The Alpha's fall

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4

Crushed under the immense pressure and tension coming from every pack member present—even from his own mother—Ralf found himself with no fight left to give. All he could offer us was a look of sheer exasperation and resentment, yet that alone served as his reluctant agreement.

One by one, the guests began to depart. My mother, Luna Luella, Ralf, and I were the last ones to leave the dining hall, with Ralf leading the way. But just before we parted ways, he stopped abruptly and turned to face us. His hands were clenched tight behind his back, and the heavy furrow of his thick brows still betrayed the deep irritation simmering within him.

"Since you have both successfully gotten exactly what you wanted," he began, his tone sharp and cold, "there is no longer any reason for me to remain here a moment longer. Tomorrow morning, I am returning to the city."

"But son—" Luna Luella tried to interject, her voice laced with worry.

"Please, Mother… enough, will you?!" Ralf snapped, his voice rising slightly, silencing her instantly. Then, before he turned on his heel and walked away, he pinned me with a piercing, searing gaze—one filled with unspoken accusation and bitter resentment—that seemed to burn right through me.

I simply bowed my head in silence. The moment Ralf’s figure vanished completely from sight, our elder Luna turned her full attention toward me. She immediately gripped both my arms tightly, her eyes shining—she seemed to be the only one here, truly delighted by how everything had unfolded.

"Child, get yourself ready. You are going with him tomorrow," she said, her smile stretching wide from ear to ear.

I had no answer, no words to say. Truth be told, just the thought of going with Ralf filled me with dread. It was clear as day: he resented me deeply, seeing me as nothing more than a trap, the very reason he had been cornered into this situation.

"Well then, my dear, let us prepare everything that will be needed today," Luna turned to my mother and continued. "This day must not end before they are officially bound as mates."

My mother could only force a smile, left with no choice but to agree and play along with whatever Luna said.

Just as Luna had commanded, everything was arranged and prepared with swift efficiency.

Meanwhile, I remained inside my room, standing motionless and staring blankly at the mirror before me. This was the very same glass I had stood in front of countless times, where I had imagined over and over again the joyous moment when Ralf and I would finally be reunited. But now, instead of that happy vision, all I saw reflected at me was my own broken, defeated self.

Laid out upon the bed was a white wedding gown—the one Luna had given to me. She told me this was the very dress she had worn when she married Ralf’s father, our late Alpha—the union we had all revered.

This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. This was exactly what I had longed and waited for ever since Ralf’s return. And yet, standing here on the brink of it, I could not bring myself to feel even an ounce of joy.

After everything that happened last night, I felt as though I had turned into nothing more than an emotionless doll. I had been dragged through such a whirlwind of feelings in so short a time that I no longer knew what I should feel first. Should I be angry? But at whom? At the Luna and my own mother? At Ralf? Or perhaps, at myself?

A servant assigned by Luna assisted me as I dressed. My mother was there as well, forcing a smile onto her face every time my eyes happened to glance her way. Yet deep within her gaze lay pain and worry—so clear and raw that I needed no explanation whatsoever to understand exactly what lay behind it.

Meanwhile, Ralf stood gravely before the large mirror, his gaze piercing and intense as he studied his reflection while fastening the cuffs of his long-sleeved shirt. Draped over the back of the chair behind him was a sharply tailored soft ivory tuxedo, its silhouette visible in the glass, waiting to be worn.

Here he was, doing exactly what everyone wanted him to do—and yet, every movement he made betrayed his fierce resistance. He left several buttons of his shirt at the chest undone, out of sheer reluctance, before exhaling a sharp, frustrated breath and dropping heavily onto the edge of the bed.

It felt as though something heavy and suffocating sat right in the center of his chest, making every breath a struggle—something he carried deep inside but could not bring himself to let out. He wanted to scream, to unleash his anger at every member of the pack, and even at his own mother. But he couldn’t. That was not the kind of man he was. He always chose to avoid long, pointless arguments, and patience was a virtue he had always held onto. Yet now, it seemed as if every turn of events was deliberately testing that patience to its breaking point.

"So here you are."

Ralf looked sharply toward the open door where his cousin Louis stood, already dressed and ready to stand as his best man later that day.

"Come on, bro! You’re getting married in less than half an hour—cheer up a little!" Louis said with a lighthearted chuckle. He knew exactly what Ralf was going through, of course, but he chose not to add any more weight to the pressure already crushing him.

Ralf merely grimaced and let out a dry, bitter scoff—a silent way of saying that there was nothing left for him to do, no other choice but to simply follow along and submit. After giving Louis a stiff, wordless nod, his gaze drifted slowly over his cousin’s attire, then flickered briefly toward the tuxedo still hanging over the chair.

"That suit looks good on you. The tailoring is absolutely perfect," Ralf remarked.

"Of course it is!" Louis replied proudly. "Auntie even brought in several tailors here personally just to take all our measurements one by one."

"So… this has all been planned by Luna for a very long time, hasn’t it?"

The moment Ralf spoke those words, Louis realized he had said too much, and had unintentionally revealed just how premeditated this whole situation truly was.

"Bro… look, think about it—this is for your own good too," Louis said quickly, trying desperately to defuse the rising tension written all over Ralf’s face. "And for the good of the entire pack. Besides, Auntie is the only one left leading us now. She rarely gets to see you—just… just let her have this one wish, okay?"

Ralf did not argue or contradict anything his cousin had said. Instead, he asked another question, his tone grave and heavy with meaning.

“That girl… does she know about all of this? From the very start… Was she aware of Luna's plans?”

Every word that left Ralf’s lips was sharp and deadly serious.

Louis did not answer immediately, though he knew he could not leave those questions hanging in the air, unanswered and dangerous.

“I… I honestly don’t know,” Louis stammered slightly, then hurried to explain. “But look—what I do know is that she has been waiting for you for such a long time. You are her mate; it’s only natural that she would want to be by your side. You know this, don’t you? You know that you two were brought into this world… destined for each other.”

Ralf’s brow furrowed deeply, and his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides—clear signs that what he had just heard did not sit right with him at all.

“Bro… is marrying her really that difficult, that unbearable for you?” Louis asked softly, trying to reason with him. “Look, she isn’t just some random girl. She is the daughter of our late Beta. Our family owes them a debt of gratitude we can never fully repay. And besides… I know her. She is a good woman—respectable, kind, and decent. I am certain… you two will find your way to understanding each other eventually.”

But those words felt like nothing more than empty wind to Ralf. He remained silent, dismissing everything his cousin had said as he continued dressing himself, moving with cold, mechanical precision.