Tonight was about celebrating life. Was I terrified as shit? Heavens yes, I was. But I wasn’t going to let that stand in the way of my mate and I. Holger, on the other hand, was shivering next to the campfire we had built. He was still grumbling to himself. He still couldn’t believe that this was reality.

“Should we talk to him? He doesn’t look like he’s doing too well,” I said.

Ryan shrugged it off. “He’ll calm down. Chief Holger gets this way sometimes. I love the guy, but he’s full of worry. When the going gets tough, he’ll pull through. You’ll see.”

We were lying inside of our tent, snuggling against the cold air. The valley was dark and desolate, but when we had each other, we had everything.

“I feel excellent,” Ryan says. It’s not exactly an opportune time to say it. A set of dark clouds rolls in overhead.

“Omega, please.” I laughed and slid off my t-shirt. I dug in the bag for the pair of long johns, but Ryan stopped me.

His sly smile revealed his intentions. “Not yet.” He paused and then took off his shirt.

“I’m freezing!” I exclaimed.

“I know,” he whispered. “But hold me under the covers. We can warm each other up.”

I was the big spoon, curled up against him. My hands lay cupped against his perfect, stone abs. “Okay, you’re right. I’m starting to feel a little warmer now.”

My cock was growing against his firm butt. My hips slowly rocked back and forth. “Mmm,” he moaned.

The faint aroma of chocolate and whiskey permeated the air around our tent. I inhaled his scent quietly. His slick, both nutty and creamy, started to make its way into my senses too. The fear and excitement of this new journey had set in. I was horny for my newly-found omega.

“You smell amazing,” I whispered.

“You do too. And your cock is throbbing against my cheeks,” Ryan said, pushing back against me. We both groaned in unison. Our panting grew in volume.

“I want you again. I love how dirty you like it.” I kissed the back of his neck, tenderly. I dragged my teeth across his skin.

He opened his mouth and closed his eyes. He let out a quiet moan. “This time, I want you to make love to me, alpha. Can you do that?”

I kissed him again. I ran my lips down his back. He arched forward, and his ass grazed up and down my shaft. “I think I can handle it,” I said.

“I’m not on the pill anymore, though,” he said. “I forgot to bring them here. I screwed up in that department.”

I hadn’t even thought about it. “I don’t care. You’re my mate. I want to put a baby in you.”

“Fuck, you’re turning me on. Alpha, please keep talking dirty to me. Here, stroke my cock,” he said.

I wrapped my palm around his thick cock. I stroked him slowly first. His skin felt warm and supple. His spongy head was pulsating. I could tell how bad he wanted me.

This relationship is what I always wanted. Ages ago, I had asked Gorbins for a mate. I thought he played me for a fool, but I was wrong. He knew I would find Ryan. He even sacrificed himself so that I could.

“I want to spill my seed into you, deep. I want you to feel every last drop, as I cum into you ever-so-slowly,” I whispered.

“Yes, alpha! Just like that,” he moaned.

“I want to hold your hips in place, while your hole puckers around my cock. I want to feel your every muscle tremble and seize up. I know you won’t be able to take it. You’re already about to cum. I can feel your slick hole searching for me. Do you want me now?”

I had three fingers inside of his dripping goodness. He was so fucking warm to the touch. His tongue pressed against the side of his mouth. I could tell I was hitting the right buttons. “Oh, yes. Please, fuck me. Make me yours. Claim me.”

I could barely take it any longer. I placed my hand against the thick of his back. His slick was begging for me. I opened him up with a slight push. Feeling his warmth overcome me, I let out a sharp bark of pleasure.

I had such a strong desire for my mate. Running my hands up his neck, he grunted and forced his ass back. I was deeply entrenched within him, carried away with emotion. I knew I was attracted to Ryan, but now I knew. I was going to be with him forever. I was going to love my omega. Whatever it took. Right then and there, I had made an oath.

My finger furrowed through his hair. He pushed his neck up and huffed loudly. “Slide it in deep,” he grunted.

