- 8 hours ago
The Alpha's Regret Her New Hero
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00:02To let my mate focus on his position, I stayed behind in the old estate, caring for his ailing
00:06mother. In this 10 years, Kalen returned once a year. He never touched me. He said that if I were
00:12to carry a pup while he was away, there would be no one to look after me, and that would
00:16break his
00:16heart. Every time he left, he cursed himself for his failings, swore on the moon he would come for
00:21me once he had made something of himself. In the 11th winter, heavy snow blocked the roads. Kalen
00:27sent word that he would be delayed. I was about to bring the news to Lady Maren when I heard
00:31her
00:31speaking with my sister-in-law. Mother, you've been faking this illness for over 10 years. How much
00:37longer? What else can be done? Kalen's heart has always belonged to that sworn sister of his. They
00:41bonded in secret, behind the pack's back. Their pups are nearly grown. If we don't keep Elena here,
00:46she'll go to the city and destroy everything. Kalen's rank as Alpha of the Eastern Pack would
00:50be finished. Let it be. Keep quiet. Kalen said once his position is secure, he will make it right with
00:55Elena. My eyes burned. Kalen wasn't struggling. He was Alpha of the Eastern Pack, and he hadn't
01:01been keeping his distance to protect me. He had someone else. I went to the training grounds and
01:05found the low-ranking warrior who had watched me for years. Do you still want me as your mate?
01:11Elena, I will treat you well. Forgive me one month. I march out tonight. This time I'll return
01:16with a deed worth claiming you. I don't need glory. Just come back safe. I watched him leave,
01:24then walked home. The estate should have been dark. Mother, you should have gone to bed by now.
01:31A tall figure stood against the candlelight. A familiar voice cut through the wind and snow.
01:36Elena, I'm home.
01:40A year had passed. Kalen carried himself differently now, steadier, with the quiet authority that comes
01:47with rank. He opened his arms, waiting for me to go to him the way I always had. I didn't.
01:53You haven't eaten, have you? Let me make you something.
01:57What's wrong? A year apart and you're not glad to see me? Are you angry with me?
02:03Go sit with Mother. I'll call you when the food is ready.
02:05Before I'd learned the truth, I had missed him. Had been a little cross with him, too. No mate wants
02:10to be kept so far away, for so long. But once I understood everything, I stopped wanting anything.
02:15Things became simpler. Better to part quietly than to rage and stay. I remained silent and cooked in the
02:20kitchen. Kalen followed. Elena, what's happened? Have you heard something?
02:24Out here in the backwoods, we barely see a stranger from one season to the next. What would I have
02:28heard? Don't worry yourself, Kalen. Elena, I came back to bring you all to the city.
02:32But there's something I need to tell you first.
02:34My chest tightened. I already knew what was coming. After ten years, he had finally run out
02:39of patience. You must be Elena. I'm Sarith, Kalen's sworn sister and his mate. These are
02:47mine and Kalen's. Go on, call her Auntie Elena. Auntie Elena. Elena, let me explain.
02:55Elena, let me explain. I was ambushed by rogue wolves on the road to the city. Sarith saved my
02:59life. I only meant to take her in as a sworn sister, but she had no one, no pack, nowhere
03:03to go. I
03:04wanted to give her a home. It was gratitude, nothing more. If you're hurt, curse me, strike me,
03:08I'll bear it. I only ask that once you come to the city, you and she can find some people.
03:12Going to the city is a good thing. I'm not upset. Mother hasn't recovered in all this time. Perhaps
03:18the city healers will do what ours couldn't. Really? You forgive me? Elena, start packing
03:24tonight. We leave in two days and we'll make it back for Christmas. Mother doesn't have much.
03:30Packing her things won't take long. I'll sort her medicines for the road. You can all leave at
03:34first light. What do you mean? You're not coming with us?
03:40I met his gaze. My voice stayed level.
03:43Kaelin, if we leave for good, I need to settle the land and the estate first.
03:48Leaving it empty still means taxes to the pack. That's wasteful.
03:52Go ahead and take everyone home for Christmas. Once I've handled things here, I'll come to
03:58you in the spring.
03:58When I had first come to this estate, we lived in a borrowed den with walls that let the wind
04:03through, funding his studies, saving coin, until I had bought this house and these two fields.
04:08It had ended the family's hunger. It had given Kaelin a place to become what he was.
04:13Elena, I'm Alpha of the Eastern Pack now. Silver is not the problem. Give the land to whoever
04:17needs it. Save yourself the trouble.
04:19I earned it with my own hands. I'm not ready to let go.
04:24Trust me. Once it's done, I'll come to you. I won't be long.
04:28Kaelin hesitated. Kaelin, don't waver. The council's watching you. You leave her here
04:32and they dig into it and she says the wrong thing. Your seed is gone.
04:36I wasn't slow. I heard exactly what Kareth had just said. So it wasn't a change of heart
04:41that had brought Kaelin back. If the pack council confirmed it, they would report it to the High
04:46Alpha. The High Alpha was a man who made it once and meant it.
