Chapter 2 The Alpha is using her

The wind smelled like blood.

Not fresh. Not sharp. Old blood. Dried. Hidden. Something the earth had buried but never forgotten.

Liora walked the perimeter of the Bloodfang territory, her wolf senses stretched thin. Every night, Gonzalo sent her on patrols. Not because he didn't trust the borders, because he didn't trust the pack.

"Keep an eye on the western ridge," Gonzalo had said. "Some of the younger wolves are stirring. Too many questions."

"Questions about what?"

"About you. And why you're always by my side."

"Because I earned it."

"Because I allow it."

The words had stung, but she bit them down. Like always.

She moved silently through the trees. Her bones ached for rest, but she wouldn't give him an excuse to see her as weak.

The truth was, things were shifting.

The pack could sense it. Whispers in the wind, sideways glances at the gatherings, wolves who no longer dipped their heads when she passed.

Even Nyssa was pulling away. The healer had grown quieter, more watchful.

"You used to speak more freely," Liora had said.

"I used to believe he'd make you Luna," Nyssa replied. "Now I just pray you survive him."

Tonight, she didn't want prayers.

She wanted answers.

By dawn, she returned to the stronghold, Gonzalo's claimed land, ringed with stone and soaked in dominance.

He was waiting, arms crossed, surrounded by his inner circle: Adrian, his Beta, and two enforcers whose names Liora never cared to remember. They smelled like iron and smoke.

"Anything?" Gonzalo asked.

"No threats," she said. "But I saw tracks. West ridge. Big paws. Possibly rogues."

"Possibly?"

"I didn't engage. Not without backup."

"Since when do you need backup?"

His voice was low, disappointed. But his eyes sparkled like he enjoyed watching her flinch.

Adrian cleared his throat. "We should send scouts."

Gonzalo didn't look at him. He kept staring at Liora.

"We'll discuss it later."

"Or we could do something now," she snapped.

Silence fell. Even the wind stilled.

Gonzalo stepped forward. The others shifted back.

"Watch your tone, Liora."

"Then stop speaking to me like I'm one of your guards."

His hand shot out and gripped her wrist. Not hard enough to bruise, but hard enough to warn.

"You forget who made you."

She stared at him. "You forget who stood beside you when no one else would."

A long silence. Then his grip loosened.

He turned to Adrian. "Send two wolves to the west ridge. Discreetly."

Adrian nodded and left. The others followed.

Only Liora remained.

Gonzalo didn't speak for a long time.

Finally, he said, "They're starting to question me because of you."

"Then give them answers."

"You're not my Luna."

Her heart cracked, just slightly.

"Not yet," she whispered.

"Maybe not ever."

It felt like claws to the chest.

"Then what am I?"

He didn't answer.

She didn't wait.

She found Nyssa behind the northern den, tending to a wounded pup. The healer didn't look up.

"Say it."

"He's breaking you."

"He needs me."

"No. He uses you. There's a difference."

Liora knelt beside her.

"Do you think he'll ever choose me?"

Nyssa paused.

"No. And you already know that."

Liora sank down beside her, eyes blank.

"I believed him."

"He made sure you did. That's the power of wolves like him. They don't need to be gods. Just convincing liars."

"But he touched me like he meant it."

"Even poison tastes sweet if you've never had honey."

That night, Liora didn't return to Gonzalo's quarters. She ran.

Not away. But deep.

Into the old woods, where the first Alphas bled into the soil. Where no pack claimed the land, and spirits whispered in the leaves.

She stripped down and shifted.

Her wolf form was lean and silver-gray, eyes pale blue like frozen water. She ran for hours. Until the pain in her chest was quieter than the sound of her paws on dirt.

Until she could pretend she wasn't Liora. Just a creature moving through the dark.

She returned to her den as the moon began to fall. Alone. Her chest heaved with breath, not from the run, but from holding in too much.

Her claws scraped bark. Her jaw clenched. She howled once low, guttural, sorrow tangled in rage. The forest swallowed it.

When she returned, the pack was buzzing.

A gathering had been called. One she hadn't been told about.

She pushed her way through the crowd, heart pounding.

At the center stood Gonzalo. And beside him... a woman.

Dark hair. Regal. Smiling.

"This is Vanya Spike," Gonzalo said. "Daughter of the Redfang Alpha."

Liora froze.

"She'll be joining us as an ambassador. And staying in the main house."

There was a pause.

"For now."

Liora's blood turned to ice.

Nyssa appeared at her side. "Now do you see?"

"What's her purpose here?" Liora asked.

"Politics," Nyssa whispered. "Or marriage. Maybe both."

Liora stared at Gonzalo as he placed his hand lightly on Vanya's back. Like he used to with her.

"This isn't happening."

"It already is," Nyssa said.

She confronted him that night.

"You didn't tell me."

"It's none of your concern."

"I thought I was your future."

"You're my soldier. My blade. That's all."

Her voice cracked. "I loved you."

"And I let you."

She backed away.

"Then you'll regret it."

He raised a brow. "Is that a threat?"

"No. A prophecy."

"You'd betray me over a title?"

"You betrayed me first."

"I saved you."

"You used me. And now you're discarding me for a prettier alliance."

He stepped closer. "You're forgetting your place."

"No. I'm finally remembering my power."

She left his chambers with fire in her chest.

The first spark had been lit.

Liora wasn't his anymore.

And soon, he'd remember what happened when you played with wolves who forgot how to beg.