The Legacy Alpha

Chapter Seven – A Heart That Refuses to Listen

Carley pov

Sleep wasn't happening.

I'd accepted that somewhere around the third time I'd rolled over and punched my pillow into submission.

The room was warm, the bed was comfortable, and the fire crackled softly in the hearth. By all accounts, I should have been asleep hours ago.

Instead, I was standing on the balcony outside my chambers, wrapped in a woolen shawl, staring at the stars scattered across the Blackwood Mountains.

The air was crisp enough to nip at my cheeks.

I welcomed it.

It gave my restless mind something else to focus on.

"You're thinking about him again."

I sighed.

"I was admiring the stars."

"You were imagining whether he was looking at the same stars."

"...I dislike how well you know me."

Fenrir laughed, the sound warm and ancient.

"That's because we've shared one heart for nearly twenty years."

"I preferred it when you weren't smug."

"You have never preferred that."

I leaned my elbows on the stone railing, letting the cool surface ground me.

Everything had changed in a single evening.

Not because someone had threatened me.

Not because Iron Crest had begun weaving whatever web they thought I couldn't see.

Not because I was sleeping in unfamiliar walls.

No...

Everything had changed because of one pair of impossibly blue eyes.

One man.

One Alpha.

One smile.

And somehow, that frightened me more than any battlefield ever had.

---

"Mate."

I closed my eyes.

"There it is."

"Mate."

"I heard you."

"I know."

Silence.

Then...

"Still your mate."

A laugh escaped before I could stop it.

"I should've left you at home."

"You'd miss me terribly."

"I'd have at least one peaceful thought."

"Impossible."

I smiled despite myself.

Fenrir had always known exactly how to pull me out of my own head.

Usually.

Tonight, she seemed determined to push me further into it.

---

"I can't think like this."

"Why?"

"You know why."

"Because of a law?"

"It's not just a law."

I straightened, turning to look over the quiet courtyard below.

"It matters to his people."

"And?"

"It matters to him."

Fenrir remained silent.

"He has responsibilities," I continued quietly.

"So do I."

If Ryker truly believed in Blackwood tradition—and everything I'd seen suggested he did—then I wasn't about to become the reason he questioned himself.

He deserved better than that.

He deserved respect.

Not temptation.

Fenrir's voice softened.

"You are already respecting him."

"I hope so."

"More than most would."

---

The truth was...

I'd spent years building walls around my heart.

Not because I didn't want love.

Because I couldn't afford distractions.

Being Alpha meant making impossible choices.

Sometimes, those choices cost lives.

Love complicated things.

The Moon Goddess had an odd sense of humor if she'd truly decided now was the perfect time to introduce fate into my life.

At a political summit.

Surrounded by wolves who either feared me...

Or wanted me dead.

Perfect timing.

Absolutely perfect.

---

A gentle knock came from inside my room.

Three quick taps.

Only one person knocked like that.

"Come in."

Rowan stepped inside carrying a wooden tray balanced on one hand.

"You looked like someone who needed rescuing."

I glanced at the tray.

"Is that tea?"

"Mostly."

I narrowed my eyes.

"...Mostly?"

"There may have been a slight disagreement between the tea and the whisky."

I laughed.

"So you solved it by putting them together?"

"They're getting along beautifully."

"You are an appalling influence."

"I've accepted that."

He handed me one of the mugs before joining me on the balcony.

The warmth seeped into my hands immediately.

We stood in comfortable silence.

No awkwardness.

No expectation.

Just two people who'd known each other almost their entire lives.

Finally, Rowan spoke.

"You've been staring at that mountain for twenty minutes."

"It has an interesting shape."

"It looks exactly like every other mountain."

"Clearly your artistic side is lacking."

"My artistic side died years ago."

"I wondered what that smell was."

He snorted into his drink.

"See?"

"What?"

"You're making jokes."

"I always make jokes."

"Not when you're worried."

I looked down into my mug.

He knew me too well.

---

"You saw it too."

It wasn't a question.

He nodded.

"Iron Crest."

"And?"

"They're watching people instead of listening to them."

"I noticed."

"So did I."

He took another sip.

"They're counting allies."

"Testing loyalties."

