The Alpha’s Runaway Bride

Liana’s POV

I had always enjoyed being the youngest child, the one everyone doted on, the one who could get away with almost anything. It felt like freedom—pure, uninhibited freedom. But that freedom had a way of vanishing when you least expected it. The day my father fell sick was the day everything changed. The elders, those stubborn old men who clung to their ancient traditions, immediately wanted my older brother, Murray, to take over. He was the natural choice, they said. The responsible one. The firstborn.

The problem was, Murray never had any interest in leading the pack. He was competent, sure, but he wasn't born to be a leader, and we both knew it. The night before he bailed on all of us, he came into my room. I still remember the way he looked. He was a bit unsteady on his feet, and his eyes were glassy that only comes from too many drinks.

“Li,” he slurred slightly, leaning against the doorframe, “I just want you to know, I'm proud of you. Don’t ever stop standing up for what you believe in. You hear me?”

I rolled my eyes, thinking it was the alcohol talking. “Murray, you’re drunk. Go to bed before you say something you’ll regret.”

He just smiled that infuriating, lazy grin of his and waved me off, disappearing into the shadows of the hallway. I didn’t think anything of it. Not until the next morning, when the news spread like wildfire.

Murray was gone.

He’d packed his things, left a note, and hightailed it out of the White Pack territory, leaving behind a mess that would take more than a broom to clean up.

The elders were in a frenzy. “Disgraceful,” they muttered, pacing back and forth. “What will the Silver Pack think? What about the truce?” It was scandalous, they said. Embarrassing.

And then, as if it was the most logical thing in the world, they turned to me.

I was shoved forward like a pawn in their game of ancient politics, forced to stand where Murray should have stood. It wasn’t fair, but nothing in life had ever been fair, had it?

The worst part? The truce. The ancient agreement that tied us to the Silver Pack. A peace treaty that dictated the future leaders of both packs would marry. I’d grown up knowing that one day I might have to wed Harvey Thornburn, the Silver Pack’s next Alpha—and my sworn nemesis since childhood.

If the name Harvey makes you think of someone cold, calculating, and ruthless, you’re not far off. We’d been at each other’s throats since we were pups. Where I challenged, he bulldozed. Where I questioned, he commanded. He was the absolute worst person I could imagine being forced to marry.

But none of that seemed to matter to the elders. They cared about one thing. The survival of the pack. The White Pack had been reliant on the Silver Pack for protection for as long as I could remember. And the idea of that protection slipping away terrified them.

The day Harvey arrived at our pack was the day my resentment boiled over. He strode into our meeting hall like he owned the place. His broad shoulders blocked out the sun as he stood in the doorway, assessing the room with those piercing eyes of his. He didn’t even bother with pleasantries. No, of course not. Instead, he demanded to see me, as if I was some possession he could claim on sight.

I waited as long as I could, letting him stew in his arrogance before stepping forward. When our eyes met, the tension between us sparked like lightning. He didn’t even blink before launching into a speech that would’ve made my blood boil, had I not already expected it.

“These are the rules,” he said coldly. “You will follow them to the letter if you are to be my wife.”

I scoffed openly, crossing my arms. “And who decided that you get to make the rules, Thornburn?”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “The truce. You know, the agreement that keeps your pack from being wiped out by rogues?”

Before I could reply, the elders chimed in, trying to placate him. “Liana, please, show some respect.”

“Respect?” I shot back, glaring at them. “Are we really going to pretend this truce is anything but a cage? Do you honestly think Harvey here,” I pointed at him with more disdain than I’d ever felt for anyone. “... is the epitome of a man who can protect us?”

The room went dead silent. I could feel their judgement and disapproval of what I’d said. But I didn’t care. I’d never cared about following their rules.

Harvey’s eyes narrowed dangerously. In one swift motion, he grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side, out of earshot from the elders. His grip was firm.

“Listen to me, Liana,” he hissed. “You think I want this any more than you do? I don’t. But we don’t have a choice. So instead of making this harder than it needs to be, why don’t you try being thankful that I’m even considering going through with it?”

I ripped my arm out of his grip. I could feel the anger I didn’t want to acknowledge. “Thankful? For what? For being trapped in a life I never asked for?”

He didn’t answer. He just stared at me with that infuriating, unreadable expression of his. It was the same look he’d given me a thousand times before, like he was daring me to challenge him, to fight him. And as much as I wanted to wipe that smug look off his face, I couldn’t.

They made me apologize to him. I could barely choke the words out without vomiting from the sheer humiliation of it.

Later, after the dust had settled and Harvey had left, I stormed into my father’s chambers, where he lay resting. His illness sapped the strength from him day by day. I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Why?” I demanded. “Why do I have to pay the price for this useless truce? Why me?”