Chapter 20

Chapter

Twenty

T aking a last look at the imposing pyramid in the distance, Colt set his jaw and took his first step forward. The ground shifted beneath his feet, and he stumbled before regaining his balance. This would not be easy, but then again, nothing worth fighting for ever was.

As he picked his way across the treacherous terrain, his mind raced. What trials were Ariana and the others facing? Were they safe? The bond between him and Ariana felt muted here, a faint whisper where it should have been a steady hum. He tried not to let that worry him, focusing instead on the path ahead.

Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet gave way. Colt leapt back, narrowly avoiding plummeting into a chasm that had opened up without warning. His heart pounded in his chest as he peered into the depths. An eerie green mist swirled below, and he could have sworn he heard whispers emanating from it.

“Okay,” he muttered to himself, backing away from the edge. “Watch your step. Got it.”

He skirted around the chasm, every sense on high alert. The shadows at the edges of his vision seemed to grow bolder, taking on more defined shapes. As he watched, one of them solidified into a creature unlike anything he’d ever seen—part wolf, part jackal, with eyes that glowed with an unnatural light.

It snarled, baring teeth that gleamed in the strange, diffused light of this realm. Colt’s wolf surged within him, responding to the threat. He dropped into a fighting stance, his own teeth elongating as he prepared for battle.

The creature lunged faster than Colt had anticipated. He twisted to the side, feeling claws graze his arm as the beast flew past. Pain flared, sharp and immediate, but Colt pushed it aside. He’d dealt with worse.

As he spun to face his attacker, more shadows coalesced into similar beasts. Soon, he found himself surrounded by a pack of these otherworldly predators, each one eyeing him with hungry anticipation.

His mind raced. He was outnumbered, in unfamiliar territory, with no backup. But he was also an alpha, a leader who had faced countless challenges before. This was just another test, another obstacle to overcome. Colt’s gaze narrowed as he assessed his opponents. These creatures, while fearsome, moved with a predictable savagery. He’d faced down rival alphas and rogue wolves before. This was no different.

As the first beast lunged again, Colt was ready. He sidestepped, using the creature’s momentum against it. In one fluid motion, he grabbed its scruff and hurled it into two of its pack-mates. The beasts collided with a yelp, tumbling in a tangle of limbs. But there was no time to celebrate. The others were already closing in, their glowing eyes fixed on him with predatory focus. His wolf surged within him, lending him strength and speed. He let out a roar that was more beast than man, a challenge to these otherworldly creatures.

The fight that followed was brutal and intense. Colt moved with a grace that belied his size, dodging and weaving between snapping jaws and slashing claws. Each time a beast got close, he struck with precision, targeting vulnerable points—throats, eyes, joints. But for every creature he downed, another seemed to materialize from the shadows. Fatigue set in, his movements becoming slower, less precise. A claw caught his side, tearing through his shirt and leaving a trail of fire across his ribs. Colt gritted his teeth against the pain, forcing himself to stay focused.

As he grappled with one of the larger beasts, a memory flashed through his mind—Ariana, her eyes blazing with silver fire as she commanded the elements. She wouldn’t give up, no matter the odds. Neither would he.

Elements! His wolf snarled. Use them!

“What?” Then he realized. Mates usually shared strength. Power. Could he call upon the elements? He had no fucking idea how, but he was running out of options.

His mind raced as he fought off another attack, the beast’s claws raking across his chest. The pain was sharp, but it brought with it a sudden clarity. Despite the chaos around him, he reached deep within, past the adrenaline and fear, past the wolf’s primal instincts, to the core of his being where his connection to Ariana tugged at him.

“Ari,” he whispered, his voice barely audible above the snarls of the beasts. “I need you. I need your strength.” The bond between them was a faint pulse. A mere echo of what it had been before they had entered the Duat. Was she all right? Had the trials taken a toll on their bond?

Fear could not rule him. Not right now.

He tried again.

At first, nothing happened. Frustration bubbled up inside him as he strained, trying to summon even the slightest breeze or spark. The beasts continued to circle, their growls growing louder, more menacing.

“Come on,” he muttered through gritted teeth. A weak gust stirred the surrounding air, hardly strong enough to ruffle his hair. A tiny flame flickered to life in his palm, only to sputter out moments later. Once again, doubt crept in, threatening to sink its claws into him.