"Looking for weaknesses."

None of it surprised me.

The summit always involved politics.

This felt...

Different.

More deliberate.

As though someone had already decided how the game would end before the first move had even been played.

Fenrir stirred uneasily.

"Something old is moving."

"I know."

"Be careful."

"When am I not?"

Neither Rowan nor Fenrir answered.

Rude.

---

Rowan leaned against the railing.

"So..."

I recognised that tone immediately.

"No."

"I haven't asked anything yet."

"You've got that smile."

"What smile?"

"The one that says you're about to become incredibly annoying."

"I've always been incredibly annoying."

"A fair point."

He grinned.

"So..."

"There it is again."

"How tall do you think Blackwood actually is?"

I stared at him.

"Really?"

"What?"

"That's your question?"

"It's important."

"It absolutely is not."

"It looked important."

I shook my head, laughing.

"I have no idea."

"I reckon six foot seven."

"You're making numbers up."

"I absolutely am."

"You need a hobby."

"I have one."

"Oh?"

"Annoying my Alpha."

"I walked right into that."

"You really did."

I rolled my eyes.

"You know, there are moments when I seriously consider replacing you."

"And yet..."

"And yet I'd have to train someone else to tolerate me."

"Exactly."

His grin softened.

"You'd miss me."

"I suppose."

"You adore me."

"Let's not get carried away."

---

The laughter faded naturally.

Rowan studied me for a long moment before asking the question I'd been hoping he wouldn't.

"You like him."

Heat crept into my cheeks before I could stop it.

"I've spoken approximately twelve words to him."

"I know."

"So that's ridiculous."

"It probably is."

I folded my arms.

"I don't know him."

"No."

"I don't know what he thinks."

"No."

"I don't know if I'll ever even speak to him properly."

Rowan smiled gently.

"But you want to."

I looked away toward the mountains.

The silence answered for me.

Fenrir hummed contentedly inside my mind.

"Finally."

"Oh, don't start."

"You smiled before you realised you were smiling."

"I did not."

"You absolutely did."

I groaned quietly, burying my face in one hand.

"This is going to be a very long summit."

Fenrir's laughter echoed warmly through my thoughts.

"Little one..."

"I have a feeling..."

"It's only just begun"

I stayed on the balcony long after Rowan had returned to his own chambers.

The castle had finally grown quiet.

Most of the visiting Alphas had retired for the night, while the guards below quietly changed shifts along the walls.

Blackwood never truly slept.

It simply... breathed.

The more time I spent inside these walls, the more I understood why Ryker was so respected.

His people weren't disciplined because they feared punishment.

They were disciplined because they cared.

That wasn't something you could command.

It had to be earned.

"You're thinking about him again."

I smiled into the darkness.

"I was thinking about his pack."

"His pack has blue eyes?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Fenrir..."

"His shoulders perhaps?"

"You're impossible."

"I've had several thousand years to perfect it."

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

"If anyone could hear this conversation, I'd lose every ounce of authority I have."

"Only because they'd discover you're adorable."

"I am not adorable."

"Keep telling yourself that."

---

Eventually I pushed myself away from the railing and returned inside.

The fire had burned low, leaving the room bathed in amber light.

I loosened my hair, letting the braid fall over my shoulder before sitting on the edge of the bed.

For the first time all evening...

The silence allowed my thoughts to catch up with me.

I replayed every interaction from the feast.

The whispered conversations.

The lingering glances.

The subtle nods between Iron Crest and the eastern delegates.

The unfamiliar servant who seemed more interested in the High Table than serving food.

Something was moving beneath the surface.

I could feel it.

But I couldn't yet see its shape.

That bothered me.

I was used to knowing my enemy.

Fenrir shifted uneasily.

"We will."

"I know."

"Patience."

I nodded.

"Patience."

---

Morning arrived far sooner than I'd hoped.

A gentle knock sounded at my door just after sunrise.

"Come in."

A young servant entered carrying fresh water and neatly folded clothes.

She couldn't have been older than seventeen.

The poor thing looked absolutely terrified.

"Good morning, Alpha."

"Good morning."

She carefully placed everything on the table before glancing toward me.

"I hope your chambers were comfortable."

