My Alpha Begged Me Back

Chapter 7: Loyalty's Test

Chapter 7: Loyalty's Test

(Steven's POV)

The sun was climbing higher, bathing Greymark territory in soft golden light as I stepped into the car. Scarlett slid in beside me, her movements stiff and controlled. She crossed her arms, her emerald eyes shooting icy daggers out the window, refusing to even glance in my direction.

The silence in the car was heavy, thick with unspoken words.

I leaned back, a corner of my lips tugging into a smirk. "That was quite the performance earlier, little mate. The magical healing wolf who makes even Alphas bow. Should we add singing to your list of talents?"

Her head snapped toward me, her sharp gaze ablaze. "Don’t start with me, Steven."

I heard the anger in her voice, the tension in her shoulders obvious. But I couldn’t resist pushing further. "I didn't know you had such... enthusiasm in you. First the charm, then the howling. What next? Are you planning to put on a show for the elders?"

Scarlett’s eyebrows arched, and her lips parted slightly in disbelief before twisting into a frown. "You’d know all about my talents, wouldn’t you? Oh, wait, no, you wouldn’t. You’ve been too busy disappearing for years to notice."

My jaw tensed, though I carefully kept my expression calm. "I was fulfilling my duties as heir. Securing alliances. Expanding the Greymark territory. You wouldn’t understand."

"Oh, I wouldn’t?" she snapped, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She turned to fully face me now, all sharp angles and fiery energy. "Is that why I had to find out about your return through pack gossip? You didn’t even bother to notify me, Steven. Your mate."

I said nothing, gripping the steering wheel tighter. The mate bond between us was pulsing again, but not with warmth. With irritation.

"And don’t you dare," she spat, pointing a finger at me, "tell me it was because of your precious ‘responsibilities.’ You had time to parade around with the Shadow Valley warriors, didn’t you?"

"Enough," I said coldly.

Scarlett's wolf surged through her, her green eyes glowing faintly. "No, Steven. I won’t stop. I’ve had enough of your excuses and your distance!"

The sharpness in her voice cut deeper than I wanted to admit. I didn’t respond right away. For a moment, the only sound in the car was the steady hum of the engine.

When we finally pulled up to the pack grounds, she didn’t wait for me to say anything. Scarlett practically threw the car door open, stepping out with a new surge of defiance. Without looking back, she disappeared toward her private healing den.

I exhaled slowly before exiting. I expected her to reach out through the mate bond at some point, even with all her fiery resistance. But as I strode toward the pack hall, preparing for the day’s meetings, only silence echoed in our connection.

Fine. Let her stew in her frustration.

"You look like you’ve crossed a particularly temperamental Alpha wolf," Asher remarked as he greeted me outside the pack council chamber.

"Not an Alpha," I said flatly, brushing past him. "Just my mate."

Asher raised an eyebrow but wisely kept his mouth shut.

Later, as we prepared to head toward Shadow Valley territory for the neutral pack meeting, I mindlinked Scarlett briefly, formally. "I’m leaving for Shadow Valley. Pack business."

Her response came fast and sharp. "Oh, of course. You wouldn’t want to keep those duties waiting."

The sarcasm in her tone made my wolf growl softly in frustration, but I dismissed her with a simple reply. "It’s important."

I felt her spike of annoyance before she swifted severed the connection entirely.

---

(Mixed POV)

Scarlett stormed into her healing den, slamming the door behind her. The satisfying thud echoed through the space, but it did little to ease the storm raging inside her.

She lit a small candle at the center of her workspace, trying to find calm in the soft flicker of its light. Her wolf was pacing inside her, agitated and restless.

Through the mate bond, she could still feel Steven. But his presence was distant, detached. That hollow ache was back, the one she hated more than anything.

"Forget him," she muttered under her breath, though her voice wavered. Her wolf whined softly in response.

She dropped to her knees next to the healing pool, reaching for the familiar comfort of the golden glow that came with her ritual work. As her hands hovered over the water, a warm light began to emanate, swirling slowly around her fingers.

But inside, her thoughts kept straying back to Steven. His cold, distant expression. The condescending tone he had used in the car.

Her lips tightened, and she plunged her hands fully into the water, letting the healing light spread through the den. Maybe if she kept focusing on this — on her work, her duty — she would forget Steven’s infuriating smirk. Or the way his eyes had softened, just for a moment, when he had caught her playing earlier.

No. She wouldn’t think about that.

