Alpha's Poisoned Scheme

The floorboards creaked beneath my bare feet as I made my nightly patrol through the dimly lit hallways of the pack house. Five years of this ritual had worn a path in the aged wood—five years of checking shadows, securing windows, and ensuring my little Lily slept safely in her bed. Five years of living as a secret.

I paused at the large bay window overlooking the central courtyard, my fingers absently tracing the jagged scar along my side—the wound that had changed everything. The scar that had earned me Alexander's attention, his protection, his love. Or so I'd believed.

A sudden burst of excited voices flooded my mind, causing me to grip the windowsill for balance. The pack mind-link—a connection I rarely felt anymore since Alexander had severed most of my connections 'for our protection.' But tonight, something was different. The mental barriers were thinner, allowing snippets of pack gossip to filter through.

'...can't believe the mating ceremony is tomorrow!'

'...Victoria Whitman looks stunning in silver...'

'...Alpha Alexander finally taking a public Luna...'

My wolf, dormant for so long, suddenly whimpered in alarm. Mating ceremony? Public Luna? The words echoed painfully in my head as I struggled to make sense of them.

Alexander had a mate. Me. We had a daughter. Our bond was secret to protect us from his enemies. That's what he'd always told me. That's why I lived in isolation, why Lily had never played with other pups, why I'd given up my position as future Gamma.

I stumbled backward, my heart hammering against my ribs. Victoria Whitman—the daughter of the Moonstone Pack's Alpha. Taking my place. Publicly.

The hallway seemed to constrict around me as I made my way to Alexander's private study. My hands trembled as I pushed open the heavy oak door without knocking—something I'd never dared before.

Alexander looked up from his desk, his powerful Alpha aura filling the room immediately. His eyes narrowed slightly at my intrusion, but his voice remained smooth, controlled.

'Sarah. You should be with Lily. It's late.'

'Who is Victoria Whitman?' The words tumbled out, raw and desperate.

Something flickered across his face—surprise, perhaps annoyance—before settling back into his usual calm mask. He slowly set down his pen and adjusted his cufflinks, a gesture I'd seen countless times.

'Ah. You've heard.' He sighed, as if dealing with a troublesome child. 'This is precisely why I keep you shielded from pack gossip. It upsets you unnecessarily.'

'Unnecessarily?' My voice cracked. 'The pack is talking about you mating with another woman!'

Alexander rose from his chair, his movements deliberately slow as he circled the desk. When he spoke, his voice carried that special timbre—the Alpha tone that made wolves instinctively submit.

'Sarah, you're being emotional. Victoria Whitman is a political alliance, nothing more.' He placed his hands on my shoulders, his touch both comforting and restraining. 'The Moonstone Pack has resources we need. Her father is dead, and the pack is vulnerable. This public ceremony secures our position and