The Alpha’s Regret
911 Words
The Ebonveil wolves flanked her like guards, but Auren walked ahead of them, head high, jaw set. Every step into Kael’s territory was like digging her heel into the spine of fate.
The last time she was here, she’d been humiliated.
This time, she was awake.
They passed through the gates. Wolves watched her from balconies and training yards, their eyes narrowed in suspicion or curiosity—but no one dared speak.
Except one.
“Outcast girl’s back,” someone muttered. “Guess she didn’t take the hint.”
Auren didn’t slow. “Tell that to your Alpha. He called me.”
That shut them up.
She was brought to the main hall, where the stone walls pulsed with old magic. The scent of pine, smoke, and blood hung in the air.
Kael waited at the end of the long corridor.
He looked… worn down. His skin was pale, shadows ringed his eyes, and his posture was less Alpha, more broken soldier.
Their eyes locked.
Auren didn’t bow.
“You wanted me. I came,” she said coldly. “What now, Kael? Another public rejection?”
His nostrils flared. “Everyone out.”
The guards hesitated.
“Out,” Kael barked.
When the doors shut, silence fell like a blade.
“You’re sick,” Auren said, circling him slowly. “Can’t sleep. Can’t breathe. Can’t get me out of your head. Sound familiar?”
Kael didn’t deny it. “You did something to me.”
She stopped. “You arrogant, selfish—I didn’t touch you. The Moon did.”
“I rejected you—”
“And you think that breaks the bond?” Her voice rose, raw. “You think saying no to me is enough to defy the Moon? To erase me?”
He turned his back, but she wasn’t done.
“I didn’t come back for you. I came because something was wrong, Kael. I saw it. The Moon is breaking. The bond wasn’t for love—it was a warning.”
He froze.
She stepped closer. “You’re not the one dying, Kael. The whole damn world is.”
Kael said nothing for a long time. Then:
“You see things.”
Auren nodded. “I feel them, too. I wake up bleeding. I hear voices in the water. And they’re all saying the same thing.”
He turned. “What?”
“That the war starts with us.”
He didn’t believe her. Not at first.
Until the walls shook.
A howl ripped through the sky—low, guttural, unnatural. Auren’s spine stiffened.
“That’s not one of yours,” she whispered.
Kael was already moving. “Stay here.”
But she didn’t.
They ran to the edge of the forest. Fires glowed in the distance—torches, scattered and broken. A scout stumbled out of the woods, bleeding from the chest.
“They’re gone,” he gasped. “The south border patrol… all of them. Torn apart. No scent, no warning.”
Auren caught the stench of the wind—burnt fur and rot. Her heart dropped.
“It’s starting,” she said. “This is what I saw.”
Kael looked at her, the arrogance stripped from his face. “You saw this?”
“I saw worse.”
A howl echoed again—but this one chilled her blood. Because it didn’t sound wolf.
It sounded like something pretending.
That night, Kael summoned the council.
They argued. Shouted. Denied.
“This is a rogue attack,” one said.
“No rogue moves like that,” Auren interrupted. “They don’t kill silently. They don’t leave no scent.”
“She’s not Pack. She shouldn’t be here—”
“She saw it coming,” Kael snapped. “And she’s still the only one the Moon is speaking to.”
Auren held her ground. “If you ignore this, more will die. You all think I’m just some rejected girl. But I’m not here for your approval.”
She leaned forward. “I’m here because your Alpha is dying… and so are the rest of you.”
After the council dispersed, Kael found her in the courtyard.
The moon was rising—full again, but flickering like candlelight.
“You’re different,” he said.
“I woke up.”
He looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time. “The girl I rejected… she didn’t talk like this.”
She faced him fully. “The girl you rejected would’ve cried and run. I buried her.”
A pause.
“I’m sorry,” Kael said quietly.
Auren stared at him. “That doesn’t unbreak anything.”
“No. But maybe it means I see you now.”
She laughed bitterly. “You saw me when you rejected me. That’s the problem. You saw me—and decided I wasn’t enough.”
“I thought I was protecting something.”
“You were protecting yourself.”
The wind howled again—low, wrong.
Auren’s eyes snapped upward.
The moon flickered red.
“It’s coming back,” she whispered.
Kael stepped closer. “What is?”
Auren’s voice shook. “The Hollow Howl.”
Kael stiffened. “That’s just a myth.”
“No,” she said, backing away slowly. “It’s real. And I think… I think it’s already inside someone.”
His eyes narrowed.“Who?”
She looked up at him, heart pounding.
“I think it’s you.”
- Writer
