The Future Alpha's Wicked Plan and His Mate's Payback

It was early morning. The air was still cold, and a light fog still lingered over the grounds. Yet, I was already at the Grand Roses Farm, nestled within the estate of Windsor Mansion. I had come here to gather the newly bloomed red roses. Doing this has been my favorite. It clears my mind, brings me comfort and I love placing the fresh roses in a vase in my bedroom.

I had been here for a while, enjoying the peace, when I noticed two of our maids hurriedly approaching. Even from a distance, I could see the panic etched on their faces, sending a jolt of nervousness through me. I dropped the basket of roses onto the damp ground and turned to face them.

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice binded with urgency.

They bowed their heads before speaking. "Young Lady Caroline, Alpha Gregory has been rushed to the infirmary. He suffered another seizure and is unconscious," One of them explained.

Her words hit me hard. Without hesitation, I gathered my skirt and ran toward the mansion. Once inside, I frantically searched for my car keys and sped off to the pack's infirmary. My heart raced, anxiety clawing at me. And while my tears fall, I forced myself to focus on the road ahead.

Gregory Windsor is the Alpha of our pack, the Green Valley Pack, and I am his only daughter—his only child, in fact. He has been an extraordinary leader, dedicating almost all of his time to his duties, often at the expense of his own health. His commitment to serving the pack has always been relentless, and while the pack has thrived under his leadership, the toll on his health has been evident.

Two years ago, my father was diagnosed with a brain tumor—stage two glioma. He has been undergoing treatment, but recently, his seizures have become more frequent.

Watching his health deteriorate breaks my heart. I've already felt the unbearable pain of losing a mother, and I can't bear the thought of losing him too. We have wealth beyond measure, yet it seems none of it is enough to cure him.

After a while, I finally reached the infirmary. I wasted no time and rushed inside after parking my car. Upon finding his room, I wiped the tears that stained my face before entering. His personal healer, Bern, stood beside him, surrounded by a few nurses. They bowed respectfully as I entered.

I approached my father. My heart eased slightly when I saw him awake and smiling at me.

I took his hand gently and turned to Healer Bern. "How is he?" I asked softly.

She offered me a kind smile. "Young Lady Caroline, it might be best to discuss his condition outside—"

Before she could finish, my father raised his hand, cutting her off.

"You don't need to hide it from me, Bern," My father said, his voice calm. "I can feel it in my body. I know that with my declining health and these frequent seizures, my life could end at any moment." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "I'm not afraid to die, knowing I've already fulfilled my duty to this pack and my role as a father. But I do have one concern." He turned his gaze to me, and in that moment, I knew exactly what he was about to say.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my emotions. "Father, now isn't the time for that conversation. Please, focus on your health—"

He interrupted me, insistent. "No, Caroline, I need to say it…"

And so, he began again, speaking about the future of the pack—something that had been bothering his mind ever since his cancer diagnosis. The uncertainty of Green Valley's future loomed over us, but it haunted him most of all. I am his only child, the sole heiress to the Windsor name and everything that came with it—the properties, the wealth, the legacy.

But as the sole heiress, I was also expected to become the next Alpha. There came the problem. In our pack, like many others, a woman could not be given the Alpha position. The pack's laws forbid it, the same discrimination that exists in nearly every wolf pack to this day. And according to the same law, if the Alpha had no male heir, his daughter would become the Luna, and her mate would ascend as the next Alpha.

My father's eyes reflected a lifetime of wisdom and worry as he spoke of this future—a future I wasn't ready to confront.

The bigger problem is, just a month before our mating ceremony and after completing his training for the Alpha role, my fated mate, Zandro, encountered a massive rogue attack during one of his hunts. His wolf was resting at the time, and with only a spear for defense, his skills weren't enough to fend off over fifty rogues, especially since he was outside the pack's territory.

That incident killed him.

It has been two years now, and I've lived with the hollow ache of being mateless ever since. My father, ever practical and forward-thinking, has urged me countless times to find a chosen mate, someone who can undergo the same Alpha training and prepare for the role before our mating ceremony.

Truthfully, I've already started looking, and I think I've found someone. A potential chosen mate. But I haven't found the courage to introduce him to my father yet.

Alpha Gregory expects my chosen mate to be from one of the elite families in our pack—someone with a name that carries the same integrity as ours. Someone with status, reputation and influence. But the wolf I have in mind doesn't meet any of those expectations.

His name is Edward Tudor, a pack warrior from the middle class and an orphan. He doesn't have the prestige my father would want, but there's something about him that I… wanted.

He's kind, strong and grounded.

And while my father might have never like him for me, I think Edward has already captured my heart.