Alpha: Who usurped your throne

Chapter 3

Dawn was breaking as Grace caught sight of the dense forest ahead of her. Her heart was pounding with anticipation and anxiety. It took courage for him to return to the pack and reunite not only with the people who had hurt her but also with memories of a life she had left behind.

With cautious steps, Grace advanced along the trail covered in dry leaves, her heightened senses absorbing the various aromas permeating the air. The twilight painted the horizon with shades of orange and gold, creating a magical atmosphere as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the treetops.

Finally, Grace reached the central clearing and spotted the pack. It was a small town hidden in the forest, and from afar, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Six years had passed, and almost nothing had changed, except for her wolf, which had almost completely disappeared. Rejection had weakened her wolf and led her to death.

She seemed like a stranger entering through the back door. She thought the pack would treat her like a leper for fleeing. But the fear of being rejected once again almost paralyzed her. Grace knew she couldn’t back down. Then she remembered Bryan and the courage he possessed; Aydan’s calmness and Dante’s beauty. It was only for them that she risked returning there. She needed to find her triplets and didn’t care about being despised by everyone in the pack, not even by Elijah, as long as she could reunite with her children.

But the most challenging mission was not returning to the pack; it was telling Elijah that he was the father of triplets. As her shoe dragged against the grass, her mind tormented her with the moment of revelation. When she realized it, her feet had taken her back to the place she had sworn never to return. When she was already in the town, with her heart pounding in her chest, she caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance. Her feet froze as Derrick’s eyes met hers after six long years.

It was unbearable for Grace to have to look at him again, knowing the hatred he felt for her. Without blinking her eyes, he was already there, ready to grab her by the neck and choke her to death.

But he didn’t. With his face close to hers, he stared at her, trying to decipher her.

“What are you doing here, Grace?” he growled, causing her to step back. His wolf found pleasure in her weakness.

She swallowed hard. The memory of the night she left almost made her sink. But it wasn’t time to be afraid. Grace wouldn’t allow Derrick to humiliate her again.

“I want to talk to Elijah,” Grace’s voice came out firm and relentless.

Derrick laughed, mocking her.

“You ceased to be a part of this pack when you fled like a coward.” he had the same bad mood that Grace had always known. “you are not in a position to ask for anything.”

“That’s fine,” she looked at him with a cheerful smile on her face, which confused Derrick , “If you won’t take me to him, I’ll search the entire pack until I find him.”

Derrick observed her and didn’t like what he saw on the woman’s face. Grace was no longer the scared girl he had expelled six years ago. She no longer showed fear or apprehension towards him and seemed willing to do anything.

“What’s the urgency?” he asked, still in a mocking tone.

“That’s none of your concern,” her response angered Derrick responded .

“I am the beta,” he said , baring his yellowed teeth at her. “I can’t allow a stranger to bother the Alpha.”

Elijah had finally become the alpha, but Grace didn’t know whether to be happy or scared about that information.

“In that case, I know where to find him.”

Grace looked at him one last time and started to walk away, but two steps further, she felt Derrick’s hand gripping her , preventing her from moving forward. Derrick was her greatest enemy. He had always been power-hungry, especially when it came to Elijah. When Grace started to get involved with Elijah, Derrick almost went mad. He hated her even before he knew her, and worse, Grace had no idea of the reasons that led him to treat her that way. Being on Derrick’s blacklist seemed to be a big problem, but Grace didn’t have time to deal with the alpha’s best friend’s paranoia, even if he was dangerous and always angry.

“I will take you to Elijah,” he announced, releasing her immediately. But Grace knew she couldn’t trust him. “I want to witness him expelling you like a bitch.”

A satisfying smile demonstrated his confidence that he would win that battle again. Grace even considered responding, but gave up. While Derrick led her to where Elijah was, Grace remained silent.

A surge of panic almost overwhelmed her when they stopped at the main building of the town, where the Alpha always used to stay. Grace heard Elijah’s laughter coming from inside the building. At least he was in a good mood, which might make her life easier when she told him her secrets. She watched Derrick enter the place and tried to control her breathing.

Inside, Elijah was listening to Garrick’s stories, the most experienced hunter of the pack. Elijah found amusement in the way he embellished his stories. Still smiling, he spotted Derrick at the door.

“What are you doing here so early, Derrick?” the smile disappeared, leaving only a somber figure.

“Sorry to disturb you, Alpha Elijah,” he coughed. “You have visitors.”

Derrick lowered his gaze, feeling incapable of continuing the conversation while looking into the alpha’s eyes.

"Visitors at this hour, Derrick?” Elijah’s deep and dissatisfied voice sent shivers down Derrick’s spine. “Who would it be?”

“It’s better if you see for yourself.”

Derrick went behind the door while Elijah, despite his anger, stayed silent and heard the approaching footsteps.. A feminine shadow appeared on the wall in front of the door before Elijah’s eyes met hers once again.

A growl rumbled in Elijah’s chest, and Grace’s pulse raced. Every muscle in her body tensed with each step she took toward him. The Alpha stood up. Elijah was now stronger and more handsome than he had been six years ago. But, he was also more ruthless and impetuous.

“We need to talk, Elijah,” she finally said, as she swallowed all her fear and tried to disguise the wounds from the past that still bled in her chest.

Then Elijah took a step forward, surprise evident on his face.

“Hello, Grace,” hearing his voice after so long, pronouncing her name, made her feel like she was in the past, “I thought you were dead.”

But Grace didn’t intend to dwell on the past. There was a disturbing emptiness in her expression that intensified Elijah’s doubts.

“Ask your men to leave, so we can talk,” her voice was stronger than when Elijah met her.

“You’re in no position to ask me for anything.” the brutality in her tone scared Grace, but she didn’t back down.

Yet, Elijah was curious to hear their secrets and then ordered Derrick and Garrick out of the room to leave them alone.

“I don’t think it’s right to leave him alone with a traitor,” Derrick declared immediately as Elijah’s jaw twitches in anger.

“Are you suggesting I can’t defend myself against a woman?” Elijah’s face turned into something terrifying, “Get out of here Derrick, before I regret my mercy.

Derrick looked at Elijah embarrassed at being defeated in front of Grace, but left in silence. It was obvious that he wanted to stay inside to witness Grace’s defeat. He stormed out of the room, promising herself that she would pay for it.

When Grace saw him again, she tried to find the right way to start that conversation, but her mind seemed like a blank sheet.

“What do you want from me, Grace?”

Grace looked at the man before her, the man she had loved so much, but couldn’t decipher him. There was a huge void in his gaze.

“I need your help to find my children,” she said, finally, with a trembling voice.

The emptiness in Elijah’s eyes turned to confusion. He seemed not to understand what she was saying.

“Children?” a small sign of disappointment flickered across him, “and why would I help you find your children?”

“Because it’s not my children, Elijah,” he felt himself getting weaker every time the words came out of his lips, “they’re triplets, and they’re his children, too.