My balls tensed up. I could feel myself knot up inside of Ryan. “Oh, shit,” I groaned.

“Yes! Do it. Spill your seed, alpha,” he grunted.

It came faster than I had expected. Wave upon wave of exhilarating pleasure circled within my core. My orgasm turned into something too overwhelming. At that moment, I realized how badly I needed him. Everything flashed before my eyes. We were going to be daddies. This was the start of our family, and that was so fucking beautiful to me.

Feeling my emotions swell inside of my chest, I extended my fangs out. I claimed Ryan as my one true mate, my omega forever. A bright light flashed before my eyes. We both roared. My knot caught inside of him.

“Alpha, yes!” I knew that Ryan could feel every last drop of my warm, delicious cum. His legs pushed down to the ground. Our bodies lowered to the tent floor.

In this beautiful moment, we were infinite. “I… I love you, omega,” I said.

“You mean it?” he asked me.

I felt my knot bulge against his rim. His tongue extended from his mouth. His eyes were glazed over with satisfaction. “I’ve never felt close to anyone in my life,” I admitted. “Normally, I would have run away. But this time, it feels real.”

“It does. I feel like my life has a purpose now that I have you in it,” he said. “I love you, my fated mate. I always will.”

Closing our eyes, we were about to fall asleep. However, ten minutes later, Holger unzipped our tent. “What are you guys doing in here?”

I was just about to drift off. I opened my eyes angrily and stared at him. “We’re sleeping, Holger. You should get some rest too. Tomorrow might be rough.”

“I can’t sleep,” he said.

There was a long pause of silence before Ryan stood up. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. I heard something out there. I swear,” Ryan said.

“There’s no one out there,” Ryan grumbled.

It seemed to be true. Outside was rocky, and desolate. There was no sign of life whatsoever. And, according to Ryan, the ancient texts didn’t seem to say anything about dark critters roaming in the night. Still, I felt terrible for the guy. We were acting so lovey-dovey, but he was forced to be alone.

I unzipped my sleeping back and stood up on my knees. “Do you want me to go out there and check for you?” I asked.

He nodded, faster than ever. “Oh, goddess. Come on,” Ryan muttered. “We need to get some shut-eye.”

“No worries. I died once. I’m not afraid to die again,” I said, remembering the soul-suckers in northern England.

“Uh. You were what?” Ryan was shocked. I hadn’t told him that part of the story yet.

“It’s a long and cautionary tale. I’ll tell you later. It wasn’t fun,” I said, with a grin.

Holger helped me out of the tent. Stumbling onto the rocky earth, I tried to gain some sense of balance. My only problem was that it was pitch black outside.

“What happened to all of the lights?” I asked.

Holger gulped loudly. “See what I mean? Things are changing around here. I have a terrible feeling about this.”

“Ryan, come outside for a second. Bring a lamp,” I said.

The big omega extended his arm out of the tent slowly. Even with the light, I could barely see anything. I whispered, “Maybe we shouldn’t explore right now. Holger, you can sleep with us if you want.”

“I thought you said you weren’t afraid,” Holger quipped back.

Irritated, I grabbed Ryan’s lamp and started walking. “I’m not afraid. I’m just tired. But if you have to keep bugging me about this, I’ll go check the valley out.”

“Alpha, don’t. It’s not worth it,” Ryan argued.

But I was already on my way. Was I scared to death? Heck yes, I was. Every single step I took seemed to echo loudly around me. By the third step, I couldn’t even see the camp anymore. I was utterly alone.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” I thought. “It’s just in his imagination.”

My footsteps continued to reverberate off of the great canyon. Slowly, I kept walking. The sound started to shift around me. Then, I heard a sharp howl.

“Shit,” I whispered. “Okay. It’s fine. It’s a trick. It has to be. The dwarves are the best with creating illusionary defense mechanisms. Ten more steps and I’ll turn back around. Just ten more steps.”

