The Alpha in the Shadows
1480 Words
Cold.
That was the first thing Aria felt.
Not the gentle chill of rain, but a biting cold that seemed to seep into her bones.
Voices drifted in and out of the darkness.
"...she's waking up."
"Keep your voice down."
"If she remembers—"
"She can't. Not yet."
Aria frowned.
Who were they talking about?
Her eyelids fluttered open.
A ceiling of rough wooden beams greeted her. The scent of burning firewood filled the room, mixed with herbs she couldn't identify.
This wasn't her apartment.
She shot upright so quickly that the room spun.
"Easy."
A calm female voice stopped her.
An elderly woman sat beside the fireplace, slowly stirring something inside a black pot. Her silver hair was braided neatly down her back, and deep lines covered her face.
But her eyes...
They were strangely familiar.
"You've been unconscious for nearly twelve hours," the old woman said.
Aria swallowed.
"Where am I?"
"My cabin."
"...How did I get here?"
The woman smiled without answering.
Instead, she handed Aria a steaming cup.
"Drink."
Aria hesitated.
"I don't even know you."
"You don't."
"Then why should I trust you?"
"Because the one who carried you here trusted me."
Aria's fingers tightened around the blanket.
The memories came rushing back.
The wolves.
The glowing silver mark.
The enormous silver wolf.
The man with blue eyes.
"Welcome back, Luna."
Her heart pounded.
"The wolf..."
The old woman's stirring stopped.
"So you remember."
"It wasn't a dream?"
"No."
Aria shook her head.
"No... that's impossible."
"Many impossible things become possible when the Moon decides it is time."
Aria stared.
"What does that even mean?"
The woman chuckled softly.
"You'll understand soon enough."
"I don't want riddles."
"You never liked riddles."
Aria blinked.
"What?"
The old woman looked at her for a long moment before looking away.
"My mistake."
Silence settled between them.
Finally, Aria looked at her wrist.
The silver mark was still there.
A crescent moon surrounded by twisting vines.
It looked almost...
Alive.
She touched it.
A sharp pain shot through her arm.
At the same moment—
A deep voice echoed inside her head.
"Don't touch it."
Aria gasped.
The cup slipped from her hands and shattered across the floor.
"No..."
Her breathing quickened.
"I heard him again."
The old woman's expression darkened.
"So soon..."
"You knew this would happen?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she walked to the window.
"He waited longer than anyone should."
Aria stood.
"Who?"
The old woman turned slowly.
"The Alpha."
---
By sunset, Aria insisted on leaving.
"I appreciate everything you've done," she said, slipping on her jacket, "but I need answers."
"You'll find them."
"Where?"
The old woman smiled sadly.
"He'll come."
"I don't even know his name."
"You already do."
Aria frowned.
"No, I don't."
The woman opened the cabin door.
Cold evening air rushed inside.
"You've simply forgotten."
---
The forest was quieter than it had been the night before.
Too quiet.
Every step Aria took echoed across the empty trail.
She hugged herself.
Her phone had finally turned back on.
Twenty-three missed calls.
Eight text messages.
One from her manager.
WHERE ARE YOU?
Another from her best friend, Mia.
I'm worried. Call me.
She quickly typed back.
I'm okay. Long story. Going home now.
Almost instantly, Mia replied.
You disappeared for an entire day! Where are you? I'll come get you.
Aria smiled faintly.
At least someone cared.
She slipped her phone into her pocket.
Crunch.
She froze.
Not again.
Another footstep.
Behind her.
Slow.
Steady.
She turned.
No one.
The wind carried the scent of pine...
...and something else.
Something strangely familiar.
Rain.
Wildflowers.
Moonlight.
It made no sense.
Crunch.
Another step.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Then...
A huge silver wolf stepped from behind an oak tree.
The same wolf.
The icy blue eyes met hers.
Neither of them moved.
Aria's fear returned.
"You..."
The wolf remained perfectly still.
He wasn't growling.
He wasn't threatening her.
He simply watched.
As if waiting.
"For me?"
The thought came without warning.
She laughed nervously.
"This is crazy."
She took one cautious step backward.
The wolf mirrored her movement.
She stopped.
So did he.
"You've been following me."
Nothing.
She sighed.
"You're really not going to answer."
The wolf slowly lowered himself onto the ground.
Almost like...
A loyal dog.
Aria couldn't help smiling.
"You don't seem very dangerous."
The wolf tilted his head.
