Rejected by the alpha, desired by his brother

Chapter Five: A Wolf’s Rising

Dawn bled through the forest in slivers of pale gold. Mist clung to the ground like ghosts refusing to let go.

I stood barefoot on the edge of a clearing Riven had chosen, the grass wet beneath my feet, the cold nipping at my skin.

“Shift,” he said simply.

I hesitated.

“On command?” I asked, arms crossed. “I’ve only done it once when I was terrified. I’m not even sure how I did it.”

Riven tilted his head, his gaze sharp. “That’s exactly the problem. Fear shouldn't control your shift. You should.”

I clenched my jaw. “Easy for you to say. You’ve been doing this your whole life.”

He stepped closer. “No. I was trained like a weapon from the moment I could walk. Beaten until I shifted or broke. You’re not here to be broken, Lyria. You’re here to become.”

That stirred something in me.

Still, shifting wasn’t like flipping a switch. It was wild. Primal. A force that didn’t always listen.

But I remembered how it had felt when my wolf took over.

Freeing.

Burning.

Whole.

I closed my eyes, breathing deep.

I reached inward not toward fear this time, but toward her the wolf pacing in my soul, silver fur glinting in the dark, eyes burning like frostfire.

Come, I whispered.

And she did.

Pain lanced through me bones cracking, muscles tearing and rebuilding.

But this time I didn’t scream.

I embraced it.

When I opened my eyes again, I was on four legs, wind rushing through my fur.

Riven’s wolf was already beside me taller, darker, but his eyes glowed with something proud.

We ran.

Through thickets and trees. Through fog and fallen leaves. The world narrowed to speed and scent and wind. I could hear his thoughts now just fragments but they pulsed through the bond forming between us like sparks.

You’re faster than I thought.

You’re holding back.

I’m not!

Then let go.

So I did.

I leapt over a fallen log, twisted mid-air, landed clean. It felt like flying.

We skidded to a stop at a river’s edge, panting.

Riven shifted first, then tossed a shirt at me as I shifted back.

“Not bad for a second shift.”

I pulled the shirt over my head, chest still heaving. “It felt… different this time. Like she wanted to come forward.”

“Because she trusts you now.”

That startled me. “She didn’t before?”

Riven gave me a look. “She didn’t know if you were strong enough.”

I nodded slowly, letting the words sink in.

“You have power, Lyria,” he said. “But you need control. Discipline. And a plan.”

“A plan for what?”

> “For what happens when the Elders find out the mark has returned.”

I swallowed. “They’ll try to kill me?”

“Worse. They’ll try to use you. To control you. To bend you into a symbol for their own gain.”

I stiffened. “Then we fight.”

He smiled. “That’s the answer I hoped for.”

Later that day, we returned to the cabin hidden deep within Riven’s territory. It was built of blackened stone and weathered timber, fortified like a war bunker but warm inside lit by soft flames and the scent of pine and leather.

He gave me a spare room and clothes that actually fit. For the first time in what felt like forever, I bathed with hot water, slipped into a shirt that didn’t smell like old soap, and let my shoulders relax.

I sat by the fire with a mug of bitter tea, staring into the flames.

And that’s when I felt it a tremor.

Not physical.

Spiritual.

A pulse in the air, like something ancient stirring.

Riven appeared in the doorway. “You feel it?”

I nodded. “What is it?”

“A calling,” he said. “The Moon is watching.”

I looked up sharply. “Is this about the prophecy you mentioned?”

Riven crossed his arms. “Not a prophecy. A warning.”

He stepped closer, lowering his voice.

“Long ago, the Moon marked three bloodlines. The Alphas. The Seers. And the Binders.”

“Binders?” I asked.

“Those who could break or create bonds. Lifemates. Power links. Even pack loyalty. It’s rare dangerous.”

The fire crackled.

“You think I’m one of them.”

He didn’t answer.

He didn’t have to.

That night, my dreams weren’t dreams they were memories.

Not mine.

A woman standing in a circle of fire, silver tattoos glowing on her skin. Her voice shook the sky as wolves bowed at her feet.

Another image her being hunted through the woods, the Elders whispering, “She binds too easily. She must be erased.”

I woke in a cold sweat, clutching my chest.

The mark burned.

Riven was already there, his hand steadying my shoulder.

“You saw her,” he said softly. “The last Binder.”

I nodded, throat dry. “They killed her.”

“Because she could make even enemies loyal to her. She threatened the balance.”

I looked up at him. “If I can do what she did… it means Kael’s rejection wasn’t the end of my story.”

“No,” Riven said, voice low. “It was the beginning.”

---

As morning rose, we stepped outside together.

That’s when I smelled it smoke on the wind.

Riven stiffened. “That’s not from us.”

We ran.

By the time we reached the cliff overlooking the borderlands, the view below made my blood freeze.

Kael’s warriors.

At least twenty of them.

Marching toward Riven’s te

rritory.

And behind them Kael himself.

“He’s making his move,” Riven growled. “He’s going to try and take you by force.”

I took a shaky breath. “What do we do?”

Riven looked at me.

“We prepare for war.”