No More Your Little Sister, Alpha King: Read Chapters 1-5

Aria:

“Wait for me.”

Those words were only mouthed from afar by the most handsome and captivating man I had ever seen.

“Alpha Sebastian,” I whispered his name as I watched him turn and leave with Celina, the daughter of the alpha of the Shadow Pack.

Sebastian meant everything to me.

He wasn’t just my guardian but also my savior, the one who had rescued me from a snowy forest, given me a home, attended my parent-teacher meetings at the Wolf Academy, and stayed up all night guarding me when I was sick.

Goddess, it felt so wrong watching him walk away with another she-wolf. I knew I wasn’t supposed to have these feelings for him.

He was older, much older, and had probably only ever thought of me as someone under his protection.

Today was my coming-of-age ceremony. He had thrown a grand celebration in my honor.

All the pack elders were present, but my focus never left Sebastian, the tall, dark, mysterious Alpha.

“Will you please excuse me?”

I excused myself, lifting the hem of my gown so it would be easier to follow after Sebastian and Celina.

As soon as I reached the corner of the hallway, a voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Sebastian, I have admired you for so long.”

Celina’s tone was soft but seductive.

My fist tightened around the fabric of my dress as I leaned closer, peeking around the corner.

She stood before Sebastian, her eyes filled with desire.

It felt forbidden to be so jealous, but I couldn’t stop myself. I couldn’t watch him with her.

While keeping her eyes locked on him, Celina began to unbutton her top until her lacy bra showed.

I gasped softly, covering my mouth as tears burned at the corners of my eyes. It was too much to bear.

She rose on her tiptoes, trying to kiss my guardian angel. My lips trembled, pain spreading through me like fire.

Is this how it feels to love someone you can’t have?

Until now, I thought these feelings were just part of growing up, the natural curiosity that came with age.

But when I saw her being so bold with him, I realized it was much worse. I was in love with him. I was in love with my guardian.

Through my teary eyes, I kept watching. Sebastian didn’t move. His arms were crossed, his back resting against the wall.

Then, in a cold voice, he spoke.

“Today you have crossed all your lines.”

Hearing those words felt like a blessing. I smiled weakly, watching him reject her.

“But I like you,” Celina said, stepping closer.

She reached for his collar, trying to pull him in for a kiss, but he caught her wrists and pushed her back before turning to leave. It all happened in seconds.

I stepped aside, hiding behind a partition so Sebastian could walk away.

As he left, I wondered if I should follow him and tell him how I felt.

Then someone grabbed the hair at the back of my head and yanked me backward.

“Ouch!” I grimaced as my back hit the wall.

Celina stepped forward, pressing a dagger to my throat.

Her eyes were wide and wild, full of anger.

“What the heck– are you do—oing?” I asked, my voice breaking in fear.

“Who do you think you are, huh? You little piece of—” Celina snarled in my face, and I whimpered.

The cold, sharp blade pressed so tightly it almost cut my neck.

“I didn’t do anything. I was just passing by,” I said, my voice shaking.

“You take up all his time, and you don’t even realize you’ve become his weakness,” she spat. “See how easy it was to pin you to the wall? Do you want me to hold you hostage and make him tear his heart out to save you?”

Fear widened my eyes. I realized she could do exactly that.

“Why would you do that?” I asked, trembling. “He’s a good man.”

“It seems you care too much for him,” Celina warned, pressing the dagger harder. “You’re taking all his attention. Listen, you’re already eighteen. You should be fine on your own. Why do you need a guardian?”

“I don’t understand. What do you want from me?” I whimpered.

“I want you to leave,” she said coldly. “If you do not, Aria, I will get my hands on you. Then your guardian will have to present his heart in a platter to save you.” Her eyes made it clear she meant it.

She was the daughter of an alpha, of course she had her ways. She could not defeat Sebastian in a fair fight, but she could use me against him.

Tears burned my eyes as I realized what she wanted.

“You have thirty minutes to run. I’m giving you a head start. Never come back, and Sebastian will live,” she hissed, then stepped back.

I ran away in a panic.

I entered the hall and immediately bumped into Sebastian.

“Where were you? I’ve been looking for you,” he asked in a stern tone.

