Choose Between Two Alphas

The scent of antiseptic hit me first. My eyelids were heavy, limbs weighed down by pain. The sterile hospital lights pierced through my grogginess, and when my eyes adjusted, I saw him—Alpha Jonathan Marsh. His hand clutched mine as if it could anchor me back to life.

“Natasha…” he murmured, voice rough with emotion. “Why were you driving like that? You could’ve died.”

He pressed a kiss to my fingers, then my forehead. Once, that would have comforted me. Now, it burned.

“I’m fine,” I whispered, lips curving into a smile that didn’t touch my heart.

He relaxed, relief washing over his features. He whispered he loved me, that I meant everything to him. I let him say it. I let him believe I was still the same girl who trusted him. But I wasn't.

I had already died once—back there, in that office, where the truth bled from his lips.

---

Hours earlier, I had been walking through the grand halls of the Redwood Packhouse, clutching an iron key—one that belonged to a home I’d been preparing in secret. A surprise for my mate. A legacy of love passed down through generations.

I was bubbling with excitement, barely able to contain the news of my pregnancy. I had debated for days whether to tell Jonathan myself or let the healer confirm it. Eventually, I decided to do both.

But fate intervened.

Just as I neared his office, voices filtered through the door.

“She must never find out, Billy,” Jonathan’s voice growled. “It’s done. We can’t undo it now.”

My grip on the doorknob tightened. My heart raced. I gave the healer a subtle nod to leave me. Something felt wrong.

“Alpha, you used her mother’s wolf heart to save Janine Golden’s sister,” Billy said flatly. “You lied to Natasha. Her mother died for this. What do you think she’ll do if she discovers the truth?”

My entire body went numb.

Did he just say what I think he said? my wolf asked, her voice trembling inside me.

But I couldn’t answer.

The world tilted.

Janine Golden. Of course, it was her. The name scraped against my bones like silver. Jonathan’s first love. The same woman my ex, Tim, had left me for. It was always her.

Why was it always her?

I should have walked away. But I stayed. I had to hear it all.

“I did what had to be done,” Jonathan said coldly. “Janine needed me. Her sister needed me. Natasha’s mother was already dying.”

Billy’s voice cracked like a whip. “You call that a justification? You killed her.”

“I saved Janine’s sister,” Jonathan replied with chilling finality. “And I took Natasha as my mate. That should be enough.”

“Five years, Alpha. Five years of lies. That girl adores you.”

“She means nothing,” Jonathan snapped. “I marked her. Gave her status. But if she ever finds out… then I’ll remove her.”

I couldn’t breathe.

“Banished her?” Billy asked in disbelief.

“If I must,” Jonathan said. “As long as Janine’s happy, nothing else matters.”

That was it. My legs gave out. The world blurred.

I had believed in him—in his touches, his words, the way he shielded me. I thought I mattered. But I was a placeholder. An obligation. A piece in his tragic love story.

I stood up, pulled the key from my pocket, and tossed it into the brazier. Flames devoured the future I once envisioned.

Then, I ran.

My wolf howled, furious and broken as I tore through the halls. The Packhouse warped around me, corridors twisting in my vision.

I stumbled into my car, hands shaking, tears blurring the world. The engine roared, and I sped away—faster, faster. But no speed could outpace betrayal.

Jonathan had killed my mother to save Janine’s sister. He destroyed my family for his past.

The crash came like a scream in the night. Metal shrieked, glass exploded. Pain lanced through me.

Shift, I begged my wolf. Heal us.

But it was too late.

---

Now, in the hospital, I lie beside the man who destroyed me. He weeps like he’s lost something precious.

He hasn't lost me yet.

But he will.

Jonathan Marsh stole my mother, my peace, my love.

So I will take everything from him.

My wolf and I, united in pain and fury, vowed together: He will fall.