The Alpha of Stormfang

Lyra

My whole world collapsed in one night.

I sat silently in the backseat of Samuel’s car as the dark road stretched endlessly ahead of us. My mind kept replaying the same horrifying images over and over again until I felt like I was suffocating beneath them.

My fingers tightened around the silver amulet hanging around my neck. It still carried my mother’s scent faintly on the cool metal, and somehow that only made my chest ache more painfully.

In my other hand was the sealed letter she had given me. I held onto both things… they were the only pieces of my old life I had left.

Samuel didn’t speak.

Neither did I.

The silence inside the car felt heavy and endless, interrupted only by the low hum of the engine and the occasional crunch of gravel beneath the tires.

I didn’t know how long we drove.

Hours maybe. Or perhaps only minutes.

Time no longer felt real to me.

At some point, the tears stopped falling; my body felt too exhausted to cry anymore. My throat burned painfully from all the screaming and sobbing I had done earlier. Everything inside me felt hollow, cold, and empty.

Finally, the car slowed to a stop.

I looked ahead, massive iron gates stood ahead of us. Beyond them stretched an enormous territory illuminated by silver lights.

“This is Stormfang Pack,” Samuel said quietly.

He turned slightly toward me, and for the first time since we left the resort, I noticed how devastated he looked too. His eyes were red, his expression heavy with grief.

“I’m sorry, Lyra,” he said hoarsely. “For everything.”

The apology nearly broke me again.

“You’ll need to go alone from here. It’s safer this way. If anyone trailed us, I can’t risk leading them directly to you. You’ll be safer here.”

I nodded weakly.

I could barely feel my own body anymore as I pushed the car door open and stepped outside. I still wore my nightclothes beneath the dark cloak I had found inside Samuel’s car earlier. Somewhere during the drive, the cold and emptiness became unbearable enough that I wrapped myself tightly in it.

“Lyra.”

I paused and turned around.

“Be very careful,” Samuel said in a serious tone. “Everything isn’t always as it appears to be.”

His words confused me. Nothing about tonight made sense anymore, and honestly, I didn’t have the strength left to question anything.

So I only nodded faintly.

Samuel gave me one last look before driving away into the darkness, and suddenly, I was alone.

A strange ache settled inside my chest as I turned back toward the gates.

Two guards stood at the border, both large men dressed in dark uniforms. Their sharp eyes immediately locked onto me the moment I approached.

“Who are you?” one of them asked sharply.

“I-I’m Lyra Vale. Daughter of Margaret and Gregory Vale. I came with a message for the Alpha of Stormfang Pack.”

With trembling fingers, I pulled out the sealed letter Mother had given me and handed it over.

One of the guards took it carefully while the other continued watching me cautiously.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then the guard holding the letter disappeared beyond the gates.

I stood there awkwardly, clutching my cloak tightly around myself while cold wind brushed against my face.

Several minutes later, the guard returned.

“You may enter.”

The gates slowly opened, and I stepped inside. Almost immediately, I noticed how different Stormfang Pack looked compared to everything I had known growing up.

It was… modern.

Sophisticated.

Large buildings stood across the territory with glowing lights illuminating the roads. Vehicles moved occasionally through the wide streets while pack members walked confidently through the pack grounds dressed in polished clothing.

A black vehicle waited nearby, and the guard motioned for me to enter. I obeyed silently. The drive through the territory lasted about twenty minutes.

Finally, the vehicle slowed before an enormous mansion. This had to be the pack house… the place where the Alpha of the pack lived.

The guard stepped out first before opening the door for me.

“The housekeeper will take you to the Alpha.”

The moment we approached the front entrance, the doors opened.

A middle-aged woman stepped outside gracefully. Her silver-streaked gray hair was packed neatly into a tight bun, and she wore a fitted dark dress that somehow made her appear both strict and elegant at the same time. Sharp eyes studied me carefully the moment she saw me.

“Lyra Vale?” she asked.

I nodded slowly.

Her gaze swept over me from head to toe. Suddenly, I became painfully aware of my appearance. Thankfully, the cloak covered most of my nightwear, but I still felt embarrassed standing there looking disheveled and exhausted.

“I’m Agnes,” the woman introduced calmly. “Come with me. You cannot meet the Alpha dressed like… this.”

She led me to a room on the ground floor of the pack house and handed me a soft cream-colored dress to change into before leaving.

When I finished, Agnes returned and silently led me through the enormous hallways again.The deeper we walked into the mansion, the quieter everything became.

Soon, we reached the farthest part of the upper floor where a pair of massive black doors stood.

Agnes knocked once, then turned toward me.

“The Alpha is waiting.”

Before I could say anything, she opened the doors slightly and gestured for me to enter alone. Then she left.

My stomach tightened nervously.

For a moment, I simply stood there staring at the entrance.Taking a shaky breath, I stepped inside, and instantly, it felt like I had entered another world entirely.

The study was breathtaking.

Dark walls. Black shelves lined with books. Dim golden lights cast shadows across the elegant space. Everything inside the room screamed power, wealth, and control.

For a moment, I forgot myself completely as my eyes wandered around the massive study.

“Are you just going to stand there and gawk?”

The deep voice startled me. I flinched and quickly turned toward the sound. That was when I saw him.

A man sat behind a large black desk in a chair that looked more like a throne than actual furniture. Shadows surrounded him so perfectly that, for one terrifying second, it almost looked like he could blend into the darkness itself.

Almost instinctively, I knew this had to be Alpha Kael Draven.

The aura coming from him was overwhelming.

Dominant. Powerful. Dangerous.

No ordinary wolf could possibly possess such presence.

Slowly, he stood up. And suddenly, I realized just how tall he truly was.

Broad shoulders stretched beneath a fitted black shirt with the top few buttons left undone casually. Dark pants hugged his long frame perfectly while strands of jet-black hair fell carelessly across his forehead.

Everything about him radiated control.

His sharp eyes locked onto mine instantly.

“You are Margaret and Gregory’s daughter?” he asked, holding up the letter.

I blinked in surprise. How did the letter get to him so quickly?

“Yes.”

For a moment, silence settled between us. Then Alpha Kael began walking toward me slowly.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

Before I even realized it, Alpha Kael was suddenly standing directly in front of me.

I stiffened slightly. How did he move so fast?

From this close, I could see him clearly now… He was unbelievably handsome.

Then suddenly, he reached out, and his fingers brushed gently against my cheek.

I froze.

The touch startled me. It felt surprisingly warm, comforting, and safe. A strange feeling spread through my chest instantly, softening something painful inside me. Without meaning to, I found myself leaning slightly into his touch.

His gaze darkened as he stared directly into my eyes. Then slowly, he leaned closer.

My breath caught. Heat rushed into my ears immediately as his face moved near mine.

Strangely, I didn’t want to move away.

His scent surrounded me completely now—dark woods, rain, and something dangerously masculine.

Then his lips brushed near my ear as he whispered softly,

“You smell like sweet cherries and roses… mate.”

My eyes widened instantly.

Mate?

I jerked back slightly and stared at him in complete disbelief.

He was my mate?

Alpha Kael leaned even closer again, inhaling softly as though memorizing my scent.

Then suddenly, everything changed in a split second. The air inside the room shifted sharply.

His expression hardened instantly as his nose flared. And then he stepped back from me completely.

All warmth vanished from his face.

His sharp eyes locked onto mine before he suddenly blurted out,

“You’re wolfless.”