Liam stood at the edge of the Stormclaw Wilds, the storm now fading into memory. The twisted trees and jagged cliffs behind him were quiet at last, the howling winds silenced by the bond forged in blood and will. Nysera stood beside him, silent, eyes half-lidded but alert, her shadowed form still dripping rain as if the storm hadn't ended.
She hadn't spoken much since the bond was sealed.
She didn't need to.
Liam could feel her now. Her presence. Her loyalty. A thread woven through the system, linking her essence to his with the same raw tension he'd come to know in all his wives. But Nysera was different. She hadn't just submitted. She'd challenged. And that challenge still lingered in every step she took.
She was his.
But only because he'd made it so.
The system pulsed behind his eyes.
---
> [System Update] Bond Secured: Nysera, Huntress of Shadows Status: Active – Loyalty Sync: Stable Buff: Shadowstep Unlocked (Short-Range Teleportation / Evasion Boost) Territory Claimed: Stormclaw Wilds Secured Clan Alliance Trigger: Initiated – Beastkin Tribes Now Accessible
Bond Count: 11/ 99 Loyalty Sync: 88%
System Directive: Return to Mall Fortress – Alliance Formation Pending New Feature: Summoning Chamber – Override Granted (1-Time Use) Warning: Horde Activity Increasing Near Fortress Perimeter
Liam's jaw tightened.
Mall Fortress.
He hadn't seen it in three days. Hadn't seen them. The wives scattered across his territory, deployed by the system's demands... queens of war, all of them. But he needed them now. The storm with Nysera was over, but a new one loomed.
And it wasn't just the Horde.
Nysera's voice broke the silence, low and amused. "You think too loudly."
Liam glanced at her. "You heard that?"
"No. But I feel it." She stepped closer, shadows curling at her feet. "You're planning something."
He nodded. "I need to bring them back. The others."
Nysera's golden eyes narrowed. "Your harem."
"My wives," Liam corrected, voice sharp.
Nysera smiled faintly. "Then summon them. Let them see who you claimed."
He reached for the system interface. The Summoning Chamber hadn't been used since its construction. Until now, it was just another system directive, another piece of power the system granted when it saw fit.
Now it was open.
And he would use it.
The world shimmered around him, the Stormclaw Wilds fading into mist as the system drew him back. Nysera followed without a word.
They arrived in the heart of Mall Fortress.
The throne room.
Cold, empty... except for the pulse of power at its center. The Summoning Chamber... a stone circle etched with glowing runes... flared to life as Liam stepped into its center.
System light cascaded from the ceiling.
---
> [System Alert] Summoning Chamber: Active Override Use: Authorized (1 Time) Summon Limit Lifted – All Bonded Wives May Return for 24 Hours Loyalty Boost: Pending Warning: Horde Raid Incoming – ETA 10 Hours Prepare Defense – Alliance Meeting Scheduled (Beastkin)
---
Liam's voice rang clear. "Bring them back. All of them."
The chamber pulsed.
Light filled the room. One by one, they appeared.
Rena, armor gleaming, sword already drawn. Elyra, eyes glowing, wrapped in silks. Vexa, fists clenched, shoulders tense. Kaelith and Kaelithra, twin blades flashing. Ice Queen, frost curling at her heels. Sylvara, lightning dancing in her eyes. Sarya, crossbow slung casually over her back. Kaelyn, silent, sharp, watching. Naia, feral and fierce, her eyes wild.
All of them... watching him.
Liam stood tall. "You've ruled your zones. Fought your battles. But now the Horde marches. And we stand together."
Nysera stepped beside him.
The others stared.
Rena's eyes narrowed. "She came willingly?"
Nysera's smile was slow. "He made me."
Elyra laughed. "Oh, I like her."
Ice Queen stepped forward. "Then we fight. Together."
Liam raised his sword.
"This kingdom isn't finished. It's just begun."
The Horde would come.
But so would they.
Together.
The Stormclaw Wilds were quiet now.
