THE ALPHA WITHIN
1800 Words
∆SERAPHINA∆
"What a troublesome night…" I murmured, rubbing my forehead as I opened my room's door. "I’m tired… completely worn out both in and out."
But the truth was heavier than the words.
The night was too quiet unnaturally, even the wind had stopped brushing against the windows, as if even nature was trying to isolate me just like people in that hall.
I slipped inside my room, closing the door behind me with a soft click.
The triumph from earlier, standing confidently in front of the entire hall, refusing to back down, lingered around me like fading flashes of memories.
I had won a small battle… one of the many I would have to face.
Yet the moment the silence settled over me… something inside began to shake.
Kael’s face flashed in my mind without warning, the darkness is his eyes, especially his cold grip on my waist, the way he looked at me as if I was something he could bend, break, or claim at will.
I clenched my jaw and forced that memory to leave my mind.
No, I don't want those stupid thoughts to ruin my mind.
I lay on my bed, turning onto my side, pulling the blanket up as if it could shield me from my own thoughts.
My fingers twisted in the fabric restlessly.
"I don’t want to think about him," I whispered to myself, staring at the wall. "Not tonight… not anymore."
But the more I tried not to think of him or anything related to him, everything was flashing in front of me again and again as if I was inviting those thoughts by myself.
Those memories pressed into my mind, as if they refused to let me rest.
Sleep should have come easily after a day like this… but the pain behind my eyes and heart only grew sharper.
The silence of the room thickened, settling over my chest like a weight.
I exhaled slowly, pushing back the sting building behind my eyes.
"I’m fine," I whispered again, though no one was there to hear it.
But the silence didn’t answer back.
And the more I pushed away those memories… the more I could feel the familiar chill of a nightmare waiting just beyond the edge of sleep, a darkness shaped by the things I refused to face.
After an hour of rolling in bed, unknowingly I started feeling sleepy, maybe it's because of tiredness, my eyelids felt heavy and my eyes closed by itself.
Deep in my sleep, I started to sense something, I knew it, it's a nightmare like always, but this time… it felt different.
Through the emptiness and darkness, I saw a familiar shape.
A great white wolf spoke in legendary stories that stood before me, taller than any wolf I had ever seen, its fur glowing faintly under moonlight that didn’t exist.
Her eyes were gold, and attractive, she was magnificent.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" I whispered while unintentionally approaching her.
Her gaze locked with mine, and when she spoke, her voice wasn’t sound, it was a pulse that passed through each and every nerve of my body.
"You searched for me in weakness, while I waited for you to rise in strength, I'm destined to connect with those people who were destined at birth to fulfil a great purpose, and it's you!"
I was stunned for a second not understanding what she was trying to say, "Wait... You waited for me? But why?"
"You called yourself powerless, and useless, you believed in others' words than your own abilities, so I stayed dormant within you, waiting for the day you would remember who you are! You're an Alpha!"
"I’m no Alpha," I protested in disbelief. "I never even had a wolf, how can...."
"You always did," Her golden eyes softened. "You are my other half, my Alpha, my true master!"
My hands trembled. "An… Alpha? How is it possible? How can I be an Alpha?"
"You're from a precious bloodline directly blessed by the moon goddess, you just needed to stop kneeling to become what you were born to be."
Tears filled in my eyes, I didn’t know why, joy, or shock, or grief, or maybe all of it tangled together, to be mixed feelings.
The wolf took a step closer, her breath warm and calm against my skin.
"I accept you as my master, but you must grow strong enough for both of us, it's time for you to wake up!"
"No, wait...."
But the mist began to fade, the last thing I heard was her whisper, "Wake up, my dear beautiful master, Seraphina!"
"Seraphina...."
A deep voice echoed her words, dragging me back to reality.
I gasped hard, sitting up sharply wondering about everything that happened in my dream, but the moment I woke up, the first thing I saw was Kael’s face hovering inches from mine, his eyes dark in the half-light.
I wasn't even left with a few minutes to enjoy myself for having a wolf, here he is to ruin my mood, getting on my nerves whenever he is close.
"W... what…?" My throat was dry. "When did you...."
"I asked what was wrong," he interrupted with a low and cold voice, I cannot see any signs of worrying from him, but something I couldn't understand is visible in his eyes, "You were shaking, another nightmare? Why do you keep having nightmares?"
My pulse raced again for a completely different reason.
