t think she did it intentionally", Asher said.
My wolf paced restlessly inside me.
This place...
It felt wrong.
Ancient.
Sacred.
Dangerous.
"This temple", Marcus said slowly, scanning the massive pillars around us. "Is supposed to be where the first Alphas were chosen".
Asher nodded.
"And where the Omega Queen was meant to appear".
The words hung heavily in the air. Every Alpha in the temple turned toward Sable.
As if seeing her for the first time.
Sable suddenly stirred.
Her fingers twitched.
Then her eyes opened but as they opened, they weren’t their usual color.
They glowed silver completely.
Like the moon itself had taken control of her.
"Sable", I said cautiously.
Her head turned slowly toward me. But the expression on her face wasn’t recognition.
It was something else.
Something distant.
Ancient.
Almost..
Otherworldly.
Then she spoke.
But the voice that came from her lips didn’t sound like her own.
"Why have you come?"
The question echoed through the temple walls like a command.
The Alphas stiffened.
Kael frowned.
"Pretty sure we didn’t choose to come here".
Sable’s glowing eyes shifted toward him.
"You were summoned".
Asher inhaled sharply.
"The trial..."
Marcus looked confused.
"What trial?"
Sable slowly raised one hand.
The symbols on the floor suddenly ignited with silver light. The ground trembled again.
Power surged through the temple like a rising storm.
"The trial of dominance",
Sable said calmly.
Every Alpha stiffened.
My wolf growled low in my chest. Trial of dominance.
Ancient pack law.
A challenge between Alphas to determine the strongest.
But that ritual hadn’t been performed in centuries.
Because it only happened under one condition.
When an Omega Queen appeared.
Kael’s eyes darkened.
"So that’s how this is going to be".
Marcus stepped forward.
"You’re saying we fight?"
Sable’s glowing gaze swept across the temple, across every Alpha present.
"Yes".
The word echoed like thunder.
Asher exhaled slowly.
"The temple has awakened".
One of the other Alphas growled.
"This is insane".
But the symbols around the temple continued to burn brighter.
The power surrounding Sable intensified.
And then–
The temple responded.
Stone pillars shifted.
Ancient runes began to glow along the walls.
The moon above brightened unnaturally.
A deep voice suddenly echoed through the temple.
It was neither Sable’s nor any of the Alpha’s.
Instead it was something older.
Something powerful.
"The Queen has awakened".
Every wolf in the temple froze. My heart pounded.
The voice continued.
"The Alphas have gathered".
A deep rumble shook the ground.
"And the trial... begins now".
Suddenly the glowing symbols split apart across the floor.
Creating separate circles around the temple.
Battle rings. Designed for combat.
Kael’s wolf surged forward inside him.
"Well", he muttered.
Marcus cracked his neck slowly.
"So we fight".
Asher’s expression turned serious.
"This isn’t just a fight".
He looked toward Sable.
"This determines who stands beside the Omega Queen".
My blood ran cold.
Because now every Alpha in the temple was staring at her the same way.
With hunger, power, ambition and possession.
Sable stood silently in the center of the temple.
Silver light surrounding her like a crown, completely unaware of the storm she had just unleashed.
My wolf growled.
Because suddenly this wasn’t just about protecting her anymore.
It was about surviving every Alpha in the room.
And then–
Kael stepped forward into one of the glowing circles.
His golden eyes locked onto mine as a slow smile spread across his face.
"Well, Leonidas", he said.
His wolf began to rise beneath his skin.
"Looks like the temple wants to see which one of us deserves her".
The other Alphas stepped into the remaining circles.
The air filled with the sound of shifting bones and rising growls.
And standing in the center of it all–
Sable’s glowing eyes lifted slowly toward the moon above.
As if something far beyond this world was watching.
Judging.
Waiting.
And for the first time since this nightmare began–
I realized the truth.
This wasn’t just a battle.
It was a war for the Omega Queen.
And it had only just begun.