Pucking The Alpha’s Daughter

That Night Changed Everything

Madison

The next morning feels wrong before I even open my eyes.

It’s the quiet that has my wolf on alert and clawing inside.

After one of Nash’s parties, the house is never quiet. There are always groans from the couch, someone stumbling into the kitchen looking for coffee, Knox arguing with whoever passed out on the floor about whose turn it is to clean up. Usually the place smells like stale beer and pizza crusts while the floorboards creak under the weight of half the pack wandering around like hungover zombies.

But today the silence presses against the walls like something is holding its breath. It’s unsettling how even the house feels different.

I lie there for a moment longer, staring at the inside of my eyelids, waiting for the familiar noise to start up; the low rumble of voices downstairs, the sound of Nash opening the back door to let the cold morning air in, the thud of someone dropping a pan in the kitchen.

Still, nothing comes. I blink awake slowly.

Sunlight spills through the large bay window beside my bed, pale and soft against the wooden floor. Dust floats through the air where the light cuts across the room, tiny specks drifting lazily like the world outside is Madison moving at half speed.

My body aches in unfamiliar ways. My muscles pulse in places that make heat creep up my neck as memories from last night come rushing back all at once.

The Alpha’s office, my father’s desk, Jay.

The way he looked at me like I was something sacred and dangerous all at once.

He’s the man every girl in the territory secretly watches when he walks into a room. The one who never tries too hard, never needs to raise his voice to command attention.

The one everyone listens to anyway.

His presence just swallows the room up and leaves you breathless.

He’s still my brother’s best friend.

Fuck. Nash would burn the entire pack down if he knew Jay Mercer defiled his little sister last night.

My stomach flips and short, shallow breaths spilling from my chest. For a moment I stay perfectly still beneath the blankets, staring at the ceiling while the memories settle over me like a warm, dangerous fog.

The silk sheets are twisted around my legs, the fabric soft and rumpled from the restless sleep I barely remember falling into.

My fingers tighten slowly against the mattress. The dull ache in my hips and thighs makes it impossible to pretend it didn’t happen. Last night was real. Every second of it replaying in my mind on a continuous circuit.

I turn my head slightly, staring at the thin streaks of sunlight crawling slowly across the opposite wall. Suddenly a strange knot of unease twists in my stomach.

My pulse quickens and I swing my legs over the side of the bed and pull on the first thing I see, an oversized hoodie that definitely belongs to Nash. It hangs past my hips as I shove my hair into a messy bun.

The hallway outside my room is eerily quiet. Just the soft creak of the wooden floor beneath my feet as I walk down the hall.

The staircase comes into view and that’s when I hear voices. Low, tense whispers that feel like they’re strangling the air in the room. I step down slowly, my hand sliding along the railing.

The living room looks like a war zone. Empty bottles litter the coffee table and cups are tipped over on the floor. I notice that someone knocked over one of the chairs near the fireplace.

Dad’s not going to be happy.

Some of Nash’s buddies are gathered in the kitchen, but no one is talking.

Knox stands near the counter, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his broad shoulders rigid like he’s bracing for something. The dark circles under his eyes tell me he hasn’t slept.

Two of the other guys linger by the sink, Evan and Cole. They’re both staring down at the tile floor like they’re afraid to look at each other. Evan’s fingers drum nervously against the edge of the counter while Cole keeps rubbing the back of his neck.

And Nash… Nash is pacing. Back and forth across the kitchen like a caged wolf.

I’ve seen my brother angry before. But this? This is something else.

His shoulders are tight, his jaw clenched so hard the muscle jumps beneath his skin. One hand drags repeatedly through his hair as he mutters something under his breath.

I step into the room slowly. “What’s going on?”

No one answers. You’d think someone died.

Knox glances at me for half a second before looking back at Nash. That’s when Nash stops pacing.

He spins toward Knox. His eyes blaze gold like he’s about to shift and rip someone’s throat out. “Where the hell is he?” he demands.

The room goes still. Where is who?

Knox exhales slowly. “He’s gone.”

Nash stares at him. “What?”

Knox’s voice is calm, but there’s weight beneath it. “He asked your dad for leave this morning.”

For a second the words don’t make sense. Leave. Leave from what?