I looked around to see that the guests were busy with food and chatter.

“I need to speak with you,” I whispered, glancing over my shoulder to make sure Celina didn’t see me.

Her warriors were watching me, talking among themselves. Too many eyes were on me. I felt trapped.

“Come with me.” I grabbed Sebastian’s hand and guided him toward the kitchen.

He resisted slightly. That was unusual.

“What is it?” he asked once we reached the kitchen, still sounding urgent.

“I need to talk about something important,” I uttered softly.

I pointed toward the door, ready to explain what Celina had said to me, but his expression stopped me.

“I know what you’re going to say,” he said coldly.

“What is this?” He then held out a crumpled piece of paper.

I recognized it immediately—the letter I had left in his pocket, confessing my feelings.

I had just turned eighteen. I had hoped telling him would show that he didn’t need to act as my guardian when there was no blood relation between us.

I had kept my feelings hidden, waiting for the right moment. Now that moment had come, it was ruined by Celina’s threat.

“What does it say, Aria?” he asked, his eyes cold.

“Sebastian, it is—-,” I said, trying again.

He raised his palm, stopping me, and uncrumpled the letter. The way he handled it already hurt.

“My dear Sebastian, thank you for the gift for my coming of age. I have a gift for you too. It is me. Will you accept me?” he read out loud and I closed my eyes in embarrassment.

“Aria, listen carefully,” he muttered under his clenched jaw. “I am your guardian. How could you even think like that? How could you think that about us?”

He began to scold me, and the courage I had gathered to tell him about Celina began to fade.

“Sebastian, I am not a child anymore. I know my feelings. My wolf soul has woken up, and I really like you,” I said, shaking and rubbing my palms together nervously.

“Well, then you shouldn’t,” he replied firmly. “There is never going to be anything else. I am your guardian. I will never be more than that. Forget it. Get it out of your head. Don’t ever say this in front of anyone else. Do you understand?”

He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer as he spoke. My eyes blurred with tears.

I noticed Celina’s guards wandering outside the kitchen.

“Understood,” I said in a broken voice.

“Now fix yourself and come back to the hall. Everyone is waiting,” he said coldly. He jerked his coat and stormed out, crushing my dreams, my hopes, and my love.

Celina’s warriors entered the kitchen shortly after, smirking and moving around like little ants. I knew their presence was a reminder—they were watching me.

Remembering how Sebastian had rejected me, I realized the most I could do for him now was save his life. Perhaps that would be my ultimate gift, in return for everything he had given me over the years.

I stepped back and turned, running toward the exit.

Just as I stepped one foot outside, I stopped and looked back at the mansion. Tears filled my eyes.

“Bye, Sebastian. Your Aria will do anything to save your life, even if it means removing myself from your life,” I whispered, then sprinted away.

Aria:

Two Years Later:

It hurts to walk away from someone you love, but sometimes it’s the only way to move forward.

I sat across the counter and twirled my finger. The 10-carat moon-star ring sparkled under the light, casting a soft glow across my reflection.

Two years ago, when I escaped from Sebastian’s care, I found my biological parents. They introduced me to their adopted daughter, Victoria—my so-called sister and the reason for my absence.

Later, I got engaged to Alpha Ethan, the man I was supposed to marry soon. Yet, a quiet sorrow would often settle in my heart and remind me of the man I could never forget.

Sebastian.

He was a forbidden fruit to me, just as I was to him.

I was drowning in memories of the past when my phone suddenly rang. It was my best friend, Chloe.

“Aria, I just saw Alpha Ethan,” she said, her voice filled with urgency. “He’s with Victoria at Silver Crown Pack’s birthing center.”

The words ‘birthing center’ pierced through all my happy fantasies like icy needles. The smile on my face froze, fading bit by bit.

“So Ethan couldn’t come with me to try on the engagement ring because he had something urgent,” I muttered softly. “And that urgent matter turns out to be Victoria.”

I was sitting in a high-end jewelry store, checking the engagement ring I had chosen for myself, something my fiancé should have been there for.

Realization sank in. This engagement didn’t mean much to Alpha Ethan.

The next moment, under the stunned eyes of the manager and employees, I slipped off the priceless ring.

