Chapter 52 When The Mountain Opens

SERAPHINA

b“/bbThe /bmountain?” one of the Alphas muttered, frowning at the looming terrain ahead. All of us stood at the base of the jagged ridge, having been brought here by the Alpha instructors for the team trial. No wonder it had taken nearly twelve hours to reach this ce.

Even from the foot of the mountain, the wind was colder–crisper, biting against skin and clothing alike. Around me, the other Alphas looked tense. Some were stiff with anticipation, others crackled with adrenaline. But then there bwas /bthe group I was part of four Alphas who looked like they’d strolled into a pic rather than a btrial /bthat could end our futures.

Finn was casually chewing gum like he was wandering through a garden, entirely unbothered. Asher had his hands tucked in bhis /bpockets, humming a tune that somehow sounded like a haunted luby–only the Goddess knew why. Dante had earphones in his ears, and I couldn’t even begin to understand how he’d smuggled those in when electronics were strictly banned at the Academy. Then there was Ronan–leaning back slightly, exhaling smoke from a cigarette like it was just another Tuesday, not a vition of at least three Academy rules, Cigarettes, alcohol, or the use of any kind of drug was forbidden.

bAnd /bme? I clenched my fists tightly at my sides.

While they looked like they didn’t have ba /bcare in the world, I was brimming with unease–not due to the trial itself, but of the fact that they were my team. If I bwere /balone, I could move freely. I could take risks, shift if I had to. But now? Now everything bwas /btangled band /bplicated.

Alpha Gideon bstrode /bforward, his dark cloak trailing behind him like smoke dancing from fire. His voice boomed across the clearing.

“Everyone, stand in your teams!”

His sharp gaze swept across the crowd and lingered on us–me, Ronan, Dante, Finn, and Asher for a beat longer than the others. I noticed for the first time that there were eleven groups in total. Fifty–five Alphas remained.

The energy in the air shifted, tension pulled taut like à bowstring.

Alpha bGideon’s /bvoice cut through the wind. “As you’ve probably guessed, this is a team trial. But unlike anything before… you will be told nothing about it. No rules. No maps. No briefings. bNothing/b.”

u’ve faced

The murmur of confusion rippled through the groups. I bwasn’t /bimmune to the unease.

He continued, eyes sharp as steel. “Because in the real world, danger doesn’te with a handbook. It doesn’t announce itself. It arrives suddenly, shifts shapely, band /bwrecks every n you thought was solid. Only those who can adapt–together-

make it out.”

He paced slowly in bfront /bof us, bevery /bbstep /bpurposeful.

This trial is about more than just strength. It will btest /byour binstincts/b, byour /bbleadership/b, your trust in one banother/b, Especially when bnothing /bmakes sense.”

Then he stopped, facing us ball /bbagain/b. “This is not an individual bchallenge/b. If one of byou /bfalls, the whole team falls. If one fails, beveryone /bfails. If one of you makes ba /bbmistake/b, your teammates will pay the price

I felt my breath catch. My bpulse /bskipped. This bwasn’t /ba test. It was a trap with bteamwork /bas bthe /bprimary bweapon/b.

Alpha Hugo stepped forward “We’re not here to see how bstrong /byou are alone. We’re here to test how far you’ll go to bkeep /bone another alive. One death bmeans /bbfailure /bfor all”

That was when bAlpha /bJude delivered the bfinal /bblow

The team that returnsst, or returns with a missing or dead member, will be disqualified bfrom /bthe Academyb” /b

Silence fell like a de

It bwasn’t /bjust a challenge anymore. It was a warning Our futures were in each other’s hands.

“Hal” Alpha Jude added, “the team that returns bfirst/b, with all team members alive, will turn the entire leaderboard upside

11:50 AM PP

Chapter 52 When The Mountain Opens

+8 Pearl:

Anniversary Celebration

You havepleted the taskb, /bcongrattions on receiving a prize,e and im it.

meant by flipping the leaderboard, but I wanted it. Whatever it was, I wanted it.

Read

Alpha Gideon raised his arm and pointed toward the bmist/b–veiled wilderness beyond the mountain ridge. Then let the trial begin.”

A chilling bowl echoed somewhere in the distance–bsharp/b, long, and unnatural.