The realization hits me like a punch to the gut. Jay. My chest tightens so suddenly I have to grab the edge of the counter to steady myself.

Nash lets out a sharp laugh. “You’re joking.”

“No.”

“What do you mean no?” The next second Nash grabs the edge of the kitchen table and flips it. The heavy wooden table crashes to the floor with a thunderous crack, sending chairs skidding across the tile. Cole curses under his breath but no one dares to move.

Nash’s chest heaves as he stares down at the wreckage. “He just left?” he snarls.

Knox nods once. “He asked the Alpha for permission at sunrise.”

Sunrise. My heart sinks into my stomach. That means Jay left hours ago.

Nash runs both hands through his hair again, his eyes wild now. “That son of a b***h was supposed to be my Beta one day!” he shouts. “He knew that!”

The words echo through the kitchen. The pack stays silent. Everyone knows what that means. Jay wasn’t just Nash’s best friend. He was supposed to stand beside him when Nash took over the pack.

His second in command, his right hand man, family. Pack over all else.

Nash slams his fist into the wall so hard the drywall cracks open, specks of dust and plaster exploding into the air.

“He abandons the pack the morning after the biggest night of our lives?” Nash spits.

No one answers. The tension in the room is thick and suffocating.

I can barely hear them anymore because my mind is replaying one moment over and over, Jay’s low and dark voice in the dark office.

Watch me.

Tiny hairs rise from the back of my neck. My chest aches, I can feel my heart splitting into two. I gave him everything last night. My first kiss. My first time. Every piece of me.

And by morning, Jay Mercer was gone.

Like the night never happened, never meant anything to him. Like I imagined the way his hands felt on my skin. The way he said my name, like it meant something.

What a fairytale ending. My fingers tighten around the counter until my knuckles ache.

Across the kitchen Nash is still pacing, every step looking like he might explode if someone says the wrong thing.

“Where did he go?” Nash demands again.

No one answers immediately but I notice the pack exchange uneasy looks.

Knox finally shrugs one shoulder. “He didn’t say.”

Nash laughs again, but there’s nothing amused about it.

“Oh that’s great. That’s really great.”

He drags both hands through his hair and spins toward the back door like he might storm outside and track Jay down himself.

“He doesn’t just get to disappear,” Nash snarls. “Not after last night.”

My stomach twists. Not after last night. I stare down at the tile floor, afraid someone might notice the color draining from my face because the truth is clawing its way up my throat.

The thought settles in my chest like a stone. I remember the way he looked at me in the office. The way his eyes darkened when I said his name. The way he held me like letting go wasn’t an option.

That wasn’t fake. It couldn’t have been. Could it?

“Alpha approved it.” The dominating voice comes from the doorway and every head in the room turns.

My father stands there. Alpha Elias Walker fills the entrance, broad shoulders squared, his expression calm but commanding. The air shifts instantly.

Nash straightens. “Dad.”

“He requested leave at sunrise,” my father says evenly.

Nash stares at him blankly. “And you let him go?”

“It was his request.”

“That’s it?” Nash explodes. “He asks and you just let him walk away?”

My father’s gaze remains steady. “Jay Mercer has served this pack his entire life son, even after his parents were killed.”

I can see the pity in my dad’s eyes. Jay was like a son to him too. Nash shakes his head slowly. “He abandoned us.”

“He asked for time.”

Nash lets out a harsh laugh. “The pack just watched me get drafted first overall last night. The biggest night of our lives. And he runs?”

His words crash through the room. First overall of the NHL draft. The memory of the party flashes again. Music shaking the walls, half the territory crammed inside, the pack chanting Nash’s name. Jay’s crystal blue eyes finding mine across the room and swallowing me whole.

My throat tightens painfully because while everyone downstairs was celebrating, I had Jay’s face between my legs.

My father’s voice cuts through the tension. “Enough.”

Nash exhales sharply but stops pacing.

“Your friend made his choice,” my father says calmly.

Nash stares at the floor for a long moment before turning away. “Well I’m not respecting it.”

He shoves a chair aside and storms out of the kitchen.

The house falls silent again. Knox exhales slowly beside me. “Well,” he mutters. “That went well.”

Tears burn behind my eyes.

I hate him, I hate him for leaving.

But I hate myself more for wishing he’d come back.