“…Papa! “I choke, rushing to his side.
His eyes flicker open, dim, in agony, but somehow still holding the fierce love I have known all my life.
“Siena,” he whispers, his fingers twitching weakly. I catch his hand, gripping tightly as if I could somehow tether him, anchor him in this world.
Tears blur my vision. “I’m here. I got here.”
Then, just as the flame of a candle flickers the last of its light, he exhales slow, painful sounds. “…I knew you were strong, Siena. Stronger than I could ever hope for, stronger than I could ever be…”
“Papa, don’t say that,” I whisper, shaking my head. You’re the best alpha Windhowl had ever had.”
A ghost of a smile tugs at his lips. “No, my girl. I was…I was a failure. I led this pack into ruin. But you–you could be different. You could have ruled over Windhowl.”
The words land, a searing punch to my soul that I did not expect. “Papa, please-”
“I regret that one thing, letting you marry into Silverfang. You should have been here, leading. Not….not sacrificed for politics or love Siena. “His breath catches, his fingers tighten around mine before going slack.
“….Papa?” Panic surges. “Papa!”
…. But he is gone.
The great flame of Windhowl has been extinguished.
The Alpha is no more.
The weight of grief crashes over me, swallowing me up without mercy or complaint. I am drowning in its unforgiving tide.
The room blurs as I clutch his lifeless hand, my body trembling with the sobs of a daughter, of a people.
Around me, murmurs of mourners begging to fill the space, pack members gather, whopper, grieve.
Then, the reality strikes a merciless blow.
The Windhowl Pack is drowning in debt. Without an Alpha, we stand leaderless, vulnerable. The check I brought–a feeble attempt to help–is a mere drop in an ocean of ruin.
Turning to where my younger brother stands, his pale face stares back from the doorway. Too young. Too inexperienced.
He cannot take this on.
Rairity clears her throat. “Siena,” she hesitates, settling a kind hand on my still trembling shoulder. “The council will need to decide. Without an alpha, the pack….we’re defenseless. We may have no choice but to place our future in Raiden’s hands; we could see the need to annex.”
Absorb us; this legacy that my father has built? This community that Raiden knew nothing or cared even less about?
20.33 Sun, 20 Apr
Chapter 3
My breath catches. My phone buzzes, the screen lighting up his name.
Raiden. Killer of hearts.
[From Raiden:
63%
+5
Stop messing about. There is a Gala tomorrow, and I expect your presence. Be back inside pack grounds before the sun sets.]
I swallow hard; the lump in my throat grows. Another message follows
[Don’t make me repeat myself, Siena. You will do as you’re told.]
My fingers tremble–a hollow ache spreads like an infection through my chest. I sense the eyes of the back resting on my form, but I cannot bring myself to console them, not yet.
This is the man that I chose over my pack. The man my father regretted me marrying unto his very last breath. And now, when I need him the most, he dismisses my grief like an inconvenience.
Something inside me shatters.
The last illusion of love, of loyalty–they are dead.
“Siena?”
Rairity’s voice is somewhere in the back of my mind.
I block the number.
The silence fills the room. It’s swallowing us all now. Every eye turns to me, waiting. They need a leader.
My father’s words echo in my mind.
You could’ve ruled Windhowl.
Lifting my chin, my voice steady despite the storm that rages on inside. “I’ll do it.”
I face Rairity. She blinks, “Do what, Siena?”
“I’m taking over Rairity. I am acting Alpha henceforth.”
Standing, I face the grouping of my pack embers. “Effective immediately, I am acting as leader of Wolfhowl Pack.”
A murmur ripples through the room.
Doubt. Shock. Hope?
“Siena, you’re married into Silverfang. They won’t-”
“Silverfang is not my home, not my pack,” I cut in, voice sharp, a growl rumbling just low enough to let Rairity know she is treading on dangerous territory.
“Windhowl is my pack, my family, all of you. It is my duty to step up and an honor to lead you all into the next era.”
Under everyone’s shocked gaze, I slowly lifted my head.
For the first time in a long time, I feel something other than grief. I believe it is purpose.
To whatever end that may be, I will not fail.
3/4
08:33 Sun, 20 Apr
Chapter 3
“I will become the Alpha.”
I say.
