The dome rose like a hollowed mountain, walls carved from smooth stone and crowned by a perfect circle cut into its peak. Moonlight spilled through that aperture in a silver beam, washing the floor's center while shadows pooled at the edges. It was their secret chamber — reserved for Alpha work, for things too dangerous for others to see, or maybe Alphas held on to secrets far too tightly. .
Amber stepped into the circle first, her chest tight, her heart pulsing to a rhythm not entirely her own. She prepared herself, her mind as well as her body, for the inner war she knew they were about to wage. Her battle suit seemed to fit just fine bit too snug today but she ignored the discrepancy and focused her thoughts. She was ready for the push and pull she anticipated to begin.
The bond between her and Stefan was a thread both of them tugged against, sometimes pulling closer, sometimes blocking, but never revealing too much. Tonight it hummed like a taut wire ready to snap.
Stefan joined her, tall and commanding, eyes sharp as blades even in the dim light. He dropped his outer tunic, leaving only close-fitted training garb. His movements were too precise — the manner of a man who refused to lose control. He looked to Amber with a smile and a glint in his eye. It was playful even as his heart tightened and resolve hardened.
Amber squared her shoulders. "We're here to learn. No hiding."
Stefan tilted his head, wolf glint in his gaze. "Then fight me as an Alpha. Not as a lover. Not as a bondmate. An Alpha."
The words struck deeper than she expected. She set her jaw. "How else would I fight you. Never underestimate me. I have already proven that I am your equal."
He nodded. She was right, not only after the tournament but also when they created the soul bond she proved herself his equal.
---
They moved in an instant and at the exact same moment. Their bodies blurred in and out of shadow, each strike echoing with claws half-extended, each dodge a test of instinct. Sparks of psychic resonance shimmered faintly when their wolves brushed through the bond — quick flashes of thought, scent, and heat.
Amber tried to anticipate him through that link, but Stefan walled himself off, blocking her senses. She staggered under a sweeping kick. Her wolf growled inside.
He thinks you weak. Stop focusing on the link and fight. Show him you are not weak. Show him the warriors that we are!
Amber feinted, ducked, and surged forward with a palm strike charged with raw Alpha will. Stefan caught her wrist, twisted, even as he was pushed back.
They looked into each other's eyes, fierce determination in both sets of eyes.
"You hesitate," he hissed, claws brushing her cheek. "Did I mate an Alpha… or a lame pup?"
His words cut, sharper than the claws. Anger flared. The bond sparked — fire in her veins. She shoved him back with a surge of force, their wolves slamming against each other, teeth bared in spirit as much as flesh.
---
They shifted subtly into the ancient maneuvers that were only known to Stefan before. He had been instructing the Star Fire and Luna Azul Packs in preparation for the war with the vampires and Amber wanted to know them as soon as she saw them.
He lunged with a crushing claw strike meant to shatter defenses.
The Fangbreaker.
She had seen his shoulders coil tightly and that odd tell in his hips but she moved half a second too late and had chosen to redirect the blow. He was surprised she was standing after. Her teeth were bared and all of her muscles were taut.
Amber countered with stealth, slipping into shadow as the moonbeam thinned when clouds passed above.
The Shadeveil technique.
Her wolf cloaked her presence even more. she reappeared behind him with a kick that sent him stumbling forward. She reappeared with a roundhouse kick fully in motion and he bent a knee as he took the full hit on his right shoulder. He grunted as he bared his teeth and strained not to go down further.
Moondrinker: Before he was even fully recovered his eyes and chest began to glow. Sefan threw back his head and let out a focused howl.
The Moondrinker.
The sound vibrated in her ribs, a shockwave that dropped her to one knee. She clenched her teeth and forced herself up.
"You can't master it halfway," he warned. "Moondrinker is dominance. Either you drink deep, or you choke."
Her wolf roared, pressing against her skin. We are no pup. We are Ala. You will respect us.
---
Sweat slicked Amber's brow. The bond between them pulsed harder, no longer ignored, no longer blocked. Their wolves clawed through. She sensed him — his rage, his ache, his fire.
Her wolf pushed forward, a voice filling her. I am Ala. Do not fight alone.
At the same moment Stefan staggered, his wolf breaking past his walls. I am Moas. You deny, but still — we are soulbound.
The names hung in the chamber like thunder. Their wolves had stepped forward, and there was no turning back.
They launched together into the final drill — a move whispered on old walls, meant only for bonded Alphas, and in their fury they were moving toward its completion.
She rushed him, he met her, and instead of clashing they spun in unison. Her strike met his, their wills braided, their wolves roaring as one. Moonlight blazed down through the shaft, catching them in silver fire. Power surged — not his, not hers, but theirs. Stefan was hurled back, not in defeat but in perfect counter, landing crouched with a growl of awe.
Amber stood, chest heaving, her eyes wide. She had done it. They had done it.
The Eclipse Fang
Their auras were still synced, both alternating between dark and light.
They each looked at the other, quiet smiles brushing their lips. Amber had been moving to do the Moondrinker, and Stefan the Shadeveil but they had achieved something neither of them expected.
"What was that?"
"A show of our trust for one another. When we perfect that move we will be virtually unstoppable."
Stefan spoke with a smile on his calm face but the truth was he was more surprised than Amber was. The ancient writing said trust was the key. How could they have…"
He stopped. His wolf. Moas trusts them without exception and, if Stefan was honest with himself he had always trusted Amber too.
---
They closed the distance without words. Their spar had broken the dam; the bond burned. They crashed together in a kiss fierce and unyielding, claws raking, skin torn and instantly healed as their wolves rose and entwined. Flesh and spirit tangled, pain and pleasure inseparable.
Their as met and as they did something in their souls ignited as if on massive, intense bonfire stormed within them. She did not want to let him go. He felt her yearning and answered with deeper passion of his own. It took some time for them to satiate themselves. They seemed spent and then woke again.
In the end it was Moas and Ala who ended the moment. They separated, purring growls dissipating on the wind. And all that was left was Amber and Stefan spent beyond anything they had ever known.
They fell into the moonbeam, moving as one, not sparring now but surrendering, their bodies spent. Exhaustion and ecstasy mingled until they collapsed, breathless, entangled, the bond humming steady for once instead of jagged.
---
Silence settled, broken only by their breaths. Stefan lay with Amber in his arms, his lips brushing her damp hair. For once, he did not speak like a strategist or a leader. His words were simple.
"I'll be leaving for a short while. Triss's lab… where the shadelings are secured. I'll go with her. Keep watch. Make sure she's safe."
Amber lifted her head, studying him. His eyes were steady, protective. She felt warmth twist in her chest. The sincerity of it stabbing her ever so gently in the heart. "You'd be a good father," she whispered.
The words struck him, but he said nothing. He only kissed her forehead gently and drew her closer.