THE ALPHA NEXT DOOR

uncertainty. I didn't follow the paths the others would take. Instead, I struck out into the denser woods th

th that part of me that felt the world differently. I felt the life force of the trees, the scurrying of sma

tamed, and laced with a desperate, lonely ener

ods, towards the rocky, less-tr

d behind me, replaced by the damp earth, pine needles, and

ed. Every shadow seemed to lengthen, every rustle of leaves sounded like a predator. The comfort of

oor above. Clinging to the steep side was a makeshift shelter, little more than a collection of branches an

he natural cover of the rocks and trees. I could hear faint sounds no

movement outside the shelter. Taking a deep breath, I

even, betraying none of the tension coi

le

ait

nued, trying to project sincerity.

looked young, maybe eighteen or nineteen her features sharp with a life lived hard. She didn't smell like the typical she-wolf, not in the

st watched me, her e

lained gently. "They are worried ab

wiry, dressed in scavenged clothes that were too big and tattered. In her arms, she held the small

al young woman said, h

," I said, taking a step clos

es my humming," she whispered, looking down at

us kidnapping. This was loneliness, r

r name?" I

liza," she mumble

is Feei. Why did

most harder to face than fear. "I saw her playing. So small. And everyone around h

was like. To have something smal

house. "I see them. she admitted, her voice dropping. "From

her face. "Why do they get that?

kidnapping, but the fundamental ache for connection, for a place in the world. I

id, choosing my words carefully.

Lily again. "But I didn't know what

, but about understanding and leverage. Her leverage was the p

g," I stated, maki

e, jerky movement.

aking a risk. "They are good wolves.

And I'm this." She gestured vaguely at herself. "I'm fer

, genuine smile. "Not really. " I touched her

ng that wasn't fear or desperation. She stare

d you d

. "He opened his doors. He saw something valuable, per

laid out the terms, the impossible deal

p back. I have found a place, however fragile

pup, Eliza. Let me take her home. A

etched on her face. "Stay?

rmed, right now. And I give you my word, m

resence there? Did she see me as a bridge? As proof that the unusual could be accepted? Or was it simply a twisted form of control, a way

ngle word loaded with questi

back at Eliza. "And because I understand what it feels like t

life back, it gives the pack their peace, and it gives y

Eliza's strange demand. What would Draven say when he returned? How would I explain that my continued pr

trick. I stood my ground, my expression open, my intent clear. I wasn't just s

g. A squirrel chittered somewhere in the

offering Lily back to me. "You promise?"

won't

ny weight in my arms felt precious, fragile. "As long as I am welcome, you wi

staring in disbelief. As her feral scent fades away

ver thought I will become whole again." She hand Lily o

ef, sadness, and a flicker of something akin to tri

aid, my voice thick wit

the journey back, moving slower now, more deliberately. I cou

shed her gently. The communicator was still clipped to my belt, a silent witness to the fact that I hadn

d pack grew stronger. I could hear the low murmur

ed silence. Wolves who had been talking or searching stopped

me, his stern face breaking i

ed, reaching out a

, my voice hoarse. "

hter from me. The relief that flooded the air was palpable, washing away the fear that had gri

y were thanking me for bringing Lily back, but they didn't know the cost. They didn't know I had promised mys

and the safehouse began to hum with relieved energy, Ronan f

osite me. "You saved her. Yo

y. I couldn't tell him the whole truth. Not yet. Not until

al," I said,

lonely. She saw the pack, saw the belonging, and she to

ession harde

ey can be

d. "Just desperate. We talked. I

st. The promise I had made, I don't want to put her in

icking up on the unspoken things. "You're not t

king back at the fire. "Things I need to

ht Lily home. You earned the gratitude of this pack. You h

solely based on my actions, or was it now contingent on a deal struck in the wilderness? The comfort I had

tirely safe. I had faced wraiths and hunters and the constant threat of exposure. But this was different. Thi

the complexities of belonging when your place is no longer entirely your own to claim. The safehouse was still a haven, but it f