The warm sunlight hit his face, waking him up. He tried to open his eyes but quickly shut them again. The brightness was too much.
Slowly, he turned to his side and peeked again. What he saw first was grass. Green, soft, and fresh. He sat up, blinking around, confused.
Where in the world was he?
He rubbed his eyes, let out a small yawn, and looked down at himself, then froze. His eyes went wide with panic. He was naked. Completely.
In a flash, he covered his groin with both hands, looking around like someone had caught him stealing.
His mind started racing. Why was he naked? What happened to his clothes? And, where exactly was he?
Then, like a movie reel snapping back into motion, everything came flooding in. He'd shifted into his wolf to escape, someone. Someone dangerous.
More images slammed into his head. The coronation. That man. The alphas who stood with him, betraying everything.
Then one image hit him hard. It was sharp and clear. A girl. She was shot. She claimed to be his mate, and she was killed for it.
He remembered running. Jumping over a trench. Falling into it.
He stood up fast, still shielding himself. Wherever this was, it wasn't home. It didn't even look like his province.
"Great," he muttered, looking around. Maybe it was still part of the kingdom. Maybe not.
He spotted a shrub with broad, leafy branches. With a little frown and a lot of determination, he grabbed some leaves, patched them together, and made a leafy little 'briefs' for himself. Not exactly designer fashion, but hey, desperate times.
Then he started walking, unsure where he was headed, just hoping to find something, anything that made sense.
The field seemed endless, stretching far in every direction. After a while, he began to wonder if he was even going the right way.
Then a thought struck him. The mind-link! He paused and tried to connect to Vanessa, his mate. He reached out through the bond, but, nothing. It was blocked.
His heart sank. Why couldn't he feel her? What was going on?
A cold fear crept in. Did I die? Maybe that fall had killed him. Maybe this was the afterlife, wandering around with leaf-underwear and no GPS.
He 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, he hadn't seen a single house, not even a shack, just grass and the occasional shrub cheering him on like, "Go, naked guy, go!"
Exhausted, and stomach growling in protest, he finally dropped behind a bush and sat down. His whole body ached, but not as much as his heart. He was lost, alone, and terrified.
All he ever wanted was a quiet life. A simple one, with his mate by his side and the children Selene would someday bless them with. He had a steady job at a firm, and his paycheck was enough to handle his 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. He had stepped up, just thinking, Well, it's worth a shot. I do live in the gym, after all.
Then it happened. He held the staff. For thirty long minutes. Not a single tremble. Everyone was shocked, including him.
At first, he thought it was a coincidence. Maybe just gym muscles showing off. But then the sacred moon emblem spun and landed squarely on him.
That was it. Fate had spoken.
He had to resign from his job, pack up his normal life, and move into the royal castle, a place untouched for forty years. He 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 him eventually, so gave him a grand one instead. Honestly, good call, at least the softness of the mattress and sheets smoothened his skin.
Then came the coronation.
The day everything was supposed to change for the better, was the day he died.
And now, here he was. Alone. Surrounded by an ocean of grass. No animals. No insects. No voices. Nothing but silence.
If this is the afterlife, he thought bitterly, it's got a terrible sense of humor.
His heart drifted to Vanessa. His love. She must've heard the news by now. She'd be crying, breaking down somewhere, believing he was gone forever.
And that man, the one who had planned it all, he was probably sitting on the throne now, his head wearing a crown which wasn't his.
His chest tightened. Tears rolled down his face before he even noticed them.
"Nice game, Selene," he muttered with a broken smile. "Really funny."
Eventually, sleep dragged him under.
When he woke again, the sound of owls hooting echoed in the distance.
His eyes flew open.
Owls? So, there were animals. Maybe dead ones. Maybe ghost owls. Who even knew anymore?
He rubbed his face. The world around him was dark, except for a soft, pale glow from the moon overhead.
Wait a minute. Did spirits even sleep? His stomach growled. Loudly. Rudely.
He frowned, holding his belly. "Great. Hungry in the afterlife. Do spirits feed too? What's next? Taxes?"
Wait! His brows shot up as realization hit him. His wolf!
He immediately tried to connect with it, but there was nothing. Panic bubbled inside him as he searched deep within himself for his wolf.
Then, his eyes widened in shock. There he was, his wolf, curled up in a corner, eyes shut, but he could feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing.
Relief flooded through him. He wasn't alone. His wolf was still there.
He quickly stood up, scanning his surroundings. He was starving. The best way to feed was to shift and hunt.
Without hesitation, he let the change take over. His 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, he trotted along, his sharp eyes cutting through the dark. The night was his playground now.
As he ventured further, he realized the distance didn't tire him. In wolf form, there was no ache, no weariness.
Just as he was about to shift back to human form, something caught his eye. 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.
His curiosity sparked, he loped toward it, reaching the block in no time. As he circled it, he realized it wasn't just a block, it stretched endlessly, wrapping around in every direction.
His heart sank. He was trapped, surrounded by strange walls.
Shifting back into human form, he walked along the block, hoping for an exit, but there was nothing. He frowned, narrowing his eyes in thought.
Then, it hit him. Climb. His wolf was strong enough. Maybe he could scale this wall.
But exhaustion crept in, and he sighed. The climb would have to wait till the next morning. He needed rest.
Who knows what's up there? Danger? Or something else?