Claimed by the Straight Alpha

William’s POV

My name is William, and I am the Alpha of the Moonlight Pack. To the outside world, my name carries weight—authority, strength, and leadership. But when I strip all of that away, I am simply a wolf who has been waiting far too long for the other half of his soul.

My wolf, Night Storm, came to me early. I was only twelve, far younger than most of the boys in my pack. The first shift, the first echo of his voice in my head, was a blessing—but also a curse. Because the moment a wolf awakens, he begins to long for his mate. Storm has been waiting for as long as I can remember, restless, hopeful, pushing me to search at every gathering, every festival, every border crossing.

I am twenty-four now. Twelve long years, and still no mate. Each time I meet another wolf, Storm stirs with hope—only for both of us to be disappointed.

I have searched. I have crossed territories, attended every pack alliance event, and welcomed rogues who sought refuge—half-hoping one of them would be ours. But no. Nothing. Sometimes, I think the Moon Goddess has denied me this one blessing.

I wanted to keep myself for my mate. I wanted them to be the only one to ever touch me, to ever know me. But when the heat season comes, when unmarked wolves grow bold and my own body betrays me, it has not been easy. The temptation has been constant. I tried to resist. For years, I did. But an Alpha’s body cannot always resist the pull of biology. Eventually, I gave in. I have had my share of women in my bed, though never my heart.

And every time, Storm is disappointed. He hates it, even though he knows why I do it. He reminds me, each time, that none of them smell right. None of them fit. None of them are ours.

It was one morning, as I sat in my office reviewing patrol reports, that the illusion of stability shattered.

A knock rattled the door. “Come in,” I said.

Nut, my beta and most trusted friend, stepped inside. His expression was grave, his scent edged with tension.

“Alpha William,” he said, voice low.

“Yes, what is it?”

“We have a huge problem.”

The seriousness in his tone made my heart pound. “What happened?”

“The Silver Light Pack has invaded our territory.”

I was on my feet before the words had fully left his mouth. “What?”

The Silver Light Pack. They had always been trouble—violent, ambitious, driven by bloodlust. If they had invaded our lands, then this was no small skirmish.

“How did you let that happen?” I demanded, anger flaring.

Nut shifted, uneasy. “I don’t know, Alpha. But I think someone let them in without us knowing. We would have sensed it otherwise.”

My jaw clenched. “You are telling me we have a mole among us?”

“I think so, Alpha.”

My hand slammed against the desk, wood splintering beneath my strength. Rage boiled inside me. Right under my nose? Who dared to betray me, to betray their pack?

“Find the mole and bring them to me,” I ordered, my voice sharp as a blade.

“Yes, Alpha.”

When he left, the anger burned too hot to contain. I shifted only partly, claws elongating, but I resisted letting Storm take over fully. Instead, I walked out of the packhouse and ran—not as wolf, but as man. Barefoot, my feet pounded the earth, carrying me past the forest and out to the coast.

The sea stretched endlessly before me, the waves violent yet strangely calming. I sank down into the sand, breathing in the salt air, letting the rhythm of the tide cool my temper. Who could betray me? I had always led with fairness, always given my wolves safety, food, protection. I thought of each face in my pack, and none seemed capable of treachery.

Hours passed, the sun rising higher until it shimmered across the water like broken glass. I stayed, needing the distance, needing the silence.

Then I wasn’t alone.

A figure stood further down the beach. He hadn’t been there before. I saw him now—slim, dark-haired, shoulders slightly hunched. He carried a small bag but seemed not to notice it, his eyes fixed on the sea.

Something about him… pulled me.

He was beautiful, but not in the polished way many women in my pack were. His beauty was softer, quieter. His face was pale, almost fragile, and sadness draped over him like a cloak. He didn’t belong here, not among the crashing waves and salt spray. He looked like he’d been washed ashore by fate.

I stayed where I was, watching. Something in me tightened, something I couldn’t name.

He didn’t move at first, just stood with that lost expression. Then, slowly, he stepped forward into the shallows. My breath caught. Was he—?

I stood quickly, my body on edge, ready to run to him. But he stopped. He didn’t go deeper. He just stared at the horizon, shoulders trembling as though weighed down by something I couldn’t see.

Minutes passed before he finally turned back. He gathered his belongings with slow, tired movements and walked away, vanishing into the trees.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Relief flooded me, though I had no right to feel it. Why did I care what a stranger did? Why had I been so certain he was about to do something irreversible?

Storm stirred uneasily inside me. His voice was quiet but certain. You felt it too.

I shook my head, trying to dismiss it, but the truth was undeniable. I had never felt like that before—not for any one-night stand, not for any wolf.

I forced myself to leave the beach, but the image of his sad face clung to me.

When I returned to the packhouse, Nut was waiting. “Alpha,” he said, “the mole has been captured.”

I followed him to the holding cells, the scent of damp stone and fear heavy in the air. There, tied to a chair, was a man I did not recognize. His hair was tangled, his body bruised but unbroken. He looked up at me with a smile that made my skin crawl.

“Who sent you?” I asked.

The man smirked. “Alpha William, you don’t know what’s coming for you.”

I grabbed him by the neck, fury roaring through me. “You are testing my patience,” I growled, my voice edged with Storm’s snarl. “Answer me!”

But he only smiled wider.

“Who sent you?” I shouted again, tightening my grip until his neck creaked.

“Alpha!” Nut’s voice broke through my haze. “Let him go. You’ll kill him.”

Breathing heavily, I released him, shoving him back against the chair. “Keep him alive,” I ordered the guards coldly. “Break him, torture him, do whatever it takes—but do not let him die. I want answers.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

I stormed out, Nut following behind.

“Don’t worry, Alpha,” he said. “We’ll find whoever is behind this.”

His words meant little. My anger still burned.

That night, I called Sophia, my usual relief, only to remember she was away. Instead, I chose another woman from the pack—someone eager, someone willing. She came quickly.

The rules were simple. They never came into my bed. Never touched my lips. The bed was sacred, and my lips were for my mate alone. Those boundaries were the only shred of loyalty I could offer to the one I still prayed existed.

The encounter was rough, fast, and empty. Her moans filled the room, but they echoed hollow inside me. When it was over, I dismissed her without hesitation, heading straight for the shower to scrub her scent away.

As hot water pounded down, I felt no relief. No satisfaction. Only emptiness.

Later, as I lay in my bed, Storm was restless. The image of the stranger on the beach returned to me again and again.

“Why was he sad?” I whispered to the darkness. “Did something happen to him?”

Storm rumbled, his voice low in my mind. You felt his scent, William. Sweet. Calming. Different.

“Different,” I admitted. “But he’s just a stranger.”

What if he’s our mate? Storm asked, his tone filled with a hope I hadn’t heard in years.

I froze. A man? My mate, a man? That couldn’t be. Could it?

“It can’t be,” I whispered. “The Moon Goddess wouldn’t…”

Would you reject him just because he’s male?

The question sliced through me. Would I? Would I reject the very soul I had longed for all my life, just because he was not what I expected?

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But if he is… then maybe I should at least get to know him before I decide.”

Storm’s joy hummed through me. I hope we see him again.

I closed my eyes, but his face lingered, carved into my thoughts. His sadness. His scent. The strange bond I had felt even from afar.

It haunted me as I drifted into uneasy sleep, the tide of fate already pulling us together.