WILDFIRE OF THE ALPHA

LYRA'S POV Fuck you. That was the only thing in my head as I fought him. “f**k you!” I screamed, twisting in his grip. “Son of the devil! Don’t touch me! Drop me! Let me go!” I scratched at his arms. I kicked his legs. I hit his chest with everything I had. My nails burned. My hands hurt. My whole body ached. It was useless. He didn’t even slow down or budge. It felt like fighting a wall, a cold, solid, unmoving wall. My heart slammed against my ribs as he dragged me through the forest. The ground was rough beneath my feet. Branches cut my skin; But I refused to cry or show fear. I would not give him that satisfaction. My whole pack was gone. The Moonspark Claw Pack. All gone. Completely wiped out in one night. Just hours ago, we had been alive. We were laughing,running. Wolves howling beneath silver moonlight, celebrating the goddess who had always watched over us. Now there was nothing left but blood and smoke. My chest tightened. I saw it all again,the fire, the screams, the bodies falling. I had hidden like a coward while my people died. I had survived when I shouldn’t have. “Oh, Goddess,” I whispered. “Please help me.” The wolf holding me suddenly bent and lifted me over his shoulder as if I weighed nothing. I gasped, the air knocked out of me. “No!” I shouted, pounding his back. “Put me down! You bastard! Where are you taking me?” He didn’t answer. I had almost escaped. I had moved quietly along the border, staying low, careful with every step. I thought I was safe. I didn’t sense him until his hand closed around my arm. “Why don’t you just kill me?” I demanded, my voice breaking. “Why drag this out? Kill me now and be done with it.” He stopped walking. Before I could react, he threw me to the ground. Pain exploded through my head. The world blurred for a moment. I tasted blood and dirt. I tried to stand. “If you don’t shut your mouth,” he said calmly, “you’ll join your people.” The words hit harder than the fall. Something inside me snapped. I lunged at him. “Yes!” I screamed. “Kill me! Finish it! What is there left for me anyway?” I scratched at his face blindly, rage pouring out of me. I didn’t care if he killed me. I wanted him to. He caught my wrists easily and twisted them behind my back. His grip was iron. “Listen,” he said, shaking me once. “I’m not the one killing you.” My heart skipped. “My Alpha will,” he continued. “Alpha Keenan.” Fear slid into my bones like ice. Alpha Keenan. The name alone was enough to make packs tremble. Ruthless. Cold. A destroyer of enemies. A leader who showed no mercy. So it was him. The one who ordered the destruction of Moonspark Claw. My legs gave out. “Oh, Goddess,” I whispered. “Please let me die before I face him.” **** We reached the High Shadow Claw camp just before dawn. Dark tents stood in rows. Wolves watched from the shadows, their eyes sharp and hungry. Their presence pressed down on me from all sides. I was thrown into a cage. Like an animal. I curled into myself, hugging my knees. I would not cry again. I had no tears left anyway. Footsteps approached. “Well,” a deep voice said, calm and steady, “what do we have here?” I lifted my head. He stood outside the cage,tall, heavily built, his presence heavy in the air. His face was hard, carved from discipline and control. His eyes were dark and unreadable. This was Alpha Keenan. A guard opened the cage and dragged me out. I forced myself to stand. My body shook, but I met his gaze. I would not bow. I would not beg. “I hear you’re a healer,” he said quietly. “Is that true?” Anger rushed through me like fire. He spoke to me as if nothing had happened,as if we were old friends playing a game. I stepped forward, gathered saliva, and spat at him. The spit landed on his cheek. A small part of me felt proud. The whole camp went silent. I heard gasps from all sides. He wiped his face slowly. Then he struck me once. The slap was sharp. Pain exploded across my cheek as I hit the ground. Blood filled my mouth. “Pick her up,” he said calmly. Hands grabbed me and dragged me forward. Alpha Keenan held my chin, forcing my face up. His eyes flashed green for a brief second. “I could kill you right now,” he said quietly. “And no one would stop me.” Good, I thought. Do it. “Go f**k yourself,” I said. Gasps filled the air again. “I’m not afraid of you,” I continued, my voice shaking. “You destroyed everything I loved. Go ahead. Kill me. Just finish it.” For a long moment, he stared at me. Not with rage. With something colder. Then he released me. I collapsed to the ground, coughing. “Get her out of my sight,” Alpha Keenan said. “Lock her up.” As they dragged me away, I knew one thing. Death would have been kinder than what fate had planned for me. And Alpha Keenan was at the center of it all.