If the Royal Family were still intact, they would have controlled the fate of unclaimed lands, allocating territory, negotiating with humans and neighboring supernatural races, and keeping disputes from spiraling into war. Their authority once held everything together.

But that order died with them.

Since the Royal Family’s annihilation, the werewolves fractured into independent packs, each answering only to itself. There was no central command, no unified structure, only shifting alliances forged out of necessity. Packs partnered to survive, to guard against rivals, to ensure that if one was threatened, another might stand beside them.

Because without a sovereign to lead the race, ambition filled the vacuum.

Every alpha now sought strength, territory, and influence, each with their own vision of dominance. Expansion no longer required permission; it only demanded power. If a pack could take land and defend it, then it was theirs.

And that was exactly why Nathan and the Black Mountain Pack were rising so quickly through the ranks. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

While others hesitated or struggled to balance risk and control, Nathan moved decisively, claiming ground, consolidating power, and turning opportunity into dominance.

So, given all that, Ashley had planned carefully, down to the smallest detail. She had positioned the hidden passage’s exit near this very area, even though it required a long underground route to reach it. That meant constant maintenance, reinforcing the structure against collapses from earthquakes, storms, or landslides. She had accounted for all of it.

And because of that, the exit remained well-concealed, something she had once taken pride in.

Now, it was the only thing buying her time.

When she finally arrived at the mountain with a cliff, a natural shortcut, she didn’t hesitate.

If she didn’t take the shortcut, she’d have to circle the mountain, a detour that would cost her hours she didn’t have. This path was the fastest way through, even if it meant facing a steep and unforgiving climb.

But because the climb was steep and unforgiving, Ashley had scouted this area long ago, mapping out the easiest route she could find. She hadn’t done it just for herself; she had planned for the future. For her family. For the children she once imagined might have to pass through here one day.

If that ever happened, she didn’t want them struggling the way she was now.

So she had studied every inch of the terrain, choosing a path that balanced safety and speed. Around the lake, the land shifted between dense forest and jagged rock formations, cliffs rising sharply along the edges. It was the same reason humans were drawn to this place, because of the cliff diving spots scattered across the area, making it a quiet attraction.

But Ashley had seen more than that.

She had seen risk.

And because of it, she carved out a route she believed even a child could manage alone —steady, deliberate, and far safer than the rest.

Now, injured and exhausted, she followed the very path she once designed for others, trusting it to carry her through.

Step by step, she climbed.

It wasn’t easy, not with her injured knee dragging her down, but it wasn’t impossible either. She had walked this path before. She just had to do it again, this time, with everything on the line.

Halfway up the steep, jagged mountain, Ashley heard a long, piercing howl echoing through the distance.

Her blood ran cold.

She knew exactly what it meant.

A call for reinforcement.

Her mind moved quickly, piecing it together. The two warriors must have split up after realizing that searching together would only waste time. It was the logical move to cover more ground, then signal one another once one of them found either the passage or her.

And it seemed one of them had.

At first, they must have thought locating the hidden exit would be simple. They had a rough idea of where it should be. But Ashley had designed it better than that. Every obvious spot would’ve led to nothing, and that failure alone would’ve told them the truth.

She had outsmarted them.

Again.

Frustration would have pushed them to adapt. They would’ve checked other possible escape routes, the more conventional ones, but those turned up empty too. And that’s when it would’ve clicked.

Ashley wouldn’t rely on the obvious.

She never did.

So they changed tactics, thinking beyond the predictable, even if they hated admitting she was better at this than they expected.

It took time, but eventually, one of them caught it.

Her scent.

The moment the second warrior did, he bolted, sprinting at full speed as he followed the faint trail until he found her tracks... and the hidden passage’s exit. He didn’t wait for his partner. There was no need.

He chased.

And when he was sure he was closing in, he let out that howl to call the other warrior to converge.

Even as the sound faded, he kept running, his phone briefly discarded on the ground when he howled, then snatched it up again without slowing, ready to record the moment he caught her.

Ashley’s grip tightened against the rock, her breath uneven.

They were getting close.

The moment the howl echoed through the night, Ashley didn’t panic.

She moved faster.

Gritting her teeth, she forced her body upward, climbing with renewed urgency. One hand gripped the rock, the other leaned hard on the stick to steady herself. She didn’t look back. There was no point. She was already halfway up, just a little more, and she’d reach the other side.

The night worked in her favor. The sky was clear, scattered with stars that cast just enough light for her to see the path ahead. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

And beyond this ridge lay her chance.

Unclaimed land.

Werewolves wouldn’t cross it recklessly in their wolf forms, not where humans could see. A massive wolf out in the open would be impossible to hide, and in an age where everything spreads across the internet in seconds, even a single sighting could draw attention. Curiosity would follow. Then an investigation.

And that was something no pack wanted.

If they crossed, they’d have to shift into their human forms, which could slow them down and make them more vulnerable.

That was her window.

Somewhere beyond the mountain, there could even be human campers scattered along the lake. And under the fragile peace between humans and supernatural races, killing humans wasn’t something they could do lightly. Any violation risked drawing the attention of the human peacekeepers, the kind that didn’t negotiate, only judged.

If Ashley could reach that side, she might force the warriors to hesitate.

Might.

It was a gamble. A thin, fragile plan built on uncertainty.

But it was all she had.

So she climbed, faster, harder, throwing everything she had left into reaching the other side before they caught her.

But luck wasn’t on her side.

Misfortune clung to her like a shadow that refused to let go.

Before she could even start her descent, a massive wolf, easily over a meter and a half tall, stepped into her path. Its hulking frame blocked the trail completely. Moments later, the second one appeared, teeth bared, a low snarl rumbling from its chest as raw hatred burned in its eyes.

Behind her, the cliff.

In front of her, death.

There was no way out.

So she made one.

If she couldn’t escape them... then she would make them believe she had fallen to her death.