The Alpha Left Me—But Love Found Me

“You will do no such thing!”

My voice thundered through the room as I slammed the door open, heart racing, vision tinted red. Kael’s head snapped up, golden eyes wide with shock. Varian, on the other hand, didn’t flinch. He just leaned back, a wicked grin spreading across his face—as if he'd been waiting for me all along.

“Lyra—” Kael began.

“Don’t speak.” My voice trembled, not from fear, but from fury. “Tell me I didn’t just hear what I think I did. Tell me you weren’t about to hand over our daughter!”

He didn’t deny it. That silence hurt worse than a blade.

“She’s just a girl,” I whispered, the betrayal slicing deeper with every second. “Our girl.”

“The Blood Moon Pack is too strong,” he muttered, avoiding my gaze. “They’ve got us cornered. We refuse them, they’ll burn everything we’ve built. We’ve just settled here, Lyra. We can’t afford war.”

“So you’d rather give them Caia?” My voice cracked, but the fire didn’t dim. “Did you even try to fight for her? For us?”

Kael opened his mouth, but Varian cut in with a sigh.

“This is getting exhausting. Either your Alpha honors the deal—or we settle things my way.”

I spun to face him. “You’ll get nothing from me. I'd rather die than let you take my daughter.”

He grinned wider. “That can be arranged.”

---

Moments earlier, I’d been outside that door, heart pounding, body pressed to the wall, straining to hear the voices inside. Tension had already been brewing in our lands—too many uneasy run-ins with neighboring packs, too many strange scents at the borders. And now, this.

I had followed my instincts to Kael’s quarters under the silver gaze of the moon, only to stop cold when I heard voices—his, and another I instantly recognized.

Varian.

The last Alpha I’d ever trust.

“You know the price, Kael,” he had said. “I’m offering you a choice. The boy… or your daughter.”

Caia’s name nearly sent me through the door right then. I had pressed my hand against my mouth, praying I misheard.

But then Kael’s voice came, low and unsure.

“If I give you Caia… is that it? No more demands?”

“You have my word,” Varian replied coolly. “I’m nothing if not reasonable.”

And then… the moment my heart shattered.

“I choose Caia.”

---

Now, back in that room, I stood between them and the unthinkable.

But before I could speak again, Kael grabbed my arm.

“You can’t stop this.”

“Let go of me,” I hissed.

His grip tightened. “You’re not thinking clearly. If we resist, we die. Caia dies. This is the only way.”

“There’s always another way!” I tried to pull free. “We could run, we could fight—”

He didn't answer. Instead, his hand moved swiftly, striking the back of my neck with precision.

Pain flared white-hot. My knees buckled.

“No—” I choked out, breath shallow.

Darkness swallowed the room as I collapsed. My final thought was of Caia’s terrified scream echoing through the halls… and the betrayal that had already sealed our fates.