his wolf's desire

Chapter two

Haiden

The weight of being an alpha, of holding this "crown" was a burden I never asked for. My father made damn sure I felt the weight of it every single day. His voice, a roar that seemed to echo in my very bones, was a constant reminder of the expectations he'd passed down. But right now, all that pack responsibility, all that primal pressure, faded into the background. Because today, I was finally going to the spa.

Yeah, I know. An alpha at a spa. Sounds ridiculous, right? But for me, it wasn't about relaxation. It was about Fiona. I traced her name on the steamed-up window of my car, the condensation cool against my fingertip. My long, wavy black hair was pulled back into a messy bun, a style I loved. My father hated it, always barking about "proper alpha cuts," but I kept it anyway. My eyes, one hazel, one a pale, cloudy blue, scanned the entrance of the tranquil building.

Stepping inside, the air hit me like a physical thing—a wave of calming lavender and eucalyptus, so different from the earthy, metallic scent of the pack lands. It usually took a lot to calm the constant hum of my wolf, but here, it softened. I walked up to the sleek, minimalist reception desk, a knot of something akin to nervousness twisting in my gut. I wasn't used to feeling nervous.

That's when I saw her.

She was at the computer, her back to me, her straight, silky hair pulled up in a simple claw clip. When she turned, my breath hitched. My wolf, usually a restless beast, went utterly still. The scent of her strong perfumes hit me harder than any adrenaline rush. It was like finally breathing pure air after suffocating for years. I took in her stature because this was our first real life encounter. I knew she looked good but up close, she was even more perfect. Her freckles were rightly proportioned and I restrained myself from touching her face

"Welcome to the Spa," she said, her voice calm and melodic, a soothing music that had the ability to ease my mind.

"How can I help you today?"

"A massage," I managed my voice rougher than I intended. I booked one, specifically requesting her, even if it meant waiting for hours.

And so, the strange ritual began. I became a regular, always asking for Fiona, ignoring the curious glances from the other staff. My requests during the massage were, well, odd.

"Could you... really focus on my lower back?" I'd mumble, eyes closed, imagining her hands working out not knots, but the ghost of the wolf I felt beneath my skin, the constant hum of the power I couldn't quite control. I'd pretend it was for muscle tension, but in my head, I was begging her, pleading for her hands to somehow soothe the beast within me, a silent, desperate prayer for peace I couldn't voice. I'd lie there, just breathing her in, feeling the light pressure of her touch, and for those brief moments, the alpha, the burden, the wolf—it all quieted.

My obsession grew with each session. It was a soul-deep recognition that felt less like a choice and more like a fate I couldn't escape. I needed her. Not for the pack nor for my lineage, but for me.

"Haiden, you fool!" My phone vibrated, blasting my ear with my father’s booming voice, yanking me back to reality. It was an overdue call, one I'd been putting off.

"I told you to get to the pack meeting! We are discussing the new hunting territories, and more importantly, your lack of a Luna. The pack is restless, boy. They need a strong female to lead them. You are no good without Luna, a mate, to anchor you!"

The last word, "anchor you," was spat with such venom it felt like a physical blow.

I sighed, running a hand over my smooth face.

"I'm on my way, father," I muttered, the words tasting like ash. I hung up, the familiar sting of disappointment and frustration a bitter taste in my mouth. I looked back at the spa door, a lingering ache in my chest. My father demanded a Luna. But all I needed was Fiona. I would get her, I promised myself, and nothing, not even the relentless demands of my father, would get in my way.

The weight of being alpha wasn't a glorious crown; it was a yoke. A physical, crushing weight of expectations. My father's demands were a constant chain, and my pack's restless anxiety was a low hum in my veins I couldn't escape. But all of that just… dissolved when I saw her. I drove back to the city, my knuckles white on the steering wheel, my mind a storm of need and desperate hope. I had to see her one last time before I was dragged back into the suffocating reality of my life.

I parked across the street and watched, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. The rain had slowed to a soft drizzle, but the world still had a bruised, tired look. And then, the doors opened. She stepped out, but she wasn't alone. A punch to the gut. She was laughing, her head thrown back, the sound a beautiful, light chime I could almost feel from here. Her hand was in his—a man who wore a frown and a face so ordinary I barely registered him. He was human.

My breath hitched. The pain wasn't my wolf reacting; it was just me. A cold, hollow feeling spread through my chest, like my insides had been scooped out. The foolish hope I’d nurtured, the belief that she was somehow mine, it just shattered. It was over before it ever began. I choked back a sob, a hot knot of frustration and heartbreak burning in my throat. I’d been so desperately convinced. The sharp pain of my fist slamming against the steering wheel was a fleeting, welcome distraction from the utter devastation inside. I couldn't bear to watch them any longer. I put the car in gear and drove, the image of their joined hands burned into my mind like a brand.

Dinner at the alpha's table was always an ordeal, but tonight, the silence was a physical weight. My father sat at the head of the long oak table, his food untouched. I sat to his right, pushing venison around my plate. Cole, my stepbrother, sat to his left, his posture annoyingly perfect as he picked at his meal. The scent of roasted meat and old wood filled the air, thick with my father’s quiet, simmering rage.

He spoke, his voice low and pointed.

"You were late to the pack meeting. Again."

I flinched, my eyes on my plate.

"I had to take care of something."

"Did you?" he said, his voice deceptively soft. He took a long, slow breath through his nose. His eyes, already flaring with gold, narrowed.

"It's a new scent on you, Haiden, a perfume and a weak one at that. It's pathetic."

A flush of heat crawled up my neck. He knew. I felt Cole's eyes on me, a smug smirk playing on his lips. He was loving this.Of course my father had eyes everywhere but I was going to play dumb regardless.

"What scent, father?" Cole asked, his voice dripping with fake innocence. "Something from the pack lands? Or perhaps a new..."

He paused, his gaze flicking to me before meeting our father's.

"human interest?"

My father's face contorted, not just with rage, but with a deep, cutting disappointment that was so much worse than a shout.

“ I can smell her on him, the future alpha of this pack is spending all his time at a human spa chasing after a mortal girl who, from what I hear, doesn't even want him." He slammed his fist on the table, the glasses rattling.

"This is a disgrace. Do you know how embarrassing this is?"

Cole laughed, a short, sharp sound.

"Well, that's not exactly true, father. The girl, Fiona, knows him. She just seems to have a boyfriend already. A human one, no less." He took a slow, deliberate sip of water, his gaze challenging me over the rim of the glass.

The looks on their faces, my father's furious shame and Cole's malicious satisfaction made my heart feel like it was being ripped apart all over again. rejected by the one person I thought could save me, humiliated by my father, and taunted by my stepbrother. I felt for the first time in my life, that I had truly lost everything and had nowhere left to go.