He snarled in frustration, but then he saw Ariana in his mind’s eye—her silver-green eyes filled with a vulnerability she rarely showed. “I believe in you,” she had whispered to him once, in a quiet moment between battles. The memory steadied him, pushing back the tide of self-doubt.

Taking a deep breath, he refocused. This time, a stronger gust of wind swirled around him, pushing back the nearest beasts. A flame danced in his palm, small but steady. It wasn’t much, but it was progress. A spark of hope ignited in his chest.

“I can do this,” he declared. “For Ariana. For the pack.”

As the creatures advanced once more, Colt let go of his need for control. He surrendered to the bond, feeling it pulse within him like a second heartbeat. The wind picked up, whipping around him with increasing force. It was wild, unpredictable, but he directed it toward the beasts, sending them stumbling backward.

Then everything abruptly locked into place. The elements responded more readily to his will, growing in strength and precision. The ground trembled beneath his feet, and he instinctively knew how to shape it. Fissures opened in the ground, and screams echoed as several of the shadow creatures were swallowed.

Fire roared to life around him, no longer a timid flame but a raging inferno. With a thought, he sent it surging toward the remaining attackers. The beasts howled in terror. The stink of burnt fur and flesh making him gag.

As the last of the beasts retreated into the shadows, Colt stood panting, his body trembling with exertion and the lingering effects of the elemental power. He could scarcely believe what had just happened. He’d wielded the elements, just like Ariana. The bond between them was stronger than he’d ever imagined.

“Well done, wolf,” Anubis’s voice echoed around him, tinged with what almost sounded like approval. “You begin to understand the true nature of your bond. But do not grow complacent. The greatest challenges still lie ahead.”

Ariana’s heart froze in her chest as the vision before her solidified. There, in the clearing where she had first met the Moonshadow pack, stood Selene. The sentinel’s silver hair whipped around her in an unnatural wind, her eyes glowed with malevolent power. But it was the sight beside her that made Ariana’s breath catch in her throat.

Vilkas, the injured pack member she had come to heal, stood rigid beside Selene. His eyes were blank, pupil-less orbs of inky darkness. Dark tendrils of magic coiled around his limbs like serpents, pulsing with an eerie, sickly light. The knife wound in his side oozed black ichor, spreading veins of corruption across his skin.

“No,” Ariana whispered, her voice breaking. “This can’t be...”

As she watched in horror, Selene’s lips curved into a cruel smile. With a flick of her wrist, she sent Vilkas lunging forward. His movements were jerky, puppet-like, but lightning-fast. Before Ariana could even cry out a warning, Vilkas’ claws raked across Rhett’s chest, leaving deep, bloody gashes. The warrior stumbled back with a roar of pain and shock; his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at his pack mate.

“Vilkas, what are you doing?” Rhett cried out, dodging another swipe. “It’s me! Snap out of it!”

But Vilkas showed no sign of recognition. His blank eyes remained fixed and lifeless as he pressed his attack, driven by Selene’s dark magic.

Ariana’s heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. This couldn’t be happening. She had come here to heal Vilkas, to protect the pack. And now, because of her failure, he had become a weapon turned against his own family.

She watched in horror as Sienna, the healer’s apprentice, rushed forward to help Rhett. “Vilkas, please!” the young woman pleaded, tears streaming down her face. “We’re your friends, your pack! Fight this!”

For a moment, Vilkas hesitated, a flicker of recognition, perhaps, passing across his face. But then Selene’s magic pulsed, the dark tendrils tightening their grip. With a snarl, Vilkas lashed out, his claws catching Sienna across the arm. She cried out in pain, stumbling back as blood welled from the wound.

“No!” Ariana screamed, her voice raw with anguish. She tried to move, to run to their aid, but her body wouldn’t respond. She found herself trapped, compelled to witness this nightmare unfolding before her.

Jaxon, the pack enforcer, leapt into the fray, tackling Vilkas to the ground. “I’m sorry, brother,” he growled, pinning the shifter down. “But I can’t let you hurt anyone else.”

Vilkas thrashed beneath him, his strength enhanced by Selene’s dark magic. With a twist, he broke free of Jaxon’s grip, his teeth sinking into the enforcer’s shoulder. Jaxon howled in pain, but didn’t let go, fiercely trying to subdue his friend.

As Ariana watched the horrific scene unfold, her heart tearing at the sight of pack-mate turned against pack-mate, a deep, resonant voice cut through her anguish.

“Guardian,” Anubis intoned, his jackal-headed form materializing beside her. “You face a choice.”

