Alpha Liam

Alpha Liam's POV 

How is it possible? 

After eighteen long years of carrying my pain, of living with it, breathing through it, breaking beneath it, I finally found someone who could ease it. Not with potions, not with healing spells or sacred herbs. Just… physical contact.

Just like that?

I stared at her as she lay beside me, sound asleep. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, her face peaceful, almost angelic in the soft light pouring through the curtains. 

She looked so ordinary. No glowing marks, no scent of power, no trace of a wolf. Just a girl. A simple girl.

But how? How was she doing it? 

Each time her skin touched mine, the storm inside me quieted. The fire in my chest dulled. The darkness in my mind lifted just enough for me to breathe.

What are you, Jane? A witch? A cursed child? A blessing in disguise?

I desperately want to find answers but I couldn’t tell. I don't even know what to call her. But I had to know. I needed to know. Who she truly was, what she had in her blood, in her soul… because no one has ever made my pain retreat like this. Not even the moon goddess or the healers. 

Carefully, I lifted my arm from around her and slid out of the bed. I moved in silence, not wanting to wake her. She stirred slightly, murmured something in her sleep, but didn’t open her eyes.

I paused, watching her again. She looked like a mere human but something within me says she wasn't mere, she wasn’t just anyone. And I would find out exactly what she was. Even if I had to tear through the past to do it.

As I stepped into the living room, I was met with Caleb’s familiar smirk, the kind that told me he was about to say too much. He leaned against the doorway like he’d been waiting for me.

“You’re here early,” I said, eyeing him. “Don’t you have a pack to tend to?”

He shrugged, the grin never leaving his face. “What could be more important than the news of you buying a rejected maid at the festival?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Rejection isn’t the end. You know that.”

He chuckled. “What are you now? A charity alpha? Saving rogues and rejected maids from the cruel world?”

“I needed her for something,” I said without glancing at him.

“For what, Liam?” His tone sharpened, the curiosity behind his words turning serious.

“That’s none of your business, Caleb,” I replied flatly.

“As much as I care about you and whatever reason you think you have, you shouldn’t have done it publicly,” he said, stepping toward me. “You’re an aspiring president. Do you have any idea what that looks like from the outside?”

I folded my arms. “How does buying a maid damage my reputation?”

He blinked. “Because you have enough staff in this house. Buying a rejected maid out of nowhere, at a public festival raises questions. Questions I know the press will ask.”

“Are you asking those questions, or are you just speaking for the people?”

He sighed. “Whatever you're thinking this is, stop. The election should be your priority, not some... fantasy.”

I scoffed, turning away from him. “You think I bought her out of pity? Then you don’t know me at all.”

He followed behind. “Then why, Liam? Why her?”

I paused, finally stopping in the middle of the hallway. I didn’t want to say it, but I needed to.

“She’s connected to my heart curse. Somehow.”

Caleb froze. “What?”

“I’m not sure how, or why, but... her touch helps. It relieves the pain. The ache I’ve been living with for eighteen years… it fades when she’s near.”

For once, Caleb didn’t have a clever comeback. He stared at me, processing.

“If you’re serious,” he said slowly, “then you need to speak to the Moon Goddess. She’d know if this maid is something more.”

I shook my head. “I’ll figure it out on my own. I don’t want to spark more rumors than necessary.”

“Liam, you can’t act on your own anymore. This is bigger than you. You need answers and you need them fast.”

I turned to him fully, the emotion rising in my voice. “And where was the Moon Goddess when I was suffering? When I carried this curse, this pain, alone for eighteen damn years? What did she ever do to help me?”

He fell silent. 

“I'm doing this my own way. I would decide what to do with her.” 

“Just… be careful,” Caleb said, softer this time. “Be on the safe side.”

I looked past him, toward the hallway that led back to my room. To the room that she was in.

“That girl is the safe side,” I said.

“So what will you do about the rumor?” Caleb asked, arms crossed, his voice laced with concern.

I raised an eyebrow. “What rumor exactly?”

He hesitated for a beat, then said, “That you want to use her heart to replace yours.”

I blinked. “What?”

The words echoed in my head like a slap. Use her heart to replace mine? How could people twist things into something that dark? How is that even possible?

“You know that’s not true,” I said, my voice low and sharp.

“I know,” Caleb replied quickly. “But the other presidential candidates don’t. And they’re running with it, using it for their own advantage. They've turned it into a weapon. A public spectacle.”

I scoffed and turned away. “Let them use it. Let them dig their own grave while it lasts. I have more important things to focus on.”

He stepped forward, frustration simmering beneath his calm. “You know how hard we worked to get here, Liam. The blood and the sacrifice. Don’t throw it away because of some… confusion.”

I turned back to him, eyes narrowed. “Very soon, that confusion will be the answer.”

Caleb stared at me. “Why are you being so stubborn? I'm not even interested in the girl. I just want you to focus on the election just like before.”

“Maybe,” I added coldly, “you should focus on your work as the campaign manager and stop meddling in my private affairs.”

“Maybe I will stop when your private affairs stop meddling in the election,” he replied.

The room fell quiet as I refused to reply him. I didn't have to explain myself to him. The explanation I gave is enough for now. Whether he understands or not, I have to focus on Jane. I have to get answers.

And whether the world understood it or not, Jane was no longer just a rejected maid. She was the key to something big. Something I hadn't yet understand.