---

(Steven's POV)

The Shadow Valley hall loomed large ahead as Asher and I stepped out of the car. The scent of rival wolves hit me immediately, sharp and musky, filling the air with tension.

The pack leaders were already seated, their wolves bristling as I approached. I met each of their gazes with the quiet intensity I’d perfected over years of training. The air seemed to shift as I took my seat at the head of the table.

The meeting began with the usual formalities—discussions of borders, disputes, alliances. But I found my mind wandering.

"The northern territories will require more patrols," a voice droned on, but I barely heard it.

Instead, my thoughts drifted back to my father—the Alpha King. His unrelenting standards, his constant reminders of the weight of my responsibilities. As a child, I had idolized him. But as I grew older, I realized the burden of living under his shadow.

The northern territories had been his proving ground, and now they were mine.

"Alpha Steven?" Asher’s quiet voice pulled me back to the present. He leaned closer, his tone laced with concern.

"Yes?" I said sharply, trying to mask my distraction.

"The Shadow Valley delegation," he prompted, nodding toward the pack leaders waiting for my input.

I cleared my throat, sitting straighter. "We’ll proceed with the original plan. Adjust the patrol schedules as needed."

Asher nodded, satisfied with my answer. But I could tell he still sensed something was off.

The scent of Claire reached me before I saw her. She entered the hall with calculated grace, her head held high as she led a young, unfamiliar wolf forward.

"Alpha Steven," Claire said smoothly, her voice dripping with politeness. "Allow me to introduce Sarah, a promising young healer from Shadow Valley."

Sarah stumbled through the formal greeting, her attempts at submission awkward and unconvincing. She wouldn’t meet my eyes directly, shifting nervously under the weight of my gaze.

Claire smiled, clearly enjoying the moment. "Sarah has rare healing abilities. Perhaps not as extraordinary as your mate’s, but impressive nonetheless."

Her words were pointed, calculated to provoke a reaction. My wolf snarled silently inside me but kept control.

"My mate’s abilities aren’t up for comparison," I said coolly.

Claire’s smile faltered slightly, but she recovered quickly. "Of course, of course. Though Sarah is of pure bloodline—perhaps a promising candidate for... deeper alliances."

I said nothing, letting the weight of my silence speak for me.

When the meeting concluded, I turned to leave, eager to put this interaction behind me. But Sarah approached me alone, her steps hesitant but determined.

"Alpha Steven," she began softly, her voice trembling. "I wanted to—"

"I have a mate." My voice was cold, firm.

She wrung her hands nervously. "I know... I just thought—"

"You thought wrong," I interrupted, my tone sharpening.

"I wouldn’t mind sharing your power," she said quickly, the words tumbling out as if she’d rehearsed them a hundred times.

That was enough. My wolf surged forward, my aura filling the space until she visibly trembled.

"My mate would mind," I said icily. "And so would I."

Sarah’s face turned pale, her wolf cowering beneath mine.

"Cleanse your wolf of these dishonest intentions," I continued. "Before approaching an Alpha again."

She dropped her gaze, her hands shaking as she stammered an apology.

I turned and walked away without another word. My wolf was livid, pacing furiously. It wasn’t just her presumption that angered me. It was the way she’d dared to mention Scarlett.

Scarlett, who had more grace in a single defiant glare than Sarah could muster in her entire performance.

Scarlett, whose fiery sarcasm and stubborn determination had frustrated me endlessly since my return—and yet whose absence now left a void I couldn’t ignore.

The drive back to Greymark territory was quiet, the engine’s hum a faint backdrop to my thoughts.

"Shall I arrange for an update to the northern boundary patrols?" Asher asked, breaking the silence.

I nodded absently. "Do it."

My mind was elsewhere. Scarlett’s absence weighed heavily on me, her silence through our mate bond more suffocating than her confrontations ever were.

Through the bond, I could sense faint traces of her energy, her golden light still lingering from her rituals. But it wasn’t enough.

My wolf growled softly, restless and agitated. It wanted to return to her, to break through the walls we’d both built. But I couldn’t. Not yet.

The moon hung low in the sky as we neared Greymark territory. Its pale silver glow reminded me faintly of Scarlett’s golden healing light. My wolf stirred with longing, but I forced the feeling down.

Duty came first. It always had.

But as I closed my eyes briefly, I couldn’t stop Scarlett’s off-key howls from echoing in my mind, a reminder of everything I was holding at arm’s length.