Mag-log inALYANNAI broke.The moment the door closed behind us, the moment the truth no longer had anywhere to hide, something inside me shattered so completely that I could not hold it back anymore.“No!” I screamed, my voice cracking as tears poured down my face. “I will never allow you to become my son’s father!”Alpha Jake froze.My hands were shaking, my chest tight, my heart screaming after years of silence. Every fear, every memory, every wound I buried deep under a new name clawed its way back to the surface.“You don’t get to stand there and claim him,” I yelled, pointing at him with a trembling finger. “You don’t get to take Gary from me. Not now. Not ever!”“Alyanna—” he started, but I cut him off.“You already rejected me once,” I said bitterly. “You crushed me. You looked at me like I was nothing. Like I was disgusting.”His brows furrowed, confusion crossing his face. “What are you talking about?”I laughed, but it came out broken, ugly, full of pain.“Of course you don’t remembe
ALPHA JAKEI left the house quietly, closing the door behind me with more care than I ever gave to anything else in my life.The moment my foot stepped off the porch, the smile I forced for Gary faded. My chest felt heavy, tight, like something important was being pulled away from me. The image of his small face, trying to be brave while saying goodbye, replayed again and again in my head.He was leaving.And I hated that thought more than I cared to admit.“Easy,” Liam said in my mind, my wolf’s voice low and steady. “You did what you could.”“I know,” I answered, staring at my car. “But it doesn’t make it easier.”I opened the door and sat inside, resting my forehead against the steering wheel for a few seconds. The scent of Gary was still on my clothes, faint but unmistakable to my senses. A young wolf. Strong bloodline. Familiar in a way that shook me.My hand slowly closed into a fist.Inside my pocket were a few thin strands of hair.Gary’s hair.I did not plan it at first. It j
GARYThe house felt strange after they left.Grandpa George, my mom, and Uncle Dwayne all went to the healing center together. They said it was important. They said they would not be gone long. But the moment the door closed behind them, the silence wrapped around me like something heavy.I stood in the middle of the living room, listening.Nothing.No footsteps. No voices. Not even the sound of guards outside. It was too quiet for a pack house. I did not like it.“Why do I feel like something is about to happen?” I whispered.Because it is, Gerry answered inside my head.I frowned. “You always say that.”And I am usually right, he replied calmly.I walked slowly to the big window and looked outside. The trees moved gently as the wind passed through them. Everything looked normal. Too normal.“They said I should stay in my room,” I muttered.And will you? Gerry asked.I sighed. “Probably not.”I wandered back to my room, climbed onto my bed, and hugged my pillow. I tried to distract m
GARYThe next day felt quiet in a strange way.Not the peaceful kind—more like the kind where questions sit in your chest and don’t want to leave. I was standing in the bathroom while my mom helped me take a bath. The warm water filled the tub, and steam floated up, making the mirror cloudy. My toys were already there, floating like tiny boats, but I wasn’t in the mood to play.Mom knelt beside the tub, rolling up her sleeves like she always did. Her movements were gentle, careful, like she was afraid I might break.I watched her for a while.Sometimes, when you’re quiet long enough, the questions get louder.“Mom?” I asked softly.“Yes, sweetheart?” she replied, smiling at me.I swallowed. My chest felt tight. “Is my father really dead?”Her hands froze.Just for a second.But I saw it.The smile disappeared from her face, and her eyes widened before she quickly looked away. She reached for the soap like she suddenly needed to be very busy.“Yes,” she said after a moment. “He is.”He
GARYI sighed and stared at the ceiling, counting the tiny cracks that looked like maps to places I had never been. Sometimes, thinking was harder than homework. Adults thought kids didn’t notice things, but I noticed a lot. I noticed how Alpha Jake smiled at me like he already knew me. I noticed how easy it felt to talk to him, like my chest got warm and light at the same time. And yes… I noticed that when I looked at him, it felt like looking into a mirror that had grown taller and stronger.I also noticed how my mom, Alyanna, and Uncle Dwayne acted strange whenever Alpha Jake was near.They tried to hide it. Adults always think they’re good at hiding things. But they weren’t. Not from me.I liked Alpha Jake. I really did. He treated me like I was someone important, not just a kid. He listened when I talked. He laughed when I made jokes. And when we sat together, it felt calm. Safe. Like the world wasn’t pushing so hard.But I also respected Uncle Dwayne.Uncle Dwayne was always the
ALPHA DWAYNEI couldn’t believe it. The moment I saw him—Alpha Jake—inside the healing center, my chest tightened, my claws itched, and my wolf, Leo, stirred restlessly. He was too close. Too confident. Too… him. And I knew, without thinking, that if I didn’t act, he would take what was mine—Alyanna, Gary. My pack. My responsibility.Leo growled sharply in my mind. He’s dangerous, Alpha. Don’t let him near them. Not now.“I know,” I muttered under my breath, fists tightening. “I won’t let him take her. Or the boy.”I had seen what he did—Alpha Jake always got what he wanted, charm, strength, and that magnetic pull that drew people in. Alyanna had been fragile when I found her after the… mess with her past, broken and confused, and I’d been there. I’d helped her stand, guided her, protected her. Gary had trusted me because I was steady, a father figure, a protector. I couldn’t let this outsider come and mess with that.So I went straight to the office, ignoring the curious glances from







