After I Died, My Alpha Begged Me to Come Back

Three days had passed since I'd walked away from Ryker, and I should have felt lighter. The boxes were packed, my father's contacts in Europe had been notified, and for the first time in years, I had a future that didn't revolve around gray eyes and broken promises.

So why did I feel like I was being watched?

The sensation followed me everywhere—to the market where I picked up last-minute supplies, to the pack library where I returned books I'd never read again, even to the small café where I'd grabbed coffee that morning. It was a prickling at the back of my neck, the weight of unseen eyes tracking my movements.

I told myself it was paranoia, a lingering effect of finally breaking free from a toxic obsession. But my wolf disagreed. She was restless, pacing beneath my skin with an agitation that had nothing to do with our upcoming departure.

*Something's wrong,* she whispered as I walked the forest path back to our territory. *Someone's coming.*

The attack came without warning.

A cloth pressed over my mouth and nose, reeking of chloroform. Strong arms hauled me backward as my vision blurred and my limbs grew heavy. I fought, but the chemical was already working its way through my system, dragging me down into darkness.

When I woke, the world swayed sickeningly beneath me.

I was tied to a wooden post, rough rope biting into my wrists and ankles. The sound of wind rushing through trees filled my ears, and when my vision cleared, I realized with a jolt of terror where I was.

Raven's Drop. The infamous cliff that overlooked the deepest part of the valley, where the rocks below were sharp enough to shred a body beyond recognition. The same cliff where, in my previous life, Harper had supposedly 'slipped' during a hiking accident that had brought her and Ryker closer together.

Only now I understood it hadn't been an accident at all.

"You're awake." Harper's voice drifted from my left, sweet and musical as always. "Good. I was worried the dose was too strong."

I turned my head, fighting against the lingering effects of the drug, and saw her tied to an identical post about twenty feet away. But something was wrong with the picture. Her ropes were loose, barely restraining her, and there was no fear in her eyes—only calculation.

"Harper." My voice came out as a croak. "What is this?"

She smiled, and for the first time, I saw the steel beneath her gentle facade. "Insurance," she said simply. "You see, Ivy, I don't quite believe your little performance from the other day. The whole 'I'm moving on' act was very convincing, but I know you better than that."

"You don't know me at all," I said, testing the strength of my bonds. They were tight, professionally done. Someone had planned this carefully.

"Oh, but I do." Harper's laugh was like silver bells, beautiful and cold. "I know you've been obsessed with Ryker since we were children. I know you've spent years following him around like a lovesick puppy, taking pictures, writing letters you never sent. I know because I've been watching you watch him."

The pieces clicked into place with sickening clarity. "You orchestrated this. The night at the hotel, the wolfsbane poisoning—you set it all up."

"Clever girl." Her smile widened. "Though it wasn't entirely fabricated. The wolfsbane was real enough—I just made sure I was the only antidote available. And it worked perfectly, didn't it? Ryker finally saw what was right in front of him."

Rage burned through the lingering fog in my mind. "You could have killed him."

"But I didn't." Harper shrugged, the motion casual despite her supposed restraints. "I saved him. I'm always going to be the one who saves him, Ivy. That's the difference between us."

In the distance, I heard the sound of approaching vehicles, engines roaring as they climbed the winding mountain road. Harper's head tilted, listening, and her smile turned predatory.

"Right on time," she murmured. "I sent Ryker a rather frantic message about twenty minutes ago. Something about both of us being taken, about needing his help. He should be here any moment."

"This is insane," I said, pulling harder at my restraints. "What do you think this will prove?"

"Everything." Harper's eyes glittered with a madness I'd never seen before. "When he arrives and has to choose which one of us to save first, we'll finally know the truth. No more games, no more pretending. Just pure, instinctive choice."

The sound of car doors slamming echoed across the cliff face, followed by the thunder of running footsteps. Ryker's scent hit me a moment later—pine and leather and raw, desperate fear.

"HARPER!" His voice cracked like a whip across the clearing as he burst through the tree line. "IVY!"

I watched him take in the scene, his gray eyes wild as they darted between Harper and me. For one brief, foolish moment, I wondered who he would choose. In my previous life, this question had tortured me for years.

Now, I already knew the answer.

Ryker didn't hesitate. He sprinted toward Harper, his entire focus locked on her as if I didn't exist. His hands flew to her restraints, working frantically to free her while murmuring reassurances.

"It's okay, you're safe, I've got you," he whispered against her hair as he pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry, I should have protected you better."

Harper melted into his embrace, but her eyes found mine over his shoulder. The triumph in her gaze was unmistakable.

"Harper," I called out, my voice carrying clearly across the space between us. "You satisfied now?"

Both of them turned to look at me, and I saw the exact moment Ryker realized I was still tied up, still in danger. Guilt flashed across his features, but it was too late. The choice had been made.

"He chose you," I continued, meeting Harper's gaze steadily. "Just like he always has. Just like he always will. I told you three days ago that I already knew."

I flexed my wrists, feeling the rope give slightly. Five years of captivity and torture in my previous life had taught me things these pampered pack wolves couldn't imagine. I'd learned to dislocate my thumbs to slip restraints, to pick locks with hairpins, to survive when survival seemed impossible.

The ropes fell away from my hands as I continued talking. "The difference is, I don't need his choice to validate my worth anymore."

Ryker stepped forward, his face pale. "Ivy, let me—"

"No." I stood, brushing dirt from my clothes as I freed my ankles. "You made your choice, Uncle Ryker. Live with it."

I turned and walked toward the cliff path, leaving them both staring after me in shock. Behind me, I heard Harper's voice, no longer sweet but sharp with frustration.

"That's impossible. Those ropes were—"

"Professional grade," I called back without turning around. "But not good enough."

My phone buzzed as I reached the tree line. My father's name flashed on the screen, and something in his tone when I answered made my blood run cold.

"Ivy," he said, his voice tight with an emotion I couldn't identify. "There's been a development. Sterling Vance—the Alpha from the European Continental Council I mentioned—he's decided to come here personally."

I stopped walking, my hand tightening on the phone. "Come here? Why?"

"For Ryker and Harper's engagement party." My father's pause was heavy with meaning. "But Ivy... he specifically asked about you. He wants to meet you. And the way he said it..."

"What?" I pressed when he trailed off.

"He said he's been looking for you for a very long time."