The Alpha I should Hate

Chapter 2

Ivy

The next morning, I woke to silence.

The fire had burned out, the shadows in the room longer and colder than before. Leon was gone. The couch was empty, his scent still lingering in the air dark, powerful, sharp like cedar and blood.

I sat up slowly, the silk sheets sliding down my arms. My head pounded, not from alcohol or sleep, but from everything else my past, my future, my bond to the man who murdered my family.

I touched my chest. It still ached.

The bond.

It pulsed faintly beneath my skin like a bruise. Not a true mate bond, but close enough to chain me to him. My wolf hated it. She scratched at the edges of my mind, trying to push him out, but the mark had been made. We were connected now—his scent tangled in mine, his presence haunting my soul.

I climbed out of bed and went to the mirror.

My reflection looked like a stranger. Pale face. Empty eyes. Dried tears streaked down my cheeks. I hadn’t even changed out of the wedding dress. The lace was wrinkled and torn near the hem, where I had gripped it too tightly.

I took it off and stepped into the steaming water of the bath waiting in the corner. Someone had prepared it already—probably one of his staff. I hadn’t met them yet. I didn’t know who was loyal to him and who was just afraid.

Just like me.

The water was too hot, but I didn’t care. I let it burn my skin. Maybe if I stayed in long enough, I could wash his name off me. Scrub away the feeling of being his.

But it didn’t work.

No matter how hard I tried, he was still there—under my skin, in my blood, in the forced connection between our wolves.

The door creaked open.

My head snapped up.

I expected a maid. A servant.

It was him.

Leon stood there, wearing a black shirt and slacks, freshly showered, not a single wrinkle in sight. He looked sharp, lethal, calm.

I stood quickly, the water dripping down my bare skin, but he didn’t flinch. He didn’t even look away.

His gaze met mine like he was daring me to cover myself.

I didn’t.

I let him see the scars along my ribs. The bruise on my shoulder. The way I shook.

Let him see what he had broken.

He looked for a second too long before turning away. “Get dressed. You’ll be introduced to the pack council in an hour.”

My throat tightened. “I didn’t agree to—”

“You’re my Luna now. You don’t need to agree. You just need to show up.”

He left before I could answer.

I stared at the door long after it shut.

My hands curled into fists.

He might own the title.

