ALIA: THE LAST DIVINE ALPHA

ALIA'S POV "Ugh," I thought, quickening my pace. My exhaustion was setting in. It was almost dusk, and the forest was far too quiet. I clutched the bundle of feverfew I had picked for my Father, and the herbs tugged at my fingers. This morning, he complained of a headache, and my mother sent me to the meadow to retrieve the remedy. My lips quirked into a faint grin thinking about him grousing when I returned. But as I made my way up the dirt path that would lead me back home, a sudden noise sliced through the eerie stillness. Then, a scream. A cry for help My smile vanished. My body froze. And that voice...it sounded familiar. In a split second, I realized it was coming from my home. And almost immediately, my heart made a home in my throat. And then another sound. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. We were the only people who lived around here. That meant— Before the thought settled, I smelled the smoke. "Home." I ran. I ran, my feet beating the dirt, clutching the herbs so hard the stems bit into my palm. "Please," I whispered to no one, to the Moon Goddess, or anyone who would listen. When I reached the edge of the woods, I stopped dead, my breath hitching. Flames. My house was burning. "Mother! Father!" The herbs slipped from my hands as I stumbled forward, pushing past the gate. Smoke stung my eyes, but I barely noticed as I scanned the chaos. Then— I saw them. My Father lay sprawled across the ground, his sword still clutched in his lifeless hand. Blood pooled beneath him, thick and dark, seeping into the dirt. Someone had cut him open. I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth, my legs buckling beneath me. "F-Father?" My voice cracked. Tears blurred my vision. A weak, wet cough snapped my attention away. I turned sharply. "Mother?!" A few feet away, she lay crumpled, blood soaking her dress. Her chest rose and fell in uneven, shallow gasps. I ran to her side, dropping to my knees in the dirt. "Mother, I'm here!" I sobbed, my hands hovering over her, afraid to touch her, afraid she would disappear if I did. Her eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, there was no warmth—only pain. Then, she found me. "Alia," she whispered, her voice barely a breath. "I'm here!" I choked, swallowing back the sobs that threatened to consume me. But she began to cough blood. My eyes widened, this was a bad sign. I kept on rubbing her back as I tried to encourage her. "You're going to be okay! I—I can save you! Just hold on!" My hands trembled as I stretched them out, willing my ability to work, heal, and do anything. Nothing happened. I tried again. And again. And again. Nothing. "No," I whispered in disbelief. "Alia." Her weak hand reached up, stopping me. "No… time." What does she mean by no time? But before I could process anything she fumbled at her throat, fingers struggling to unclasp the silver pendant she had always worn. With a final effort, she pressed it into my palm. "Keep it... safe," she murmured, her breaths turning ragged. I curled my fingers around the pendant, panic seizing my chest. "What? Mother, what does this mean?!" She tried to speak, but then Blood gushed from her lips. Her body convulsed. "No, no, no!" I screamed, cradling her against me. "Stay with me! Please! I'll get the pack doctors! You can't, you can't leave me!" Her lips parted as if to say something. One last word. One last secret. But then. She was gone. "Mother!" My scream ripped through the night. "Please, wake up! I, I brought the herbs! Father! You can't just, please!" I clung to her lifeless body, sobs shaking me. They were my everything. My strength. My hope. My home. Now, they are gone. I didn't know how long I sat there, my world shattering around me. Smoke filled the air, stinging my eyes, but I barely noticed. Then— A voice. Deep. Commanding. I stiffened. Slowly, I lifted my head. Through the haze of flames and smoke, figures emerged. Men. Werewolves. Their howls filled the air. And at the center of them, he stood. Alpha Uxsar. His gray eyes swept over the c*****e, his expression unreadable. A man nudged my Father's lifeless body with his boot. "The old fool fought like a damned lunatic. All for something he can never get." My fists clenched. How dare he? Uxsar scoffed. "Stubborn b*st*rd. Search the house before it burns completely" He instructed. And find evidence of their treachery". Confusion clawed at me. My Father? Treachery? That was impossible! An enforcer scanned the area. "What about the child? The fool kept shouting about his son." My heart stopped. A deadly silence followed. "What about him?" another asked. Uxsar's eyes darkened. I couldn't breathe. They thought I was a boy. My Father had no son but me. A nineteen year old girl who had never shifted, but somehow had the ability to heal. It seemed I got that ability in exchange for my wolf. "He has a son," Uxsar murmured, almost to himself. "Kept repeating it until his last breath." A son? "He can't know what happened here," an enforcer hesitated. "He won't." Uxsar's voice was ice. "Not if we find him first. I don't need loose ends." Panic surged through me. Then— "Where is the pendant?" Uxsar's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. "Get it. Now!" The enforcers rushed to my mother's body, searching frantically. But I already had it. Suddenly, warmth pulsed from the pendant, a faint glow forming in my palm. My breath hitched. Sh*t. I had to run. Now. "He was here!" one of the guards shouted. No time. I turned and bolted into the woods. "Get him!" Uxsar roared.