Claimed by my Alpha Heir Stepbrother Harrison

“Mine,” came a roar from against the tree as far away from the shift circle as one could possibly get.

Faith stood there in wolf form, with a scent of river water and fresh rain hitting her like a large wave. Harrison.

She ran in her wolf form as fast as she could to take her back to the packhouse, knowing that that scent could only belong to one wolf. He had been her tormentor and was her second-oldest stepbrother, Harrison, her father's chosen successor.

Wallace, his elder brother, walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, “You were always so worried about not becoming an Alpha; you pushed something far more important away.”

“Why do you care you have our real father’s lands when I got nothing?”

“Nothing, actually, stepfather was giving you the Alpha spot over his own daughter, mother saw to that. Faith was never a rival. After all, have you seen how few nice things she has bought for herself since we moved into her father’s packhouse? I know I did, and even more since I moved back to our birth packlands. Every time she came home from the markets with something that her mother liked, she had to hand it over. So she stopped, probably saw nice things for tonight, but never bought them, knowing that our stepfather would make her hand them over. I’ve even heard she refused gifts from the other Alpha Heirs that came as suitors; most were offended until I explained.”

That’s when it happened. Harrison had seen her at the markets weeks ago to find pieces for tonight. She saw something, looked at it with longing, and then put it down and walked away.

Harrison stared after her as she disappeared into the crowd. Her shoulders had slumped when she placed that silver wolf pendant back on the merchant’s table. It was finely crafted, catching the light just so, making the wolf seem almost alive. She’d traced its outline with her finger before walking away.

Something twisted in his gut. Was Wallace right? Had he been so consumed with his own ambition that he’d failed to see what was happening right under his nose?

He remembered how Faith used to be before their families merged, bright-eyed, quick to laugh. Now she moved through the packhouse like a ghost, head down, avoiding eye contact.

“I never thought...” Harrison’s voice trailed off as the memory shifted to another, Faith handing her new cloak to her stepmother after a particularly cold winter hunt. The woman had simply nodded, as if it were her due.

Wallace crossed his arms. “No, you never did think about her, did you? Too busy plotting your rise to power.”

Harrison felt a growl building in his chest. “It wasn’t like that.”

“Wasn’t it?” Wallace’s eyes hardened. “While you were celebrating becoming the next Alpha, I was watching her give up everything. Piece by piece.”

The realisation hit Harrison like a physical blow. His mate, his true mate, had been suffering right before him, and he’d been too blind to see it. Too focused on what he thought he deserved.

“Where would she go?” he asked, his voice rough with emotion he couldn’t quite name.

“If she’s smart? As far from you as possible.”

That’s when he heard it, “Don’t worry, gentlewovles, my son would never mate with her, he’ll reject her, and she can choose one of you.”

Harrison froze, his blood turning to ice in his veins. The voice belonged to his mother, Faith’s stepmother, her tone dripping with contempt as she addressed what must be other Alpha heirs at the gathering. The woman who had systematically stripped Faith of everything, dignity, belongings, and hope.

His wolf snarled inside him, protective rage flooding his system. How had he been so blind? So easily manipulated? Years of his mother whispering in his ear about his rightful place, about how Faith was too weak to lead.

“She’s been playing us against each other all along,” Harrison whispered, his hands clenching into fists.

Wallace nodded grimly. “Now you’re finally seeing it.”

Harrison broke into a run, following Faith’s scent through the trees. His wolf pushed against his skin, desperate to shift and move faster. The forest blurred around him as he sprinted, branches whipping against his face, but he barely felt them. All he could think about was Faith, how she’d looked at him with a mixture of fear and resignation whenever he’d strutted around the packhouse.

He’d mistaken her quiet demeanour for weakness, her avoidance for disdain. Never once considering that she was protecting herself, the only way she knew how.

The scent grew stronger as he approached the packhouse. Harrison slowed, catching sight of Faith through an open window. She was throwing clothes into a bag, movements frantic and uncoordinated. Even from this distance, he could see the tears streaming down her face.

Something cracked in his chest. This was his doing, his and his mother’s. While he’d been busy claiming what wasn’t his to take, Faith had been planning her escape.

Harrison stepped into the doorway of her room, breathing heavily. “Faith.”

She whirled around, eyes wide with panic. Gone was the confident wolf who had stood at the shift circle. In her place was a woman who expected nothing but more pain.

“I’m leaving,” she said, chin lifted in defiance despite her tears. “You’ve won. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“No,” Harrison said, the word feeling foreign on his tongue. “It’s not what I want at all.”

Faith laughed, the sound bitter and hollow. “Years of torment say otherwise.”

Harrison took a step forward, stopping when she flinched. “I heard what my mother said. About making me reject you.”