Fated to Rise - The First Female Alpha

Chapter Twelve: The Night Crimson Hollow Fell

Lola – The Night Before

She stepped out of the dense woods and onto Crimson Hollow’s pack lands like she owned them.

Lipstick smudged, her mini skirt uneven, and her high heels dangling from her fingers, Lola strutted barefoot across the forest floor with a sinful smile still plastered on her face. Her skin was flushed, her hair tousled from more than just the breeze. Only moments ago, she’d been wrapped in a tangle of bodies, heat, and secrets inside a rogue den far from the safety of the pack.

That den belonged to Alpha Kael.

She had stormed into it unannounced, finding Kael mid-thrust with a dark-haired woman she didn’t recognize. At first, rage had flared in Lola’s chest. “Who the hell is this b***h?” she spat. But Kael had only smirked lazily, keeping his hands buried in the witch’s tangled locks as he grunted her name—Miranda.

The witch didn’t miss a beat. She conjured a plush armchair with the flick of her fingers, then motioned for Lola to sit. Still half-dressed, she resumed pleasuring Kael without shame, as if Lola were merely another part of the furniture.

Lola didn’t sit. She stood there, fuming.

“I can see you’re busy,” she sneered. “But we have a problem. Clover. She’s gone. We’ve searched. Silvercrest Pack? Nothing. Her trail went cold. She might be dead.”

Kael’s moans ceased. He pushed Miranda back gently and sat up, the relaxed amusement wiped from his face. “She needs to be alive,” he growled, fury darkening his features.

Lola scoffed. “Why? You have me. You don’t need her.”

“You i***t,” Kael snapped. “She has something I want. Something she doesn’t even know.”

Miranda spoke then, standing beside Kael with only a bra covering her chest, eyes glittering with power. “Clover is a pure red alpha wolf,” she purred. “Untouched. That makes her body the perfect vessel.”

“For what?” Lola asked warily.

“For me,” Miranda answered with a grin. “I want to be a hybrid. A wolf-witch. To rule beside Kael, as his true equal. With Clover’s body… her power… I’ll be unstoppable.”

Kael, older than both women, smirked with pride. He liked the plan. Miranda’s magic would grow exponentially, and Clover—beautiful, rare, and broken—would become the shell for something far more dangerous.

Lola rolled her eyes, jealousy simmering in her chest. Clover, Clover, Clover. It was always about her.

Still, she composed herself. “Fine. Just don’t kill Ronan,” she said with a smirk. “He’s still my little… toy.”

Kael laughed darkly. “Keep him. He’s a useful idiot.”

They finalized their plan well past midnight—tomorrow would be the night Crimson Hollow fell. More rogues had gathered. Miranda had conjured protective wards. Kael had selected targets.

And when they were done?

They invited Lola to join them again.

Which is how she ended up walking back into Crimson Hollow, half-dressed and flushed, just before dawn.

“Hey!” a voice called.

Beta Michael.

He was standing near the edge of the grounds, arms crossed, looking suspicious.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked.

Lola smirked, winking. “Just had a little fun,” she said and skipped off before he could question further.

Michael frowned, his gut tight with dread.

Something wasn’t right.

⸻

The next night – Crimson Hollow Burns

The attack came with no warning.

Trees exploded as rogue wolves charged through the perimeter, shadows moving faster than the eye could track. Crimson Hollow’s alarm bells barely had time to sound.

Beta Michael’s body snapped into motion, instinct leading the way. His wolf was out in seconds, growling commands through the pack link.

“Protect the young! Evacuate the elders! Warriors, to the front!”

He never expected what came next.

From the chaos, Ronan appeared.

Standing at the edge of the fray, side by side with Alpha Kael, his eyes cold, blank—unrecognizable.

Michael froze. “Ronan? What the hell—”

Ronan didn’t answer. He lunged.

The two collided in a mess of fur, claws, and pain. Michael pulled back at the last second, unwilling to kill the boy he helped raise.

Before he could react again, a wave of sickly energy slammed into him from behind. Miranda.

She stepped into the battlefield like a goddess of death, dark mist swirling at her feet, incantations pouring from her lips. The ground cracked beneath her.

Michael tried to rally. Tried to command.

But there was too much.

Too many.

Crimson Hollow was drowning in rogues. Children cried. Warriors fell. Flames lit the night sky.

Lola watched it all from the Luna’s balcony, sipping wine.

She smiled.

This was her victory.

Back below, Michael fought harder than he ever had. He tore through rogues, his body a mess of blood and wounds, refusing to stop.

And then he saw her—an omega trapped beneath a fallen log.

A rogue pounced toward her.

Michael threw himself between them.

Claws ripped through his side.

But he didn’t scream.

He pushed the omega to safety, collapsing in a pool of his own blood.

His last thoughts were of Marcus—his best friend—who let this happen.

Then darkness took him.

⸻

Somewhere Else – Clover

In the penthouse far away, Clover jolted upright.

Her chest clenched, eyes wide with tears.

“Akira… did you feel that?” she whispered.

Her wolf whimpered inside her, but said nothing.

And in the silence, Clover knew.

Something terrible had just happened.