Chapter Six: The Fall
975 Words
The pack link buzzed through Clover’s mind, jolting her mid-strike during a sparring match with Ryker.
“All pack members to the main hall immediately. Important announcement.”
It was her father’s voice.
Clover blinked, wiping sweat from her brow. Something in his tone didn’t sit right—too forced. Too formal.
“You going?” Ryker asked, catching the shift in her mood.
“Yeah,” Clover said, grabbing a hoodie and slipping it over her tank top. “Feels…off.”
He nodded. “Be careful.”
By the time she reached the hall, most of the pack had already gathered. The air was buzzing with low whispers. Warriors, healers, omegas—everyone stood, eyes trained on the front stage.
Then they stepped out.
Her father.
Liliana.
And—Ronan?
Clover’s heart slowed. A sudden chill crept up her spine as the three stood shoulder to shoulder like some united front. Liliana wore a pearl-white dress, her smile too polished. Ronan smirked like a prince at his coronation.
Alpha Marcus cleared his throat. “Thank you for coming, everyone. I have an important announcement to make.”
The room went silent.
“I am proud to introduce the next Alpha of this pack… Ronan Robert.”
A handful of claps echoed from the far side—mainly newer members. But the majority of the hall stood in stunned silence. Dozens of eyes turned toward Clover.
Her breath caught.
She looked at her father. Then Liliana. Then Ronan.
They were smiling—beaming like this was the most natural thing in the world. Like this hadn’t just shattered her soul.
Alpha Marcus continued, “I ask that you support this decision and support Ronan in his Alpha training over the next few years.”
Clover couldn’t breathe.
She turned and walked out. No storming. No shouting. Just…walked.
But the moment she crossed the threshold of the hall, her feet broke into a sprint. She tore through the trees, past the training fields, through the dense woods until she reached the ridge above the valley. Her sanctuary.
Clothes shredding, she shifted mid-run, red fur bursting through. Akira, her wolf, howled into the moonlit sky, a sound full of betrayal and grief.
They collapsed on the hill, breathless, broken.
Why?
Why her father? Why Ronan? Why now?
The questions echoed through the bond between girl and wolf. They had no answers.
Eventually, exhaustion overtook her. And she slept beneath the stars.
⸻
She returned under the cloak of darkness, paws soft against the earth. When she shifted back, the cold stung her skin. Her clothes were gone, so she wrapped herself in her spare outfit hidden in the hollow of a tree near the border.
As she neared the pack house, she saw him—Ronan. Leaning against the porch, arms crossed, like he’d been waiting.
“Well, well,” he drawled, his voice full of false charm. “Run out of tears already?”
Clover didn’t answer.
“You’re quiet,” he grinned. “Is it because I won?”
He stepped closer.
“I’m the Alpha heir now. And when I take over, if you’re still here, unclaimed and unmarried… you’ll be nothing but a slave.”
Clover stopped walking.
Still, she didn’t speak.
“But hey—” he added with a cruel smirk, “at least your mommy’s dead. Saves her the embarrassment of seeing her daughter fall.”
That snapped something in her.
Her bones cracked and shifted in seconds. Red fur exploded through her skin. Akira lunged before the thought was fully formed.
Ronan barely had time to shift. He landed hard, rolling backward, snarling.
“You want to fight, you b***h? Fine! I’ll send you to your mother!”
The fight was brutal. Clover was bigger, faster, more precise. She clawed at his hind legs, going for the hamstring. He dodged, barely. Snapped at her throat—missed.
By now, the pack had gathered. Whispers, gasps. Most had never seen Clover’s wolf before.
She was a spectacle. Wild. Regal. Beautiful. Deadly.
Lola stood at the back, gasping theatrically, hand over her chest.
“Clover!” she called out.
The momentary distraction was enough. Ronan tackled Clover, jaws snapping toward her neck.
But then—
“Enough!”
Alpha Marcus’s voice boomed across the clearing. He stepped into view, furious.
“Everyone, leave. Now.”
The crowd dispersed quickly. Only a few lingered, watching with wide eyes as the Alpha’s children stood bruised and bleeding.
“In my office,” Marcus growled.
⸻
Clover sat stiffly across from Ronan. Both of them still healing, still angry.
Marcus paced.
“What the hell happened?”
Ronan wasted no time. “She attacked me. Out of jealousy. She’s losing her mind.”
Clover opened her mouth—but Liliana stepped in, tea in hand.
“She’s hurt, Marcus. But this behavior is unacceptable. Ronan earned his place. She needs to accept that.”
Liliana handed Marcus the tea. He drank.
Clover’s lip curled. “You’re not even going to ask my side?”
Marcus didn’t look at her. “You tried to kill the future Alpha.”
“That’s not what happened!”
“I said enough!”
Liliana rested a hand on his shoulder. “Perhaps some time in the dungeons will remind her of her place.”
Clover’s eyes widened. “What?!”
Marcus didn’t hesitate. “Take her.”
“Dad—!”
“Silence.”
Beta Michael and Gamma Dorian stood at the door. They didn’t move at first, hesitating.
“Alpha’s command,” Marcus said coldly.
Dorian looked away as they grabbed her.
Clover thrashed. “You’re choosing them over me?! Over your own daughter?!”
But Marcus said nothing.
And Liliana smiled softly as the cell door slammed shut.
Like a queen watching her victory unfold.
- Writer
