Page 59 of Surprise Baby for My Fated Alpha

His spirit smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. "I’m the guardian of this place now. Of the artifact. And if you wish to claim it, you must face the trial."

"Why are you here? Why this?" I took a step forward, my mind racing.

Gideon’s eyes grew somber. "I’m here because of a promise I made to your father. He knew this day would come—that you’d seek the power within this artifact. But retrieving it will cost you more than you realize. The trial will test everything you are, Orion. Not just your strength—but your heart, your mind, and your soul. If you fail, the artifact will claim you. Forever."

"I’m not afraid." I clenched my fists.

"I know," Gideon replied, his gaze softening. "But that’s what makes this trial so dangerous. It will use your fearlessness against you. Are you truly prepared for what lies ahead? Once you start, there’s no turning back."

I looked over my shoulder at Jake and the others, all of them standing still, waiting for my command. My heart was pounding, but my mind was made up.

"I have to do this," I said quietly, mostly to myself.

Gideon nodded. "Then come."

The moment the trial began, everything around me twisted into something far more sinister. The air grew heavier, oppressive, and the walls of the cave seemed to pulse with an unnatural energy. Shadows swirled around me, dark tendrils reaching out, warping into horrific shapes—visions of my worst nightmares, my deepest fears.

I froze as the first image formed.

"Luna." My voice cracked. She was standing in front of me, her eyes wide with fear, her hand outstretched, reaching for me. But something was wrong. She was in danger, her body trembling as if some unseen force was crushing her. I tried to move, tried to reach her, but my legs felt like they were buried in cement.

"Luna!" I shouted, desperation clawing at my throat. I lunged forward, but it was like moving through thick, suffocating tar. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t reach her. She was slipping away. "No, no, no—don’t leave me!"

Suddenly, the vision shifted, and I found myself staring at my father’s body. Cold. Lifeless. The same helplessness I’d felt that day came crashing back, like a tidal wave swallowing me whole.

"Why couldn’t you save him?" The voice whispered, low and venomous. It was my voice. The guilt echoed in my head like a drumbeat, relentless. "You let him die."

“That’s not true. I did everything I could to save him. He didn’t die because of me! Despite being so young, I tried to save him I told … I told him not to go hunting but he did, and he got killed by humans who mistook him for a wild animal. They … they shot him so many times. He couldn’t take it.”

“But you could have gone hunting with him,” the voice whispered.

I backed away, my heart hammering in my chest. "This isn’t real," I muttered, trying to shake it off. But the images kept coming, more vivid, more terrifying.

And then I saw him.

"Marcosias." His name slipped through my teeth like poison. He stood there, towering over me, victorious. His smile—cold, wicked—sent a shiver down my spine. At his feet, Luna lay, bound and broken, and I was on the ground, defeated.

"You’ve failed," Marcosias sneered, his voice like nails scraping against stone. "Everything you’ve built, everything you’ve fought for—it’s mine now."

"No!" I roared, but my voice felt weak, swallowed by the darkness. My body ached, exhaustion setting in as each vision tore at me, one after the other. I could feel my resolve weakening, my mind screaming for it to end, to stop the onslaught. It was relentless, dragging me deeper into despair.

"You’re not strong enough, Orion," the voice hissed again, louder this time. "You never were."

I collapsed to my knees, my hands shaking, as I clutched my head. Every part of me wanted to give in, to let the crushing weight of my failures drown me. I was suffocating in my own fear, in the guilt that gnawed at my soul.

But then, I saw her again. Luna. Her face, her eyes, filled with hope. She was waiting for me, depending on me.

"For her," I whispered, forcing myself to breathe, to focus. "I can’t fail. Not now."

I pushed through the visions, clenching my fists until my knuckles turned white. Each step felt like a battle, but I kept moving. I couldn’t let this break me. I had to survive. I had to win.

"Luna needs me," I growled through gritted teeth, standing up on shaky legs. "And I’ll be damned if I let you stop me."

The shadows thickened, the visions more violent, but I fought back, harder, with everything I had. This trial was meant to break me, to force me to confront my darkest fears—but I wouldn’t let it. I couldn’t afford to lose. Not to this. Not to him.

"For Luna. For everything I’ve lost. I will not fall."

Finally, the visions faded, leaving me gasping for breath. Gideon stood before me again, his expression unreadable.

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