Chapter 6— The Alpha Who Found Me
1392 Words
~ Theo ~
She was smaller than I expected.
That was the first thought that crossed my mind as she stepped into view through the security feed.
Fragile. Human.
And yet… she had survived the Forsaken Wilds.
My gaze fixed on the screen.
A towel wrapped around her body, damp hair clinging to her shoulders, droplets of water sliding down scratched skin.
But it wasn’t her face that held my attention.
It was her belly.
The slight curve was unmistakable.
My fingers stilled against the armrest.
She moved carefully, almost instinctively, one hand hovering protectively over her stomach as if shielding it from unseen danger. The gesture was defensive. Possessive.
Interesting.
Beside me, Noah shifted slightly. The sandy brown-haired beta leaned closer to the monitor, his calm eyes scanning the footage with quiet focus. He had been the one leading the retrieval team in the Wilds.
“She woke not long ago,” he said.
“The omega is secured in the lower cells. She’s being questioned.”
I gave a small nod. My attention never left the screen.
“Did you confirm it?” I asked.
“Yes,” he replied. “She’s four weeks pregnant. The father is Zane. Elder brother to Alpha Lucien.”
A slow silence filled the room.
So it was true.
Lucien’s pack had banished a pregnant human carrying his own blood.
My lips curved faintly.
Careless.
Very careless.
Skye stirred at the back of my mind — restless, alert. Not loud, just a quiet nudge that sharpened my focus.
Annoyed. Interested.
I didn’t like that.
As much as I had no intention of stepping into another pack’s messy family conflict… this situation left me little choice.
Selene stepped toward the mirror, hesitant. Her eyes looked tired, wary — still adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings.
Then she froze.
Her hand lifted slowly.
She touched the side of her belly.
The crescent mark.
Even through the screen, I saw confusion flicker across her face. Her brows pulled together. She leaned closer, fingers tracing the faint curve of the symbol.
So it appeared.
Just like they reported.
“She’s the one, Alpha Theo”. Noah said quietly. “The mark showed after she woke. Same as described.”
I leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on my knees.
“Yes.”
I already knew.
She was the reason I sent men into the Forsaken Wilds.
Her.
Claimed by something far older than pack politics.
She held the answer to what I’d been searching for.
And she wasn’t going anywhere.
Not now. Not ever.
She dropped the towel slightly as she leaned closer to inspect the mark.
My breath stalled.
My eyes tracked the movement instinctively — the curve of her waist, the fragile lines of her ribs, the protective angle of her shoulders.
Skye went quiet, as if memorizing.
My jaw tightened.
She looked exhausted. Bruised. And yet her posture remained guarded — shoulders tense, one arm still angled protectively over the child she carried.
She didn’t trust this place.
Good.
Fear kept people predictable.
A faint pressure settled in my chest. Skye shifted once, then stilled, the reaction subtle but enough to sharpen my focus.
The child.
Everything centered there.
Noah spoke again. “Should we bring her now?”
I watched her for another moment. She stepped back from the mirror slowly, still touching the crescent mark like she was trying to understand it.
“Send the healer,” I said finally. “I don’t intend to share a table with someone who looks like she crawled out of a battlefield.”
I leaned back, expression unreadable. “Clean the dirt. Treat the bruises. Make her presentable.”
Noah nodded.
“And the omega?” he asked.
“She stays where she is.” I paused briefly. “She could be a spy.”
That was all.
I tapped my fingers once against the armrest.
She had survived the Wilds.
She carried Zane’s child.
The crescent mark had appeared.
Every piece aligned too perfectly to ignore.
And now she was here.
Within my territory. Within my control.
Skye settled quietly beneath the surface, but the alertness remained.
I stood.
“Keep Lyra away from her,” I said suddenly, the words slicing through the stillness.
Noah, understanding the unspoken: nodded and left.
I looked at the screen one last time.
Selene had moved toward the bed, still cautious, still confused. Her hand rested lightly on her belly again, as though reassuring herself.
She had no idea why she was here.
No idea what she carried.
That ignorance… made things easier.
For now.
~ Zane ~
I was still reviewing the battle plan when irritation crept in again.
I, the elder brother, drafting strategies… only to present them to Lucien for approval.
How ridiculous.
A faint smirk tugged at my lips.
The plan will favour me afterall — strengthen my patrol routes, return my dignity, stabilize the pack and even end up overthrowing him while he struggled to stand tall after rejecting his mate.
Weak.
He was weakening, even if he pretended otherwise.
And all thanks to Selene.
My jaw tightened.
I had wanted her from the first day I saw her. Whether it was lust or something deeper didn’t matter.
What mattered was that Lucien had claimed her. Marked her. Taken her.
Just like he took everything else.
He defeated me in the Alpha challenge. Overthrew me before the entire pack. Too strong. Too admired. Too perfect. He humiliated me
And just like that… he became Alpha.
While I stood behind him.
Second. Always second.
I should have been the one on that seat.
Not him.
But this time… I moved faster than fate.
Faster than the Moon Goddess.
The drink.
The night.
The accusation.
The council.
Every step calculated.
I had her drink spiked. Watched her weaken. Watched her struggle. Then I took what I wanted — and made sure the blame would never reach me.
Hailey played her role perfectly.
She testified. She lied.
Selene was banished maybe temporary but wouldn't survive the Wilds. I'll make sure of that.
Everything fell into place.
Elder Seraphine supported the decision, as expected. She saw what I saw — Lucien’s fall was only a matter of time.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Enter.”
Delta Damon stepped inside.
“Someone is here to see you, Beta.”
I already knew who.
“Send her in.”
Hailey stepped into the room slowly.
She looked terrible. Pale. Eyes swollen. Fingers trembling as she clasped them together.
Guilt had finally caught up to her.
She bowed. “Beta Zane…”
I leaned back in my chair, watching her quietly.
“I… I can’t sleep,” she said, voice shaking. “Selene… she didn’t deserve that. She’s innocent. I know she is. I shouldn’t have lied. We need to find her. Please… before something happens to her.”
Tears welled in her eyes.
Pathetic.
Fear had loosened her tongue.
I softened my expression, masking my irritation.
“You’re overwhelmed,” I said calmly.
“The council made its decision. You simply told them what you believed was true.”
Her head shook quickly. “No… I didn’t. You told me to say that. You said it would only scare her… I didn’t think she’d be banished into the Wilds. I didn’t know—”
I leaned forward slightly.
Her words died instantly.
Panic flashed across her face.
“I… I didn’t mean—” she whispered.
I stood slowly, walking around the desk.
“You did well,” I said quietly. “Without you, the truth would have been… complicated.”
She stared at me, realization slowly dawning.
“You… you planned it,” she whispered.
I stopped in front of her.
“You should get some rest, Hailey,” I said softly.
Her breathing quickened. “Selene is innocent… if anyone finds out—”
“They won’t.”
Silence.
She swallowed hard, then nodded weakly. “I… I understand.”
Good.
She turned and walked toward the door, shoulders shaking.
The moment she left, my expression went cold.
Damon stepped forward.
“Follow her,” I said.
He didn’t ask why.
“She’s unstable,” I added. “I don’t like loose ends.”
Damon nodded once.
“And make sure she doesn’t talk again.”
......
- Writer
