THE ALPHA ARRIVES

POV: Hailey

By midday, everyone in Dark Wood Pack was talking about Alpha Kael Blackthorn of Shadowfang. He was coming for a meeting with Alpha Victor concerning the growing threat of Alpha Malachi Draven.

Malachi’s influence spread across neighboring territories, the tension among the packs had become impossible to ignore.

“Kael doesn’t tolerate disrespect,” one warrior warned near the pack house entrance. “Even experienced Alphas think twice before crossing him.”

“Then let’s hope this meeting goes well,” another warrior replied with concern. “The last thing we need is another enemy.”

I continued sorting supplies, pretending not to listen. Yet their words stirred my curiosity. Kael’s reputation made him sound almost inhuman, a man whose presence alone could silence an entire room.

I wondered what he was really like, then I reminded myself that it had nothing to do with me. Powerful Alphas had no reason to concern themselves with someone like me.

Besides, I already had enough questions keeping me awake. The dream I’d experienced the previous night still haunted me. I could remember the frightened woman calling me my sweet moon and the silver pendant she’d placed in my hand, though I’d never seen it before, I needed answers, not another mystery.

“Hailey!” Lyra called as she approached, carrying a basket against her hip.

I turned toward her.

“You look distracted,” she observed, studying my face. “Still thinking about that dream?”

“I’m thinking about how everyone has suddenly become an expert on Alpha Kael,” I replied.

She laughed. “Then stay out of his way,” she advised teasingly. “We don’t need you getting into trouble with a visiting Alpha.”

“I don’t go looking for trouble,” I protested.

“Of course not,” Lyra said with a grin. “Trouble usually finds you.”

I gave her an unimpressed look, earning another laugh, her teasing eased the weight in my chest, and I was grateful for it.

After Lyra left, I gathered the remaining supplies and carried them into the pack house. I wanted to finish my duties before the meeting began and to avoid the crowds gathering near the main hall.

Unfortunately, I took the wrong turn. I entered a narrow corridor just as someone stepped through a doorway. Before I could stop, I collided with a solid chest.

The items in my arms scattered across the floor. “I’m sorry!” I pleaded, immediately bending down to collect my items. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

I reached for a paper near a pair of polished black boots, another hand moved toward it at the same time mine did. I froze, slowly, I lifted my head, cold, intense eyes met mine.

For a moment, I forgot the scattered items, the busy corridor, and the apology still caught in my throat.

The man standing before me was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in dark clothes that suited his imposing presence, his firm jaw and unreadable expression made him appear unapproachable.

I recognized him immediately. “Alpha Blackthorn,” I murmured, scrambling to my feet. “Please forgive me.”

I clutched the papers against my chest and stepped aside, eager to let him pass.

Then our eyes met again, a strange warmth spread through my chest. My heart stumbled before racing so hard that I struggled to catch my breath.

I stared at him, confused by the sudden reaction. I’d never experienced anything like it, and I couldn’t understand why standing before a stranger made me feel so strangely aware of myself.

I forced my gaze away, perhaps I was simply exhausted. The dream had left me unsettled, and I had barely slept, so that must be it, no other reason could explain why my heart reacted as though his presence mattered.

Alpha Kael bent to collect the last few items.

“I can manage,” I offered quickly, crouching beside him.

We reached for the same folded cloth, our fingers brushed. A powerful sensation rushed through me.

I froze, my hand still beneath his as warmth spread through my body, and a sharp ache tightened my chest. For one suspended moment, I couldn’t hear the voices coming from the nearby hall or the footsteps passing behind us.

All I could feel was his touch. Something inside me seemed to reach toward him, as though it recognized him in a way my mind couldn’t explain.

Fear crept into my confusion. I didn’t know this man, I had never met him before today. So why did touching him feel as though I’d found something I’d been missing my entire life?

I slowly lifted my head, Kael was staring at me. His controlled expression had changed, his gaze sharpened, and his fingers remained still against mine. A slight tension crossed his face before he forced it away.

He looked as confused as I felt, although he seemed determined not to show it.

My breath caught. Had he felt that strange sensation too?

I wanted to ask, but the question remained trapped in my throat. I couldn’t explain what was happening to me, let alone find the words to ask whether he had experienced the same thing.

For another heartbeat, neither of us moved, then Kael withdrew his hand. The strange sensation weakened, leaving an ache I couldn’t understand.

He picked up the remaining cloth and handed it to me. I accepted it carefully, avoiding another touch.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

Kael straightened to his full height, and whatever uncertainty I’d glimpsed disappeared behind his cold expression.

“You should watch where you’re going,” he warned, his voice deep and firm, leaving no room for an argument.

His words stung more than they should have. I knew I’d been careless, but I had already apologized and somehow, his coldness made me feel foolish for the strange reaction I couldn’t control.

“I’m sorry, Alpha,” I replied, lowering my eyes.

I moved aside, and he walked past me without another word, and I remained still until his footsteps faded.

My hands were trembling as I looked down at the items I’d gathered, trying to convince myself that the encounter meant nothing.

I was tired, and perhaps the strange dream had affected me more than I realized. But that explanation didn’t erase the memory of his eyes or the sensation that had rushed through me when we touched.

I hurried to the storage room and returned to my duties, determined to put the incident behind me but it was harder than I expected.

Every few moments, my thoughts returned to Kael. I remembered the way his expression had changed, the sudden stillness in his hand, and the intensity with which he’d studied my face.

He hadn’t looked at me as though I were merely a careless servant. For one brief moment, he’d seemed to be searching for something.

What could he possibly have seen in me? I wonder.

I pressed a hand against my chest. The ache was still there, faint but unmistakable. 

I had spent years worrying, now this strange encounter had given me another reason to wonder whether something about my life had been hidden from me.

I glanced toward the meeting hall as I finished my work, Kael stood near the entrance, speaking with two Dark Wood warriors. Even from a distance, he commanded attention, then he turned his head, and our eyes met once more or so I thought.

My heart gave another painful thud, I quickly looked away. He was a stranger, a powerful Alpha whose reputation warned me to keep my distance. Whatever had happened between us couldn’t possibly mean anything.

Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had passed between us, something neither of us understood.

The dream, my past, and the strange reaction to Kael seemed to have opened a door inside me and I didn't know what was waiting behind it, but a part of me feared the answers.