Chapter 1
This is my first story written in English. I hope you’ll enjoy Kaelen and Alaric’s story as much as I loved writing it 😊
Kaelen Marrock
My jaw aches from how tightly I clench it. I slam the gas, adrenaline surging. One hand grips the wheel—so hard my knuckles pale—the other ends the call. It’s brutally short, bitter. My patience is a frayed wire, and it feels like I’m unraveling as the highway stretches out before me.
The weight of everything seems heavier these days.
Since becoming Alpha, my responsibilities have multiplied beyond anything I imagined. Sometimes the weight threatens to crush me—I crave escape, yet standing down isn’t an option. My pack needs me. They trust me, and every expectation is another brick on my shoulders. The pressure grows, relentless, each new demand a heavier burden.
While shielding my pack, the Consulate tightened its grip. Six years as Alpha—still no Luna. They demanded an heir, an impeccable successor.
My wolf rejects everyone—no mate, no bond. Six years without a mate is rare; the thought presses in, heavy.
And as if that weren’t enough, I had an enemy. There were plenty beyond our borders—but inside my territory, only one.
Alaric Maxwell—nineteen, and already a thorn. He challenges me, dismisses orders, and acts on his own. Too young, too defiant, and always pushing my limits.
I go straight to him, forcing myself to stay calm because the pack’s peace depends on me handling Alaric’s defiance. We’re meeting at the border so I can pacify the neighboring pack—vouch for the boy and prevent him from being punished.
A headache pulses—a storm inside my skull. Frustration tightens my chest, worry claws at my thoughts, and demands suffocate me. Why always Alaric—again, always him?
He waits near his red-and-black Ninja 500, grinning until he sees my car. As I park and step out, I slam the door to show my anger. He flinches and quickly avoids my gaze.
He knows he crossed the line.
It’s one thing to disobey.
It’s one thing to brush off my orders.
It’s one thing to act on his own.
Crossing into another territory—tagging their walls—is more than reckless.
“Alpha Torin.” I turn to the leader of the neighboring territory. “You have my apologies for my wolf’s disobedience. I did not authorize the vandalism.”
Apologizing is foreign to me—especially to another alpha. I hate seeming weak, but I must preserve peace and avoid a war that would devastate both packs. My motive is clear: the pack’s safety matters more than pride.
“Alpha Kaelen.” His gaze is filled with contempt. “I told you to keep your dog on a leash. If I see him on my territory again, I’ll tear him apart and scatter what’s left of him along the border.”
“It won’t happen again,” I say calmly, though I know he can sense the tension rolling off me. “You have my apologies.”
“If your dog apologizes, I’ll let this go,” Torin replies coldly. There’s no humor in his tone.
“In your dreams,” Alaric snaps back, his voice laced with venom.
I let my wolf rise—just enough to be felt, not shifting.
“Apologize. Now!” Not a request—a roar that claws at my nerves, forcing his wolf to cower.
Alaric glares, defiance undimmed. Frustration overtakes me. I grab him, push him into the dirt, boot firm on his back, forcing submission.
“Say it!” I growl. The trees around us shudder at the sound.
“I’m sorry, Alpha Torin,” he wheezes under my heel. “It won’t happen again.”
Torin lets out a dry, dark smirk that chills me, as if my apology satisfied only his need for dominance.
“Good to see you haven’t gone soft, Kaelen,” he murmurs. “Apology accepted. But stay away from my border. Understood?”
“Yes, Alpha Torin.”
With a final dismissive nod, Torin turns and begins to stalk away, his pack silently following.
I wait until Torin is gone. My heart pounds, drowning out everything else.
A tense silence settles.
I lift my foot from Alaric’s back and pull him upright. I punch him in the stomach, making him double over with a gasp; his blond hair falls over his face, pain marking his features.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” I roar.
“I won’t obey you,” he says through the pain.
“You will, Alaric—because I’m your alpha!” My patience is gone.
“I’ll never accept you as one,” he spits, and then he actually does it—he spits right into my face.
Rage floods through me. I punch Alaric and knock him to the ground. Grabbing his arm, I yank him up and throw him against a tree. When he hits the trunk and falls, I seize his throat and lift him, feet hanging above the ground.
He claws at my hand, gasping, his silver-grey eyes starting to cloud over.
Seeing him struggle fills me with sudden panic, my rage fading quickly.
I let him go immediately. He grabs my shoulders to maintain his balance, gasping.
What the hell are you doing, Kaelen?
Confused, I lean in. His lips part; my gaze drops. My breath catches. I don’t want to break him—I just want to remind him who I am.
I study his expression. I swallow hard, seeing what I did to him.
I reach out to stroke his face. He flinches, looking in my eyes with fear.
No, no. I don’t want him to be scared of me.
I lower my hand.
My chest aches with tension. His resistance ignites the beast within me; I lose control and act without thinking.
Even after asserting my role, all I crave is to kiss him. I want to hold him and say how sorry I am.
Instead, I speak rashly again.
“It doesn’t matter what you do, pup, I’m your Alpha. Why do you make this so hard?”
I want to escape and forget his hateful gaze.
“I hate you, Kaelen,” he whispers.
His words bite deep, his hatred makes me furious, flipping everything inside.
He’s supposed to be my friend, not my enemy!
“The feeling’s mutual,” I lie.
I don’t hate him. I never have. But he doesn’t need to know that.
I step back, shoving my hand into my pockets. Alaric keeps his gaze fixed downward, refusing to meet my eyes.
I open my mouth. The cruel words come without hesitation.
“Disobey me again,” I say quietly, my voice tight with anger, “and I will put you on a leash. You’ll spend the rest of your life in a filthy hole, on all fours, eating off the floor like an obedient dog.”
I lean closer.
“Go home. Or I’ll tear you apart.”
Alaric limps to his bike, body shaky with pain, and slowly pushes it along. Unable to ride, he just guides the bike while keeping his head down.
After Alaric leaves, I turn to the tree behind me and punch its trunk. Pain jolts through my arm from the impact with the thick bark.
Alaric is a riddle I can’t solve. My pack follows me for honor, not fear. Yet with him, everything I’ve learned fails. His defiance pushes me to the edge, forcing me to grasp for power I never needed.
While I fight for his acceptance, I battle myself. He has no idea how deeply I’ve desired him. He resists me as I try to stay away. Proximity unravels me. When he’s angry and near, all I want is to pin him down and reveal what I feel.
I run my hand through my hair and force myself back under control.
Each day, it’s harder to hold myself together around him.
