Alicia's Fate

Challenge

The drive lasted a little over three hours. As they finally turned off the main highway, the world outside the windows changed dramatically. The air grew colder, heavier, charged with a palpable, invisible power.

​"Welcome to Blood Moon territory," Ethan said, the pride back in his voice.

​The road led through dense, ancient woods before the imposing Blood Moon Pack House burst into view. It was less of a house and more of a fortress, a sprawling, asymmetrical structure built of dark, rough-hewn stone, sitting high on a hill that dominated the horizon. It looked old, powerful, and utterly forbidding.

​The van pulled up to the main entrance, where two massive, grim-faced guards stood at attention. They barely glanced at Ethan, but their eyes immediately scanned Alicia, registering her presence with intense, unsettling curiosity.

​Ethan turned off the ignition. "This is it, Luna," he said, using the title with finality.

​He moved swiftly to open her door and offered her his hand, helping her step out onto the smooth stone drive.

​"It looks... strong," Alicia whispered, tilting her head back to take in the sheer scale of the place.

​"It is," Ethan confirmed, his presence beside her a solid, reassuring heat. "And now, it is your home." He draped his arm possessively across her shoulders. "Let's go inside. We need to get you fed, get you a bed, and ensure every single wolf in this pack understands they serve you now."

​The foyer was vast, echoing, and dimly lit by wrought-iron chandeliers. Michael, the Beta, rushed out instantly, his worried expression clearing to one of confusion.

​Ethan strode into the foyer, his arm draped possessively over Alicia’s shoulders. He looked wildly different, happier, and radiating a possessive intensity that commanded silence. He looked at the slight, unkempt wolf beside him with an undeniably loving gaze, a look Clara, despite her years of service and bold claims, had never received. Ethan stopped in the center of the foyer, his arm never leaving Alicia.

​"I want everyone present to listen," Ethan announced, his voice echoing through the space. "This is Alicia, Luna of the Blood Moon Pack. I have found my mate."

Michael’s mouth dropped open in shock, quickly covered by a respectful bow. This was the impossibility, the thing the witch had sworn would never happen.

​"What do you mean, your mate?" Clara demanded, sweeping forward from a side hall, her usual elegance curdled into disbelief. She looked Alicia up and down, her expression incredulous. She couldn't believe Ethan would accept this wolf over her own perfection.

​Alicia noticed the blatant disgust in Clara's eyes. It was a cold, familiar look, exactly like the way Olivia and everyone had always looked at her, like she was beneath them. But she said nothing, clutching Ethan's waist for stability.

Ethan, still completely oblivious to the thinly veiled animosity between Clara and Alicia, continued his proud display. He paraded Alicia through the foyer, his arm never leaving her shoulders, his enthusiasm bordering on childlike as he gently, but firmly, dragged her up the massive stone staircase to show her the Luna quarters.

Clara watched them ascend the stairs, convinced this was nothing more than a ridiculous joke, Ethan hadn't found a mate; this was just one of his volatile games.

He, a man who hadn't laughed in five years, was suddenly radiating an unsettled joy. ​His men watched in stunned silence. The Alpha, who had been shrouded in a lethal, volatile black mood that morning was now proudly showing off his territory, his enthusiasm that of a small child eager to show off a new toy and hoping his new friend will play with him. Alicia looked delicate, like she might break if handled too roughly, yet Ethan's attention was overwhelming.

​Not one of his subordinates could process how a man who had not genuinely laughed once in five years was suddenly so deliriously happy. When Michael, made a snide comment about the Alpha's dizzying change in attitude, Ethan only laughed, a loud, booming sound, as if he had heard the most hilarious joke in the world. ​The darkness had lifted. The pack's terror was momentarily replaced by deep, unsettled confusion over their Alpha's miraculous resurrection.

The front doors burst open just then, and a pair of extremely disheveled figures stumbled in. Nate and Josh, sweating profusely and panting heavily in their short pants, looked utterly defeated.

After recovering some of their breath, they began narrating the events of the ceremony, the arrogance, the public claim, the sheer, undeniable power Ethan had displayed in defense of Alicia. The subordinates understood instantly: the thin, tattered wolf might genuinely be his mate, because in all his dark years, he had never once risked his life or authority to claim anyone.

​"Where does that leave me?" Clara asked, her voice laced with sharp entitlement. She was certain they would support her if she decided to challenge the "new girl" for the Luna position.

But she was met with crushing silence, followed by bitter disappointment as not one of the men followed her line of thought.

​"I'm just glad he finally found his mate," Josh said immediately after Clara’s question, his tone suggesting he hadn't even registered the self-serving nature of her query.

​"Yeah," Nate interjected, rubbing his sore leg. "If he can be like this every day, we would finally have breathing room."

​"That's the power of a fated mate," Michael reasoned, a look of profound relief on his face. "They make things better."

​"We almost didn't go," Nate suddenly remembered, a shudder running through him.

​"Better never mention that next to him," Michael warned sharply. "Or your punishment would extend forever."

​They snapped instantly to attention as Ethan's voice was heard clearly from the head of the stairs. Their brief moment of freedom and analysis was over; the Alpha and his Luna were descending.

When Ethan and Alicia returned downstairs, Ethan glanced briefly at his two subordinates who were standing stiffly by the entrance, still slightly winded despite their recovery time. He smirked.

​"Oh, you made it home far quicker than I thought," he drawled, his tone layered with amusement.

​"Yes, Alpha," Nate replied, "It was all thanks to your... magnanimity." Nate delivered the line with a forced reverence that clearly betrayed his exhaustion and lingering fear. Beside him, Josh remained silent, certain Ethan would get angry and pick offense that they were being rude Instead, Ethan burst out laughing like he had just heard a joke.

