Married to my Dead Mate’s Alpha Brother

4

Alpha Kylian

After Chase was buried, I stood at his grave for hours.

The sun had gone down, but I did not move. The dirt was still fresh and dark on top of the mound. My baby brother was really gone. I could not believe it. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face under that white sheet — those blue eyes staring at nothing. The same eyes that used to shine with laughter when we ran through the woods as pups.

I remembered the day he was born. I was only eight years old. Mom let me hold him for the first time. He was so small and warm in my arms. I promised him right then that I would always protect him. I failed that promise. The thought burned like silver in my chest.

There were so many memories. Chase following me everywhere when he was little, calling me “Ky” in his baby voice. The way he would sneak into my room at night when he had bad dreams. Later, when he grew taller and stronger, we would train together. I taught him how to fight, how to shift fast, how to lead. He was always laughing, always teasing me for being too serious. “One day you’ll smile more, big brother,” he used to say.

Now there would be no more laughter. No more teasing. No more late dinners where we talked about the future of the pack. Just this cold grave and the anger that filled every empty space inside me.

I knelt down and placed my hand on the dirt. “I’m sorry, Chase,” I whispered. “But I will make them pay. Every single one.”

After a long time, I stood up. My legs felt stiff from standing so long. I turned and walked back to the pack house. The night air was cool on my skin, but it did nothing to cool the fire in my blood.

When I reached home, I found my father and the elders waiting for me in the main hall. They sat around the big table with serious faces. My mother was not there. She had cried herself to sleep earlier, and I was glad. I did not want her to see what was coming next.

“Kylian,” my father said as soon as I walked in. His voice was heavy. “Sit down.”

I sat. My body felt tight, ready for bad news.

My father looked at the elders, then back at me. “The Silverton Pack has handed over the man who killed Chase. He is in our cells right now.”

For the first time since Chase died, I smiled. It was not a happy smile. It was sharp and cold. I could already picture it — my claws tearing into that traitor’s skin, peeling it back slowly while he screamed. I would take my time. I would make him feel every bit of pain Chase felt before the silver bullet stopped his heart.

“I will skin him alive myself,” I said quietly. The words felt good on my tongue.

My father nodded once. “You will have that chance. But there is more.”

He paused. The elders shifted in their seats, looking uncomfortable.

“As a peace treaty between both packs, they have offered a marriage alliance. You are to marry the eldest daughter of Alpha Trent.”

The smile dropped from my face. The room went dead silent.

I stared at my father. “What?”

He repeated it calmly. “Rachel, Trent’s daughter. The wedding is set for three days from now.”

I shot up from my chair so fast it fell backward with a loud crash. “No. I will not marry anyone from the family that killed my brother. Never.”

The anger I had been holding back all day rushed through me like a storm. My wolf pushed against my skin, wanting to break free and destroy something.

My father stood up too. He looked tired, but his eyes were firm. “Kylian, you are the Alpha. You have no choice. The pack comes first. If we refuse this, the Silvertons will prepare for war, and we will lose many good wolves. This marriage will stop the fighting. It will give us time to watch them from inside. You can keep your eyes on them every day.”

“I don’t care about time!” I growled. “They murdered Chase in cold blood. They ambushed him like cowards. And now they want to give me one of their daughters as a gift? Like that will make everything okay? I would rather burn their whole pack to the ground than touch one of them.”

One of the elders cleared his throat. “Alpha, think of your people. Many mothers have already lost sons in small fights with the Silvertons. This can end it.”

I turned my back on them. My hands were clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms. Blood trickled down, but I did not feel the pain. All I felt was rage.

My father’s voice came from behind me, low and final. “It is decided, Kylian. The wedding will be in three days. You will do this for the pack.”

I did not answer. I just walked out of the hall, my footsteps heavy on the wooden floor. The doors slammed behind me as I left.

Outside, the night was quiet. I walked through the pack grounds with my jaw tight and my mind burning. Trees passed by me in the dark, but I saw nothing but red.

Rachel.

That was her name. Trent’s eldest daughter. I had seen her once or twice from a distance at neutral meetings — a quiet girl with dark hair and careful eyes. Now she would be my wife. Forced on me by the same hands that took my brother.

As I walked, one thought repeated over and over in my head, growing sharper with every step.

Rachel, you will pay for my brother’s death every day of your life.

You will live in my house. You will sleep in my bed. And every single day, I will make sure you remember what your family did to Chase. I will make your life hell until you beg for mercy that will never come.

The peace treaty was only words on paper. In my heart, this was no marriage.

This was revenge.