She tore her gaze away from the carnage before her, meeting the god’s inscrutable gaze. “What… what do you mean?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Anubis gestured toward the violence. “What you see may be real, or it may not. The pack you’ve sworn to protect could be in mortal danger at this very moment. Or this could be another trial, another test of your resolve.”

Ariana’s mind reeled. She looked back at the scene—Vilkas’ blank eyes, Selene’s cruel smile, the blood of friends spilled by one of their own. It felt so real. The anguish and terror cut through her like a knife. But hadn’t everything in this realm felt real? The challenges, the pain, the fear—all of it designed to test her limits.

“If it is real,” Anubis continued, his voice devoid of emotion, “you could leave now. Abandon the trials and return to aid your pack. But in doing so, you would forfeit your chance to claim the knowledge needed to truly protect them.”

Her breath caught in her throat. The thought of leaving, of giving up on the trials, sent a pang of failure through her heart. But how could she continue if the pack was truly in danger? How could she forgive herself if she chose wrong?

“And if it’s not real?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Then you would have abandoned your quest for nothing,” Anubis replied. “Leaving those you love vulnerable to threats that you are not yet equipped to face.”

Torn between duty and destiny, love, and power, Ariana felt as if she were being ripped in two. Her heart raced as she struggled with the impossible choice before her. The cries of the pack echoed in her ears, each pained shout and desperate plea cutting through her like a knife. She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the horrific scene, to find some clarity in the chaos of her emotions.

In that moment of stillness, she reached deep within herself, past the fear and doubt, to the core of who she was. She was a guardian, sworn to protect. But more than that, she was part of this pack now. They were her family, her home.

As she centered herself, Ariana became acutely aware of the bond she shared with Colt. It pulsed within her, faint but steady, a beacon of warmth in the cold uncertainty of this realm. She focused on that connection, letting it ground her.

Her eyes snapped open, her breath catching in her throat as a wave of emotions crashed over her. It wasn’t just her own fear and desperation she felt, but a cacophony of pain, terror, and anguish that seemed to echo from multiple sources. The sensations were so vivid, so raw, they couldn’t possibly be an illusion.

She gasped, her hand flying to her chest as she felt the phantom ache of claws tearing through flesh, the burning panic of pack members fleeing for their lives. These weren’t just vague impressions; she could almost taste the metallic tang of blood in the air, hear the frantic heartbeats of wolves running for safety.

“I… I can feel them,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “The pack. It’s like I’m connected to each of them.”

The realization hit her with the force of a physical blow. This was the bond of an alpha’s mate, the connection to the pack that came with her union with Colt. She felt Dylan’s steady resolve as he tended to the injured. Jaxon’s fierce protectiveness burned like a flame in her chest, while Nova’s swift movements seemed to echo in her own muscles. And beneath it all, pulsing like a steady heartbeat, was Colt. His presence in the bond was strongest of all, a pillar of strength and determination even as he faced his own battles. She had felt him draw on their connection, channeling her elemental powers in a desperate fight of his own. It had ebbed away moments ago, and she had to believe he had won his battle.

She met Anubis’s gaze. “This is real,” she said, her voice steady and filled with resolve. “I can feel every member of the pack, their fear, their pain, their courage. I believe this isn’t a trick or an illusion. My pack is in danger, and I need to help them.”

The connection thrummed through her, cementing her place not just as Colt’s mate, but as a true member of the Moonshadow pack. Whatever trials lay ahead, she knew now that she faced them not just for herself or for Colt, but for the entire pack that had become her family.

Anubis tilted his head, curiosity flickering in his ancient eyes. “You seem certain, Guardian. But are you willing to stake everything on this belief?”

Hesitating, she searched deep in herself. Everything about this felt real. Different from the last trial she had faced. The tang of copper, a scent she was all too familiar with, filled her senses. The bloodshed was real, and she had every faith that her mate would win his way to Anubis and learn how to stop this madness. It would destroy him to learn his entire pack had been slaughtered while he was here in the Duat.

She squared her shoulders, her resolve hardening. “I am. The trials, the power they offer, none of it matters if I can’t protect those I love. Colt, the pack, they need me now. I won’t abandon them, no matter the cost to myself.”

She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come. “I’m going back. I choose the pack.”

As soon as the words left her lips, the world around her began to shift and blur. The last thing she saw was a glimmer of what might have been approval in Anubis’s eyes before everything faded to darkness.