With one sharp motion, I threw it. The ring glinted once in the air before landing with a faint thud inside the garbage bin.

I stood up and walked away, my heels clicking sharply against the floor.

When I reached the parking lot, I climbed into my car and slammed the door shut. The driver already knew where I was headed.

To Ethan Pack’s headquarters.

I sat in the back seat, restless and impatient, watching the streets blur past until we arrived.

The moment the car stopped, I stepped out and took the elevator straight to the top floor.

When the doors opened, I walked down the hallway and pushed open his office door.

Ethan was sitting behind his desk, his eyes calm, showing not a trace of shame.

“You’re here,” he said flatly. “Victoria’s wolf soul is critically injured. She’s in a dangerous condition and needs someone by her side, so our wedding has to be postponed.”

He opened a drawer, took out a gold-stamped envelope, and slid it toward me.

His tone carried a hint of arrogance.

“This is a recommendation letter for you to join the Moonstone Pack for advanced training, something you’ve always wanted, right? Go there for two years, and when you come back—”

Before he could finish, I snatched the envelope from his hand without even glancing at it.

“Alpha Ethan,” I said sharply, stepping closer to him, “the wedding isn’t postponed. It’s canceled. I’m not marrying you.”

I leaned forward, close enough to catch the scent of another woman on him. A cold smile touched my lips.

“My fiancé couldn’t spare time to accompany me to try on engagement rings, but he went to the birthing center with another woman. Tell me, is she really injured? Or did she happen to conceive your child? Does playing both sides make you feel excited?”

Right in front of Ethan, I tore the envelope in half with a sharp rip, then again and again until the pieces scattered through the air like confetti.

With a flick of my wrist, I sent the torn bits flying across his desk.

Ethan’s expression darkened instantly.

He shot up from his chair, the heavy pressure of his Alpha presence filling the room. His voice thundered with fury.

“Aria, you’re getting more and more audacious!”

My body trembled, but I refused to bow to his authority. I hurled the remaining scraps of paper at his face and stormed out, slamming the door behind me.

I tried to move gracefully, but tears blurred my vision as I turned away.

Our two-year engagement, pretending there was no love, had been a lie. I forced down my emotions and hurried into the elevator.

Just as I stepped outside, I saw Victoria getting out of a car.

The name I have never learned to like.

You would think that after my return, my parents would love me just as much. But no. Victoria remained their favorite.

She stepped out of the car, flicking her hair with that same arrogance I had seen since the first day we met.

She wore branded clothes, her nails perfectly manicured. Even her smile carried pride, the kind where only one corner of her lips lifted.

But what she never understood was that everything she had was mine to begin with. And yet, she wasn’t grateful.

For a moment, she looked surprised to see me. Then she quickly put on that sickly-sweet tone.

“Isn’t it strange?” she asked, walking toward me, voice soft and delicate but eyes sharp.

“Instead of going with you to pick your ring, he’s been running around worrying about me. You know, he even insists that I sit in the passenger seat with him. Isn’t that crazy?” she chuckled.

She gave a small laugh and kept going, her words dripping with false innocence.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, but I heard he’s never even asked you to sit in his car. What does he really think of you, Aria? Tell me, what are you even to him?”

Her words hit me like a bullet. It wasn’t the pain of him choosing her over me. It was the anger that he did.

But in the next moment, when she stepped back, tripped, and fell on her back as if a strong wind had blown her away, I rolled my eyes.

It was such a bad act, but I didn’t understand why she’d pretend to fall, not until I heard footsteps behind me.

Then I understood everything.

“Oh, so you want to play, huh?” I grunted, not letting her manipulate me.

“Fine, I’ll play along,” I said, turning around and flashing a smile at Ethan, who was behind me—the reason she acted like I pushed her.

Since she already made me look like the bad one, I thought, why not?

I grabbed Victoria’s hair, ignoring her scream and Ethan’s roar, and dragged her toward the nearby restroom.

Splash!

I turned on the tap and pressed her head into the sink.

“Let emmm—go! Let mehhhh—- go!” she shouted, gurgling as icy water splashed over her face.

Her hands shot up, gripping my wrist as she struggled to pull away.

But I coldly lifted her, and as soon as she gasped, I slammed her head into the water again.

