My Alpha Caused Our Daughter's Death

My Alpha, Aspen of the Stoneriver Pack, brought our five-year-old daughter, Aella, and his fated mate, Ember, to an Alpha gathering. Halfway through the event, he asked Aella to step outside alone to find an allergy medicine for Ember. Terrified, she tried to mind link her father for help, but he ignored her cries.

It was then that the rogues descended, eyes glinting with predatory hunger as they stalked her like prey. In a moment of sheer panic, Aella reached out to me, her mind link trembling with fear and tears. I raced to her side, but I was too late. When I found her, my heart shattered. Aella lay on the ground, her tiny body marred by blood, still clutching the allergy medicine in her small hand.

With her last flicker of strength, she whispered, “Mom, Aunt Ember… medicine…” before her eyes fluttered closed, her hand going limp, the bottle dropping to the earth with a soft thud.

I broke down, desperately trying to reach my Alpha husband through our mind link, but it took agonizing minutes before he finally responded. “I asked Aella to buy the medicine. Why isn’t she back yet? Call her and hurry her up. Ember is waiting!” His words cut through me, cold and dismissive, before he hung up abruptly.

Panic surged within me, and I tried to mind link him again, but there was only silence. The truth hit me hard: he cared more for Ember than for our daughter.

“Since that's the case,” I vowed through gritted teeth, “let Ember be buried with my daughter!”

---

I recalled the countless times I had tried to reach him, to mend the rift between us. But every attempt fell flat. Aspen's relationship with Ember was a consuming fire, and I was merely the ash left in its wake.

I knew he would always choose her in the back of my mind. She was his fated mate, while I was merely the woman his former Alpha father and Luna mother had arranged for him to marry.

Years ago, my mother, a loyal pack member of Stoneriver, saved the Luna—Aspen’s mother—in exchange for her life. Since then, they promised her that they would take care of me. To fulfill that promise, they arranged my marriage to their son, Aspen, even though we weren’t fated mates.

Years passed in our marriage, and one day, Aspen returned with a woman whom he claimed was his fated mate. Our lives turned upside down, and I felt like he no longer cared for us once Ember entered his life.

Aella, my daughter, was the light in my life, and though she had inherited her father’s fierce spirit, I worried it would not be enough to shield her from the darkness that loomed over our family.

“Mother!” I remember Aella’s voice rang in my mind, frantic and scared. “I... I’m outside! I don’t know what to do!”

My heart dropped. “Aella! What’s happening?” I rushed to connect, but the link sputtered with her fear.

“Aunt Ember... She’s saying I caused her allergy. I didn’t... I promise!” Her voice trembled, and I could picture her wide eyes, searching for safety in a sea of accusations.

“Aella, stay calm. I’m coming!”

I felt the world blur as I bolted from the shadows of my thoughts, racing toward the gathering. The Alpha gathering felt more hostile than ever, each rustle of leaves amplifying my dread. Aspen was supposed to protect our daughter, yet here she was, facing the world alone.

“Mother, I see rogues! They’re coming!”

I felt the connection fade, the desperation in her voice splintering my resolve. I pushed harder, my heart racing as I called on the power of my wolf. The primal instinct surged through me, urging me to find my child.

But I was too late.