THE ALPHA'S SECRET HEIR

Chapter 3

Luna's POV

The pressure of Rowan's Alpha aura was unlike anything I had ever felt.

The air grew heavy.

The ground beneath our feet trembled.

Even the rogue wolves hesitated.

The scar-faced man narrowed his crimson eyes.

"So... you've finally stopped hiding your true strength."

Rowan remained silent.

His golden eyes never left the man before him.

"I warned you years ago," the stranger continued with a smirk. "No one can protect the heir forever."

"He isn't yours to touch," Rowan replied coldly.

The man's smile disappeared.

"Kill him."

Within seconds, dozens of rogue wolves burst into the cabin from every direction.

Their growls shook the walls.

Before I could react,

Boom!

A wave of Alpha energy exploded from Rowan's body, forcing the wolves backward.

"Run!" he shouted.

The wounded warrior grabbed my wrist.

"This way!"

"But Rowan—"

"There's no time!"

He pulled me through a hidden passage beneath the cabin floor.

The wooden trapdoor slammed shut above us.

The sounds of battle echoed overhead.

Roars.

Explosions.

The clash of steel.

Each sound made my heart pound faster.

"Please..." I whispered.

"Stay alive."

We emerged from the tunnel into the dense forest.

The wounded warrior led me toward two horses hidden among the trees.

"Hurry!"

Just as I climbed onto one of them—

BOOM!

A powerful shockwave blasted through the forest.

The trees bent violently under the force.

I looked back.

A massive golden wolf towered above the battlefield.

Its eyes shone like molten gold beneath the moonlight.

My breath caught.

"Rowan..."

The rogue wolves attacked him from every direction.

Yet with a single swing of his enormous claws, several were thrown through the air.

He fought like an unstoppable force.

But then...

The scar-faced man slowly raised a black crystal into the air.

A sinister energy spread across the battlefield.

Rowan suddenly froze.

His movements became slower.

"What... is that?" I whispered.

The wounded warrior's face turned pale.

"The Shadow Stone..."

"It suppresses Alpha bloodlines."

Before I could process his words—

The scar-faced man lunged forward.

His blade pierced Rowan's shoulder.

Blood splattered across the ground.

"ROWAN!" I screamed.

The scar-faced man laughed.

"Now die... Guardian Alpha."

My heart nearly stopped.

Guardian Alpha?

Who... was Rowan, really?

"No!"

I tried to run back toward Rowan, but the wounded warrior grabbed my arm and held me back.

"Let me go!" I screamed, struggling against his grip. "He needs us!"

"If you go back now, everything Master Rowan sacrificed will be for nothing!"

His words made me freeze.

Tears streamed down my face as I stared at the battlefield in the distance.

Blood.

Howls.

The deafening clash of powers.

Then suddenly—

A powerful rumble shook the entire forest.

A brilliant golden light illuminated the night.

Every rogue wolf turned toward Rowan.

He was still standing.

Blood continued to flow from the wound on his shoulder, yet his posture remained unshaken.

"You think..." Rowan said coldly, "...that a single Shadow Stone is enough to defeat me?"

The scar-faced man's expression turned pale.

"I-Impossible..."

Without flinching, Rowan gripped the sword lodged in his shoulder and slowly pulled it out.

Before everyone's eyes, the wound began to close.

The flesh healed itself as though he had never been injured.

My eyes widened in disbelief.

"He's healing..." I whispered.

"It's more than that," the wounded warrior replied. "Master Rowan is the last Guardian Alpha. The Moon Goddess herself blessed him with extraordinary regenerative power."

I stood there speechless.

Rowan slowly raised his sword.

Its silver blade became engulfed in a dazzling golden light.

"Leave."

His commanding voice echoed across the forest.

"Or..."

"None of you will leave this place alive."

Silence fell over the battlefield.

Then the scar-faced man burst into laughter.

"Kill him!"

Dozens of rogue wolves charged at Rowan at once.

In a single swift motion,

Rowan drove his sword into the ground.

BOOM!

A massive wave of energy erupted across the forest.

The rogue wolves were hurled through the air.

Some crashed unconscious against the trees.

Others never got back up.

Even the scar-faced man staggered backward.

For the first time, fear appeared in his crimson eyes.

"Retreat!" he shouted.

"Move! Now!"

The remaining rogue wolves quickly fled into the darkness of the forest until not one of them remained.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips.

"He... won."

But before I could reach Rowan,

He suddenly dropped to one knee.

Cough!

A mouthful of blood spilled from his lips.

"Master Rowan!" the wounded warrior shouted as he rushed toward him.

I noticed the golden glow in Rowan's eyes slowly fading.

They returned to their original silver color.

He took a slow, heavy breath before looking at me.

"Luna..."

His voice was barely above a whisper.

"They're... stronger than I expected."

I knelt beside him and gently took his hand.

"Why are you doing all of this for me?"

A faint, bittersweet smile appeared on his lips.

"Not... for you."

"For the child you're carrying."

"He is..."

"...our world's last hope."

Before I could ask another question, Rowan's eyes closed.

His body went limp.

He collapsed unconscious into my arms.

Luna's POV

"Rowan!"

I caught him before he could collapse completely.

His breathing was weak.

Blood continued to soak through his clothes.

"Master Rowan!" the wounded warrior exclaimed as he knelt beside us.

"What do we do?"

"We have to get him back to the sanctuary," he replied. "If we stay here, the Shadow Rogues will return with reinforcements."

I looked down at Rowan.

He had risked his life for me...

For my child.

There was no way I was leaving him behind.

"We're taking him with us."

The wounded warrior nodded.

Together, we lifted Rowan onto one of the horses.

I climbed onto the other, my hand instinctively resting on my stomach.

"Hold on, my baby," I whispered.

"We're going to make it."

The two horses raced through the forest beneath the fading moonlight.

Hours passed before the trees finally began to thin.

Ahead of us stood a towering stone gate covered in ancient runes.

As soon as we crossed it, a warm wave of energy washed over my body.

The pain in my arm eased almost instantly.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"The Hidden Sanctuary," the warrior answered.

"It was built centuries ago by the Guardian Alphas."

"No outsider has ever been allowed to enter."

The massive gates slowly opened on their own.

Inside stood an ancient village hidden deep within the mountains.

Children ran through the streets.

Warriors trained with swords.

Elders looked up as we entered.

The moment they saw Rowan unconscious...

Their expressions changed.

"Master Rowan!"

Several healers rushed toward us.

An elderly woman with long silver hair gently placed her hand on Rowan's chest.

Her face grew pale.

"He forced his wolf to absorb the Shadow Stone's curse."

A heavy silence fell over everyone.

"Can you save him?" I asked, unable to hide the fear in my voice.

The elderly healer slowly shook her head.

"I can heal his wounds..."

"But I cannot remove the curse."

My heart sank.

"There must be another way."

The healer looked at me with eyes full of concern.

"There is..."

"But the price is greater than most are willing to pay."

Before I could ask what she meant...

A sharp pain suddenly shot through my stomach.

I gasped.

"My baby..."

A soft golden glow began to radiate from beneath my hands.

Every person in the sanctuary froze.

The elderly healer stared at me in disbelief.

"The child..."

She took a trembling step backward.

"The prophecy..."

"It's awakening."