1 step. Okay. This is fine. 2 steps. See? I’m doing great. 3 steps. I knew that howl was imaginary. 4 steps. A small, sliver of light shines in the distance. Maybe I should head toward it. 5 steps.

The light ahead of me grows in size. 6 steps. What is it? Maybe it’s another way out. 7 steps. Perhaps it’s Gorbins!

I stopped walking when I heard the loud howling noise again. It wasn’t the same type of howl a wolf might give. It was much louder, and higher in tone. Scratchy and terrifying, it turned into a loud screech.

“Okay. Fuck this!” I yelled. “Guys! Do you hear that?”

Ryan’s voice boomed behind me somewhere. “Tristan! Get back!” It was tough to pinpoint where it came from. There was no way I was going to find where our camp was again. I was lost in pure darkness.

“Where are you? I can’t see a damn thing!” I screamed.

I was lost. I was hopeless. My emotions turned frantic. Spinning, I lost my balance and accidentally dropped the lamp. It shattered, and the blackness spread around me.

I immediately thought back to when I first saw the black pool of reflective liquid, encased below the wood panels. I felt like I had become consumed in it now. I wondered if this was the master plan of those from the outer realm. They were always playing tricks on us shifters.

“No,” I thought. “It can’t be. The goddesses of our universe would never tear apart someone’s love. Judging by my mate’s scent these past few days, he was more fertile than most shifters were. It was likely that my mate was pregnant. If I die now, our children wouldn’t have a father.”

“You know nothing,” a voice whispered, slithering like a horrible snake into my ears. I felt it writhe against my eardrum. I shivered with intense fear.

“Who are you?” I asked, wielding my blade. It was no use. I knew I was powerless in the darkness.

“I should ask you the same question, mortal. What are you doing in these regions? No shifter is supposed to set foot in these canyons.”

The voice grew louder. I couldn’t take it. It felt like a nail was being driven into my ear. I fell to the earth’s floor, writhing in pain. “Stop! What do you want? No. Don’t answer that question. Shut your mouth for good, demon!”

The pain suddenly stopped. I could breathe again, though tears were running down my cheeks. Ahead of me, I could see the light. This time, it flew right at me.

As soon as the specter hit me, I was lifted up into the air. It took control of my body. My limbs were paralyzed. My eyes were open, but I saw things differently. I could now peer through the darkness. It was clear that I was not myself.

“Demon? Me? You’ve got me all wrong. I am a friend to you.”

“I am not your plaything,” I managed to whisper. “You’ll never be my friend. Your presence feels horrible. Who are you? You must tell me.”

“In the darkness, you can be anyone you want to be. In the darkness, pain is the true glory. When was the last time you looked in the mirror?”

“I have no time for riddles!” I screamed. “Be gone!”

Spine-chilling laughter resonated within me. It grew like a thousand voices.

“Why do you shun your shadow?”

The question was endless. I heard it over and over again. It simply expanded. I quickly realized there was no answer. My shadow. I was talking to… myself. It was a dark part of me, one I had buried.

“What is this place? Why do you have agency over me here?” I asked, starting to become frightened.

“Every action that you take is recorded in the book of epochs. Do you not see? Do you not feel the power of your existence? You have worn many different masks, young fox. Often, you ask who is pulling the strings? Do you really want to know?”

I nodded, but I wasn’t sure if I did. Suddenly, my arms were shackled with heavy chains. My ankles were bound with iron. The pain became immense. I was losing myself.

“Stop. Just stop!” I screamed, helpless.

“Oh, dear. Now you’ve gotten yourself into trouble, little marionette. And to think you were going to be a father to a singular child! A beautiful cub, no doubt. Pity, pity. Sink into the darkness. Become your shadow, and you can meet your shadow master.”

It became impossible to fight. I kept fighting. My mouth was pried open. A snake slithered its head toward me. Its tongue wriggled out. Its body entered my mouth. My throat opened up. The pain was unbearable. I was suffocating. No. I was drowning. The black pool was pushing up my body.

Then, I woke up.