The whimper echoed through the frozen canyon like the final cry of a fallen king.
Low.
Broken.
Humiliated.
It carried every ounce of unwillingness buried within the Alpha Wolf's soul.
This was the greatest disgrace it had ever suffered since the day it first tore apart its rivals and ascended the throne of the Ice-Rift Canyon.
It had ruled these frozen lands for years.
It had hunted beneath blizzards.
Fought monstrous beasts.
Torn apart challengers.
Bathed in blood and survival until its very existence became synonymous with dominance.
It was the unquestioned king of this territory.
And yet now—
It lay crushed into the snow like a broken beast beneath a power it could neither comprehend nor resist.
The Alpha Wolf struggled violently.
Its muscles trembled.
Its claws dug desperately into the frozen ground.
It wanted to stand.
Wanted to roar.
Wanted to defend the final fragments of dignity left within its shattered pride.
But its body refused to obey.
An overwhelming force pinned it down mercilessly, as though an entire mountain rested upon its spine.
Its limbs felt unbearably heavy.
Every breath tore through its chest like burning blades.
Pain spread across every inch of its body.
Not merely physical pain—
But the agony of absolute defeat.
The proud king slowly raised its head.
Its once majestic blue eyes, clear like frozen crystals beneath moonlight, no longer carried arrogance or fury.
Only fear remained.
Fear…
And despair.
Its trembling gaze slowly lifted toward the figure standing before it.
Mo.
The gigantic white wolf remained motionless amidst the storm like an eternal mountain carved from ancient ice.
Calm.
Silent.
Untouchable.
Snow swirled around his massive body, yet not even the raging wind dared approach him completely.
His golden pupils glowed softly within the blizzard.
Cold.
Ancient.
Indifferent.
He did not roar in victory.
Did not bare his fangs.
Did not pursue the fallen Alpha Wolf further.
He simply stood there quietly.
But that silence—
Was far more terrifying than violence itself.
Because within those molten-gold eyes existed no mockery.
No hatred.
No excitement.
Only supreme indifference.
The kind of indifference a higher existence showed toward lesser beings.
Like a god gazing upon mortals.
That emotionless gaze pierced directly through the Alpha Wolf's shattered heart.
At that moment—
It finally understood.
The terrifying creature before it was not merely stronger.
It existed on an entirely different level.
A natural-born king among kings.
And then—
The Alpha Wolf's gaze slowly shifted beyond Mo.
Toward the figure standing behind him.
Colin.
Wrapped within his white cloak, he stood silently amidst the storm as though he had become one with the endless snow itself.
Calm.
Still.
Unfathomable.
Yet somehow—
Even more terrifying than Mo.
The Alpha Wolf's instincts screamed wildly.
It finally realized the truth.
Mo's terrifying strength…
Did not originate from himself alone.
That overwhelming dominance…
That impossible power…
All of it revolved around the white-cloaked human standing behind him.
That man—
Was the true king.
The existence whom even such a terrifying monster willingly followed.
The realization shattered the final remnants of resistance within the Alpha Wolf's soul.
Pride collapsed completely before absolute power.
And when pride died—
Only survival remained.
The Alpha Wolf's massive body trembled violently.
Then slowly—
Painfully—
It abandoned all resistance.
Its proud head gradually lowered toward the snow.
Bit by bit.
Inch by inch.
Every movement carried unbearable humiliation.
Yet also desperate instinct.
The instinct to live.
Its jaws slowly opened.
The massive beast exposed its throat completely before Mo and Colin.
Its most vulnerable point.
Its final surrender.
Then—
A long, mournful whimper escaped from its throat.
The sound drifted endlessly through Ice-Rift Canyon beneath the screaming wind.
It carried humiliation.
Fear.
Despair.
And deepest of all—
A primal awe toward overwhelming power.
The moment that cry echoed outward—
Everything changed.
The entire wolf pack froze.
The growls reverberating across the canyon abruptly stopped.
The bloodlust saturating the valley disappeared like mist beneath sunlight.
Every Snow Giant Wolf stared toward their fallen Alpha.
Toward Mo.
Toward Colin.
Fear spread rapidly through the pack.
Not chaotic fear.
Not panic.
But instinctive submission carved into the bloodline of every beast.
One by one—
The wolves slowly lowered their heads.
Their proud bodies crouched lower toward the snow.
They exposed their throats.
Just like their Alpha.
The fierce hostility within their ice-blue eyes vanished completely.
In its place remained only silence.
Fear.
Submission.
Because they understood.
Resistance was meaningless.
Before true kings—
They could only bow.
The blizzard continued roaring through Ice-Rift Canyon.
Snow swept endlessly across the frozen earth.
Yet within that primitive world ruled by ice, blood, and survival—
A new ruler had quietly ascended the throne.
Not merely the king of a wolf pack.
But the sovereign destined to conquer the North itself.