Against The Alpha's Rules

Chp 4

Willow POV

The house feels different the moment I step inside, as usual it's quieter and colder. I close the door behind me, the faint click echoing more than it should. No footsteps, no low hum of the television and presence that fills the space the way my father usually does, even when he isn’t speaking. He’s not here of course he’s not.

A soft clink draws my attention toward the living room. My mother sits at the table, back straight, movements precise as she lifts a porcelain cup to her lips. Steam curls lazily into the air, the scent of tea settling into the silence like it belongs more than I ever have. I stop for a second, just for a second and then I sigh under my breath and turn toward the hallway.

If I move quietly enough, quickly enough…I won't have to interact with her

“Sit.”

Her voice cuts through the air, it's cold, flat and final. I close my eyes briefly and slowly, I turn back. She doesn’t look at me immediately. She just takes another sip, calm and composed, like this is any other conversation. Like she didn’t just call me back with a single word that feels more like an order than anything else.

“I want to talk to you.”

She could have said can we talk?, or sit down, please. She never used those words with me. I walk toward the couch, each step measured, controlled, like I’ve done this a thousand times before because I have. I sit across from her, hands resting loosely in my lap, gaze lowered just enough to avoid direct eye contact, just waiting for her to speak.

She places the cup down carefully, the soft clink against the table louder than expected.

Then she folds her hands, only then does she look at me.

“There’s something you need to understand,” she begins.

My chest tightens, it's not sharp and not painful, I swallow my saliva while listening to what she is going to say next.

“You will not be getting any position in the pack.”

There it is, the words don’t hit all at once.

They settle, slowly, like something sinking deeper than it should.

“I’ve already decided,” she continues, her tone unwavering. “Everything that belongs to this family… will go to her.”

Her, Not even a name, she doesn’t need one.

My little sister, I nod.

A small, automatic movement.

Like my body already knew what was coming before my mind could catch up.

“She deserves it,” my mother adds. “She’s my daughter.”

Something flickers inside me at that, brief and quiet.

“And you—” she pauses, her gaze sharpening slightly, “—you’ve been here long enough.”

I don’t look up, expressionless, without any emotions.

“I’ve provided for you. I have given you a place to stay. An education.” Her fingers tap lightly against each other, precise, controlled. “That’s more than enough.”

The room feels smaller and the air is heavier than before.

“It’s time for you to move out.”

The words land cleanly, there is no hesitation and no softness to cushion them.

“Alphas will start coming soon,” she continues. “They will be looking for the eldest daughter of this house. And I will not have her future compromised because of… confusion.”

Confusion?, those words make my fingers curl slightly against my knees.

“I won’t risk her losing anything that should rightfully be hers,” she finishes.

Silence follows, it's thick, heavy, and unavoidable. For a moment…just a moment, there is something rising in my chest.

It's not anger, not exactly but something close enough to burn. I swallow it down because what would be the point?

Slowly, I lower my head, and then—I smile It’s a small smile

“You don’t have to worry about that,” I say quietly. “I don’t want anything.”

My voice doesn’t shake.

That surprises me more than it should.

“She shouldn’t have to compromise because of me,” I continue, the words coming easier now. “It’s better this way.”

There’s a pause before I speak the other words.

“I’ve already found a place,” I add. “I just need some time to pack.”

That makes her still.

Just for a fraction of a second and then she nods once.

“Good.”

That’s it, that's all she has to say, there are no questions, no concern and no hesitation, it's just acceptance. She didn't ask where will you stay, will you be okay staying alone?.

I stand before the silence can stretch any longer.

Before anything inside me has the chance to break through.

“Is that all?” I ask.

She picks up her cup again and takes another sip.

“Yes.”

I am dismissed, just like that, so I turn and walk away.

It's steady, controlled and unaffected.

At least, that’s what it looks like, the moment my door closes behind me, everything slips.

My back presses against the wood as I exhale slowly, like I’ve been holding it in for too long. My chest feels tight..too tight.and for a second, I don’t know what to do with it, so I laugh while a few tears father near my eye lids.

A quiet, broken sound that doesn’t quite make sense.

“Of course,” I whisper to myself. “Of course it ends like this.”

My gaze drifts around the room.

The same walls, the same bed and the same space I’ve spent years trying to make feel like something more than just… temporary. It never was and I knew that, somewhere deep down, I always knew. Still..It doesn’t stop the ache. My throat tightens as I push myself away from the door, moving further into the room like distance might make it easier to breathe.

“She’s my daughter.”

The words echo in my head, It is soft, sharp and endless, I sink down onto the edge of the bed, staring at my hands. They don’t look any different and they don’t feel any different. So why does everything feel like it just shifted?

A tear slips before I can stop it and then another. I wipe them away quickly, almost instinctively.

“Don’t,” I mutter under my breath. “Not for this.”

Not for something I should’ve expected and not for something that was never mine to begin with.

I inhale slowly, forcing the air into my lungs, forcing everything else back down with it, this isn’t the end. It’s just…. confirmation. I was never meant to stay and maybe… maybe that’s not such a bad thing. My gaze shifts to the corner of the room, where my bag rests, half-packed already, prepared and waiting. I had so many memories even if they sad or happy

A small, tired smile touches my lips.

“At least one of us saw this coming,” I whisper.

Outside, the snow continued to fall, it was quiet and endless.

And for the first time… it doesn’t feel like something I’m trapped in. It feels like something I’m walking away from