The alpha's human mistake

Chapter2

I didn’t move. My back stayed pressed against the door like it was the only thing holding me together. Kael’s voice came again, softer this time, almost pleading in a way I’d never heard from the Alpha before.

“Elara… open the door, just for a minute.”

My tears had made my throat swell up. I wiped my face with the back of my sleeve, but it didn’t help. Everything smelled like him–pine, earth, and that lingering scent of wild power that was always on his clothes. I used to find solace in it but now it made my stomach turn.

“Go away, Kael.”

Silence stretched between us. I could picture him on the other side, one hand braced against the frame, head bowed. Whatever conflict he was wrestling with, his strong jaw was tight. Part of me–the stupid, hopeful part, wanted him to break the door down and pull me into his arms. Tell me everything was a mistake, that Selene was nothing.

However, Alphas did not commit such errors, not in front of their pack.

He said, "I didn't plan for this," in the end. His voice was low, meant only for me.

“The bond… it hit when we crossed into the eastern territory on the scouting run, I felt it before I even saw her. The Moon Goddess doesn’t give warnings, Elara, that is clear to you.”

Although it came out broken and bitter, I laughed.

"And does that mean it's okay? You parading her in front of everyone like I was never here?”

A heavy sigh. I heard him shift his weight.

“You were never going to be Luna. You knew that. Humans can’t–”

I abruptly told him to stop.

“Don’t you dare lecture me on what I already know. I was good enough to save, good enough to hold at night when the nightmares came, good enough to make you forget your precious traditions for a while but not good enough to keep...”

The words hung there, heavy and true. I had always known my place, deep down. A comfortable illusion he let me live in – breeder protected, favored pet, never equal.

Kael didn’t deny it and that was the most painful thing ever.

“Selene is… different,” he said after a long pause. I feel the bond tugging at me, it’s like part of my soul recognizes her. However, this does not eliminate our possessions, what you mean to me.”

I pressed my forehead even harder against my knees as I closed my eyes. What did I mean to him, really? A soft place to land between battles? A reminder that even the mighty Alpha Thorn could be gentle? Or just a convenient body until fate delivered the real prize?

“I need time,” I whispered.

I was unsure whether he heard me. He did.

“The pack is celebrating tonight, come out when you’re ready. Or… I can send someone with food. You shouldn’t be alone.”

Alone.

The word echoed. I had been alone most of my life until him. Like a blade twisted between the ribs, the loneliness now felt sharper.

I did not respond and after a few more minutes, I heard his footsteps retreat into the night. The forest swallowed him up, along with the distant sounds of howling and laughter from the central gathering.

Sleep didn’t come easy but when it did, the nightmares returned, the old ones mixed with new. Chains around my wrists. Kael’s face turning away as Selene’s laughter filled the woods. I woke up gasping before dawn, sweat soaking my thin blanket.

There was persistent drizzle and gray skies the following morning. I forced myself out of bed and made weak tea from the herbs I’d dried last summer. As I added the honey, my hands were still shaking.

Through the small window, I could see pack members moving about their duties. A few glanced toward my cabin with curious or pitying looks. Word traveled fast in Thornwood.

This time, there was a lighter knock.

False, Kael.

“Elara? This is Mira.”

After some hesitation, I cracked the door open. One of the few wolves who had always treated me well was Mira. Mid–thirties, with warm brown eyes and a no–nonsense braid down her back. She was one of the pack's healers and had patched me up numerous times after challenging training sessions. She held a covered basket.

“Thought you might be hungry. And… needing company that doesn’t howl.”

I let her in and we sat at the small wooden table Kael had built for me last year.

The memory stung.

Mira unpacked fresh bread, cheese, and some dried berries.

“The whole pack’s buzzing. Selene’s from the Silvercrest line–strong blood, her father’s an Alpha two territories over. Political match on top of the bond, apparently.”

I picked at the bread but couldn’t eat.

“He brought her back like a trophy.”

As she poured herself some of my tea, Mira sighed.

“Alphas are complicated creatures. The bond is… overwhelming. I’ve seen grown wolves lose themselves to it. However, Kael and you have always been different. Protective in a way that raised eyebrows.”

