The Alphas Heir

Who Even Are You?

Morning came way too soon. With no distractions lined up, I was completely at Aunt Renna’s mercy today. But first, I had to survive breakfast. Picture this: poor orphan girl sits through meals, constantly poked and prodded by Daddy’s prized son, Dillon. Obviously, Dillon is the apple of Uncle Sherman’s eye. He’s not high-ranking in the pack, but he’s well-liked, respected—basically a chip off the old block. Hard eye roll. Sherman isn’t a bad guy, just blind to the way his kids manipulate him. I don’t even know where their cruelty comes from.

Meals were torture. Dillon and Jane would laugh, and I’d just sit there, counting down the minutes until I could leave. Uncle always said I needed to “lighten up and take a joke,” like their constant jabs were harmless. He’d chuckle behind his mustache, completely oblivious. Renna, on the other hand, saw it all. She just chose her battles carefully.

I rounded the corner into the kitchen, only to walk straight into Dillon. And so it begins.

“Whoa, easy there, pup. That wouldn’t happen if you had better senses.” Jane smirked, clearly waiting for me to embarrass myself.

Asena burned in my chest, she was always fighting to show herself. ‘Pup’? If only he knew how little he was to her.

“Really? I would think with yours being so great, you’d have moved out of the way. Or is that just your stupid showing?”

Dillon’s smirk dropped as I walked around him to the table where Aunt Renna had laid out breakfast. Sure, being the butt of their jokes sucked, but it was fun knowing I was smarter than them. Apparently, using big words and proper sentences makes me pretentious, but I knew it was just an excuse for them not to admit they didn’t understand me. I used it to my advantage, disarming them with wit whenever I could. It was one of the few places where I held the upper hand.

My wolf would roll, playfully enjoying my supremacy. She encouraged it with every encounter, but I would falter most of the time. I feel like I let her down. In our home I am safe to face the confrontation but out in the pack, even with Asena ready to go, I’m afraid of what might happen. Afraid of how much they actually hate me.

We ate in silence. Jane got ready for school, Dillon did... whatever it was Dillon did. Did he even have a job? Thankfully, the painful goodbyes were brief, and I was nearly free before Renna’s voice called me back.

“Grey, wait a minute.”

I stopped, my escape thwarted. Renna sat at the table, cradling her favorite mug, stained from a lifetime of use. She gestured to the chair I had just vacated.

“Well, actually, I had something come up, so I was going to—”

“No, you didn’t,” she interrupted, not missing a beat. “Sit down, please.”

Well... s**t.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking: Why not just give her a chance, Grey? She seems to genuinely care. And you’d be right. Renna’s heart is in the right place. But this wasn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation. She always wanted to help, but her solutions never changed. Her go-to advice was to find a mate. To use my mate’s strength to gain respect in the pack. But the problem? No one wanted to date me. Even the weird guys steered clear. And more importantly, I had zero interest in mating with anyone from this pack.

I indulged her though. There was always some poor soul set up on a blind date with me. Asena thoroughly enjoyed scaring the weaker ones away. The results were the same every time. Still, I humored her. Today was no different.

“So, this time it’s a little different,” she began. “A friend from high school visited recently. She reached out, said she’d love to stop by and... chat.”

I raised an eyebrow. This was a new approach, though I wondered if Renna assumed I might be interested in her friend. Ugh. Great.

“Right,” I muttered, thinking about the pastries I’d need to pick up for the visit. You know, those tiny cakes older women set out to impress visitors, as if they’d been raised by Queen Elizabeth herself.

The bakery was my next stop. As I walked, a strange feeling crept over me, like the air around me had shifted. Asena noticed it too, and she was instantly waiting for whatever excited her. Still, it set me on edge. I stood in line, trying to shake off the tingling sense of déjà vu. It didn’t take long to figure out why.

When the young man in front of me stepped away, the girl behind the counter snickered when she saw me. Her father, usually the one at the register, stepped forward and shot her a glare that I felt in my chest. His stern look softened as he turned to me.

