Chapter 56: The Alpha is dead
973 Words
Elena's POV
I slammed my door shut so violently that it shook the frame. My chest heaved as I ran to my suitcase, yanked it from under the bed, and flung it open.
Clothes—any clothes I could grab were shoved in without so much at a single thought. My fingers trembled, my vision blurred, and tears ran down my face.
These people were the reason I was in that coma?
I needed to leave.
Leave this palace. Leave this pack. Leave all this madness about marrying someone I didn't even know existed till today.
Just then, a sharp knock startled me. "Elena! Please! Open the door!"
It was my mum.
I ignored her and continued packing. Suddenly, my knees gave out, and I slumped onto the bed, the suitcase lying half-packed beside me. My eyes drifted to the mirror across the room.
I looked at my reflection as it stared back at me.
The girl staring back looked nothing like a princess. Her hair was tangled, her cheeks swollen and filled with tears, her lips trembling.
"This is the life of a princess," I whispered bitterly. "I was cursed the moment I was born."
The door creaked open, and then I turned. My mum was standing there, her eyes full of worry.
"Can I come in?" she asked, as if it were a question.
She took a step forward, reaching out. I moved away, wrapping my arms around myself. “Don’t.”
“Elena,” she said softly. “It’s okay. I understand how you feel.”
“No,” I snapped, “you don’t. How could you possibly understand how I feel?”
She flinched.
“I'd like to know when exactly you and Dad even planned this arranged marriage? Hmm? While I was still unconscious?”
“It wasn’t like that,” she said quickly. “On the day you fell into the coma, a message came. It said you’d have to marry him… or else.” She sounded frustrated.
“I explained this to you while we were at the gardens for crying out loud."
I stood abruptly, fury now bubbling inside me. “And you couldn’t tell me the moment I woke up?”
My mum didn’t answer.
My jaw clenched. I brushed past her and stormed down the hallway, practically flying down the stairs two at a time.
The man in the hat was still downstairs, waiting. The two wolves standing behind him were tall and intimidating.
My dad spotted me first. He started toward me, as if knowing what I planned on doing. “Elena—”
I didn’t let him finish. My bones snapped. Fur burst through my skin as I shifted into my wolf form. With a snarl, I launched myself at the two wolves.
The first one went down fast, my teeth sinking into his shoulder. The second tried to counter, but I slammed into him, knocking him unconscious. I had unlocked a new level of strength, but it all came from pure rage.
I shifted back, standing in front of the man with nothing but the urge to kill.
“Next time, don’t come unprepared,” I hissed. “Two backups won’t save you.”
The man chuckled. “Feisty little wolf, isn't she? The prince will like you very much.”
My ears twitched as I heard the sound of howling in the distance.
Dozens of howls.
No—hundreds.
There had to be at least five hundred wolves outside, and it looked like they had our pack surrounded.
My eyes widened, but I didn’t have time to react.
The man moved swiftly, faster than I expected. A sharp, glinting object flew toward me—f**k!
“ELENA!”
Dad!
He shoved me aside just as the blade pierced his chest.
Time froze, and everything stood still.
“No,” I gasped, catching him as he collapsed. His blood soaked into my hands, warm and horrifyingly real. “Dad… no. No, no, no!”
My mum heard me as she screamed from the staircase, rushing toward us. She fell to her knees beside me, cradling him.
“Ryker! Please! Stay with me!” she cried, her voice raw with emotion.
The man in the hat looked at me coldly. “You have until sunset to pack your things. Come willingly… or your pack will suffer.”
Then he turned and walked out like nothing had happened.
My mum clutched my dad's body, sobbing. “Help! Someone help us!”
But I… I couldn’t move.
“It’s already too late,” I whispered.
I couldn't hear his heart beating anymore.
My mum shook her head violently. “No! Don’t say that! We can still save him,” she wouldn't stop crying.
I gently placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her into a hug. She cried against me, trembling.
“I’ll do it,” I said quietly.
“What?” she looked up, her face full of tears.
“I’ll agree to the marriage.”
“Elena… you don’t have to. Not if you don’t want to. Ryker wouldn’t—”
“He died protecting me, mum!” I interrupted, breaking down in tears.
“Dad gave his life for me. I’m not going to let that mean nothing.”
I pulled back and looked her in the eyes. “It’s time I stood up. For Dad. For you. For our pack.”
Just then, guards burst in, weapons drawn. “What happened here?”
My mum stood, wiping her tears. “The Alpha is dead.”
A thick silence fell over the room.
“Gather the whole pack,” she said. “By sunset, we’ll have an announcement to give.”
It looked like a war was coming.
And I… I would be ready—For whatever came next.
- Writer