His hair was slightly messy, his shirt open at the collar, he must’ve just returned, the scent of wine is still heavy on him.
"I’m fine," I managed to say, brushing a hand through my hair. "Probably my insomnia might be the cause of my troubled sleep, nothing else."
A low hum came from him as a response but he didn't move, while his gaze fixed on me, lingering longer than it should have. Then his expression changed, puzzled, and intense.
"You smell… different."
I blinked with a clueless face, "Different? What do you mean?"
He tilted his head slightly, his nostrils flaring as he is smelling me like a predator smelling it's prey. "Wild herbs, unfamiliar, divine flow," his voice dropped, almost a growl. "Not like before, something is different in you..."
My mind scrambled for a reasonable explanation, anything but the truth that my wolf had just awakened, because if he were to know the truth it would be hard for us to get divorced, so, I'll never let him know the truth until I escape from this claws of marriage.
"Uh… probably my period is coming."
The moment those words left my mouth, I regretted the next second as I knew those words were nothing but expecting him to be intimate with me as if I'm close to my heat cycle.
Kael froze for a second but he recovered very quickly, eyes darkening, and a faint smirk curved his lips. "Is that so?"
"No, that’s not what I meant...." I began to explain while heat rushing to my face in embarrassment.
Before I could finish, he leaned closer, his voice brushing against my ear.
"You sure you’re not trying to start something, Seraphina? After what happened last night, I thought you no longer wanted that.... Maybe I'm wrong!"
"I... what... no!" I stammered, the air between us suddenly turned electric.
He chuckled softly, a sound that made my stomach twist. "You’ve changed," he said, almost to himself. "There’s something about you tonight...."
Then, without warning, he kissed me while I was still in shock.
It wasn’t gentle, it was intense, sudden, almost desperate, the kind of kiss that stole breath and reason.
My hands braced against his chest instinctively, but everything around me tilted before I could find words.
For a moment, it was hard to tell where anger ended and something else began.
But, I shouldn't let him fool me again, holding up all my anger, I bit his lip and pushed him away coldly just like how I did the previous night.
"What did you do, just now? Are you enjoying whenever I bleed because of you?" He sighed, caressing the bleeding lip caught off guard by what I did, however, I'm well aware of what I did and why I did that, so I gave a sharp response he needed, "It's better if we maintain distance till the divorce, Kael!"
His eyes widened and he was ready to confront, but just then a sharp knock shattered everything.
"Alpha!" a voice called urgently from outside the door. "Beta Lydia’s old wounds are acting up again, she is in pain and requests your presence immediately!"
Of course, right on cue as expected.
I pulled back, swallowing a bitter laugh. "The battlefield’s hero, suddenly too fragile to sleep without Alpha!"
Kael exhaled, dragging a hand through his hair and muttered with an annoyed face. "What is it this time…"
In my past life, this was when he would’ve left, no hesitation, no glance back, just gone, as he needs to tend her injuries.
Nothing new here, she always calls Kael in the middle of the night to tend for these miraculous aches, I always wondered what required such… thorough examinations.
When I once questioned it, Kael just mocked me, "Not every woman is as small-minded as you, to be obsessed with some squabbles, Sera!"
Right, those squabbles were probably how she ended up pregnant.
I swallowed the ache rising in my chest and stayed calmly this time, I didn't show any signs of tears or weakness.
Just slipped out of bed and moved to the wardrobe, grabbing his outer coat and laying it neatly on the chair.
"Here, I've already prepared what you need," I said evenly. "Get changed and hurry up!"
But he didn’t move.
When I turned, he was watching me, amusement playing at the corner of his mouth. "Who said I was going?"
I was taken aback by his question. "What? Why aren't you going?"
He shrugged, leaning back lazily on the headrest of our bed. "I can’t heal her.... What use would I be even if I go there? It's best to send a doctor than me visiting her, don't you think so?"
I froze, the brush of disbelief was almost painful.
In my memory, he’d walked out without a word, every time, it's always the same, but this was different.
However, the messenger hesitated slightly after hearing to Kael's words, "my Lord, all the healers are attending to the former Luna.... No one else is available, please come with us."
Kael’s jaw tightened.
He looked at me then, really looked and something unreadable flickered in his eyes.
"Don’t we have a doctor right here?" He finally broke the silence, I stared at him, caught off guard. "What?"
- Writer
