Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)
The crushing weight of her loss was lifted once more as she knew that Selene would still bring Alexander home.
After the vigil, Fiona tried to train Selene, but she never pushed too hard. She never forced her to take on any responsibility. She knew that she should. In her right mind, Fiona would have demanded that Selene take her place as Luna of Summer and lead the wolves Alexander entrusted to her, just as she had when Cain died.
But she didn’t.
Instead, she took on the burden of responsibility once again. Just as before, she pushed down her feelings and needs. She focused her time and energy on rebuilding Summer so that it would be as it was or better when Alexander returned.
Except, this wasn’t like before. It almost killed her when Cain died, and she still missed him every day. But she knew he was never coming back. Having even the tiniest glimmer of hope that Alexander would return created a deep, festering wound in her heart.
For three years, every day that passed was one more that he hadn’t returned. Every decision she made was one more that he couldn’t. As time went on, Fiona struggled between the hope and reality of the situation.
When Selene left to fight the monsters, the hope inside was nourished. Fiona was sure that Selene had something in mind, some bit of knowledge that she kept from everyone else. Something that would lead to Alexander’s return. But after a year of reports that clearly showed Selene was throwing herself into the fire, Fiona had started to lose faith.
It was the treehouse that had been the final straw.
Selene had left before the tree was removed, and as far as Fiona was aware, she had not come to see it. Galen was away meeting with Axel about something relating to their alliance, and Fiona was left to make the decision and witness the destruction of Alexander’s sanctuary on her own.
The strength left her body as she stood over the empty hole where the tree had been. She fell to the ground and lost herself in the pain of what she had done. It didn’t matter that it was necessary, all that mattered was that this final connection to Alexander was gone.
The wolves had already begun to get restless. More and more, debates became arguments, which then grew into fighting.
The idea of a new alpha being brought into Summer was not new. In the past two years, Fiona had heard it whispered in the streets, written in reports, and asked directly. But in recent months, it had become a heated topic. Some shouted it as a demand, others shouted that it was blasphemous.
Galen and Fiona had only broached the subject with any seriousness a handful of times between them. Galen was utterly unwilling to consider it, saying it was too soon or there were no qualified candidates.
The infighting between pack members was growing daily. While she knew that it was getting bad, she had no idea that any wolf of Summer would be willing to reach out to an Alpha of another pack.
Fiona lowered her head in shame.
They were desperate. These wolves were suffering. They felt the stirring of their minds, the wild nature building and bubbling under the surface. They needed an Alpha to maintain their sanity, and she had denied them to maintain her own.
Fiona sighed.
“I have tried my best…” she said quietly. “I have done everything possible to rebuild and lead this pack.”
Landon moved his hand from her back to circle around her waist. He pulled gently against her, and though she did not let go of the railing, Fiona allowed her body to lean against his.
She breathed slowly through her nose, taking in his scent. Dirt, rock, and trees. He smelled of the forest, the mountain, the open air, and all the freedom it promised. Fiona closed her eyes, allowing his presence to soothe her.
“I know the pack needs an Alpha…” she said softly. “But… If I allow a stranger to take his place… And one day, he does return. How could I ever face him?”
Landon took a breath and swallowed.
“It need not be a stranger.”
Fiona stood up straight, pulling away from Landon. She turned and looked up at him with rising suspicion.
“You said you weren’t interested in being Summer’s Alpha,” she said.
“I’m not,” he stated.
Fiona kept Landon’s gaze, searching for any sign of misdirection or dishonesty, but found only the reassuring warmth he continued offering her.
Landon took a deep breath.
“Your pack needs an Alpha,” he said. “They won’t last much longer without one.”
“I know,” she said, turning away.
Landon touched her chin, gently turning her to face him.
“Do not take offense to what I ask next,” he said gently. “I am only trying to help.”
Fiona let out a slow breath and nodded.
Landon looked into her eyes and nodded.
“If you knew Alexander was gone,” he asked gently, “would you have difficulty accepting a new Alpha?”
Fiona swallowed and closed her eyes. His voice was kind and warm, even though the words he said stung her heart. She shook her head.
“No,” she replied honestly. “If I didn’t have this… lingering doubt… I would have forced the issue a long time ago.”
Landon nodded.
“Then,” he said, “your primary hesitation is taking Alexander’s right to lead the pack away.”
Fiona nodded.
