AT THE ALPHA’S MERCY

Four Years Ago The moment Hazel stepped inside, she saw her father standing in the middle of the room, as if he had been waiting a long time for her to return. She didn't need to ask. He already knew, a cold realization settled in her chest. For how long had she thought she could hide it? It was foolish, really. This was a man who controlled everything. He had eyes everywhere, people reporting her every move, and enough influence within the Aurevane Pack to make even the smallest secret impossible to keep. There was no way he wouldn't find out. "Dad…?" Her voice came out smaller than she intended. Each step she took toward him felt heavier than the last. He stood by the wide glass window, staring out at the glittering city below, as if her existence wasn't even worth acknowledging yet. The lights outside reflected faintly against the glass, but there was nothing warm about the beautiful view. Slowly, he turned, and Hazel flinched the moment she saw his eyes. "I warned you not to make any more mistakes, didn't I?" he said calmly, but there was a storm beneath that calm, one she knew too well. Her throat tightened. Was there anything she could possibly say to save herself? "Dad, I…" Before she could finish, he flung the photographs in his hand at her. Hazel gasped, raising her arms instinctively, bracing for impact, but when nothing hit her, she lowered them slowly. The photographs scattered across the floor. Her breath caught when she saw what was in them. They were pictures of her entering and leaving the pack healer's den. One showed her speaking privately with the healer. Another showed her leaving with one hand protectively resting over her stomach. Fear gripped her throat, that she couldn't lift her head. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out?" he asked, stepping closer. She remained frozen in place. "I got you promised to the future Alpha to secure our family's future, not to have you come back carrying a pup before the mating ceremony." Her lips parted, but nothing came out. "You've disgraced me," he continued, his voice rising now, cracks of anger finally breaking through his calm. "Tell me, what do you think happens when the pack finds out? When the other families start talking? When they learn that the future Alpha's mate is carrying his pup before she has even been accepted by the Veyrith Pack?" Hazel said nothing. She couldn't. Every word he spoke was cruel, but she knew exactly what he feared…not her, not the pup, not even what would happen to her. But his carefully protected place among the powerful bloodlines of their territory. And she had become the imperfection he couldn't hide. His hand came down hard across her face. Her head snapped to the side as her body stumbled backward, barely catching herself before she hit the floor. She clutched her cheek, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth immediately. "Or do you think Karina would still accept you?" he barked. "Do you think the future Alpha would still take you as his Luna after this?" Hazel's heart twisted at the mention of Raven. Her wolf whimpered inside her. She hated that even now, even after everything, her first instinct was to reach for her mate. Raven. Her true mate. The boy she had grown up with. The man whose wolf had recognized hers months ago, binding them in a way neither of them had expected. Hazel flinched as Luke raised his hand again, but this time he stopped himself. A tense silence filled the room. "I'm getting rid of it," he said coldly. Hazel's eyes widened. "No." The word escaped before she could stop it and Luke's expression hardened. "Pack your things. You're leaving tonight." He turned and walked away, leaving her standing there as the tears she had been holding back finally slipped down her face. She didn't even know what to feel. Her palm remained pressed against her cheek, but the pain there was nothing compared to the ache spreading through her chest. Her hand slowly moved to her stomach, the tiny life inside her was still there. Her pup. Raven's pup. Her mind drifted back to the night everything had changed. I'll take responsibility for anything that happens after this. Raven had promised her that. Yet she had called him over and over again. Sent messages he had clearly seen but never replied to. Maybe he was busy. Or maybe…No. She couldn't let herself think that way. She knew Raven. She knew the way his eyes softened whenever he looked at her. She knew how his wolf always seemed to calm whenever she was near. She knew the way he held her hand when they walked together and the way he used to promise that nothing would happen to her as long as he was around. But she also knew Karina. His mother didn't ask, she commanded. She was the Luna of the Veyrith Pack, and one day, when Raven became Alpha, her influence would become even greater. Raven had spent his entire life obeying her. Hazel swallowed hard. She had always been useless in her father's eyes. The only time she had ever mattered was when she became useful, when her engagement to Raven could strengthen their family's position. And now? Now she had ruined even that, she had dared to feel something for Raven. She had allowed herself to believe that perhaps, for once, someone could choose her simply because he loved her. And that was her greatest mistake, because people like her weren't meant to be loved. They were meant to be used and discarded. Just like her mother. °°° Rain poured relentlessly over the pack's territory. Hazel sat at the front of the healer's den, completely drenched. The cold bit through her skin, and her clothes clung uncomfortably to her body, but she didn't move. The scent of wet earth filled the air, mixed with the faint herbs coming from the healer's den behind her. Maybe if she stayed long enough, the rain would wash everything away. Or maybe it would take her with it, she was only eighteen. And pregnant. Her fingers curled tightly around the edge of the wooden bench. She had spent the entire journey here trying to convince herself that there was another way. There wasn't, her father's voice still echoed inside her head. We're going to get rid of it. Pack your things. You're leaving tonight. Hazel lowered her eyes. She hadn't even been given the chance to decide what kind of mother she wanted to be. She had only been given a choice between losing her pup and losing everything else. Her wolf curled protectively around the tiny life inside her. Hazel placed a trembling hand over her stomach. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She didn't know whether she was apologizing to herself or to the pup. "Hazel!" Her head snapped up so fast it almost hurt. Through the curtain of rain, she saw him running toward her, his long strides cutting across the territory, a black umbrella held over his head. "Raven…" Something in her chest broke at the sight of him, her wolf immediately recognized him. Mate. The word echoed inside her mind with painful certainty.