Chapter 18 – The Fractured Alpha

Cole woke to the hollow ache of a hangover. The fire in the hearth had long gone out hours ago, leaving the cabin cold and dim, across the wooden beams, shadows stretched like claws. His mouth tasted of ash and whiskey. His head throbbed in rhythm with his heartbeat.

For a moment he lay still, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, trying to will away the heaviness pressing down on his chest. But the silence was louder than any noise—it carried weight, it was as if the walls themselves disapproved of him. He rolled onto his side. The bed was empty.

She was gone.

He wasn’t surprised that she was. Nowadays, Ella always rose before him, moving quietly through the cabin as if she were a guest instead of his wife. He told himself he preferred it that way, he tried convincing himself that he liked the space, the distance between them, the absence of her steady gaze. But the truth was so much harder to ignore: every time she left the room, a pull tightened in his chest, dragging at him like a hook buried deep in his ribs.

The mate bond.

He shoved the away those thoughts, sitting up with a groan. He scrubbed a hand over his face, but her image came m anyway—Ella at the small table the night before, sketching by the candlelight. Her face had been lit in warm gold, her eyes lowered in concentration, as she drew her hands were. She was Composed. Untouched by the bitterness emanating from him .

Just then, He had wanted to shake her, to demand she breaks down in the way she’s breaking him. But she hadn’t. And somehow, that stung him worse than all her tears ever could have.

He later found her in the greenhouse with his mother, she was laughing softly as she sorted out herbs into different jars. The sound froze him in place, it felt unfamiliar and startling. For a second, he simply stood in the doorway, staring at the curve of her smile, the surety of her hands.

Victor’s voice broke the moment. “There you are, son.”

Cole turned, his father striding across the courtyard with the weight of an Alpha in every step. Instinctively, Wolves moved aside, bowing their heads as their Alpha passed through. Cole forced his shoulders straight, shoving his unease down.

Victor clasped his arm firmly. “She’s finally settling in,” he said, tilting his head toward Ella inside the greenhouse. “Do you see it? The way the pack is already shifting around her? She’ll make a fine Luna.”

Cole’s jaw tightened. “But She’s human.”

Victor’s gaze hardened. “All that truly matters is that She’s your mate. Every time you say otherwise, you only end up dishonoring the bond.”

Cole’s hands curled into fists. He wanted to argue, to spit out that he only loved Sasha, that this marriage was nothing more than shackles around him. But Victor’s eyes burned with conviction, and Cole knew the words would only die in his throat.

So instead he nodded stiffly, earning himself a satisfied clap on the shoulder before his father turned away.

By the time evening came, the walls of the cabin could be compared to a cage. Cole poured another glass of whiskey, watching the liquid swirl before swallowing in one gulp. The burn wasn’t enough to quench the anger he feels inside. Nothing ever was.

The door creaked open. Sasha managed to slip inside, her lips curved in a knowing smile, her eyes glinting with mischief. She moved toward him with the confidence of someone who had always belonged.

“You look miserable,” she said lightly, plucking the glass from his hand and setting it aside. Her fingers brushed over his chest, nails grazing his shirt. “Don’t tell me she’s the reason you look this way.”

Cole exhaled harshly. “Don’t start.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Sasha tilted her head, her voice dropping low. “We both know what you really want. You can’t stand being tied to her. She’s just a distraction. A mistake.”

Before she could slide her hands higher, He caught her wrist. His grip was firm, but his resolve was weaker than he wanted to actually admit. “It’s not that simple.”

“It really is.” She leaned closer, her breath warm against his ear. “All you have to do is reject her. Do it in front of the pack, in public. Your father can’t stop you forever. You’re the future Alpha, Cole. They’ll all follow your lead.”

For one dangerous heartbeat, the temptation nearly consumed him. To end it all. To be able to break the bond. To go back to the life he knew—the life where Sasha was at his side, where he didn’t feel this constant gnawing pull toward someone he never chose to be with.

But then he remembered Ella’s silence, her calm defiance, the way no matter how cruel he was towards her, she never broke down.

And the bond tightened inside him, sharp as claws.

He released Sasha abruptly, shoving her away from him. “Get out of here.”

Her eyes narrowed. “She’s beginning to change you.”

Cole barked a bitter laugh. “Do you really think she wants me? She doesn’t. She only endures me because she has no other choice but to.”

Sasha’s lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Then prove it. Prove to me that she hasn’t changed you. Don’t let her win.”

She left him with those words, behind her the door were shut tight.

Alone again, Cole sank into the chair by the fire, dragging his hands through his hair. The whiskey blurred his thoughts, but it wasn’t enough to drown them.

He hated Ella’s silence. Hated the way it unsettled him even more than her tears ever could. Hated that his father praised her, that the pack was beginning to look at her differently. And most of all, he hated the bond, no matter how hard he tries to pull away, he is always dragged back by the bond.

But beneath all that hatred, something else stirred—something he refused to give a name to.

He stared into the flames until his vision blurred, the words slipping from his lips in a rasp.

“I’m beginning to lose control.”

The fire crackled in answer, shadows flickering across his face. And for the first time, Cole wondered if he was already too far gone.