The Last Nightmare

Pain burned across Nate's chest, but he forced himself to move. The moment he staggered to his feet, the Alpha was already shifting its attention to the others.

Kai wiped blood from his mouth and narrowed his eyes. He adjusted his stance, dagger held low, waiting. Calculating.

Darius growled, rolling his shoulders, his grip on his axe tightening. "Damn thing hits like a mountain," he muttered.

Elena was already chanting, her staff pulsing with golden light as she focused on healing Nate's wounds.

The Alpha didn't wait.

With a sudden burst of speed, it lunged—toward her.

Nate's heart stopped.

Elena's eyes widened, but she was mid-spell—she couldn't move in time.

"NO!"

Kai was a blur, intercepting the beast mid-charge. His dagger flashed, aiming for its exposed throat—

But the Alpha twisted, its reflexes beyond anything they had faced. A paw slammed into Kai's side with crushing force.

He barely had time to gasp before he was sent flying, slamming into a jagged rock wall.

He collapsed in a heap.

Nate's blood ran cold.

Kai didn't move.

Elena let out a strangled cry. "Kai!"

Darius roared and charged, fury burning in his eyes. His axe a blur as he swung down with all his strength in a brutal arc.

A direct hit.

Or it should have been.

The Alpha caught the axe.

Its claws wrapped around the weapon's handle mid-swing, stopping it cold. Darius's eyes widened. He tried to wrench it free, but the beast wrenched harder.

Darius stumbled. Off-balance.

That's all the opening the Alpha needed.

A devastating kick.

The force sent Darius flying, his body crashing into the stone floor hard enough to crack it.

Darius let out a strangled grunt, coughing up blood. His body twitched but didn't rise.

One hit.

Just one, and he was down.

One by one, it overpowered them.

It wasn't just a monster.

It was a strategist.

Elena's hands trembled. She started another spell, but her voice cracked—panic setting in.

It was just her and Nate now.

Nate's pulse pounded in his ears. His grip tightened on his katana.

The Alpha turned to him.

Its glowing yellow eyes bore into him—not with rage. Not with hunger.

With certainty.

As if the fight was already over.

As if Nate was nothing.

A memory surfaced.

Fighting alone. Hesitating. Slowing them down.

Darius had tried to cover him. Kai had saved him.

And now—

They were on the ground because of him.

No more.

Nate exhaled, his mind clearing.

If he fought like before, they were dead.

He shifted his stance.

Not alone.

This time, he fought for them.

His katana gleamed under the dim dungeon light. His pulse slowed.

The Alpha moved.

Fast.

Nate moved faster.

He stepped forward, twisting at the last second. The Alpha's claws missed him by a hair's breadth.

He struck.

The katana flashed, carving a deep slash across its flank.

A wound.

The Alpha snarled, but Nate wasn't done.

He kept moving, stepping in and out of range, dodging another swipe by the smallest margin. His blade flowed like water, striking between movements.

Another slash.

Another cut.

Elena gasped, eyes wide. "He's—keeping up."

Nate forced himself to fight, his trusted katana in his grip.

This wasn't just a stronger wolf.

It was a ruler.

"We need to—move—together!" Elena's voice rang out, urgent.

She slammed her staff into the ground. A burst of light expanded from the impact, healing waves washing over them. The gashes across Nate's chest stopped bleeding. Kai's shaking hands steadied. Darius groaned, but the deep bruising faded slightly.

It wasn't much—but it was enough.

Suddenly the Alpha lunged—this time, straight for Elena.

"No..."

Nate moved.

Not just to attack. To intercept.

Instead of going for a reckless strike, he stepped into the Alpha's path—not to kill it, but to force its attention.

His katana lashed out—not deep enough to wound, but enough to redirect.

The Alpha skidded, forced to readjust.

And that split-second delay was all they needed.

Darius was there.

His axe came down like thunder.

A direct hit.

Blood sprayed as the beast stumbled back, its silver fur now marred by a deep wound along its side.

It growled. Not in pain, but in acknowledgment.

Nate felt his breath hitch.

It had underestimated them.

Not anymore.

The battle shifted.

They weren't fighting alone anymore.

Kai moved in tandem with Nate—exploiting the openings he created.

Darius's blows weren't wasted—each swing forced the Alpha's movement into predictable patterns.

Elena's magic wasn't just healing—it was reinforcing.

They were adapting.

And the Alpha knew it.

It stopped lunging blindly.

Instead, it backed away.

It circled them—studying. Learning.

Then—

It howled.

A piercing, commanding cry.

The remaining wolves answered.

They weren't done.

Not yet.

Two wolves leaped at once—one from each side.

Nate didn't panic.

He pivoted, his katana striking the first, deflecting its attack.

Kai struck the second—daggers finding its throat.

Darius swung in the opening—a brutal execution.

Another wolf tried to flank Elena—but she was ready.

A burst of golden energy exploded from her staff—blinding light surging outward.

The beast recoiled—right into Nate's waiting blade.

One by one, the pack fell.

Until only one remained.

The Alpha.

It stood before them, its fur stained red.

Its golden eyes no longer burned with arrogance.

Now, they burned with recognition.

It was no longer hunting.

It was fighting to survive.

Then—

It moved.

Faster than before.

This wasn't strategy anymore. This was desperation.

It struck at Nate first.

He dodged—barely. The force of the attack still grazed him, sending shockwaves up his arm.

Kai went low—aiming for the legs.

The Alpha saw it—jumped—

And that was the mistake.

Because Darius was already mid-swing.

His axe met the Alpha mid-air.

A single, devastating impact.

And that moment was all Nate needed.

He moved.

The katana cut through the air, meeting flesh .

A clean, deep strike along its neck.

Blood dripped onto the cavern floor.

A gasp. A final, shuddering breath.

The Alpha collapsed.

And it didn't get back up.

Silence.

Then—

Darius exhaled. A slow, satisfied breath.

"That," he said, cracking his neck, "was a fight."

Kai wiped blood from his dagger. "Could've gone worse."

Elena was already moving, kneeling beside Nate, her hands glowing as she started tending to his wounds.

He winced. "I'm fine."

"Shut up and let me heal you."

Nate let out a small, breathless laugh. The tension finally broke.

But as he glanced at the fallen Alpha, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

This wasn't just a random dungeon boss.

It was smart. Too smart.

Something had been guiding it.

And deep within the cavern—something else was watching.

Waiting.