My Omega Secret Lover is Alpha King!

Chapter 3: Future Alpha King

Chapter 3: Future Alpha King

(Aria's POV)

The main hall of the pack house felt colder than usual. Every breath held unspoken tension, the kind that wrapped tightly around every member of the room. Luna Victoria stood with her back straight, her presence commanding, her voice sharper than a silver blade.

"How dare you," her words cut through the silence as she glared at Alexander. I had seen her angry before, but this was something else entirely. She was furious, perhaps even disgusted.

Alexander stiffened under her harsh tone, but his expression betrayed nothing. It was typical. He always masked his insecurities with false bravery.

"How dare you bring that human into this pack’s sacred grounds again?" Victoria hissed. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, her silver-streaked hair swaying as she took a step toward her son. The intensity in her stance and voice softened the presence of her aging features. Instead, she looked like the fierce Luna I had admired for years.

"Mother, listen to me," Alexander began, his voice low but firm, a weak attempt to maintain his calm. "Sarah is carrying my pup. She's important to me, and—"

Victoria didn’t let him finish. She raised her hand, silencing him instantly.

"Important?" Her voice rose, trembling with disdain. "Has she healed our sick? Has she stood alongside this pack through its darkest moments? Has she offered anything—anything—except shame and betrayal?"

Alexander flinched then, his mask cracking ever so slightly. He pulled his lips into a tight, annoyed line but didn’t dare interrupt.

I stayed silent, blending into the background like I had mastered over the years. Despite my calm exterior, my heart was thumping mercilessly in my chest. Listening to Victoria defend me stirred something within. It wasn’t love or lingering hope, but maybe gratitude.

Victoria didn’t even look in my direction. Her entire focus was on her son. "While Sarah... lurks like an unwanted shadow," she continued, her voice strained with frustration, "Aria has consistently upheld the pride and strength of this pack! And you... you bring that human here, expecting us to what? Welcome her with open arms? Accept her betrayal?"

Alexander’s face burned with anger and embarrassment. "This," he snapped, motioning toward me briefly, "isn’t about Aria. It’s about my pup and—"

"And what?" Victoria interrupted sharply. "Are you forgetting your duty? Your legacy?" She leaned in closer to him, her voice dropping but the intensity amplifying. "You are the heir to this pack. That child is not."

His fists clenched at his sides. "You can’t dismiss her so easily. She’s my mate in all ways except official. You know it as well as anyone else."

Victoria's laughter startled me. It was biting, dismissive. "Official? You have no mate except the one this pack recognizes. And that is Aria—whether you like it or not."

The room fell deathly silent. Not a single soul dared speak.

Victoria straightened her back, her tone turning icy. "Your behavior is unacceptable. As of now, Elder James is demanding your presence in the sacred chamber. Perhaps he can remind you of what your position truly means.”

Alexander opened his mouth, ready to argue, but the fire in Victoria’s eyes left no room for him to resist. With a glare at me—one so filled with anger that it made my wolf bristle beneath my skin—he turned on his heels and stormed out.

The moment he was gone, Victoria’s entire demeanor shifted. She turned toward me, her features softening as she began to approach.

"My poor, dear girl," she whispered, pulling me into a warm embrace. Her arms around me were firm, protective, like a mother shielding her child from the world’s harshness. My wolf stirred at the comfort, humming softly but quietly.

Victoria’s wolf aura enveloped me, offering comfort far beyond typical words. "You’ve endured far too much," she murmured against my ear.

I nodded silently as my own arms loosely wrapped around her, appreciating the gesture even though I felt nothing deep within. The potion that dulled the painful mate bond had done its work well—so well that even empathy and love felt distant now. What once burned brightly in my chest had reduced to cold embers of obligation and respect.

Somewhere in the recess of my mind, I picked up on the faint traces of Alexander’s emotions. Despite the suppression of our mate bond, the conversation in the sacred chamber filtered through the pack bonds. I hadn’t purposely tried to tap into it, but his emotions were too volatile, too loud, to ignore.

"You have two choices, grandson." Elder James’s voice echoed. It was grave and commanding, about as forgiving as a thunderstorm. "Sever the mate bond with Aria and forfeit half of our ancestral hunting grounds. Half." He repeated the word as if daring Alexander to challenge it.

"Or," James continued, his voice sharp, "keep Sarah as your mistress and lose all rights as the future Alpha. All of them. Permanently."