“Aria, you’re insane!”

Ethan arrived, and when he saw Victoria pressed into the sink, fury flashed in his eyes.

He rushed forward, grabbed my shoulder, and shoved me away.

I stumbled back, watching him shield Victoria, his face wild.

I didn’t back down. I stepped forward and kicked Victoria in the stomach with my ten-centimeter heels.

“Ah!” she screamed.

“How dare you hit her!” Ethan shouted as he crouched and cradled Victoria, his voice full of concern.

“Victoria, are you okay? Hang on.”

He looked at me like I was an enemy. I ignored him, picked up a stone, and struck Ethan on the forehead.

“Bang!”

A cut opened at his temple and blood started to run down his face.

In his shock, I snatched his car keys from his pocket, walked to his limited-edition sports car, and drove away without looking back.

Aria:

“I, Aria, hereby end my engagement to Alpha Ethan. From now on, we are strangers.”

I recorded the video and held up the photos to the camera.

They showed Ethan opening a car door for Victoria, with the fertility center visible in the background.

After showing the pictures, I set them down and continued,

"Here are some intimate photos of what’s really going on. I wish you both - together in the sickbed of love, to eternity."

I hissed as I uploaded the video to the official information platform of the Silver Crown Pack.

That was my announcement to the cheaters and to every pack that needed to see it.

As expected, the moment I released the statement, my phone was flooded with messages.

I had no intention of replying to anyone. I pressed the power button and shut it off. But of course, the peace didn’t last long.

The landline in the apartment started ringing nonstop.

When I answered, I realized it was my biological mother from the Wilson Pack, the one I had found after so many years.

Yet she still loved her adopted daughter, Victoria, more than me.

“Aria, have you lost your mind? Do you even understand what this statement will do to the Wilson Pack’s reputation?” My mother screamed.

“You’re dragging us through the mud and letting people enjoy our family’s conflict. And why the hell are you talking nonsense about your sister Victoria online? She’s your sister, for God’s sake! Don’t ruin her image like that!” she shouted, her voice filled with restrained anger.

But her meaning was clear.

“Sister?” I laughed. “Maybe you’ve forgotten she’s the daughter of an omega, a thief who stole nineteen years of my life. She lived as me while I suffered,” I retorted, trying to remind her of how unfair they’d been to me even after learning I was their real daughter.

Victoria, the pampered girl they had raised for nineteen years, was nothing but a despicable omega who had been maliciously switched with me at the pack hospital back then.

I, the true daughter, had been left to fend for myself until they found me two years ago, and even then, they never showed me real affection.

“Shut up, Aria!” my mother yelled.

“Victoria is the daughter we raised. Blood isn’t the only thing that makes a family. And you, ever since you came back, all you’ve done is cause trouble. You’re not even grateful that we took you in! I’ll ask you one last time, how long will you keep holding on to that accident from two years ago? It was just an accident! Get over it!” she hissed.

But it wasn’t an accident. It was a murder plot planned by Victoria to stop me from returning home.

The brakes had failed, and my car had plunged into an icy lake.

My wolf’s soul was nearly shattered. I spent three months in the hospital.

“An accident?” My voice turned cold. “The real accident is that I’m still alive for you.”

My voice cracked, though I wished she’d noticed.

But she was too blinded by her love for Victoria to hear the shake in my tone, or the pain behind it.

“You’re impossible,” she said bitterly. “I wish you had never come back, Aria. Everything was going so well.”

Her words cut through me like silver. I couldn’t listen anymore. The pain grew heavier, so I ended the call.

A warm tear rolled down my cheek as I leaned back in the chair to rest.

The door suddenly slammed open, revealing my father, Alpha James of the Wilson Pack, stepping into my apartment.

His expression was stern, though he tried to wear the mask of a concerned parent.

“Daughter, I know you’re hurting, but this could all be a misunderstanding. You cannot walk away from the marriage like that, and you certainly cannot damage your sister’s reputation online,” he told me, forcing his voice to sound calm.

But his words carried no real concern for me.

“He’s cheating on me with the woman you call my sister. That’s it. I’m not agreeing to this marriage,” I replied, not even getting up from my chair.

My body had given up, but inside, I was still fighting.