But he would never own me.

~~~

The council chamber was carved from stone, with high ceilings and wolf statues watching from each corner. It smelled of incense and old power—of alphas past and blood spilled for the throne.

I stood beside Leon in a long crimson dress that had been laid out for me. I didn’t choose it. I didn’t want it. But refusing would’ve only started another war I wasn’t ready for.

Six council members sat before us. All older. All dangerous. Their eyes flicked between us, sharp and suspicious.

“She’s smaller than I expected,” one of them muttered.

“She’s not even marked,” another noted.

Leon’s voice was calm but cold. “That will happen in time.”

I stiffened.

He wasn’t going to mark me.

He couldn’t. Not after what he did. Not after he murdered my father.

But the council didn’t know that.

They thought this was a political move. A union between two packs. A smart strategy to keep the peace.

No one knew the truth.

That this was a punishment. A trap.

And I was the one bleeding inside it.

Councilman Rurik leaned forward, fingers steepled. His dark eyes studied me like I was prey. “What does the girl bring to this union, Alpha?”

I hated that he said girl. Like I wasn’t standing right there. Like I wasn’t a Luna, even if it was just on paper

Leon answered smoothly. “She brings loyalty. And the chance to control the eastern border without bloodshed.”

The room was quiet for a moment.

Then Rurik smirked. “And if she betrays you?”

Leon’s voice dropped like a blade. “She won’t.”

The words were simple.

Deadly.

Final.

I felt them slice into me like a warning.

He wasn’t protecting me in that moment.

He was claiming me in front of his wolves. Like property.

Like something no one else could touch without losing their hands.

—

When the council meeting ended, Leon didn’t speak to me as we walked through the stone hallways. Guards bowed as we passed. Servants moved quickly out of his way. The whole pack bent to him.

They feared him.

And now, they would fear me too.

But not because I was strong.

Because I was his.

Once we were back in the suite, he finally broke the silence. “You handled yourself well.”

I crossed my arms. “I didn’t say a word.”

“Exactly. You didn’t embarrass me.”

I glared at him. “Is that all I am to you? A quiet mouth and a pretty dress to show off in front of your council?”

His expression didn’t change. “Do you want to be more?”

The question caught me off guard.

Did I?

I didn’t want to be anything to him.

But the look in his eyes said he wasn’t going to let me disappear into the background. He wanted me in the spotlight—under control, within reach, visible.

Tamed.

I stepped closer, lifting my chin. “I want to make one thing clear.”

He tilted his head, amused. “Go on.”

“I may be your wife on paper. But that doesn’t mean I forgive you.”

A flicker of something passed through his eyes—pain? Regret? No. It vanished too quickly to be real.

“You murdered my father, Leon,” I said, voice shaking. “And no contract will ever erase that.”

He stepped forward until we were inches apart. His scent surrounded me—warm, dark, dangerous.

His voice dropped. “Your father tried to kill me first. Don’t forget that.”

“Because you forced his hand.

He didn’t deny it.

We stared at each other, wolves bristling beneath the surface. The tension between us was electric—hate, grief, desire all tangled in a mess neither of us knew how to clean up.

His hand lifted, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.

“You’re right,” he murmured. “This isn’t a real marriage.”

I blinked.

“But we’ll make them believe it is.”

He turned away, walking toward the door. But before he left, he said without looking back, “Start preparing. The mating ceremony is next full moon.”

I froze, my heart skipping.

A mark was permanent.

A bond was forever.

And he had no right to bind me

Not when I still dreamed of killing him.

That night…

I didn’t sleep that night.

The silence in the suite was deafening. The only sounds were the crackling of the fire and the occasional gust of wind against the windows. I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts a jumbled mess of hate, fear, and something else—something I wasn’t ready to name.

Leon’s words echoed in my mind.

“We’ll make them believe it.”

But what if I couldn’t make myself believe it? What if this bond—this marriage—was too much to bear?

My wolf paced in my mind, anxious and restless, but her anger no longer seemed directed at me. She was furious with him. She clawed at the invisible bond, desperate to break free of the tie between us. It didn’t matter how much I hated him. The connection was there. And the more I resisted, the more it burned.

I closed my eyes, but it didn’t help. The memories came flooding back—the wedding, my father’s death, my family’s betrayal. I couldn’t stop replaying it all, and each time, it felt like the knife in my chest twisted deeper.

But no matter how much I hated him, no matter how much I wished for revenge, I was here. I was married to the man who killed my father. He held the power. And I was a prisoner in his house—his territory.

And I hated how easily he had claimed it.

The next morning was no better.

I dressed in silence, my fingers stiff as I buttoned the high-neck dress they had given me. It was a blood-red gown, sleek and made for display—another reminder of what I was now: his trophy, his possession. Nothing more.

When I walked out of the bedroom, Leon was already waiting in the sitting area, a glass of whiskey in his hand. His eyes skimmed over me, sharp and calculating, but I refused to flinch.

“You’re still not marked,” he said, his tone flat.

I swallowed hard. “I didn’t ask for it.”

“You’ll get used to it,” he said, taking a sip from his glass. “The sooner, the better.”

The venom in his voice sent a shiver through me, but I steeled myself. “Why? So you can control me even more?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he leaned back in the chair, eyeing me like a puzzle he was trying to solve. “Because it’s necessary for both of us,” he said finally, his tone quieter. “We need to show the pack that you’re not just a pawn.”

I hated how he could still make everything sound like it was for my benefit. I wasn’t his ally. I wasn’t his equal. But he wanted to make sure everyone thought we were a perfect match—a union of power, a bond forged through blood.

I clenched my fists at my sides. “I don’t need your protection, Leon.”

“I never said you did,” he replied, standing up and moving toward the door. “But you’ll need to understand this: No one will harm you under my roof. No one will defy you either. Because no one defies me.”

He left before I could respond, the door clicking shut behind him, leaving me alone with the echo of his words.

I didn’t know if I should feel relieved or terrified.

The council was waiting for me when I stepped into the grand hall. The same cold, imposing figures I had seen before. Their eyes were sharp, their judgment even sharper.

Councilman Rurik was the first to speak.

“Still no mark,” he observed, his voice laced with disdain.

I forced myself to meet his gaze, keeping my voice steady. “Some things can’t be rushed.”

Leon stood beside me, his presence a constant reminder of what I was now. His arm brushed against mine—too close for comfort, but I didn’t move away. He was watching, waiting for me to slip.

“Let’s get this over with,” I said, my voice firm.

The council was watching us, the weight of their expectations suffocating. But for once, I didn’t care what they thought.

Leon nodded toward the head of the table. “Start the briefing. The sooner we handle this, the sooner we can move forward.”

And so, we did. The council wasted no time discussing borders, alliances, and the various threats lurking beyond the pack’s territories. I wasn’t listening to the specifics. It was all a blur. All I could focus on was the emptiness I felt beside Leon—the overwhelming feeling of being trapped, not just by him, but by this entire life he had forced me into.

My mind kept circling back to one question: How long before I break?

The meeting ended in the same tense silence. Leon had already begun to prepare for his next move, making plans that didn’t include me, or if they did, they were to keep me in my place. I followed him out of the council room, the weight of his stare heavy on my back.

Before I could escape to the suite, he stopped me, his voice low.

“Tomorrow,” he said. “The mating ceremony.”

I froze. Mating ceremony. The words twisted inside me, like a cruel joke. This was no union. This was a binding.

I looked up at him, fury boiling beneath my skin. “I’m not your mate.”

Leon didn’t flinch. His expression was as cold as the stone walls around us. “You will be. And I’m not asking for your approval.

He walked away, his footsteps echoing in the hall, leaving me standing there, alone.

When I returned to the suite, I stared out the window, watching the moon rise over the distant mountains. The light bathed the forest in a cold, silver glow—beautiful and distant.

It didn’t matter that I hated him. It didn’t matter that I would never forgive him.

This bond was real.

And the mating ceremony would change everything.

I turned away from the window, my heart heavy in my chest. As I walked toward the bed, I felt a strange pull an invisible thread tethering me to him.

I hated it. I hated him. But I couldn’t escape this.

Not anymore.