The Alphas exploded into motion, each team surging forward toward the wild unknown.

Except ours.

I nced left. bFinn /bband /bDante.

Then right Asher and Ronan.

Not a single one of them moved. Not a single one even looked at each other. There was no unity here, no bond. Just silent hostility, cold rivalry, and mutual disinterest. This wasn’t ba /bteam.

It was a disaster in the making

bAnd /bI was right in the middle of it.

Steeling myself, I took a deep breach and stepped forward, heading toward the mountain alone. I wouldn’t be thest to move. Not today.

Secondster, I heard footsteps crunching behind me. I turned my head just slightly, and saw all four of them following.

I pressed my lips into a thin line, gaze locked onto the fog ahead as I started running and all four of my teammates matched my pace as we finally entered into the darkness.

This wasn’t bjust /bba /bbtrial/b.

This was going to be the hardest survival test of my life.

Up ahead, bsharp /bmovement caught my eye. But when we reached ahead no group was there, it bwas /bas if they had disappeared. There was bonly /ba torch in a tree.

“There bis /bsomething in that branch,” Finn pointed at the btree/b.

Tucked between the branches of ban /bold pine was a bscroll/b. Dante stepped forward and pulled it free.

As he unrolled itb, /ba pen shimmered into existence beside the parchment, hovering mid–air before falling into his hand.

His voice was beven /bas he bread /baloud:

“Choose the leader of the group within one minute with everyone’s agreement and write their name on this note Or after every minute one of the group members will die.”

What?” bAsher /bfrowned band /bmy eyes widened.

“It does not seem blike /ban empty threat,” Ronan murmured, his eyes going to the shining pen

A strange pressige tightened in the air the moment he bfinished/b. The scroll pulsed faintly with golden lightb, /band the pent shimmered ominously

None of us moved

Silvice stretched between bus /bblike /ba de.

muttered, ncing around. “We don’t even know what the next trial is. How are we supposed to choose a leader for it!” My heart thudded. The tute wasn’t just a prompt, it was a trap. “Choosing the wrong leader could cost us everything.” I bstated /b

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Chapter 52 When The Mountain Opens

lowly. But the worst part?

The clock was ticking.

Still, no one spoke up.

No one volunteered,

But

at no one refused beither/bb. /b

+8 Pearls

“Twenty seconds left.” Dante pointed out as everyone looked at beach /bother. If what the note said was true, one of us was going

todic.

“How about we do it alphabetically? First letter of our names.

Everyone’s gaze went to Finn. It sounded fair and neutralb. /bThen everyone’s gaze shifted to Asher. A came first.

He blinked in realization and then nodded, “Alright, I don’t bhave /ba problem with that.”

Dante passed him the pen, and Asher stepped forward. He quickly scribbled his name across the bscroll /bwith neat precision.

The moment he was bdone/bb, /bthe ground beneath bus /bbshook/b. “What was that?” I murmured as all of us stilled, my wolf waspletely alert in my bmind /bas the next second, the earth beneath us lurched.

b“/bWhat the

The ground tilted violently. My feet slipped out bfrom /bunder me as the tree behind us cracked open with a mechanical groan, like stone bgrinding /bbagainst /bstone.

fell.

My beyes /bsqueezed tightly shut as I felt someone’s touch on my hand almost bas /bif protecting me, before we went down, down, deeper into darkness. I hit the slope hard, rolling uncontrobly, dirt band /broots whipping past me until we crashed against solid ground again with a thud.

I groaned, blinking bat /bthe dim red glow surrounding us.

“What the hell…” Asher muttered beside me, brushing dirt off bhis /barms as he bstood/b.

I staggered to my feet, and froze.. just like others.

The bwalls /bbaround /bus bwere /bstone. Cold, slick, and ancient. Carvings were betched /binto the barchways /boverhead. A thick metallic scent filled the air. And at the center of the underground bchamber/b….

stood a throne bof /bbone band /bblood.

Dante swore blow /bunder his breath. “This bisn’t /ba bcave/b”

“No.” Ronan said grimly. “This is a bvampire /bden.”

I held bmy /bbreath.

The trial had bbegun/b.

And we’d justnded in hell.

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