Chapter five
1001 Words
ALINA’S POV
I know something is wrong the moment I step into the pack hall.
It’s not loud.
Not chaotic.
But the air feels… tight.
Charged.
Like a storm is building just beneath the surface.
Voices are lower than usual, conversations clipped, wolves standing in small clusters instead of spreading out like they normally do. There’s an edge in the room, something sharp and restless that settles uneasily in my chest.
My wolf stirs immediately.
Alert.
I scan the room, trying to figure out what I missed, but before I can ask anyone—
My father’s voice cuts through the hall.
“Everyone, listen.”
The room quiets instantly.
All eyes turn toward him as he steps forward, his expression hard, unreadable. My stomach tightens. He only looks like that when something serious is happening.
“We’ve picked up a scent near the eastern border,” he says.
My breath stills.
Eastern.
The word lands like a stone in my chest.
“The traces are recent,” he continues. “A Blackridge wolf has been moving close to our territory.”
My heart slams hard against my ribs.
Rhett.
The name hits me instantly, uninvited, unwanted—and impossible to ignore.
My fingers curl slightly at my sides.
It has to be him.
There’s no way it isn’t.
“The patrols will be doubled starting tonight,” my father adds, his voice steady, controlled. “And if anyone comes across a Blackridge wolf on our land…”
He pauses.
The silence stretches.
Heavy.
Cold.
“Kill them on sight.”
The words echo through the hall.
Something inside me twists violently.
My wolf reacts instantly, a sharp, agitated movement beneath my skin. Not fear.
Resistance.
My throat feels dry.
I force myself to stay still, to keep my expression neutral, but my mind is already racing.
If they find him—
If anyone sees him—
No.
I push the thought away immediately, but it doesn’t leave.
It lingers.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Because I know he’ll come back.
I know it the same way I knew I would.
The bond hums faintly in my chest, like it’s confirming it.
Like it’s certain.
The meeting ends, but the tension doesn’t.
If anything, it spreads.
Wolves break off into smaller groups, voices rising slightly now, filled with speculation, irritation, anticipation. Some are already talking about patrol shifts. Others about tracking.
Hunting.
I feel sick.
I turn to leave before anyone can stop me, but—
“Alina.”
My father’s voice.
Of course.
I close my eyes briefly before turning around.
He’s watching me closely.
Too closely.
“Walk with me,” he says.
Not a request.
I nod once and fall into step beside him, keeping my expression neutral even as unease coils tighter in my chest.
We don’t speak immediately.
He leads me out of the hall, away from the others, toward the quieter path behind the main house. The forest stretches out ahead of us, calm and still, completely untouched by the tension inside the pack.
I wish I felt the same.
“You’ve been distracted lately,” he says finally.
Straight to it.
I keep my gaze forward.
“I’ve been training.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
My jaw tightens slightly.
Of course it isn’t.
We walk a few more steps in silence before he stops.
I stop too.
Slowly, I turn to face him.
His expression has shifted.
Less Alpha.
More father.
But that doesn’t make this easier.
“You’ve come of age,” he says.
My stomach drops.
I already know where this is going.
“And it’s time you start thinking about your future,” he continues. “About where you stand in this pack.”
My fingers curl slightly.
“I know where I stand.”
His gaze sharpens.
“Do you?”
The question lingers.
Uncomfortable.
Unwanted.
“I’ve already started receiving interest,” he adds. “Strong wolves. Good bloodlines. Males who would make suitable matches.”
My chest tightens.
No.
No, no, no.
“I’m not interested,” I say quickly.
Too quickly.
His eyes narrow slightly.
“This isn’t about interest,” he replies. “It’s about responsibility.”
The word lands heavily.
“I’m not ready,” I push.
“You are,” he says firmly. “And whether you like it or not, this is the time to start considering it.”
My pulse spikes.
If he knew—
If he had any idea—
The thought alone sends a sharp wave of panic through me.
Because I’m already bound.
Already claimed.
Just not by anyone he would ever accept.
“I’ll think about it,” I say finally, forcing the words out.
It’s the safest answer.
The only answer.
He studies me for a long moment.
Then nods once.
“See that you do.”
⸻
I don’t go back inside.
I can’t.
The moment he leaves, I turn in the opposite direction, moving deeper into the forest until the sounds of the pack fade behind me.
Only then do I stop.
My breath comes out uneven.
My chest feels too tight.
Too full.
Everything crashes into me at once.
The river.
Rhett.
The bond.
And now—
This.
Marriage.
Expectation.
Duty.
My wolf stirs sharply, restless again, agitated in a way she hasn’t been since last night.
Mine.
The word echoes faintly.
But it doesn’t bring comfort this time.
It makes everything worse.
I press a hand to my chest, trying to steady myself, but the feeling only intensifies.
The bond reacts.
Sharp.
Alive.
And then—
Something shifts.
Not around me.
Inside me.
A sudden pull.
A sharp awareness.
Like something—someone—is reaching back.
My breath catches.
He feels it.
Rhett.
The realization hits instantly.
He can feel this.
My distress.
My panic.
My conflict.
The connection tightens, stretching between us like a thread pulled too far.
And somewhere, not here—but not far enough—
He’s feeling it too.
- Writer
