The Alpha's fall

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5

The moment everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived. The moment Eloise had longed for for so long—the very moment Ralf had tried to avoid for as long as he could, yet failed to stop.

Eloise’s heart pounded wildly against her chest as she walked slowly down the marble aisle, strewn with scattered petals of white roses.

In such a short time, this small hall—once just a passage she passed through whenever she went to the mansion’s garden—had been transformed into something grand and magnificent. It was filled with white flowers arranged beautifully all around her. But Eloise could no longer bring herself to appreciate the decorations, nor even look at them. Her eyes were fixed steadily in one single direction, focused on the end of this short path that felt, to her, like it stretched on forever.

There stood Ralf, dressed in his elegant tuxedo.

He was a tall man, his entire frame sculpted to perfection, without a single flaw. He appeared calm and composed, yet the sharpness in his gaze was more than enough to tell her the truth: even here, at the very end, this man standing at the altar did not want to be bound to her.

Eloise lowered her head as tears began to well up in her eyes—tears born of a confusing mix of excitement, nervousness, and deep regret. Deep down, there was a part of her that felt nothing but pity… for herself.

She forced herself to bury those emotions and fought hard to keep the tears from falling. Instead, she shifted her attention to the people watching them, and her gaze landed on her mother and Luna. Both wore bright smiles on their faces, yet their eyes told two completely different stories.

When she finally reached the end, with barely a single step left between her and Ralf, a cold wave of fear crawled across her skin. She could not even bring herself to look straight at him. For his part, Ralf made no move or gesture to close the distance. Together, they turned to face the Head Councilor of the Pack, and there they exchanged their vows—words that, for Ralf, held as much weight and meaning as the waters of the Azov Sea: shallow and empty.

“Now you may kiss your mate, Ralf.”

They turned to face each other. Eloise desperately wanted to keep her gaze fixed on the bouquet clutched in her hands, yet she found herself forced to lift her eyes up to his face.

There it was—Ralf’s calm, composed expression—the very face she had dreamed of seeing and admiring for so long, now standing right before her.

But his gaze bore into hers sharply, and he tilted his head slightly to the side, as if his eyes were speaking loud and clear: “You didn’t actually expect me to kiss you, did you?”

It was clearer than the moonlight: Ralf had absolutely no intention of doing it.

For a moment, she simply stood there drinking in the sight of him. She barely reached the level of his chest, and her neck ached from tilting her head so high just to look at him—but she did not care about the pain. Even now, knowing full well that he felt nothing but anger, irritation, and resentment toward her, she could not deny the truth: this was the man she had loved for so long—a love that no circumstance could ever simply erase. Yet she also knew she had no right to ask for more than this.

Once again, tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She quickly tried to hide them, lowering her head—only for Ralf to suddenly grip both her arms and yank her forcefully against his body. Before she could even gasp, he boldly pressed his lips onto hers.

Eloise’s eyes widened in utter shock, but she was completely frozen, unable to react.

His mouth fit hers perfectly—warm and wet against her lips. The sensation instantly dragged her mind back to what had happened last night, to the memory of how Ralf had forced himself upon her, driven only by some drugs he had consumed accidentally.

Her heart pounded harder and faster, hammering wildly against her ribs. When she tried to pull away, his grip on her arms only tightened, holding her firmly in place. She stopped struggling and simply let him do as he pleased. But the tears that had been threatening to fall all this time finally spilled over, rolling hot and fast down her cheeks.

Loud applause erupted all around them, mixed with cheers and congratulations from everyone present, celebrating the newly bound pair.

It had barely lasted ten seconds, yet to Eloise, it felt like an eternity. The moment Ralf finally let her go, she automatically bowed her head, burning with shame and confusion. She told herself that this was what she had always wanted—that perhaps he was simply playing his part well, exactly as expected of him.

Right after the wedding, while everyone else was celebrating and rejoicing, Ralf was nowhere to be found.

Eloise could not bring herself to join the festivities either. Her heart was heavy, burdened by so many things piling up inside her. All she wanted now was peace and quiet, and a chance to rest her mind. And since she and Ralf were officially bound as mates, Luna refused to let Eloise return to their small, humble home anymore. Even her mother was given a special room here inside the mansion. And tonight… Tonight, she will be sharing a room with Ralf.

She hadn’t caught even a glimpse of him since the ceremony ended, and strangely enough, she was actually relieved. Whenever Ralf wasn’t around, she felt lighter, as if she could finally breathe freely again.

After such a long, exhausting day, she decided she would rest and try not to think about anything else for now. She made her way toward Ralf’s chambers—which, from this moment on, were now hers as well.

Little did she know, it was inside this very room that she would come face‑to‑face with the one person she had been trying hardest to avoid.

The moment she stepped in, two large suitcases stood right by the door. Further inside, she saw Ralf taking clothes out of the closet. He stopped the instant she entered.

He set down the shirt he was holding and turned to face her, his brow furrowed in a deep scowl. He stood about six paces away, while Eloise remained rooted to the spot, her feet heavy as lead.

“Why are you here?” he demanded, his voice sharp with anger.

Her throat went instantly dry. Not a single word would come out.

“I… I just thought—” She had meant to say that Luna herself had ordered her to sleep here tonight, but she let the words die unspoken.

“N‑never mind… forget it.”

She turned to leave and reached for the door handle, but in the blink of an eye, a massive deep‑gray wolf leaped right in front of her, blocking her way completely. Eloise stumbled back, her heart lurching in pure shock.

The great beast bared its teeth and fangs in a terrifying snarl, stepping slowly toward her as she kept retreating. It was enormous—standing almost as tall as she was. And even in this form, those unmistakable eyes were still Ralf’s.

The wolf snarled low and menacing, as if ready to tear her apart at any second. Fear crawled cold and sharp through every inch of her. She was only a small, weak woman—and worse, she had never once been able to summon her own wolf. Against Ralf, she stood absolutely no chance at all.