Alison’s POV
I slammed my fists into the training dummy, the rough burlap splitting under my relentless strikes. Sweat trickled down my back, and my breathing came in hard, sharp bursts. It wasn’t just the physical exertion, it was the constant weight of disapproval, the glares, and Katherine’s icy words disguised as guidance.
“You think that’s enough to lead a pack?” Katherine’s voice cut through the training grounds, slicing into my concentration like a blade.
I straightened, meeting her gaze with unwavering resolve. “I’m doing my best.”
“Your best won’t keep this pack safe.” Her lips curled in a faint smirk. “And certainly not from someone like Caitlyn.”
Caitlyn whose training had ended, stood smugly nearby, let out a soft chuckle. She’d been my shadow these past weeks, undermining me at every turn. During training runs, she’d conveniently “forget” to warn me about uneven terrain, leaving me stumbling. In sparring sessions, she’d whisper insults low enough that only I could hear, her tone laced with venom.
“You might want to pick up the pace, Alison,” she taunted now, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “Wouldn’t want the pack to think their so called future Luna is… inadequate.. I would hate to have to replace you…”
I gritted my teeth, refusing to rise to her bait. Katherine, watched us with sharp eyes, waiting for me to falter. But I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
Instead, I turned back to the dummy, pouring my frustration into every punch and kick. The pack might doubt me. Katherine might undermine me. Caitlyn might sabotage me. But I wasn’t going anywhere.
That evening, exhaustion clung to me as I trudged back to my room. My body ached from training, but it was my mind that bore the heaviest burden. The whispers, the suspicion, the constant feeling of being judged.. I was fighting more than just physical battles.
Collapsing onto my bed, I let out a long sigh. The room was my only sanctuary, a place where I could lower my guard. I reached for the glass of water on my nightstand when there was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” I called, my voice weary.
A maid entered, her expression hesitant. In her hand was a folded piece of parchment.
“This just arrived for you,” she said, holding it out.
I took the note, frowning. “Who sent this?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. It was left at the gates.”
My chest tightened as I unfolded the paper. The handwriting was unmistakable, bold and jagged, as if the writer had carved each letter with fury.
Alison,
Don’t you sometimes wonder where you came from?. Reject Alpha Xander and return to me, and I will tell you all about your heritage, unless you want to remain the packless little orphan no pack would accept for a Luna.
-Kendrick
The note trembled in my hands. My breath caught in my throat as memories of Kendrick surfaced. Memories of the Alpha I once had a crush on, Fated to buy was rejected on the spot, the Pain, the years of feeling like I was nothing to him. And now?
I clenched the paper, my nails digging into it as a surge of anger mixed with fear coursed through me. Kendrick knew exactly how to hit where it hurt. My family, the one thing I had absolutely no knowledge about, he knew my curiosity was one thing that had become a weakness to me and he was trying to exploit it without hesitation.
Before I could stop myself, I reached for my phone, fingers hovering over his contact. I wanted answers. I wanted to demand he tell me what he knew, who my family were. But a horrifying realization stopped me cold.
If anyone else intercepted this note, they might believe I was Kendrick’s spy. Most pack members already suspected me of being a spy from Silver Moon sent to explore and weaken their revered Alpha. This could stand to be the proof they needed to turn against me completely.
“Alison.”
I froze at the sound of Xander’s voice. He stepped into the room, his presence filling the space with authority. His sharp eyes landed on the note clutched in my hands, and his expression darkened.
“What’s that you have there?” he asked, his tone edged with concern.
“Nothing,” I said quickly, folding the note and tucking it behind me.
His brows furrowed as he strode closer. “Lying doesn’t seem to fit you, Let me see.”
“It’s nothing.. Just something personal,” I protested, my voice faltering under his intense gaze.
“Ally.” His voice softened, but there was no mistaking the command in it. “If it’s important enough for you to hide from me, then it’s important enough for me to know.”
Reluctantly, I handed him the note, my heart pounding as he unfolded it. I watched his expression shift from confusion to fury as he read.
“That bastard,” Xander growled, his voice low and menacing. His grip on the paper tightened, crumpling it slightly.
“Xander… I”
He raised a hand, silencing me. His golden eyes burned with the intensity of his wolf as he pulled out his phone. I could feel his rage simmering, his wolf surging beneath the surface.
When Kendrick picked up, Xander didn’t bother with pleasantries.
“The nerve to contact my mate under my nose!” He snarled silent for a while, I knew Kendrick was saying something
“Now let me make this clear, if you ever contact my mate again in this way, I’ll make you regret it,” he snarled, his voice dangerous.
Kendrick’s response was inaudible, but whatever he said only fueled Xander’s anger.
“Stay the fuck away from her,” Xander warned. “Unless you’re ready to start a war we both know you would never win.”
He ended the call abruptly, his chest heaving with barely contained fury. For a moment, he stood still, his fists clenched, the note crumpled in his hand.
Then, he turned to me, the look in his eyes initially frightened me but as soon as he saw the fear in my eyes his gaze softening just enough to show the man beneath the Alpha poise I knew. “I’m sorry I scared you. Are you okay?”
I nodded, though my heart was still racing. “Thank you for standing up for me.”
“You’re my mate,” he said simply, as if that explained everything. And maybe it did. “I would never let the likes of Kendrick joke with you”
His eyes searched mine, concern etched into his features. “How has the training been going? Are you holding up? Is my mother doing too much? I can stop the training… ”
I forced a small smile before moving closer to him. “It’s been… challenging, but I’m managing.”
“Good.” He nodded, his expression hardening again. “You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone, least of all my mother. But I know you will anyway, you quite the stubborn one.”
I smiled a bit as he leaned in and kissed my fore head
“If it gets too tough do not hesitate to let me know” he said to which I nodded.
“Just decided to check on you, I have to return to my office, I have got a few more meetings before my day is wrapped up”
As he left, his presence lingered, the weight of his words settling over me. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the crumpled note he’d left on the nightstand.
Kendrick’s threat echoed in my mind, each word cutting deeper than the last. He was lying, he had to be. But what if he wasn’t? What if he really knew something about my family, I couldn’t ignore the possiblity
I slumped into the bed and hugged my knees to my chest, torn between the life I was building here and the shadows of the past that refused to let me go.
Only one question replayed in my mind as I soothed myself in the hopes of falling asleep “What if Kendrick was telling the truth?”