Chapter Four: The beginning of her reign
1052 Words
Five months had passed since the attack.
Since Ruby’s blood had soaked the forest floor.
Since the mate bond had snapped in Alpha Marcus’s chest like shattered bone, leaving him hollow in a way no healing could reach.
And yet, he remained Alpha.
There was no room for weakness. Not when the pack depended on him. Not when rogues still lingered near the borders like ghosts drawn to blood. He buried his pain beneath duty, beneath meetings and negotiations, beneath the thin hope that if he just kept moving, the grief would forget to catch up.
So, he traveled.
This time, it was to the Ironclaw Pack, three hours southeast. He and his gamma, Dorian, were finalizing a contract for a new daycare center—one of several he’d personally invested in across allied territories. The centers were more than business. They were safe spaces. Shields for pups. And in his eyes, they were a way to honor Ruby’s dream—one child at a time.
“Coffee?” Dorian asked as they exited the pack’s administrative wing and made their way to the street.
“Please,” Marcus replied, the weight of fatigue tugging at his shoulders.
The village was quaint, tucked into the foothills, and the scent of pine and firewood drifted through the morning air. A small café sat on the corner, lively with laughter and the soft hum of pack life.
As they stepped inside, Marcus noticed a woman near the window. She sat alone, a steaming cup between her hands, dark curls framing her face. She looked up—and smiled.
Marcus nodded politely, offered a fleeting smile in return, then turned away, thinking nothing of it.
They ordered, grabbed their drinks, and returned to the task at hand.
By midday, the contract was finalized. The Ironclaw Alpha was more than accommodating. Construction would begin within a month. The daycare would serve pups from three different packs, all funneling profits back to Marcus’s territory. A smart move. A necessary one.
But even as he shook hands and offered farewells, he felt a gaze on his back.
He didn’t turn around.
⸻
Elsewhere – Café Window
Liliana sipped her now-cold drink, her eyes narrowed on the Alpha walking away.
She’d noticed the way he carried himself—regal, heavy with grief, but still dangerous. His aura clung to him like a stormcloud, unmistakably powerful. And someone had whispered his name after he left.
Alpha Marcus.
A visiting Alpha.
A widower.
And just like that, her plans shifted.
She was no fool. She knew her rank. Warrior class. Respectable, but not enough. Not for what she wanted.
She had beauty. Curves. Charm.
But no wolf with true power had ever looked at her with anything more than lust.
She wanted more.
She deserved more.
Her son, Ronan, was a brute, spoiled by her attention and taught to see the world as his for the taking. She’d raised him to reach higher, to want the crown. But it was clear he’d need help getting there. Influence. Leverage. A path.
Marcus could be that path.
If she played it right.
“You know who that was?” she asked her friend, Chelle, who’d just arrived.
Chelle looked over her shoulder. “The Alpha? Yeah. He’s from Crimson Hollow. Heard his mate was killed a few months back. Real brutal, too. Poor guy.”
Liliana’s lips curved.
A widower.
Perfect.
⸻
That Night – Border’s Edge
The moon hung low, casting silver shadows across the forest floor as Liliana crept to the edge of Ironclaw territory. There, nestled between gnarled trees, stood a small stone circle—barely visible, cloaked in old magic.
She found her.
Sharpay.
To most, she appeared as a wolf-less pack member. A woman whose wolf had died alongside her mate years ago. She kept to herself, whispered with the wind, wore charms no one questioned.
But Liliana knew better.
She’d seen Sharpay bend fate before.
“You came,” Sharpay murmured, her voice like ash and silk.
“I need something,” Liliana said, stepping closer. “A man. An Alpha. I want him to see me. Need me. Want me.”
Sharpay’s eyes gleamed. “He’s not your mate.”
“I don’t care.”
A pause.
“Do you know the cost of twisting fate?” Sharpay asked.
Liliana’s jaw tightened. “Name it.”
Sharpay produced a small vial, black as pitch and sealed with bone.
“This will bind him to you—but not as a mate. As an obsession. He’ll love you, yes. Marry you, yes. But he’ll never be whole again. And you… you will never be free.”
Liliana snatched the vial. “Freedom is overrated.”
Sharpay smiled. “So be it.”
Liliana didn’t wait. She tucked the potion into her cloak, whispered thanks, and vanished into the trees.
⸻
The Next Morning – Crimson Hollow Alpha Quarters
Marcus stirred his tea, distracted. His thoughts were tangled—images of Ruby flashed in his mind, soft and warm. Her laugh. The way she called him “Alpha” only when teasing. The quiet strength in her arms the night Clover was born.
He gritted his teeth.
No. Don’t go there.
There was a knock at the door.
He opened it, expecting Dorian.
Instead, it was her.
The woman from the café.
“Hi,” she said softly, offering a nervous smile. “I… I’m sorry for bothering you. I just wanted to say goodbye before you left.”
Marcus blinked, caught off guard. “You followed me?”
“No! I—I asked around. I was just curious. I know it’s not my place, but… I’ve heard of you. What you’ve done for pups. For single parents like me.”
His eyes flicked to the boy beside her. Maybe ten. Dark-haired. Quiet.
“My name’s Liliana. This is my son, Ronan.”
He nodded slowly. “You came all this way just to say goodbye?”
“I thought it was worth it.”
He didn’t smile. But he didn’t close the door either.
“Would you like some tea?”
Liliana smiled sweetly, stepping inside as her fingers brushed the inside of her cloak.
The vial was still warm.
And her plan was just beginning.
- Writer