​"Of course, I'm that generous," he said, shaking his head. He allowed them a brief moment of relief before his expression snapped back to business.

​Though still distracted by the sheer joy of his earlier escape with Alicia, Ethan’s demeanor instantly became pure Alpha authority.

​"Michael," Ethan commanded, his voice sharp and carrying through the foyer. "I need two immediate things taken care of."

​He stepped closer to Alicia, his hand settling on the small of her back.

​"First, have a team prepare the main Luna suite. I want everything new, fresh linens, a full wardrobe restock, and a bath drawn immediately. And I mean the finest we have."

​He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly in emphasis. "Second, I need a detailed report on our entire food supply. Our Luna needs to gain weight, and I want her meal plan overseen personally. She will lack for absolutely nothing."

​"Yes, Alpha," Michael responded instantly.

​Ethan turned to Alicia. "You'll need a guide while you settle in, someone to show you the house and ensure you have everything you require."

​Clara saw her opening. She swept forward, her usual poise masking her seething fury.

​"Alpha," Clara interjected smoothly, her voice thin with forced sweetness. "I would be happy to take care of Alicia. As I am already familiar with the Luna quarters and the kitchens, I can ensure she is comfortable and doesn't get lost." She offered Alicia a thin, overly bright smile that didn't reach her eyes.

​Alicia saw the venom behind the façade, recognizing the immediate threat. Ethan, however, saw only pack hospitality.

​"Excellent, Clara-Bell," Ethan agreed. "See to it that she is comfortable and has everything she needs, starting with that bath. Don't leave her alone until she's settled."

​"Of course, Alpha," Clara purred, her eyes briefly flashing with triumph.

​Ethan gave Alicia a quick, possessive kiss on the forehead. "I have a mountain of work waiting for me, but I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't worry about anything. You're safe now."

​He released her, turned, and strode toward his office, leaving Alicia standing face-to-face with her appointed 'caretaker,' Clara.

​

​Clara waited until the echoing click of Ethan’s office door signaled his retreat before dropping the façade. The saccharine smile vanished instantly, replaced by a gaze of frigid contempt.

​"Follow me," Clara commanded, her voice now sharp and devoid of patience.

​As they walked, Clara slowed her pace. "Let me be perfectly clear, little one," she hissed, her voice venomous. "The Alpha is obsessed with the idea of a 'fated mate' because of what he lost. He is using you as a band-aid for his guilt."

​They reached the massive Luna suite. Clara gestured toward the luxury. "This suite was waiting for a True Luna. It was waiting for me. And you," she dropped her voice to a dangerous whisper, "are not worthy to even scrub the floor in here."

​Alicia remained expressionless.

​Clara leaned in, her eyes burning. "He will soon get tired of you and come back to me, so for your own sake, don't get too comfortable. You are just an inconvenience he picked up. I’ll make damn sure every breath you take here feels borrowed, you will beg to be dropped off on the roadside because you just signed up for a life of psychological torture."

​Alicia finally lifted her gaze, meeting Clara’s hostile eyes. "I appreciate the warning," she said softly, her voice steady and unnervingly calm. "And I'm already familiar with psychological torture. I survived thirteen years of it. Compared to that, I doubt your company will be much of a challenge."

​Clara’s face froze in stunned disbelief at the quiet defiance. Alicia gave a small, polite nod and walked straight past her, heading for the inner bathroom door.

With a frustrated, silent snarl, Clara spun around and stalked out of the suite, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the chandeliers, a sound Alicia didn't even flinch at from inside the bathroom.

​The moment the outer door clicked shut, Alicia let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She was safe, for now. Standing in the center of the massive, tiled room, her gaze roamed the marble tub already filling with steaming, scented water. The opulence was overwhelming; it was bigger than the entire alpha's bathroom at the Crescent Moon Pack.

​She stripped off her tattered, filthy clothes, tossing them onto the rich tile floor. As she stepped into the deep, hot water, a low moan of pure, physical relief escaped her. The heat immediately began to soothe the aches from the long drive, and the years of grueling labor.

'Skylar?’ Alicia reached tentatively toward the part of her mind that had felt hollow for so long.

For the first time since the rejection, something stirred, a faint, fragile pulse of recognition. Not the bright, euphoric spark she once associated with her wolf, but a hesitant flicker, trembling at the edge of fear.

‘I’m here.’ Skylar’s voice was barely a whisper, brittle as thin glass.

‘What do you think?’ Alicia asked gently, afraid the wrong tone might drive her away again.

‘I don’t know, Alicia… he might change his mind. Just like that woman said.’

‘But he’s our mate,’ Alicia insisted, clinging to that fragile thread of hope, as if saying it aloud might make it real.

‘James was our mate too,’ Skylar countered softly. ‘Yet he abandoned us.’

Alicia’s chest tightened. ‘Yes, but Ethan isn’t James, he hasn't said a cruel word to me since.’

There was a long, trembling silence. When Skylar finally spoke again, her words carried the weight of remembered pain.

‘He’s big, Alicia… and loud. He might break us too.’

Alicia leaned back against the tub’s cool rim, water lapping at her skin. She wondered why Ethan had said the things he said and also why Clara wanted her to develop some fear for him, but somehow, that wildfire doesn't scare her, it was less frightening than James’s quiet cruelty.

‘He said he won’t push us,’ Alicia sent back, her thoughts a careful thread of warmth and reassurance. ‘He called us Luna, Sky, can you believe it?’

The title still felt absurd, like a dream too big for her scarred reality, but the warmth of the water, the solid lock on the door, and the absence of pain whispered a simple truth: She was finally free of James and the Crescent Moon Pack. And since she survived that, she would survive Clara.