Her Alpha’s Greatest Regret

Chapter 2: Storm Before the Moon

I’m not the kind of man who fights with his father, but today, I’m making an exception.

Alpha Marcus stands across the room, his broad shoulders stiff, his jaw clenched like stone. The look in his eyes is hard, calculating, the same look he’s had for as long as I can remember. He’s always been the one to give orders, never to listen. The pack follows him, and there’s never been any doubt about it.

But today? Today, I’m not so sure anymore.

“Your bloodline isn’t enough, Kieran,” my father says, his voice low and unforgiving. He looks at me as if I’m the one disappointing him, like I’m the one who’s failed him. “You want to lead this pack? Then you need a Luna who can handle the weight of it. A Luna who can secure alliances. A Luna who can strengthen the bloodlines.”

His words sting, each one like a dagger. I should have expected this. Hell, I’ve known for years what was coming. But it doesn’t make it any easier to hear.

“You think this is about bloodlines?” I snap, taking a step closer, the anger bubbling beneath my skin. “It’s about strength. About loyalty. I don’t need some political pawn at my side to prove I’m worthy of this pack.”

“You’re wrong,” Marcus says, his eyes narrowing. “The strength of this pack doesn’t just come from the blood running through your veins, Kieran. It’s about the strength of your alliances. The politics. If you don’t have that, if you don’t have someone who can offer more than just emotional support, then you’re nothing. Nothing but a wolf who thinks he can lead a pack with his heart alone.”

I clench my fists at my sides, my nails digging into my palms, but I hold myself steady. I can feel the heat of the wolf inside me, begging to break free, but I won’t let it. Not yet.

“I don’t need a pawn to lead this pack, Father,” I growl, my voice a low rumble in my chest. “I need someone who can stand beside me. Who can fight with me. Who can help me make decisions, not just sit there and look pretty.”

My father’s eyes hahardened“You need a Luna, Kieran. Not just any Luna, but one who is the right fit for you. The right fit for the pack. Someone with power. Someone who can give us more than just her love. You need someone who can bring strength, not weakness.”

I exhale slowly, trying to steady my racing heart. I’m not weak. But I’m not blind, either. The pack has always been about power, about loyalty. I can’t deny that. I know the rules. But there’s something about the way my father says it, as if love doesn’t matter, as if it doesn’t count for anything.

“You’re telling me that love isn’t enough,” I say, my voice shaking, barely holding back the fury. “That I have to use her for the pack’s gain? That’s what you want for me? You want me to use her to get what I want, instead of caring about what we have?”

My father steps forward, his expression hardening.

“It’s not just about what you want, Kieran. It’s about what the pack needs. You don’t get to decide what’s best for you. This is about the future of this pack. The future of the bloodlines. You want to lead? Then you need to think beyond yourself. You need to think about the pack. If you don’t see that, if you don’t understand that, then maybe you’re not ready to lead at all.”

I take another step forward, my blood boiling, my skin prickling with the desire to shift. But I can’t. I won’t. Not here. Not with him.

“I’m not a f*****g puppet, Father,” I say, my voice sharp. “I don’t need to marry someone just to get your approval. I don’t need to play these games.”

“You’re being naïve.” His voice is cold, cutting through the air like a blade. “This isn’t a game, Kieran. This is survival. The Luna has to strengthen the pack, or she has no place here. If you think you can lead without making those sacrifices, you’re wrong.”

I don’t know how to respond. I feel like I’m suffocating in the weight of his expectations. He’s right about one thing—the pack needs strength, and alliances matter. But damn it, I thought my leadership would come from my ability to lead, not from who I choose to stand beside me.

But I don’t get a say in this. Not really. I never have.

“This is your problem, Kieran,” my father continues, his voice low, dripping with frustration. “You’re too emotional. Too attached. You think love and loyalty will get you through it all, but it won’t. You need to think about the future. The future of this pack. If you can’t do that, if you can’t put aside your feelings and make the right choice, then maybe it’s time for you to step down.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of me. For a moment, all I can do is stare at him, stunned.

Step down?

I feel my wolf stir inside me, angry, confused, ready to tear this room apart. But I hold it back, forcing myself to stay in control.

“I’m not stepping down,” I say through gritted teeth. “I will lead this pack, and I will do it my way.”

My father scoffs. “Your way? What’s your way, Kieran? What’s your grand plan? The pack is built on power, on bloodlines. And you can’t change that. Not now. Not ever.”

I shake my head, feeling the walls close in around me. The pressure, the expectations, they’re all too much. I’ve never been the perfect son. I’ve never been what he wanted me to be. But this? This is something else. This is me fighting for something I believe in.

“Maybe I don’t want to be like you,” I say, my voice breaking the silence in the room. “Maybe I want something more than what you’ve built. Maybe I want to build something different. A pack that’s not based on who we’re born to, but on who we choose to become.”

He’s silent for a moment, and I can feel the weight of his gaze on me. There’s something behind his eyes, something cold, something I can’t quite read.

Finally, he speaks, his voice low but firm. “You don’t understand, Kieran. You think you can change everything. But you can’t. You can’t change the rules of this pack. You can’t change what we’ve built. And if you try, you’ll destroy everything.”

I feel a surge of anger, but I force it down, locking it away. I can’t let him see how much this is hurting me. I can’t let him know how badly I want to make him see.

“You’ll regret this,” he says, his voice a low whisper.

“I don’t think I will,” I reply, my voice steady.

But as I turn to leave, my mind spins with the weight of the conversation. There’s a part of me, deep down, that knows my father’s right. The pack needs strength. It needs alliances. But there’s another part of me, the part I refuse to ignore, that knows there’s more to this than bloodlines and politics.

And tonight, when the moon rises high, I’m going to find out just how far I’m willing to go to make my own future.

The storm outside rages louder, the thunder echoing in my bones as I step into the courtyard. My heart pounds in my chest, but it’s not just the argument with my father that has me on edge. No, something feels wrong. Something I can’t put my finger on, but I can feel it deep in my gut.

The air shifts. The wind howls. The moon—full and bright—hangs above us, but there’s an unease that I can’t shake.

I turn to the sky, my thoughts racing. I have one chance to change everything. One chance to make my mark on this pack.

And right now, I don’t know if I’m ready for the consequences.

But I have no choice.

The storm’s coming. And it’s not just the weather.

It’s everything.

I take a step forward.