“I’m not here to negotiate with you.” He moved closer, glancing around the living room.

His eyes landed on the glass of wine on the side table, and he scoffed as if I were lazy, as if I were the one being cruel.

“For the reputation of this pack, and for our alliance with the Silver Crown Pack, you cannot back out of this marriage,” he warned.

“You must immediately issue a statement saying it was all a misunderstanding and that Victoria’s name is clean and that you will marry Ethan.” he sighed tiredly.

“You want me to trade my marriage and dignity for your pack’s alliance?” I asked, staring at him in disbelief.

“You’re speaking as if this pack’s honor means nothing to you,” he said, frowning deeply.

“For the last time, it wasn’t a misunderstanding, and I’m not marrying him,” I answered quietly but firmly, crossing my arms as I leaned back in the recliner.

“You!” My father clenched his fists. His face darkened with fury, and this time he didn’t bother to hide it.

“Fine! From today, all your resources are frozen. Your car, your apartment and everything the pack has given you, I’ll take it all back. Without this pack, you’re nothing, Aria.”

He turned away, storming out of the room and slamming the door shut behind him.

He never asked why my eyes were swollen.

‘Without the Wilson Pack, you’re nothing.’

His words echoed in my head as the room fell into heavy silence.

Memories from the past two years flooded my mind, Victoria’s fake smiles, her endless praise, and the protection she received.

No matter how much effort or sacrifice I made, to them I was nothing.

I rose from the chair and took a few steps before collapsing to the floor. My trembling fingers unconsciously traced a name on the ground.

Sebastian!

My heart skipped a beat at the memory of him from two years ago, but I quickly forced it away.

Being alone was better than staying by his side and becoming his weakness.

It had been two years. I wondered if his troubles were finally over.

If I hadn’t left back then, would I have only ruined him more?

The thought made my chest tighten just as my phone rang.

It was Olivia, my studio assistant. On the other end, her voice was bright and full of excitement.

“Aria, we’ve secured the northern project for the next three years! We have full design rights for the North Defense Fortress and Training Camp. The first installment of fifty million in funding is already on the way!” she said happily.

As I listened, a small smile spread across my lips. Whenever one door closes, another opens.

I reached out and flipped over the photos of Ethan, Victoria, and the rest of my so-called family on the side table.

At that moment, I decided, I’m not going to fall. I never do.

Aria:

The warm water eased my muscles as I lifted my hand, my fingertips sliding toward my neck, searching for the moonstone pendant.

Empty.

My heart dropped. A wave of panic rushed through me.

It was the pendant Sebastian had given me on my sixteenth birthday.

It was gone.

Without drying off, I ran into the bedroom and searched frantically, turning out the pockets of my clothes.

Then I rushed to the living room and checked every inch of the sofa seams and carpet.

Nothing.

I cursed under my breath. It wasn’t just a pendant, it was my only link to the past.

Two years ago, when I decided to leave him, the last thing I did was turn off the pendant’s locator.

And now, it was gone.

My mind raced, replaying every moment of the day.

The fight with Ethan in the office, the argument with Victoria when I stormed out, shoving her against the sink in the bathroom.

Yes. It must have fallen off then.

I quickly dressed, grabbed my car keys, and ran out.

I pushed the car to its limit, my only thought echoing again and again, I have to find it.

When I reached the Pack Headquarters building, the square was nearly empty.

I wandered through it like a ghost, checking every corner of the bathroom again. Still nothing.

My chest grew colder with each minute. Maybe it fell into the bushes outside.

Under the dim light of the street lamps, I knelt down, pushing through the damp grass and soil.

My fingers scraped against sharp stones, but I didn’t feel the pain.

Just as I was about to give up, my fingertips brushed against something cold and solid.

There it was.

I gripped it tightly, tears blurring my eyes. Pressing it to my chest, I felt its cool surface, as if touching it could bring me closer to him again.

Then a shadow loomed over me.

“Hey, little girl. Hiding something nice?” a rough voice said above me.

I looked up and saw a filthy man standing there, his eyes filled with greed as he stared at me.

I stood up slowly, slipped the pendant into my pocket, and looked at him coldly.

“Get lost!” I hissed.

The man hesitated, then his face twisted with anger.