Liam stood on the ridge where Nysera had knelt hours ago, the rain finally easing into mist. The thorns that once guarded this place now lay flattened, as if even the Wilds themselves had acknowledged his claim. Beneath his boots, the ground was dark with storm-soaked earth, and ahead, the path to the clan's den lay open.
He didn't move.
Not yet.
Nysera stood beside him, silent, arms crossed, her shadow-furred coat glistening with moisture. Her silver eyes watched the forest like a predator still hunting, though her body language had shifted. No more taunts. No more testing. She had submitted... but not broken. She may have been treasured by the clan... But she wasn't the alpha.
Liam could feel the bond in his veins. It thrummed with tension and raw strength. A bond forged in shadow and storm.
She turned slightly. "You don't hesitate when it's time to claim. But now? You pause."
Liam's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. "Because this isn't just about power anymore."
Nysera tilted her head. "No. It's about rule."
A system pulse echoed through his mind.
> [System Alert] Clan Alliance Triggered – Beastkin Loyalty Thread Active Status: Awaiting Ritual Acknowledgement Zone Expansion Available: Stormclaw Den Bond Loyalty – Nysera: Stable (91%) Reward: Clan Command Access / Summon Override Granted
Liam blinked. The override.
Nysera's eyes narrowed. "You felt that, didn't you?"
He nodded slowly. "The system's offering a ritual. Something to stabilize this alliance."
She stepped closer, voice low. "Then you'll need to enter the den. Alone. No weapons. No commands. If they don't see you as alpha, you'll die."
Liam stared at her. "And you?"
Her smirk returned, faint but sharp. "I'll be watching. If they try to kill you, I'll kill them first."
He didn't hesitate.
He walked.
---
The den was unlike anything he'd seen.
Carved into the cliffside, the entrance yawned open like the maw of some ancient beast. Symbols were etched into the stone... wild, primal, and glowing faintly with crimson light. As Liam stepped inside, the scent of damp earth and smoke filled his nose. Shadows moved along the walls, but they weren't tricks of light.
Eyes watched him.
Dozens of them.
Beastkin.
They crouched along the edge of the chamber, furred and fierce, their eyes sharp, their postures wary. Warriors. Hunters. And at their center… a throne of bones.
Liam stepped forward.
A massive beastkin rose from the throne, taller than Vexa, built like a storm. His fur was dark silver, streaked with black, and his claws gleamed in the firelight. He growled low.
"You come to take her. You come to take us."
Liam didn't speak.
He didn't need to.
The system pulsed.
> [System Notice] Trial Triggered – Clan Supremacy Test Status: Passive – No Combat Allowed Condition: Assert Dominance / Claim Recognition Reward: Beastkin Loyalty, Territory Buff: Den Guard
Liam stepped to the center of the chamber.
"I came because I won her. I came because I lead her. And now, I lead you."
A low snarl rippled through the den. The alpha beastkin stepped down from his throne, claws clicking on stone.
"We do not follow weaklings."
Liam didn't blink. "Good. Because I'm not here to ask. I'm here to command."
He raised his hand.
A surge of system energy ignited along his arm... shadow and storm swirling together. Nysera stepped from the shadows then, her silver eyes glowing.
"He broke me. Now he commands me. Obey him, or challenge him."
The den fell silent.
The alpha beastkin growled… then dropped to one knee.
One by one, the others followed.
The system flared.
> [System Update] Clan Alliance Secured – Stormclaw Den Loyalty Active Buff Unlocked: Beastkin Patrol – Zone Defense Boost Summon Override Triggered – Harem Recall Active (Temporary) Rotation Rule Paused – Duration: 48 Hours
Liam stood at the center of the den, breath sharp, pulse racing. The power… it wasn't just his anymore. It was theirs. And through him, the Stormclaw followed.
Nysera stepped to his side.
"Now summon them," she whispered. "Let them see what you've built."
He didn't need the system's prompt.
He summoned them all.
And the war to come would not be fought alone.