Ended a 9-Year Taboo With My Brother’s Friend Alpha Nick

For the past nine years, I had been secretly in love with Alpha Nick—my brother, Alpha Roger’s best friend. Our relationship was never made public. Because we believed in the power of true love between us. That night, after the Northern Moon Festival in the Forested Highlands, the Alphas of the pack were gathered around the bonfire, drinking and chatting. He had a bit of wine, looked at me with that familiar playful curve on his lips, and said, “Leona, I’ll find you someone better. Stop clinging to me, will you?” I answered calmly and obediently, “Alright.” “So, you’ve finally let go.” My wolf Aris, murmured deep in my mind, her voice hoarse and firm. “But why do I feel pain instead of relief?” I didn’t respond. Aris was right. In my last life, I had refused his suggestion and insisted on forming a bond with him. But after the ceremony, he had grown distant and cold. Even when I was seven months pregnant and severely injured in a winter patrol across the snow ridges—buried under an avalanche, bleeding out—he had been with Beta Selene, listening to ballads sung by bards in the Moon song Cavern at the border market, completely unaware of the life-or-death struggle of me and our Alpha pup. It was in the moment that I truly understood—he might be someone else’s salvation, but he was never my fated mate. When I said “alright,” Alpha Nick froze where he stood. He hadn’t expected me to agree so easily. The shadows of wolves flickered beside the bonfire in the wind. His handsome face was tinged unnaturally red, but his eyes were sharp—clearly not drunk. I sat on the hide rug, composed, and poised; my lips curled into a faint smile as I looked at him. At that moment, all his laziness vanished. He straightened up abruptly, his tone serious. “Leona, did you hear what I just said?” I nodded. “I heard you clearly.” “You didn’t cry.” Aris’s voice softened slightly. “That’s not like you. Every time he hurt you before, you’d call me out at night, curl up in a cave corner and cry yourself to sleep.” I replied quietly inside, “I’ve cried enough.” In the past, whenever he said things like this, I would plead, act pitiful, beg him not to walk away. But now, my emotions were still as water, as if I were just an outsider watching someone else’s play unfold. “Leona, you—” He didn’t finish. My brother, Alpha Roger, had returned, his hunting cloak draped over his shoulders, a familiar smirk on his lips. “Guess who I just saw at the Northern Watchtower?” He didn’t wait for our response. “I saw your ex-girlfriend. She was drunk and collapsed on the patrol trail. Two warriors carried her to the Moon Shade Shelter—” Just before Alpha Nick could dash toward the mountain path, a deep voice rose beside the long ceremonial fire pit—it was Elder Rovan. “Nick, I heard there’s a young girl around you lately? The pack council wants to confirm whether you’ve already selected a potential mate.” All eyes immediately turned to him. Alpha Nick frowned slightly. His gaze brushed past me, but then he chuckled and said, “It’s a misunderstanding. She’s just Roger’s sister—I see her like a sister.” My hand froze mid-air, crushing the orange segment between my fingers. “I see.” The elder smiled. “Then would you be willing to attend next month’s ‘Mate Selection Ceremony’ as a candidate?” He nodded. “Of course.” The entire gathering fell into stunned silence. Alpha Roger blinked, turned toward me, about to speak—but I raised a hand to stop him. I stood up, graceful and composed, and said, “Alpha Nick, I wish you the best in your selection.” “You’re still not giving up?” Aris growled low in my mind. “He denied you three times—in front of an elder—just to make it clear. What more proof do you need?” Before he finished, Alpha Nick had already rushed off into the mountain path. Soon, the forest corridors echoed with the sound of snapping branches and low, enraged growls. Someone must have crossed a line. His Alpha instincts had awakened—I knew his eyes must be glowing golden now, a sure sign that the wolf had surfaced. I remained where I was, unfazed, calmly picking up a peeled orange segment from the fruit basket and placing it in my mouth. Alpha Nick liked fruit but hated peeling. It had always been me—carefully removing the peel, placing it before him—only then would he eat a few bites, satisfied. Alpha Roger used to tease me, “You treat him too well. I’ve never seen you do that for me. What, do you like him or something?” Many times, I wanted to tell him the truth about me and Alpha Nick. But Alpha Nick would always beat me to it, ruffling my hair with a chuckle, “Maybe, in Leona’s eyes, I’m her real big brother. What’s wrong with a sister doting on her brother?” Eventually, I understood what he meant. He never wanted anyone to know what we were. So, I chose silence too. For nine years, no one knew the secret between Alpha Nick and me. Aris had warned me many times, deep in my heart: “Do you really believe he’s your mate? You’ve never once felt his wolf soul resonate with yours. You’ve never truly completed a soul merge.” I gave a bitter smile, “I was too stubborn.” Now, Alpha Roger stood at the edge of the mountain path, watching the chaos unfold in the distance. I popped the final orange slice into my mouth and shook my head. “My arms are thin, legs weaker—I’d only get in the way.” Alpha Roger raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and walked off. I stayed in place a long while, until the forest quieted again. Then I rose slowly, making my way north along the Moon Shade Corridor. Just as I crossed the stone bridge, I saw Alpha Nick—carefully cradling another woman in his arms. It was his ex-girlfriend, Beta Selene. She was dead drunk, her limbs limp as if she had no bones, completely leaning against his chest. Alpha Nick didn’t push her away. Instead, he held her tighter, as if afraid she might slip from his arms. Aris let out a long, heavy sigh inside me. “He chose her. Not you. Do you understand now?”