“You bitch, I was being nice to you!” he shouted, reaching for my arm.

I dodged to the side and kicked him hard. The sole of my shoe hit his cheekbone, and he cried out, stumbling backward.

I turned to run, but he grabbed my hair and yanked me back.

A sharp pain shot through my scalp, and for a moment, everything went dark.

“Damn it! You dare fight back?” he growled, his hand roughly patting me down. “Hand over anything valuable!”

I struggled and drove my elbow into his stomach. We were still fighting when a blinding beam of light swept over us.

A car screeched to a halt, and a door slammed open. A figure rushed out, shouting sharply, “Stop!”

The man froze, looking startled.

“Ugh! Fuck!” He cursed, released me, and disappeared into the dark alley.

I held my aching scalp, gasping for air, my clothes torn and messy from the struggle.

“Aria?”

The familiar voice made me lift my head. Standing there was my best friend, Chloe. Her eyes were wide with shock and worry.

“Oh my god, it’s really you! Are you okay? Are you hurt?” she cried, running to me. She grabbed my shoulders, relief flooding her face. “Thank goodness I passed by! What happened to you?”

Seeing her almost in tears warmed my heart. Today had been a disaster, but at least I wasn’t alone.

“Let’s find a place to talk,” I said, taking her hand.

In the café, Chloe sat across from me, still anxious.

“Aria, what are you going to do now? Your apartment, your car– they’re taking everything tomorrow,” she murmured.

“Don’t worry, Chloe.” I cut her off gently and slipped the cleaned pendant back around my neck.

“I won’t die. In fact, I’ll live better than anyone else.” As I said those words, disbelief spread across Chloe’s face.

I held her hand and patted the back of it, deciding to tell her the secret I had kept for two years.

“Do you know why I left the people who raised me, and why I agreed to get engaged to Ethan?” I asked.

Chloe shook her head. She looked surprised that I was finally ready to talk about the guardian who had raised me for eighteen years before I found my real parents.

“I left because my guardian was in danger,” I explained softly, my fingers brushing the cold surface of the pendant. “I didn’t want to become his weakness.”

I paused, taking a breath before continuing.

“Getting engaged to Ethan was just a way to make everyone believe I had cut all ties with my past. I needed a powerful pack to protect me and to hide my true ace.”

Chloe frowned, her confusion deepening.

“Your true ace?” she asked.

“Yes. My Starlight Design Studio.”

The moment I said it, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

“I’m now the most trusted partner of the King of the North,” I told her, in a quiet confidence in my tone. “My yearly income could buy ten Wilson Packs. So tell me, Chloe, do you still think I need their charity?”

As she started cheering, she accidentally knocked over her coffee.

I had to calm her down before heading back to my apartment, the one that no longer belonged to me.

I placed the pendant on a piece of velvet cloth and gently wiped it again.

Under the light, it reflected a faint, steady glow, the same kind of calm strength I remembered from him.

I found myself staring at it, lost in thought.

Suddenly, the moonstone at the center of the pendant flashed red without warning.

My chest tightened. I quickly picked it up to inspect it.

The emergency locator inside must have been triggered, either when I fought earlier or when it fell.

I tried frantically to shut it off, just like I had done in the past, but it was too late.

The signal had already gone out.

My breath caught as realization hit me. The signal had reached the man who gave it to me.

Sebastian!

Now he knew where I was.

Sebastian:

Two full years, seven hundred and thirty days and nights, and a gaping hole remained in my heart.

I drowned myself in the strongest whiskey and endless affairs, throwing myself into one project after another, trying to numb my nerves with alcohol and bury every waking moment in work so that not even a thought of her could creep in.

I believed I could dull the pain she left behind when she ran away and abandoned me.

But then I remembered the words I had told her. I had looked into her beautiful, innocent eyes and carelessly said that I could be nothing more than her guardian.

Those words, spoken at her coming-of-age ceremony two years ago, haunted me every night.

I regretted them endlessly.

I didn’t mean them.

I only told them to protect her, to keep her from becoming a target of the Shadow Pack, from my enemies.

But in the end, it was my fault. I had driven her out of my world with my own hands.

I stared at the wall of my office, covered with a map of pack territories marked with red symbols.

