THE ALPAHA'S UNBREAKABLE MATE

/ISLA/ I stood on the edge of the high stage, my fingers trembling as I smoothed the skirt of a dress I could barely afford. Tonight was supposed to be the beginning of my life. My twentieth birthday. The night my wolf would finally wake up, and the night Kieran—the future Alpha—would tell the world I was his. For three years, we had whispered our plans in the dark corners of the pack house. “Just a little longer, Isla,” he’d murmur, his lips pressed against my forehead. “Once the crown is mine, no one can tell me who to love. You’ll be my Luna.” I believed him. I had spent every waking hour working the most grueling shifts in the pack’s laundry and kitchens just to stay close to him, to be the silent support he said he needed. The Great Hall was packed, a sea of wolves dressed in the Blackwood colors of black and gold. At the center of the dais stood Alpha Cain Norway. He was the most feared man in the pack, not because he threatened anyone but simply because of his presence. Beside him stood Kieran. He looked every bit the king-in-waiting—sharp jawline, emerald eyes, and a confident smirk that used to make my heart skip a beat. “Tonight, I step down,” Alpha Cain’s voice boomed, vibrating through the floorboards. “My son takes the mantle. Kieran, name the woman who will stand by your side.” The room went so quiet I could hear the frantic thumping of my own heart. This was it. I took a small, hopeful step forward. I expected Kieran to look at me. I expected him to reach out and pull me from the ranks of the omegas. Kieran stepped forward, but his eyes never moved toward the wings where I stood. Instead, they swept over the crowd. “A pack is only as strong as its leaders,” Kieran shouted, his voice filled with an arrogance I didn't recognize. “And a King deserves a Queen who commands respect. Not a girl who cowers in the shadows. Not an omega who can’t even find her wolf.” A cold shiver raced down my spine. Kieran turned, his hand extending toward the front row of the elite seats. “I choose Elara Radre to be my Luna!” The roar of approval from the pack felt like a punch to my gut. I watched, frozen in horror, as my twin sister glided onto the stage. She looked radiant in silver silk, a triumphant, wicked glint in her eyes that told me this wasn't a surprise to her. It was her plan all along. She took Kieran’s hand, and he pulled her into a possessive embrace, kissing her deeply while the crowd went wild. I was standing less than ten feet away, but I might as well have been invisible. I was the "weak omega" he had just insulted in front of everyone he was about to lead. “Kieran?” I whispered, the word lost in the noise. I didn't wait for the ceremony to end. I couldn't. I shoved through the heavy velvet curtains, my vision blurring with hot, angry tears. I made it to the back corridor, gasping for air, when the sound of laughter stopped me cold. Kieran and Elara were stepping off the back of the dais, tucked away in the shadows of the hallway. “You should have seen her face,” Elara giggled, leaning into Kieran’s chest. “She actually thought she had a chance.” “Isla is a dreamer,” Kieran said, his voice flat and bored. “She was useful for a while—she did all the grunt work so you could focus on your training. But a Luna? Please. I need a woman with a wolf, Elara. Not a pet.” I stepped out of the shadows, my hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. “A pet?” They both turned. Elara didn't even have the decency to look guilty; she just smirked. Kieran looked at me like I was a smudge of dirt on his expensive boots. “Isla,” he said, his tone dismissive. “Don't make a scene. You knew this was coming. You’re an omega. I’m an Alpha. It was never going to work.” “You lied to me for years!” I choked out. “I worked myself to the bone for you. I stayed in the kitchens, I took the insults, I waited for you because you said you loved me!” “And I thank you for the service,” Kieran said, stepping closer, his aqua eyes turning darker. “But let’s be real. You’re wolf-less. You’re a nobody. If you ever truly loved me, you’d be happy that the pack is getting a real Luna. Now, get out of my sight. You’re embarrassing yourself.” He brushed past me, his shoulder hitting mine with enough force to send me staggering. Elara followed, trailing her fingers mockingly over my arm. “Better luck next life, sis.” The humiliation was something I couldn't bare. After everything I'd been through…after… I turned and ran, not caring where I was going. I pushed through the heavy oak doors leading to the Alpha’s private wing—a place I was strictly forbidden to enter—but I didn't care. I just wanted to disappear. I rounded a corner at a dead sprint, my eyes blinded by tears, and slammed into something hard—not quite as hard as a wall but too hard to be a regular person either. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs. I began to fall, my heels sliding on the marble, but a pair of massive hands clamped onto my waist, jerking me upright. The moment those palms pressed into my skin, I felt a jolt of electricity surge through my body, starting at my waist and radiating to my very core. My skin sizzled. The air around us suddenly smelled of rain-drenched cedar and expensive bourbon. Inside my chest, a voice that hadn't spoken in twenty years finally screamed. A deep, soulful howl that shook my bones. MATE. I gasped, my hands flying up to rest against a broad, stone-hard chest. I looked up, expecting to see a guard or a servant. Instead, I was staring into the icy, midnight-blue eyes of Alpha Cain. The Great Alpha. The man who had just watched his son tear my heart out. He was staring down at me, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled my scent, his grip on my waist tightening until it was almost painful. His pupils dilated until his eyes were almost entirely black with shock and something akin to hunger. His voice came out as a low vibration that I felt in my teeth. “You.” I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. “Alpha... I...” Cain’s head tilted, his gaze dropping to my lips before snapping back to my eyes. “What are you doing here?”