She took another careful step.
Then another.
Until she stood only a few feet away.
His fur shimmered beneath the fading sunlight.
Without thinking...
She reached out.
Her fingers touched his head.
Warm.
Softer than she expected.
The instant her skin met his fur—
The world disappeared.
---
She stood inside a magnificent palace.
Music echoed through golden halls.
Servants hurried past carrying flowers.
Someone laughed.
A woman.
Her own laughter.
She looked down.
The same silver gown from her dreams covered her body.
A man approached.
Tall.
Strong.
His face remained blurred.
But his eyes—
Blue.
Brilliant blue.
"My Queen," he whispered.
She smiled.
"You promised you wouldn't call me that until after the ceremony."
He laughed.
"I've waited centuries already."
"You've only waited three years."
"It felt like centuries."
He gently kissed her forehead.
"I'll wait forever if I have to."
Everything dissolved.
---
Aria stumbled backward.
The vision vanished.
She nearly fell.
The wolf caught her before she hit the ground.
"What..."
She stared at him.
"What was that?"
His blue eyes filled with unmistakable sadness.
A single tear rolled down his fur.
Aria's breath caught.
"Wolves..."
She whispered.
"They don't cry."
The wolf slowly stepped away.
He turned toward the deeper forest.
Then looked back at her.
Waiting.
"You want me to follow you?"
He took another step.
Stopped.
Looked back again.
Aria hesitated.
Every logical part of her screamed not to follow a giant wolf into the woods.
Yet...
Something stronger pulled at her.
Almost as if her heart already knew the path.
She followed.
---
The forest grew darker.
The trees older.
Massive roots twisted across the ground.
Silver flowers bloomed where no sunlight reached.
After nearly thirty minutes, the wolf stopped.
Before them stood a lake unlike anything Aria had ever seen.
Its water glowed silver beneath the rising moon.
The surface reflected stars that weren't even visible in the sky.
"It's beautiful..."
The wolf walked to the edge.
He lowered his head toward the water.
The lake rippled.
An image appeared.
Not a reflection.
A memory.
A battlefield.
Fire everywhere.
Men and wolves fighting side by side.
The same blue-eyed man stood at the center.
Blood covered his armor.
He roared in grief as someone disappeared into a pillar of silver light.
"No!"
The man fell to his knees.
"I swore I'd find you!"
The vision shattered.
Aria stumbled backward.
Her chest tightened.
"I know that voice..."
The wolf looked at her.
Hope flickered in his eyes.
She pressed trembling fingers against her temple.
"I know you..."
His tail moved ever so slightly.
"But..."
Pain exploded inside her head.
She cried out.
More memories tried to force themselves free.
A wedding.
A crown.
A silver ring.
A kiss.
Someone screaming.
Then...
Nothing.
She collapsed to her knees.
The wolf immediately moved beside her.
His nose gently touched her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," she whispered through tears she didn't understand.
"I don't know why..."
"...but it feels like I've been making you wait."
The wolf closed his eyes.
For a moment, the world seemed completely still.
Then a twig snapped.
The wolf's ears shot upward.
His body instantly tensed.
The warmth disappeared from his eyes.
Only the predator remained.
"What is it?"
The wolf growled.
Low.
Dangerous.
Aria turned.
Several figures dressed in black cloaks stepped from the shadows surrounding the lake.
One.
Five.
Ten.
More emerged behind them.
They carried silver weapons.
Their leader smiled coldly.
"So..."
He slowly removed his hood.
A long scar ran across his face.
"We finally found you."
Aria backed toward the wolf.
"Who are you?"
The man ignored her.
His eyes remained fixed on the silver wolf.
"I never thought I'd see the great Alpha reduced to hiding as a beast."
Alpha?
Aria looked at the wolf in shock.
The scarred man laughed.
"What?"
"You haven't told her?"
He shook his head with cruel amusement.
"How disappointing."
The wolf bared his teeth.
His growl shook the trees.
"Oh, don't look at me like that."
The man lifted a silver blade.
"I've come to finish what our ancestors started."
The other cloaked figures surrounded them.
No escape.
The scarred man pointed directly at Aria.
"Bring me the girl."
The wolf stepped in front of her.
Every muscle in his enormous body tightened.
The scarred man smiled.
"Protect her if you must."
He raised his sword toward the moon.
"Kill the Luna..."
"...and this time, make sure the Alpha lives long enough to watch."
- Writer
