Destined to My Father’s Rival Alpha

CHAPTER TWO: WHISPERS IN THE DARK

Aria;

Sleep never found me that night. My room was dark, but it wasn’t quiet.

My father’s voice still echoed in my ears long after I left the clearing. But it wasn’t him that haunted me, it was Darius. Even when I closed my eyes, I saw him. His silver eyes burning into me, the heat of his presence pressing against my chest, his voice echoing through my mind: Mine.

My wolf clawed at me, restless and desperate. And no matter how hard I tried, every time I blinked, it was always Darius.

I rolled over in the bed, my sheets twisting around my legs. Sweat clung to my skin, and my pulse pounded so loud it almost drowned out the quiet breathing of Lysandra, my best friend, curled in the the edge of the bed I let her take. She was asleep now, unaware of the storm raging in me.

My wolf’s claws dug deep, tugging at my nerves, clawing at my sanity. I pressed my palms to my head. Stop. But the memory wouldn’t leave me. His presence in the forest, the way he had claimed me without touching, without permission, shook me to the core.

I hated him. I hated myself for needing him. But the bond… it burned in me.

I tried to think of patrols, training, even Kael, Darius’ beta, the stoic wolf who followed him with unwavering loyalty. But every thought twisted back to Darius, and my pulse betrayed me with every inhale.

I shivered, covering my face with my hands. Lysandra stirred and murmured, “Aria?”

I froze, trying to hide the panic. “I’m fine,” I said, voice tight, even though it cracked.

“Liar,” she said softly, rolling onto her side to face me. “You always say that. You’re hiding something.”

I swallowed hard, forcing a smile I didn’t feel. “It’s nothing. Really.”

She didn’t press. Lysandra never pressed when I needed space. That was why I trusted her more than anyone. But I knew she would notice the weight in my eyes, the restlessness in my movements, the way my wolf clawed beneath my skin.

Darius;

She was awake. I knew.

Even from the border, I could feel it, the faint shake in her feelings, the tiny pulses of her wolf shifting beneath her skin. My wolf snarled in frustration, pacing inside me. I wanted to cross the distance, press myself against her, remind her what she was to me.

I shouldn’t want her. She was Blackthorn’s daughter. The enemy. Every fiber of my pack would scream betrayal if I even looked at her the wrong way. And yet,

I couldn’t.

Her scent wrapped around my senses, wild, intoxicating, the fire of her pulse like heat in my chest. Every inhale burned. My wolf demanded she be mine now, and every instinct in me agreed.

But I waited.

Because she wasn’t ready. She had to come to it herself. Or we would both break.

Kael, my beta, watched me closely, sensing my agitation. “You need to rest,” he said. His voice was calm, steady. The calm against the storm inside me.

“I can’t,” I said, jaw tight. “She’s awake. She’s thinking of me.”

Kael’s eyes narrowed. “The daughter of your enemy?”

“Yes,” I growled, voice low. “And the one my wolf is screaming for.”

Kael said nothing, just placed a hand on my shoulder, grounding me. But I didn’t need grounding. I needed her.

Aria;

Morning came too quickly. Lysandra left to train me in the clearing, but I barely noticed her words. Every movement, every breath, I imagined him there, silver eyes flashing, chest slick with blood, claiming me without touch.

I shook my head. Stop.

Lysandra tried to start our drills, swinging daggers and shouting, but I was slow, distracted. She stopped mid-step, frowning. “Aria, what’s wrong? You’re… off. More than usual.”

I wanted to tell her. I wanted to scream it aloud. “I’m fine,” I said again, forcing a laugh. But it came out thin, brittle.

Her amber eyes softened. “If you ever need to..”

“I can’t,” I interrupted sharply. My voice cracked. “Not now.”

She hesitated, then nodded. Lysandra always understood when I pushed her away. She always forgave me. And yet, her concern lingered like a shadow.

I shook my arms, trying to chase away the memory of him. But every time I moved, my wolf whispered .Mate.

Darius;

Another border patrol.

I watched her from the shadows as she moved through the trees, unaware I was there. Her pulse was erratic, her wolf restless. I could feel her heat, her fear, and..longing.

Kael followed silently, ever vigilant. “You can’t just watch her,” he said quietly, but there was no judgment in his tone, only observation.

I shook my head. “I have to. If I interfere, I destroy her.”

Kael sighed. “You’re already destroying yourself.”

I ignored him. Every nerve, every claw of my wolf, wanted to rush to her, claim her in the open, leave no doubt. But she needed control, and she had to understand the bond herself.

I lingered in the shadows, watching her training. Every movement gave her away, every reaction, every time she pulled back from me,every breath she held when I came too close. I could feel her wolf raging desperately, screaming mate, my chest tightened.

She was mine. And it terrified me.

Aria;

That night, I couldn’t sleep again.

Lysandra sat with me, trying to talk, but I barely heard her. My mind was consumed with the encounter in the forest. Every glance at the border, every flicker of movement, I imagined him naked, lethal and claiming me with eyes that burned.

I hated him. I hated how much my body responded to his presence. I hated the pull of the bond that my mind refused to accept.

And yet, I dreamed of him.

Not as a wolf. Not as a predator. But as Darius, standing before me, heat in his gaze, power in his hands, claiming me without touch. My wolf pressed against my ribs in the dream, nails digging into my flesh, demanding release.

I woke with a gasp, sweat running down my skin, and whispered, “No…”

But the word did nothing to stop the fire in my veins.

Darius;

I smelled her again, in the darkness.

Even asleep, she called to me, her wolf screaming across the miles. I wanted to cross the distance, to hold her, to mark her so no one else could claim her. But I didn’t. Not yet. She had to choose.

Kael stepped beside me, watching the trees. “You’re obsessed,” he said.

“No,” I snapped. “She’s mine.

Kael didn’t argue. He simply nodded, understanding more than anyone should. My wolf growled, pacing, circling me like a storm about to break.

And I let it. Let her need me, let her fight, let the bond grow stronger in secret. Because one day, soon… we would no longer be able to deny it.

Aria;

The days blurred together. Training. Patrols. Lysandra’s quiet presence. Every time I patrolled near the border, I felt him watching. Sometimes, in the distance, I saw movement, two figures crossing the trees, silent and careful. Kael sometimes followed him, a shadow keeping the Alpha in check.

I hated the tension. I hated the pull of his gaze even when it wasn’t there. My wolf itched, desperate, and every time I tried to deny it, my body betrayed me.

Then came the almost-encounter.

I was on the border, checking traps Lysandra and I had set earlier, when I sensed him before I saw him. Silver eyes glinting between the trees. My heart pounded.

I stepped back, clutching my dagger.

“Aria,” he called softly, his voice sliding across the wind.

I froze. Every instinct screamed to run. But my wolf… my wolf pressed against my ribs, claws digging, desperate.

I wanted to tell him to go. To leave. But my legs moved without my permission. My body betrayed me, moving toward him despite my brain screaming no.

Then a branch snapped behind me.

Startled, I spun, and the moment shattered. Darius disappeared into the trees before I could speak.

My wolf screamed in frustration. I sank to the ground, gripping my knees.

Darius;

I watched her retreat, and heard the whisper of her wolf’s frustration even from a distance. She wanted me. She didn’t want me. Every fiber of her being battled with the bond.

I should have called her, demanded her, marked her. But I didn’t.

I let her go, for now.

Because the game has just begun.