Through the bond, I felt Alexander’s rage bubble violently. "Why?" His voice cracked under the weight of his frustration. "Why does everyone insist on protecting her? She’s nothing but a packless wolf, tossed aside by the Silverbrook Pack!"

The Elder’s presence flared in my senses—enough that I felt his wolf surge even from here. It was suffocating, primal, a reminder of why he once led this pack.

"Aria is far more than her lineage," the Elder growled, no room for negotiation in his tone. "She earned her place. Earned her worth. She has strengthened this pack with her healing gifts, her knowledge, and her resilience. She carried this bond when you could not."

Inside the living quarters, I was pulled from the distant conversation by heavy boots striking the hardwood floor. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was Alexander. His steps held familiar anger, an energy I’d grown used to these past years.

"You," he spat as he entered, his voice dripping with accusation. In an instant, he closed the distance between us, his steel-blue eyes locked onto me. "You manipulated them against me."

I stood my ground, refusing to be cowed by the anger that rolled off him. "I’ve done nothing," I replied calmly. My brows furrowed slightly as I watched his expression twist deeper into rage. "You’re here entirely because of your actions, Alexander. Not mine."

"Like hell," he hissed, his breathing heavy, almost erratic. "Ever since you met my family, you’ve wormed your way into their hearts. Playing the victim. Using their pity to turn my own blood against me."

I raised my chin, keeping my expression controlled, though my hands had started to tighten into fists at my sides. "All I ever did was exist. That was enough for you to hate me, wasn’t it?"

His face contorted with resentment. "Enough for me to know you aren’t as perfect as they think." He sneered, taking a step closer. "Do you know what I overheard as a child? There were whispers. Speculation about what blood truly runs through your veins. Maybe rogue. Maybe something worse."

It should have hurt, but it didn’t. I’d heard it all before, dismissed it all long ago. My voice, when I spoke, was perfectly steady.

"My bloodline isn’t the reason for your failure, Alexander. Your inability to choose between Sarah and your responsibilities is."

My words landed like a slap, his entire body language shifting in split seconds. He stiffened, nostrils flared, fists trembling briefly before he composed himself. His anger felt desperate now, less calculated.

"Careful, Aria." His tone was low, almost venomous. "Careful with how far you push me."

I tilted my head, barely managing a neutral, uncaring expression. "If you feel so sure of Sarah, give up your claim as Alpha and be with her. Prove that the life you’ve chosen is worth more than the legacy you’ve tarnished."

His expression flickered then, resembling something broken and conflicted, but before he could speak, we were interrupted by the Beta’s voice at the entrance of the hallway.

"Alpha Marcus has summoned a pack council meeting," the Beta announced, his tone serious and leaving no room for delay.

Inside the council chamber, the air carried the weight of judgment. Members of the pack leadership filled every seat around the massive oak table.

Even Ruby, Alexander's younger sister and a rare female Alpha, sat among them.

"I stand with Aria," Ruby declared boldly, her golden eyes burning with resolve. "My brother abandoned his duties once. This pack doesn’t need a leader unwilling to shoulder his responsibility."

I felt warm inside. She was like my younger sister. She always supported me and stood with me.

Marcus’s voice boomed after her. "If Alexander fails this pack again, his rights as heir will be stripped entirely." He leaned forward, his gaze severe. "The position will pass to Ruby... and Aria."

Alexander barely managed to mask his expression, but I could see the panic leaking into his eyes.

"We move to more pressing matters," Marcus continued, signaling Elder James to speak.

“In past three years, our pack birth rate has continued to rise, while the death rate has been declining." Marcus looked at me gratefully and said, "This is inseparable from Aria's contribution to our treatment field."

"But there is a problem. Our resources will soon be insufficient." He continued with concern.

"The Silver Lake Territory," James announced, his words carrying a heavy significance. "It is unclaimed but brimming with resources. The herbs alone could solidify our pack's position as the strongest in the region."

A murmur of excitement rippled through the chamber. The opportunity was too grand to ignore.

"But," James added gravely, "the land lies under Dominic Blackthorn’s jurisdiction. He’s lived quietly in our region for three years, and he may not yield without negotiation, especially with his grandmother's upcoming 70th moon blessing ceremony."

Dominic Blackthorn, the Alpha King heir. How could he live in our region for three years? I doubted.