“Raised eyebrows or resentment?” I asked quietly.

She gave me a knowing look.

“Both. Some think a human Luna would weaken the pack. Others liked that he chose compassion over tradition. Now… things are shifting.”

We talked for nearly an hour. Mira did not cover up anything, nor did she treat me like I was already gone. She told me Selene had arrived with grace–polite to the elders, strong in the training ring, already winning over the younger wolves with stories of her old pack’s victories.

“But she watches everything,” Mira added. “Like she’s measuring the territory.”

I thought for a second, people being measured?

A chill ran down my spine. Was Selene a threat? Or was I just looking for reasons to hate her?

After Mira left, I forced myself to step outside. The rain had eased into mist so I walked the familiar path toward the river, keeping to the edges of pack land. The cool air cleared some of the fog in my head as my boots sank into the soft ground.

That’s where I saw them.

Kael and Selene stood on the rocky bank downstream. She was laughing at something he said, her hand resting lightly on his arm. The easy intimacy made my chest tighten, but it was Kael’s expression that truly broke something inside me.

He looked… content.

Not the guarded, burdened Alpha I knew so well, but lighter. Like the missing piece had finally clicked into place.

Heart racing, I turned away before they could see me. Was this what real fate looked like? And what happened to the human girl he'd saved from hell as a result? The questions wouldn’t stop.

What was he hiding? The way he’d avoided my eyes last night suggested more than just the bond. Some deeper secret? A political pressure I wasn’t supposed to know about? Or had our entire relationship been built on convenience until fate forced his hand?

I spent the rest of the day in the small garden behind my cabin, pulling weeds with more force than necessary. Physical work helped dull the sharp edges of pain.

As evening fell, another knock came–this one from Beta Marcus.

The tall, scarred wolf looked uncomfortable standing on my porch.

“Alpha wants you at the gathering tonight. affirms its significance.”

I spread my arms.

“To show the pack I’m accepting my place?”

Marcus shifted, look, Elara… this is messy for all of us, but challenging the mate bond is dangerous for everyone.”

He left without waiting for a reply.

As night deepened, I stood in front of the cracked mirror in my cabin. The girl staring back looked pale and hollow–eyed, but there was a spark of something new in her gaze. Perhaps indifference or the first flicker of survival instinct returning.

I changed into a simple dark dress and braided my hair. I wouldn't approach them looking broken if I had to.

The central clearing was alive with firelight and music when I arrived. Wolves danced and feasted. Selene sat beside Kael on the raised platform, radiant in a deep green cloak. They had linked hands.

Kael’s eyes found mine almost immediately, something unreadable passed across his face–regret? Warning?

I took a seat at the edge of the crowd, accepting a cup of spiced wine from a sympathetic elder. The night wore on with stories and laughter, but I felt eyes on me constantly, judging, pitying and calculating.

Kael stood later when the flames were lower. The group slowed down and he spoke with power,

"Thornwood welcomes Selene as our future Luna.”

“The Moon Goddess has blessed us.”

Cheers rose and Selene smiled graciously, but her gaze flicked to me for a brief second. There was no triumph there, only cool assessment.

Kael came up to me through the dwindling crowd as the gathering began to wind down. Close enough that I could smell the forest on him again.

“Walk with me?” he asked quietly.

Part of me wanted to refuse but the questions burning inside wouldn’t let me. I needed answers, I needed to know if there was anything left to fight for, and I also needed to know if I should start making preparations for my escape from this pack before it swallowed me up.

We walked away from the fires, into the shadowed trees. The moon watched overhead, indifferent as ever.

“Talk to me, Elara,” he said. “Yell. Hit me. Anything but this silence.”

I stopped, turning to face him. The words I’d held back all day finally spilled out.

“What are you hiding, Kael? Because this doesn’t feel like fate. It feels like a convenient excuse and you don't know me at all if you think I'll just quietly disappear while you make your perfect life with her."

His expression became gloomier. For the first time since Selene arrived, I saw the real conflict tearing at him. The Alpha and the man at war.

A lone wolf howled in the distance, making a sound that sounded like both a warning and an invitation.