"They were lovely."

Relief washed over her face.

"I-I'm glad."

She turned to leave before hesitating.

"My father says... thank you."

I blinked.

"For what?"

"He was a trader."

She smiled nervously.

"Three winters ago... your warriors escorted his caravan through rogue territory."

I remembered.

Barely.

"It was only a patrol."

"It meant he came home."

Before I could answer, she dipped into a quick curtsy and hurried from the room.

I stood there for several moments after the door closed.

The world remembered battles.

Families remembered kindness.

Fenrir's voice became wonderfully soft.

"Never doubt the difference."

---

After dressing, I made my way toward the dining hall.

Blackwood Keep was already alive.

Servants hurried through corridors carrying documents and breakfast trays.

Messengers rushed between council rooms.

Warriors changed shifts with quiet efficiency.

No shouting.

No chaos.

Just... order.

I admired that.

As I rounded a corner, two young guards froze.

"Oh!"

One nearly dropped the stack of spears he was carrying.

"Morning."

They immediately bowed.

"Alpha Ashen."

I smiled.

"You can stand."

The younger one looked embarrassed.

"We've... um..."

His companion elbowed him.

"What he means is..."

He swallowed.

"...it's an honour to meet you."

That wasn't what he'd been about to say.

I could tell.

I decided to rescue him.

"I hope none of the stories involve breathing fire."

Their eyes widened.

Then both burst into laughter.

"No, Alpha."

"Good."

"I'd hate to disappoint everyone."

Their shoulders relaxed instantly.

By the time I continued down the corridor, they were smiling.

Fenrir chuckled.

"Weaponised kindness again."

"I simply dislike making people nervous."

"It works rather well."

---

Breakfast was quieter than the feast.

Most Alphas were still waking.

Others preferred holding political conversations before the official council began.

Rowan was already seated.

He looked up as I approached.

"You slept terribly."

"I hate that you know that."

"You have a wrinkle here."

He pointed to my forehead.

"I have not."

"You absolutely do."

I slid into the chair opposite him.

"I'm replacing you."

"You've mentioned."

"I'll find someone less observant."

"You won't."

He was right.

Again.

I really was beginning to dislike how often that happened.

---

As we ate, Rowan quietly slid a folded piece of parchment across the table.

"Morning report."

I unfolded it.

Several delegates had arrived late during the night.

A patrol had reported unfamiliar tracks outside the eastern wall.

Nothing alarming.

Not yet.

"What do you think?"

"I think someone is testing Blackwood's security."

"So do I."

He buttered another piece of bread.

"And?"

"And I think today we'll learn who enjoys talking..."

He looked around the room.

"...and who prefers listening."

"Meaning?"

"The dangerous ones rarely speak first."

---

The dining hall doors opened.

Without thinking...

I looked up.

Ryker had entered.

He was dressed simply despite hosting the summit.

No extravagant jewellery.

No unnecessary display of status.

Just a dark tunic bearing the Blackwood crest.

He paused every few steps to greet someone.

An elderly servant.

A stable hand.

One of the visiting children who proudly showed him a carved wooden wolf.

He crouched to admire it as though it were the finest artwork in the kingdom.

The child beamed.

I couldn't stop smiling.

Fenrir noticed immediately.

"There it is."

"What?"

"That smile."

"I was appreciating good leadership."

"Of course you were."

Rowan followed my gaze.

Then looked back at me.

"I don't suppose you're appreciating the architecture."

I took an exaggerated bite of bread.

"I refuse to answer."

"I thought not."

---

Ryker looked up.

For a heartbeat...

Our eyes met again.

He smiled.

Not the formal smile he'd worn during introductions.

A genuine one.

Warm.

Instinctively, I smiled back.

Then remembered exactly where I was.

I lowered my gaze to my breakfast.

My heart, however...

Refused to cooperate.

"Mate," Fenrir whispered.

I hid another smile behind my cup.

"You're insufferable."

"And entirely correct."

I had no argument for that.

None at all.

Whatever this strange pull between us was...

It wasn't fading.

If anything...

With every passing hour...

It was becoming impossible to ignore.

And that frightened me more than any enemy waiting beyond the council chamber doors.