Alpha’s Redemption

The Idea of Revenge

The packhouse always felt alive. Footsteps echoed through the halls, voices carried from one end to the other, and the faint smell of coffee and pine lingered in the air. Normally, the constant buzz of activity comforted me, but now it grated on my nerves. Everything felt too loud, too bright. My wolf paced restlessly in my mind, her growls vibrating through me, a constant reminder of her simmering anger.

He humiliated us, she snarled for what felt like the hundredth time that morning.

“I know,” I whispered under my breath, my fists clenched at my sides.

My wolf was relentless, her demand for vengeance burning brighter with every passing hour. I didn’t know how to satisfy her, how to make the ache in my chest go away, but I knew I couldn’t keep wallowing. Every time I thought of Dorian and Isla, my stomach twisted with a sickening mix of anger and grief. It wasn’t enough to sit in my room and cry anymore. I needed to do something—anything—to regain control.

The thought came out of nowhere as I walked the long hallway toward the common area. It was a ridiculous idea, one I should have dismissed immediately. But it clung to me like a spark waiting to ignite, small and insistent.

Revenge, my wolf growled, her voice low and dangerous.

I stopped in front of the wide windows overlooking the training grounds. Below, pack members moved in synchronized motions, sparring and shifting as they practiced their forms. I scanned the crowd, searching for one face I hoped not to see.

Dorian wasn’t there. Neither was Isla. My lip curled at the thought of them, but the absence gave me some relief. I turned away from the window, my steps aimless as I wandered toward the dining area.

That’s when I saw him.

Alpha Rafe.

He stood near the far wall, his back to me, speaking in low tones to a group of enforcers. Even without seeing his face, his presence commanded the room. His broad shoulders were tense beneath the fitted black shirt he wore, and the intricate tattoos peeking out from the collar of his shirt seemed to pulse with the same energy he exuded.

Rafe was nothing like his son. Where Dorian had an easy charm, a boyish smile that could make anyone feel at ease, Rafe was hard edges and quiet authority. His every move was deliberate, calculated. Even his silence spoke volumes.

My wolf perked up immediately, her pacing halting as her attention fixed on him.

Him, she said, her voice a sharp hiss.

“What about him?” I muttered, keeping my voice low.

Her answer was immediate, her tone filled with conviction. He’s the key.

I frowned, watching as Rafe dismissed the enforcers with a curt nod. His dark gaze swept over the room briefly, missing nothing, and for a moment, I held my breath, wondering if he’d see me. But his eyes moved past me, uninterested, and he turned toward the exit, his powerful strides carrying him away.

As soon as he was gone, my wolf growled again, her demand echoing in my mind. He’s the answer. If you want to make Dorian suffer, there’s no better way than this.

The spark in my mind flared to life, the ridiculous idea from earlier suddenly not so ridiculous anymore. My wolf wasn’t wrong.

Alpha Rafe was Dorian’s father, the leader of the pack, and one of the most powerful men I’d ever known. If there was anyone who could overshadow Dorian, it was him.

The thought was intoxicating.

I sank into a nearby chair, my heart racing as the plan began to take shape in my mind.

Dorian had humiliated me, stripped me of my dignity in front of the entire pack. He’d broken our bond, flaunted his betrayal, and left me to pick up the pieces. But what if I could do the same to him?

What if I could make him feel the same pain, the same humiliation?

The idea was wild, reckless, and dangerous, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. If I could capture Rafe’s attention, if I could make him see me—not as the discarded mate of his son, but as something more—I could shatter Dorian’s pride in a way he’d never recover from.

I wasn’t naïve. I knew Rafe wasn’t the kind of man who gave his attention freely. He was guarded, controlled, and intimidating in a way that made even the strongest wolves tread carefully around him.

But I wasn’t the same girl I’d been a few days ago.

Dorian had destroyed that version of me.

I straightened in my seat, my resolve hardening. If I wanted to regain control of my life, if I wanted to make Dorian regret ever crossing me, I couldn’t afford to be weak. I couldn’t let fear or doubt hold me back.

The sound of laughter pulled me from my thoughts, and I turned to see a group of pack members entering the dining area. Their voices were light, carefree, and it made me feel sick. They didn’t know what it felt like to be betrayed, to have their mate turn their back on them.

But soon, they would see a different side of me.

I stood, my steps purposeful as I left the dining area and headed back to my room. My mind raced with possibilities, strategies, and a growing sense of determination.

Alpha Rafe was the key.

If I could catch his attention, if I could make Dorian see that I shared his father's bed - not his, it would break him the same way he had broken me. If he thought he’d broken me, thought I’d fade into the background, a forgotten relic of his past, he was wrong.

I wasn’t going to disappear.

I was going to rise from the ashes, stronger than before. And when Dorian saw me standing beside his father, untouchable and powerful, he would understand what it felt like to lose everything.

My wolf growled in approval, her energy surging through me.

We’ll make him regret it, she said, her voice filled with dark satisfaction.

And for the first time in days, I felt a flicker of hope. Not the soft, fragile hope I’d clung to before, but something fiercer, sharper.

Revenge wasn’t just an idea anymore.

It was a promise.