Alison’s POV
I stood in the garden, watching the lilies sway under the morning sunlight, petals stretching towards the sky. The delicate scent of their blooms should’ve been calming, but today, they only reminded me of the fragility of everything around me, of how easily beauty could be trampled. Could I really handle the weight of being tied to Night Fang? It wasn’t just about being with Xander; it was about facing everything that came with him including his family, his responsibilities, and the pack’s ruthless politics. Maya, my wolf, stirred within, urging me to fight through this uncertainty.
“This is where we belong, Alison,” Maya insisted, her voice like a warm reassurance in my mind.
But as I stood there, trying to convince myself of those words, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I frowned, surprised; it was an unsaved number. Hesitantly, I accepted the call.
“Alison,” a smug, familiar voice greeted me… Kendrick.
I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. He’d always been controlling, manipulative, but I’d never expected to hear from him so soon after leaving Silver Moon.
“Living the easy life, are we?” he mocked. His tone dripped with sarcasm, as if he found amusement in the thought of me being overwhelmed.
“What do you want, Kendrick?” I snapped, masking my anxiety with an edge of defiance.
“Oh, Alison, always the feisty little temptress” he sighed, “I’m just giving you another chance. You can still walk away from this mess and return to Silver Moon. Be my mistress. Submit to me, We both know you’d never survive as a Luna and of all places in Night Fang.”
My grip tightened around the phone, anger boiling inside me. “I would rather die than go back to you,” I hissed, letting each word strike with the venom he deserved.
His mocking laugh echoed through the line. “You haven’t heard the lady of me Alison! I must have you and if I don’t not even your dear Xander can keep you from me.” With that, the line went dead.
I lowered the phone, my hands trembling. How dare he try to pull me back into his grasp, as if I was still his to claim? He knew all along I was his mate yet he treated me like a common slave and rejected me so easily, then why in pits name was he acting all possessive? My thoughts were spiraling, drowning in frustration and anger, but Maya’s voice cut through.
“Enough, Alison!” she growled, her tone unyielding. “If you want to stay by Xander’s side, then prove you deserve it. No one can fight this battle for you. You have to face them all head-on, prove to his mother and pack that you are a wonderful Luna and to Kendrick that he lost a better ally.”
She was right. I’d spent so long hiding in the shadows in quest of mere survival, letting others dictate my fate, but now I was part of something bigger. If I wanted Xander… if I wanted this life then I had to act like it. Resolved, I brushed off Kendrick’s words and headed inside, my mind set on finding Xander and telling him exactly how I felt.
But as I neared his office, voices drifted through the partially open door, pulling me to a halt.
“Over my dead body will you make that lowlife your Luna,” came a sharp, cold voice unmistakably belonging to Xander’s mother. The words hit me like a slap, each one a painful reminder of how unworthy they saw me.
Another voice joined in, one I didn’t recognize. “Alpha, this would send the wrong signal to the entire werewolf packs. The revered Alpha of Night Fang mated to a slave? Politically, the pack will suffer the crisis.”
I clenched my fists, every word slicing through the resolve I’d barely managed to gather. And then, in a low voice that barely sounded like him, I heard Xander’s reply.
“What then do you want me to do?”
The air around me felt thin, as though the walls themselves had tightened, trapping me. I couldn’t breathe. His words echoed in my mind, a betrayal I hadn’t seen coming. Part of me wanted to rush in, confront him, demand answers. But something stopped me, an instinct to retreat, to avoid hearing any more painful truths.
I turned and ran, letting my feet carry me blindly back to my room. Inside, I pressed my back to the door, the weight of my emotions finally crashing over me. Tears filled my eyes, spilling over as I slid down to the floor, my heart heavy with the realization of my place here. In their eyes, I would never be more than a slave.. a lowlife.
“He’s not worth it,” Maya whispered, her voice wavering with doubt. “If he can’t stand up for us now, what future do we have here?”
I stayed on the floor, numb and hollow, as doubts swirled in my mind. Maybe Kendrick was right. Maybe I wasn’t cut out for this life. But then, the thought of returning to Silver Moon under Kendrick’s thumb made my skin crawl. I would much rather venture off on my own with hopes of surviving.
A knock at the door startled me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I quickly wiped my tears, rising to my feet.
“Alison?” Xander’s voice called softly.
I hesitated, the hurt and anger twisting inside me. Part of me wanted to ignore him, but I couldn’t avoid him forever. Steeling myself, I opened the door, forcing my expression into something resembling composure.
“Are you alright? You have tears imprinted on your cheek” he asked, his eyes scanning my face with concern. For a moment, I could almost believe he cared… almost.
“I’m fine,” I replied, keeping my tone as steady as possible. But the words felt like a lie.
He stepped inside, his presence filling the room, an overwhelming reminder of the bond we shared. “I know things haven’t been easy here, Alison. But I’m… I’m trying to make this work, for both of us, hang in there for me please.”
“Are you?” The words slipped out before I could stop them, laden with the hurt I’d tried to conceal.
He paused, his gaze sharpening. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I heard you, Xander” I said, my voice trembling with anger and heartbreak. “I heard you talking with your mother and the other person. They don’t want me here, Xander, and you didn’t say a word to defend me, you just asked what they wanted like you were willing to discard me”
He reached for my hand, but I pulled away, the sting of his silence still raw. “Alison, I think you misunderstood everything. If you had stayed longer, you would have heard my full response! This isn’t just about us… it’s about the entire pack, if I must make them accept you it has to be on their own terms.”
“That wasn’t how it sounded from where I stood ” I challenged, my voice breaking. “You sounded tired, how am I supposed to trust that I belong here if you are already having second thoughts?”
Xander’s jaw tightened, frustration flickering in his eyes. “You think it’s that simple? You think I haven’t fought for you every step of the way? We both know this was going to be on hell of a ride but I promised you that I’d stay right by you and as an Alpha, I stand by my words!”
“Then prove it better,” I said, my heart pounding. “If you want me here, show me. Because right now, I feel like I’m fighting this battle alone.”
Silence settled between us, thick and suffocating. For a moment, I thought he would say something… anything to reassure my stand. But instead, he only looked away exhaling exhaustedly, his silence louder than any argument.
I took a shaky breath, my heart heavy with disappointment. “Maybe I was wrong following you,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Maybe I really don’t belong here.”
Xander’s head snapped back, his eyes flashing with empathy. “Don’t say that Ally, you do belong here.”
“Then give me a reason to stay!” I shot back, my voice filled with desperation. “Show me that I matter to you, that I’m more than just an obligation the moon goddess has sent your way.”
Without another word, I turned and walked away, leaving him standing in the empty silence.
As I reached the garden, I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe I’d already lost him… maybe I’d never truly had him at all. My chest ached, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on me as I settled into the bench, alone with my thoughts once more.
And for the first time, I allowed myself to wonder if being a part of Night Fang was truly worth it, if fighting for someone who wouldn’t fight for me was the kind of life I was fated for.
Or perhaps, I thought with a bitter smile, “I was simply fated to be unhappy.”