“When the pack submits to a new Alpha, the connection to the previous Alpha is severed,” she said. “Even if the new Alpha was willing to return the pack, he wouldn’t be able to.”
“That is true,” Landon said, “with one exception.”
Fiona furrowed her brows.
“When a pack has been conquered, and their Alpha forced to submit. He is often not killed but kept alive to serve his new Alpha,” Landon said.
“Yes, as humiliation and because he poses no threat,” Fiona stated. “No matter how much his people might want him to lead again, it isn’t possible.”
“He is not killed,” Landon said again, “but his family is.”
Fiona furrowed her brow, unsure what Landon was trying to say.
“Most wolves believe that to be an Alpha, the wolf must be strong, powerful, and built to lead. But the truth is, they just need the trust of others,” Landon began. “They just need the pack to trust them enough to give their loyalty.”
Fiona didn’t understand what this had to do with what they were already discussing, but she saw his point.
“Yes,” she said. “Alpha Sofia is the perfect example. She was not combat or leadership trained and had been taken from her pack for years. But they still made her their Alpha because they believed in her.”
Landon nodded.
“They believed in her because she avenged the Alpha they loved,” he said. “The one they had freely chosen and had always been loyal to. Her father.”
“I know all of this already,” Fiona sighed.
“Fiona,” Landon said. “Sofia did not have to earn the loyalty of her pack. It was already hers through her blood. Passed down from father to daughter. Just as Axel and Alexander already had theirs before becoming Alpha.”
“What does—” Fiona began, but Landon continued.
“The reason that a conqueror kills the family is because the only way for a wolf to reclaim his place as Alpha is if it is passed back to him through blood.”
Landon put his hand on Fiona’s shoulder, squeezing gently.
“There is a solution that gives both you and your wolves what you need. An Alpha to lead them, and a way that Alexander still has a claim to the role if he returns.”
Fiona felt her throat tightening and her heart pounding heavily in her chest.
“Fiona, if you become Alph—“
“Stop!” Fiona shouted suddenly. Turning away from him and holding tight to the railing as she leaned heavily on it. “Please… stop.”
Landon didn’t say another word. He carefully removed his hand from her shoulder and waited as Fiona took long, deep breaths. For several minutes, neither moved nor spoke. He just listened as her heart slowly returned to its normal rate.
As her breathing came back under control, and her heart evened out. Fiona looked out at the city hub.
“I have led this pack in some way for over thirty years,” Fiona began with a gentle, sad smile. “I have poured my blood, sweat, and tears into the safety of every wolf within this territory. I have been a soldier, a commander, a teacher, a mother.”
Fiona took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she inhaled Summer’s scent. There were the artificial things, the concrete, the sterile smell that wafted through most of the buildings. But in the distance, she knew a patch of flowers bloomed, a lingering sweetness in the air. She opened her eyes and leaned forward, gripping the patio railing.
When she first became Luna of Summer, most of these buildings were small or nonexistent. Summer had always been ahead of its time. However, before Cain became Alpha, the priority had still been producing the strongest warriors.
It was his dream that had set Summer apart from the rest. His ideas and his desire to see their pack grow and help the world grow with them. It was a dream that she had shared. A dream that they had built together. She focused on their soldiers and military so that Cain could concentrate on medicine, science, and advancement.
Cain built sanctuaries for those who wished to discover. He made playgrounds for those who wanted to advance. And when Alexander took charge, he didn’t fall behind his father. He built shelters for those who sought to heal and homes for those who felt alone.
But three years ago, everything had been on the brink of collapse. Buildings were destroyed, and the lands were tainted. With both of them gone, Fiona was left to pick up the pieces of that shattered dream and piece it back together alone.
Now, these buildings had doubled and reached the sky. Down below, she saw people excitedly scurrying from one place to the other, probably with some brand-new discovery.
She smiled. Even with their sanity threatened and tensions rising, these wolves’ passion for learning and growing still flourished.
They had built all of this together. Summer had existed for a long time, but this pack, these wolves, was the direct result of what her family had built together. What she had fought to maintain and restore.
And it still wasn’t enough.
Fiona swallowed, looking back up at the bright blue sky above.
“I have broken my body and heart for this pack,” she whispered. “I have been here every day. Again and again. No matter how I felt, how I hurt…”
She paused, taking a deep breath.
“My husband gave his life, and my child…”
She closed her eyes and scoffed gently.
“My child is gone. Dead or alive… he is gone,” she sighed.
Fiona let out a shaky breath.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?