The warm sunlight hit my face, waking me up. I tried to open my eyes but quickly shut them again. The brightness was too much.
Slowly, I turned to my side and peeked again. What I saw first was grasses. Green, soft, and fresh. I sat up, blinking around, confused.
Where in the world was I?
I rubbed my eyes, let out a small yawn, and looked down at myself, then froze. My eyes went wide with panic. I was naked. Completely.
In a flash, I covered my groin with both hands, looking around like someone had caught me stealing.
My mind started racing. Why was I naked? What happened to ny clothes? And, where exactly was I?
Then, like a movie reel snapping back into motion, everything came flooding in. I'd shifted into my wolf to escape, someone. Someone dangerous.
More images slammed into my head. The coronation. That man. The alphas who stood with him, betraying everything.
Then one image hit me hard. It was sharp and clear. A girl. She was shot. She claimed to be my mate, and she was killed for it.
I remembered running. Jumping over a trench. Falling into it.
I stood up fast, still shielding myself. Wherever this was, it wasn't home. It didn't even look like my province.
"Great," I muttered, looking around. Maybe it was still part of the kingdom. Maybe not.
I spotted a shrub with broad, leafy branches. With a little frown and a lot of determination, I walked over to it, grabbed some leaves, patched them together.
Successfully, I made a leafy little 'briefs' for myself. Not exactly designer fashion, but hey, desperate times.
Then I started walking, unsure where I was headed, just hoping to find something, anything that made sense.
The field seemed endless, stretching far in every direction. After a while, I began to wonder if I was even going the right way.
Then a thought struck me. The mind-link! I paused and tried to connect to Vanessa, my mate. I reached out through the bond, but, nothing. It was blocked.
My heart sank. Why couldn't I feel her? What was going on?
A cold fear crept in. Did I die? Maybe that fall had killed me. Maybe this was the afterlife, wandering around with leaf-underwear and no GPS.
I kept moving, faster now, feet aching but heart even heavier.
Hours passed. The sun was sinking low, painting the sky in orange and purple. Still, I hadn't seen a single house, not even a shack, just grasses and the occasional shrub cheering me on like, "Go, naked guy, go!"
Exhausted, and stomach growling in protest, I finally dropped behind a bush and sat down. My whole body ached, but not as much as my heart. I was lost, alone, and terrified.
All I ever wanted was a quiet life. A simple one, with my mate by my side and the children Selene would someday bless us with.
I had a steady job at a firm, and my paycheck was enough to handle my needs and help others too. Life wasn't perfect, but it was peaceful.
Then the moon had to shine, literally, on the royal castle, that one cursed night. That's when everything fell apart.
It was tradition. Every male born of alpha or beta blood, once their wolf had fully awakened, was summoned to the arena of Baddus. A mysterious selection took place there, the process to choose the next Grand Alpha.
It was meant for alpha werewolves, the rightful leaders. Betas were only included because a Grand Alpha needed a strong beta beside him. Just support staff, really. No one expected a beta to rise.
Then came the trial: each alpha had to hold the Baddus staff for thirty minutes without flinching. It was brutal. The staff tested more than strength. It tested willpower, endurance, the soul itself.
One by one, the alphas failed. Muscles shook, knees buckled, pride crumbled. No one could do it.
So they let the betas try. I had stepped up, just thinking, Well, it's worth a shot. I do live in the gym, after all.
Then it happened. I held the staff. For thirty long minutes. Not a single tremble. Everyone was shocked, including myself.
At first, I thought it was a coincidence. Maybe just gym muscles showing off. But then the sacred moon emblem spun and landed squarely on me.
That was it. Fate had spoken.
I had to resign from my job, pack up my normal life, and move into the ancient royal castle, a place untouched for 500 years.
I traded peace and routine for endless council meetings, political tension, and a bed that squeaked like it hadn't been used since the dark ages.
They felt sorry for me eventually, so gave me a grand one instead. Honestly, good call, at least the softness of the mattress and sheets smoothened my skin.
Then came the coronation.
The day everything was supposed to change for the better, was the day I died.
And now, here I was. Alone. Surrounded by an ocean of grasses. No animals. No insects. No voices. Nothing but silence.
If this is the afterlife, I thought bitterly, it's got a terrible sense of humor.
My heart drifted to Vanessa. My love. She must've heard the news by now. She'd be crying, breaking down somewhere, believing I was gone forever.
And that man. Ephraim. The one who had planned it all, he was probably sitting on the throne now, his head wearing a crown which wasn't his.
My chest tightened. Tears rolled down my face before I even noticed them.
"Nice game, Selene," I muttered with a broken smile. "Really funny."
Eventually, sleep dragged me under.
When I woke again, the sound of owls hooting echoed in the distance.
My eyes flew open.
Owls? So, there were animals. Maybe dead ones. Maybe ghost owls. Who even knew anymore?
I rubbed his face. The world around me was dark, except for a soft, pale glow from the moon overhead.
Wait a minute. Did spirits even sleep? Why did I sleep? My stomach growled. Loudly. Rudely.
I frowned, holding my belly. "Great. Hungry in the afterlife. Do spirits feed too? What's next? Taxes?"
Wait! My brows shot up as realization hit me. My wolf!
I immediately tried to connect with it, but there was nothing. Panic bubbled inside me as I searched deep within myself for my wolf.
Then, my eyes widened in shock. There he was, my wolf, curled up in a corner, eyes shut, but I could feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing.
Relief flooded through me. I wasn't alone. My wolf was still there.
I quickly stood up, scanning my surroundings. I was starving. The best way to feed was to shift and hunt.
Without hesitation, I let the change take over. My wolf emerged, as powerful and swift as ever.
He raced into the night, the hunt taking over his senses. Soon, he caught a deer, tore into it with hunger, and ate until he was satisfied.
With the deer now forgotten, my wolf trotted along, his sharp eyes cutting through the dark. The night was our playground now.
As I ventured further in my wolf form, I realized the distance didn't tire me. In wolf form, there was no ache, no weariness.
Just as I was about to shift back to human form, something caught my eyes.
Far in the distance, a massive block of land rose up, towering, reaching the sky itself. It was so tall it seemed to touch the heavens.
My curiosity sparked, my wolf loped toward it, reaching the block in no time. As he circled it, I realized it wasn't just a block, it stretched endlessly, wrapping around in every direction.
My heart sank. I was trapped, surrounded by strange walls.
Shifting back into human form, I walked along the block, hoping for an exit, but there was nothing. I frowned, narrowing his eyes in thought.
Then, it hit me. Climb. My wolf was strong enough. Maybe he could scale this wall.
But exhaustion crept in, and I sighed. The climb would have to wait till the next morning. I needed rest.
Who knows what's up there? Danger? Or something else?