07

I woke up alone, the soft sound of waves crashing against the rocks breaking the silence of the early morning. But what troubled me wasn’t the sound of the water; it was the feeling of emptiness around me.

I was in an unfamiliar place, and the memory of how I ended up here was a blur, as if I had been yanked from a nightmare and thrown into a new scene. I got up, fear spreading inside me. I didn’t know where the others were—Canary, Chop, the soldiers—everyone had disappeared. The last thing I remembered was the fight. The confrontation with the pack, the looming threat, and then... darkness.

What happened?

“You really think you can escape him?” A familiar voice echoed in my mind, and for a moment, I almost saw Canary saying those words. “The Alpha Heir doesn’t let anyone go when he decides something. You’ll learn that the hard way.”

The name resonated in my head like a warning, something I couldn’t ignore. The Alpha Heir. He was real, and his presence was everywhere. I had been dragged into this place by a fate I barely understood. I had heard about him, of course—but only through others speaking of his authority. Like a specter, he had always been distant.

The wind picked up, cold, and a massive shadow loomed over me. I froze in place. When I turned, I saw him.

The Alpha Heir.

His posture was imposing, his gaze penetrating, and I knew at that moment that everything I had heard about him was true. He wasn’t like the others. He wasn’t just a leader. He was the destiny.

He didn’t smile. His gaze, in contrast to the warmth of the sun, seemed to freeze the air around us.

“Do you really think you can escape me?” he asked, his voice deep and laden with power, the word “escape” hanging in the air like a threat.

I didn’t know what to answer, my body trembling from the intensity of his presence. What did he want? Why was he looking for me?

“You... you didn’t look for me until now,” I said, my voice coming out weaker than I would have liked. “Where were they all?”

He took a step forward, the sound of his boots on the ground reverberating in the silence.

“I’ve been watching,” he said, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. “Waiting for you to understand what is really going on. But you’ll learn. You’re mine. And nothing will change that.”

I stood stunned, trying to maintain my composure. He wasn’t just speaking in terms of possession. He felt it. He believed I was his.

But he didn’t know what I knew.

Something stronger, something more powerful, was coming for me. And I wouldn’t be controlled by anyone—not by him.

The Alpha Heir looked at me, his eyes seeming to pierce my soul. He had an air of sovereignty that couldn’t be ignored. There was a strength in his presence that I could barely comprehend. It was as if the very air became denser when he was near. He didn’t approach, but I knew he had the power to dominate me at any moment.

But there was something in his stance that gave me a strange impression. The expectation, perhaps, that something wasn’t happening. He was watching me, waiting, as if expecting some reaction from me.

And I realized he was waiting for something I didn’t know what was. Surrender? Acceptance? No.

I was already weak. I was already broken. But no, not by him. Not by his presence.

“I’m not yours,” I said, firmer than I felt. “I’m not a thing to be controlled.”

He didn’t smile. There was nothing in his eyes that showed mercy. But there was something more. Something darker. I was starting to see the weight of what he truly represented. The leader of the pack, the dominator, the man who thought everyone around him were pawns in a game he controlled.

And, worse, I could be more than that to him. He believed he was enough. The attraction between us was palpable, and he knew it. I knew it too. But I refused to be another piece on his chessboard.

And then, at the exact moment the tension was at its peak, a snap was heard behind us, and Canary appeared. He was calm, smiling in a way that didn’t match the situation.

“I see you two have finally met,” he said, with a mischievous smile but also a hint of sarcasm. “But, Alpha Heir, you’re starting too soon. She’s still adjusting.”

The Alpha Heir looked at him for a moment, without saying anything, but the tension in the atmosphere shifted. He turned back to me, and though his expression was still serious, there was something else there. Something I couldn’t decipher.

“This is not the end, Catnip,” he said, his voice making it clear that the story between us was far from over.

I didn’t know what to do. I was lost. I knew something much bigger was lurking. And the last thing I wanted was to be a pawn in the war of a destined leader.

But with the Alpha Heir there, I knew my fight was just beginning. And, even though he was my destiny, I wouldn’t let him control me.