Each symbol represented a search team I had sent out.

They had scoured every inch of wilderness and waded through every swamp, but all their efforts had been in vain.

She was like a shooting star, fallen into endless darkness, vanished completely from my life.

Sometimes I thought I was losing my mind, wondering if she was gone forever.

The thought alone dragged me into the deepest hell. I picked up my glass of whiskey, trying to bring it to my lips, when suddenly a sharp beeping broke the silence.

Beep, beep, beep.

The top-level tracking system on the console, silent for two long years, erupted with a piercing alarm.

The glass slipped from my hand, shattering on the floor.

I didn’t care.

My eyes locked on the red dot flashing on the screen, finally fixing on her location.

The moonstone pendant I had given her four years ago, embedded with a custom tracker for her safety, had been silent for years, but now it had come alive, pointing to a specific place.

For a moment I froze.

Then my blood surged through my veins, pounding in my temples.

Joy exploded in my chest, adrenaline flooding my limbs.

She’s alive.

I’ve found her.

That was all I could think of.

“Analyze all data immediately,” I shouted into the communicator, my voice trembling.

The pendant not only tracked her location but also gathered faint environmental data from her surroundings.

My assistant, Marcus, quickly projected the readings onto the screen.

“Alpha location locked. Vital signs stable,” he reported.

When I heard the word stable, the tension that had gripped me for seven hundred days finally eased.

But a second later, Marcus’s voice faltered.

“There’s one more reading. The system marked it as abnormal.”

“Spit it out,” I demanded.

“Another alpha’s signal has been detected nearby,” he replied. “The source is unknown but highly active.”

The warmth that had flooded me froze in an instant.

Ecstasy turned to dread, then to a blazing jealousy that could burn everything to ash. Another alpha—with her?

I had searched for two years, and she was in another man’s territory, with another alpha.

The air felt sucked out of the room, leaving only the sound of my heavy breathing.

My nails dug into my palms. Marcus, sensing the fury radiating from me, didn’t dare speak.

My voice came out calm, almost cold, though beneath it seethed the hunger for destruction ready to erupt into blood and ruin.

“Prepare the backup immediately,” I hissed.

Aria:

After the pendant’s alarm activated for the first time in two years, I felt an unexpected calm wash over me.

Maybe it was better this way. He was going to find me sooner or later, so why keep running? Perhaps it was finally time to stop.

Buzz.

The vibration of my phone startled me from my tangled thoughts.

On the screen flashed an unfamiliar number, but the area code was unmistakable, it had to be Ethan, that persistent man again.

I rolled my eyes, ended the call, and immediately added his number to the block list.

I wasn’t about to let him ruin my peace of mind.

After a long, exhausting day, I deserved a comforting shower and a quiet night.

I headed to the bathroom, took a shower, and changed into a soft silk robe. But just as I was about to go to sleep, the doorbell rang.

“Are you fucking serious?” I muttered, glaring at the door.

The first thought that hit me—Ethan.

That lunatic actually came to my place. My irritation flared instantly.

Maybe it was for the best, I needed an outlet for my anger, and the opportunity had just shown up.

I marched toward the door, ready to confront him and make it clear I wasn’t someone he could push around.

But the moment I yanked the door open, all that anger drained away. My body froze, and my eyes widened.

Standing outside was a tall, broad man, definitely not Ethan.

After two years, he had only grown more devastatingly handsome.

A simple black shirt clung to his shoulders and chest, radiating a suffocating pressure that filled the doorway.

That was alpha-level dominance, overwhelming and powerful, nothing like Ethan’s.

His face was as striking as ever, though now covered with a thin layer of frost.

His eyes deepened when they met mine, holding me captive as if trying to draw me in completely.

“Sebastian…” I breathed, frozen in place like lightning had struck me. My mind went blank.

He studied my shocked expression, the frost at the corner of his lips melting into a dangerous curve.

Then his arm reached out and pulled me into a scorching embrace.

I collided against his solid chest, breathing in that familiar scent I had missed for two long years.

For two years, I had ached for his warmth, his scent, everything about him.

His hot breath brushed against my ear as his low, magnetic voice murmured, “Little thing, did you have fun? Vanished for two years without a single message–have you grown bold?”