chapter 2: the alpha who found me

The pain woke me before the sunlight did.

It rolled through my body like fire — sharp, heavy, and cruel. My head throbbed. My throat felt dry. Every breath hurt.

For a moment, I didn’t know where I was.

Tall trees. Cold morning wind. Wet ground. Birds singing like nothing terrible had happened.

Then the memories crashed into me.

The fire.

My parents.

The banishment.

The lies.

The stones hitting my skin.

The cold forest swallowing me whole.

My heart squeezed painfully.

“Don’t cry,” I whispered to myself. “Not now. Not when you’re all alone.”

I pushed myself up. My legs trembled weakly. My hands were shaking so bad I could barely hold myself steady.

I looked around.

This wasn’t Silver Claw.

The trees were older, darker… dangerous.

I had crossed into another pack’s land.

My chest tightened.

If they found me… they could kill me on sight.

My stomach growled loudly. I was starving. I had no wolf, no strength, no home. I could barely walk.

I tried to take a few steps.

I fell.

The pain shot through my leg, sharp and deep. I gasped for air.

Then—

Snap.

A branch broke behind me.

My whole body froze.

Someone was here.

The footsteps were heavy, steady… confident. Not an animal.

A wolf or a man — either one was dangerous.

I tried to crawl away, but my arms shook too much.

Then a deep, calm voice came from the shadows.

“Don’t move.”

I turned slowly.

A tall man stepped out from between the trees like he had been waiting there for me.

Dark clothes. Black hair. Golden eyes that shone even in the morning light.

Power rolled off him like a wave.

He wasn’t just strong.

He was an Alpha.

“You’re on Blood Moon territory,” he said. “And you smell like Silver Claw.”

My heart skipped painfully.

Blood Moon Pack — the strongest northern pack. Cold. Fierce. Proud. Known for having a ruthless Alpha who trusted no one.

“I… I didn’t mean to cross the border,” I whispered.

“Then why are you here?” he asked, stepping closer.

“I was banished,” I said, trying not to cry. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

His golden eyes narrowed.

“Why were you banished?”

“They said…” My voice broke. “They said I killed my parents. But I didn’t. I swear I didn’t.”

He studied me silently. The wind blew between us. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“Your name,” he said finally. “What is it?”

I hesitated — something told me the truth would hurt me, but lying to an Alpha felt worse.

“Aria,” I whispered. “Aria Moon.”

He froze.

Just for a second.

But that second felt like the whole world stopped breathing.

His eyes changed. They went from calm… to dangerous.

“Moon?” he repeated slowly. “Kian Moon’s daughter?”

I swallowed. “You… knew my father?”

He didn’t answer. His jaw tightened. His fists clenched. Something dark flashed in his eyes.

Then he muttered something I wasn’t supposed to hear.

“Of all people… why her?”

Fear crawled up my spine.

“Please,” I said, my voice tiny. “I’m not your enemy. I don’t want trouble. I just… need a place to rest. I can go after that.”

He looked at me for a long, freezing moment.

Then he sighed — annoyed, angry, but also something else I couldn’t name — and took off his jacket.

He tossed it toward me.

“Put this on before you die of cold.”

I blinked. “You’re… helping me?”

“Don’t overthink it,” he said. “You’re lucky I found you before the patrol did.”

He turned, motioning for me to follow.

“Get up. You’re coming with me.”

“Where?” I asked, scared.

“To the Blood Moon Pack House,” he said. “You’ll explain everything there. Until then, you are my prisoner.”

Prisoner.

My stomach twisted… but I had nowhere else to go.

I followed him slowly, limping, wearing his warm jacket. It smelled like pine and smoke. Strangely… comforting.

We reached the pack house — a huge stone mansion with tall walls and guards everywhere.

The guards bowed their heads when they saw him.

“Alpha Jason,” they said.

Jason.

This was him.

Jason Black — the Alpha everyone was scared of.

He walked past the guards like they were invisible.

“Prepare a room,” he said coldly. “She’s injured. Treat her wounds.”

The guards looked shocked but obeyed immediately.

Inside, the house was warm — firelight, pinewood, soft rugs. For a moment, my frozen skin melted into the heat.

Jason stopped walking and looked at me again.

His golden eyes were sharp, unreadable.

“You’ll rest,” he said.

I nodded weakly. “Thank you… Alpha.”

He didn’t reply. He just turned and walked away, his boots echoing through the hall.

A young woman led me upstairs to a small room. The bed was soft. Warmer than anything I expected.

I lay down slowly, my body heavy.

But then—

A voice echoed through the wall.

Jason’s voice.

Cold. Angry. Full of hate.

“She’s the daughter of Kian Moon,” he said. “The man who destroyed my family. The man who tortured me. The man who ruined everything.”

My blood turned to ice.

My breath stopped.

He continued, voice low and deadly:

“I should have left her in the woods.”

My heart dropped.

The Alpha who saved me…

…was the one who hated me more than anyone.

And now I was inside his house.

His territory.

His prisoner.

And he wanted revenge.