“Two dozen tea pastries, please,” I said quietly.

He nodded, then surprised me by telling me that the young man ahead of me had already paid for my order. My face flushed redder than I thought possible, and I mumbled a thank you, both mortified and... angry?

As I stepped out of the shop, I heard it.

“Oy, thought that was you,” a familiar voice called. My stomach sank. My wolf rose. I recognized that voice. “Grey?”

I turned only after I was sure the redness had faded from my face. He was standing there, grinning like he’d won something. Just like last night, that lopsided smirk was back.

“Told you we’d see each other again,” he said smugly.

“And you thought it’d be funny to humiliate me?” I snapped, harsher than intended. Asena berated me. Was she happy?

His grin faltered, confusion flashing across his face. “What? No, I was just being... friendly? Thought it’d be a nice way to say hello again.”

Friendly. Right. Like I was going to believe that. “Friendly? That girl in there is going to turn this into some story about how you pitied me. I don’t need your fake chivalry.”

I stormed across the street, stomping over the damp pavement, despite Asenas' protest to engage and be nice.

“Say what you want, but I’m not a faker.” He easily caught up with me.

I shot him a glare. “Are you drunk?”

“Ah, not quite. I’m maintaining a certain level all day.” He grinned again, smug as ever.

“Fantastic plan,” I muttered. This guy was a walking contradiction. A stranger who, for some inexplicable reason, thought he could just walk into my life. But attention that wasn’t ridicule? It was strange, almost... unsettling. Even worse? Asena was not unsettled, she was flattered that this total stranger, who could be a serial killer, was showing us attention.

“Don’t you have somewhere better to be than following me?”

“Nope. Following you was the plan.”

I stopped in my tracks, turning to face him. “Why?”

He hesitated, clearly caught off guard. “Do you treat all your friends this way?” He shot back, voice laced with frustration.

“I don’t have friends.”

“Well, maybe this is why,” he retorted, his voice sharp with the edge of anger. It was painful, the way she agreed with him.

The shift in his mood caught me off guard, and I softened just a little, curious to see where this conversation was going. “What would I be friends with you for? I don’t even know you.”

His hands flew up in exasperation. “I bought you pastries, and I followed you to have a conversation. I’m trying here.”

I stared at him, speechless for a moment. His logic wasn’t... wrong. In a different world, maybe this was how friendships started. But not mine.

“Gah, I’m sorry. Shit.” He turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, dumbfounded.

Stranger

Shit, Am I really such a dickhead? I’m not gonna forget the look for a while. I could see it, I could feel it, she wasn’t comfortable, and I wouldn’t stop. I wouldn't just let her walk away. I’ve got to go at her a different way. She's obviously stubborn, very strong-willed, too. But the smell, it’s sweet. It’s inviting, not like the other girls. Its almost floral, like Jasmine with a hint of vanilla mixed in. Like a moonflower. And if they lied to me about that, I need to know what else is there. Finn knew the moment we smelled her, she’s not at all what people think she is.

Dear Grey,

I’m so sorry. I wanted to see you happy and loved. I know I hurt you today. It was a mistake I will make often. I don’t mean to be so angry. There's just something inside me and I don’t know how to regulate it. I told you I planned to stay at a certain level all day, so that you can’t say I was drunk. I lied. Well, not at the moment, but I know that I will be drunk today. By the way you brought it up, I can tell that you don’t like that very much, not that you care for me, but I can see it’s not something you will like, and for that I am also deeply sorry. I wish I knew a better way, to make it go away. Not even all of it, just enough that I can be… normal. You’re not the only one who has suffered in this world. I wish I knew how to tell you that. My suffering is just different. Your peers will love me, and you will hate me for it. I will still fight to be your friend, and they will hate you for it. But I am hoping that somehow balance will come. You don’t know who you are, and neither do they. But one day, balance WILL come. It has too.