The Alpha I Shouldn't Want

° AUTHOR'S POV ° The forest had always remembered. It remembered the wolves that hunted beneath its silver canopy, the ancient oaths whispered beneath the moon, the kings that had ruled and fallen. It remembered blood spilled in war and promises made in love. It also remembered the night Valerian found Lorianna. She had been barely ten. Barefoot. Half-conscious. Curled beneath the twisted roots of an old ash tree with nothing but rain-soaked clothes clinging to her frail frame. Hunger had hollowed her cheeks until they looked carved from stone, and every shallow breath sounded like it hurt. Valerian had been returning from the western borders after settling a dispute between neighboring packs. He almost walked past her. Almost. Then her scent reached him. Not wolf. Not entirely human. Something...different. Something ancient. He knelt without hesitation. Bright blue eyes slowly blinked open to meet golden ones. She looked terrified. "...Please," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I don't want to die." Valerian never learned why those words settled so deeply inside him. Perhaps because he'd seen too many people die. Perhaps because no one that young should ever sound so resigned. Without another word, he removed his cloak and wrapped it around her trembling shoulders before lifting her effortlessly into his arms. She didn't resist. She simply buried her face against his chest and cried. That was the beginning. °°° The Dragonstone Estate had never expected its Alpha to return carrying a starving stranger. Especially his two fraternal twins Kaiden and Kieran. The twins had been twelve —already warriors, already feared throughout neighboring territories, already preparing for the responsibilities that would one day place the future of the pack on their shoulders. Naturally, they were suspicious. "Who is she?" Valerian looked at them while carrying Lorianna through the front doors. "A guest." "That's not an answer." "It is today." Neither son questioned him further. If their father chose to protect someone, there was always a reason. Within days, Lorianna began recovering. Within weeks, she smiled. Within months... She belonged. Not because anyone declared it. Because it happened naturally. She laughed with the kitchen staff. She learned every hidden trail winding through the forest. She challenged Kaiden to races she inevitably lost. She stole Kieran's books and returned them filled with pressed flowers. She argued with Valerian over tea. She discovered the Alpha possessed a surprisingly dry sense of humor hidden beneath layers of discipline. And slowly... The enormous estate became a home. °°° The friendship between Lorianna and Valerian confused nearly everyone. He was the Alpha. Respected. Reserved. Measured. Every word carried weight. She... She was sunshine wrapped inside stubbornness. She filled silent rooms with conversation. She asked impossible questions. She laughed far too loudly. She wandered into his office without knocking. Everyone else waited for permission. Lorianna simply pushed open the door. "Busy?" Valerian wouldn't even look up from his paperwork. "Always." "I'm bored." "I gathered." "So entertain me." "I am governing a pack." She smiled. "So...no?" He sighed. "...Sit." She would grin triumphantly before stealing one of the books from his shelves. Hours passed comfortably. No conversation necessary. She read. He worked. Occasionally she'd interrupt. "What does this word mean?" He answered. "Why are diplomatic meetings always boring?" "They're diplomatic." "Fair." Silence returned. Comfortable. Easy. Natural. It became routine. The servants eventually stopped announcing her arrival. The guards stopped questioning why she wandered wherever she pleased. Even Kaiden and Kieran accepted that if their father disappeared... Lorianna probably knew where he was. °°° Years passed. Nine to be precise. Friendship deepened into something impossible to define. Valerian became the first person she sought after victories. The first she wanted to impress. The first whose opinion mattered. When nightmares woke her... She found herself sitting outside his office with two cups of tea. He never asked why. He simply opened the door. "Couldn't sleep?" She shook her head. He accepted the offered cup. Neither spoke. Sometimes comfort required no words. Only presence. °°° The feelings changed gradually. Lorianna didn't notice immediately. At first she simply admired him. Then admired became watched. Watched became anticipated. She began noticing details she'd somehow overlooked. The silver beginning to thread through his white hair. The scar disappearing beneath his collar. The calm confidence that settled over every room he entered. The gentleness hidden beneath terrifying strength. She noticed women watched him. Some openly. Others discreetly. The realization irritated her far more than it should have. She hated it. Hated herself. Because somewhere along the way... Friendship had become longing. She fought it. She tosses it away. She travelled. She convinced herself it was admiration born from gratitude. Nothing more. Nothing less. But every road somehow circled back to him. Every conversation became, "Valerian would know." "Valerian likes this tea." "Valerian once said..." It was exhausting. °°° Eventually... She left. "I think I need time away." Valerian looked up from the balcony overlooking the valley. "For how long?" "I don't know." "Where?" "The human cities." "You'll be safe?" "I can handle myself." "I know." Silence. The wind shifted between them. He studied her carefully. "If staying away helps you discover what you're looking for..." He smiled faintly. "...Then go." She swallowed. "You won't stop me?" "I've never caged the people I care about." Those words nearly convinced her to stay. Instead... She left. °°° Two years. Two long years. Cities. Noise. Crowded apartments. Coffee shops. New jobs. New friends. And eventually... A relationship. His name was Adrian. Adrian Daniels. He was charming. Funny. Kind. Entirely human. She wanted desperately to love him. She tried. God... She tried. They shared holidays. Arguments. Late-night conversations. An apartment. A bed. An intimacy born from affection rather than destiny. For a while... She believed she had finally moved on. Then one ordinary Tuesday... She realized she still compared every smile to Valerian's. Every embrace lacked the quiet safety she'd always associated with home. It wasn't Adrian's fault. He deserved someone whose heart wasn't somewhere else. They ended things peacefully. Painfully. Respectfully. She packed. Said goodbye. And drove home. °°° The estate appeared exactly as she remembered. Stone walls. Towering pines. The scent of cedar. Rain. Home. The gates opened before she reached them. Word spread quickly. Servants hurried outside. Laughter echoed. Kaiden nearly crushed her ribs hugging her. "You actually came back." "I missed you too." Kieran smiled before embracing her more gently. "You look older." "So do you." "Impossible." She laughed. Everything felt familiar. Until... She saw him. #Vote#