04:50If Kaelin wanted to keep his rank, the most important thing was keeping me quiet.
04:54It would be a lie to say that didn't hurt.
04:57Thirteen years. I had given this mating everything. Kaelin was pack-born but useless with his hands.
05:02Lady Maren was old and couldn't help. His brother was worse than useless. The whole family ran on my
05:06back. I never complained. I nursed Lady Maren. I had believed that kind of devotion would hold a
05:11mate for life. I had overestimated what I was worth to him. I finally understood what they say.
05:16A man who climbs always drops what carried him. I held back the burn in my eyes. Kept it from
05:21spilling. So that's what you're worried about? I can put it in writing. Whoever asks, I'll say
05:30I'm Kaelin's pack-sister, his adopted blood kin. Nothing more. Lady Maren and Kareth both stared.
05:37After a long silence, Kaelin said, half-believing,
05:40You would really do that for me? I smiled and nodded.
05:44For you, I would do anything. But to be safe, there's something you need to destroy first.
05:52Kaelin was cautious.
05:53What?
05:54I answered without flinching.
05:55The mating scroll. Yours and mine.
06:00Out here in the back territories, we hadn't stood on ceremony when we bonded. A mating scroll. A shared
06:06cup. That was all it had taken. No pack record. No council seal. So if the scroll was gone, I
06:12was
06:12no longer Kaelin's mate. I only had to wait for the warrior to come home. Then I could be claimed
06:18properly. I expected Kaelin to want this without hesitation. Instead, he went quiet.
06:24Elena, you once told me that scroll was the most precious thing you owned. You've given so much for
06:30this pack. For me. If you burned the last thing you held onto, how much would that cost you?
06:37Let's leave the scroll as it is.
06:39He had seen everything I'd sacrificed. He had remembered all of it. And still, year after year,
06:45he had left me here while he built a life with someone else. If he could watch out all of
06:50that and
06:50stay, then I had no reason left to hold onto one sheet of parchment. But I knew him. He wouldn't
06:56simply let me go.
06:59Kaelin, you know how much that scroll means to me. But for your future, I have to let it go.
07:06Once you take me to the city properly, you can make me a new one. Wouldn't that be enough?
07:13She's right. Your position can't afford loose threads.
07:19Burn it. Elena has done this for you. Make it up to her later.
07:26Elena, hiding this from you, that was wrong. But trust me, I will make this right.
07:33Wait for me. I will come for you myself with the best claiming gifts I can find.
07:37I'll take you as Kaelin again. Properly this time.
07:41In that moment, he looked entirely sincere. I chose not to believe it. I decided it was
07:47only something I was imagining. I lit both scrolls myself. The fire took them. That absurd mating
07:53those wasted years. And with them, the last of what I had held onto for over a decade.
08:02After Kaelin had gone in with Kareth and the children, she dropped the act entirely and
08:06sank to her knees in front of me.
08:10Elena, I failed you. I hid it from you all these years. You must hate me.
08:20Her hair had gone fully white. She was crying without restraint. I couldn't bring myself to
08:24leave her there. I helped her up.
08:29Mother, I know you love your son too much. I don't blame you. The illness was a pretense.
08:36But your body has all its real troubles. When you reach the city, listen to the healers.
08:43Elena, how can you be so good? When I'm gone, who will ever look after me the way you have?
08:51No matter what Kaelin does to you, I will always count you as my own daughter. I will never let
08:57anyone mistreat you.
09:00I understood her helplessness. I had never held it against her. But I was done trusting
09:04her too. She was still a mother. No matter what she said, her heart would always tilt
09:08toward her son. If the day came when she had to choose between Kaelin and me, she would
09:12choose him without a second thought.
09:14Mother, it's fine. Whoever Kaelin takes as his mate, she'll be half a daughter to you.
09:19You don't owe me anything.
09:23I had barely stepped out of Lady Meryn's room when Kareth was waiting in the yard.
09:27Elena, don't take anything Kaelin says at face value. The truth is, he never rescued me.
09:33I had thought that Lady Meryn's decade of deception and Kaelin's betrayal were already
09:37the worst of it. I was wrong. There was still more they had kept from me.
09:41Sarith had never saved Kaelin's life. It was the other way around. Kaelin had seen her,
09:45wanted her, used the blood sister bond as a way in, and destroyed the claiming she already
09:50had. Calling her his rescuer was Kaelin's strategy. He knew I was soft, that I always
09:54repaid what was owed. He had spoken to Lady Meryn first and built the story together, something
09:59designed to make me accept it, to make me give in.
10:01So everything he said about claiming you properly, it's nothing. Go to the city and you'll
10:06be a lesser mate, that's all. Oh, and his mother. All that talk about treating you like
10:10a daughter, do you believe it? When it comes down to you or her own grandchildren, who do
10:15you think she picks? Are you done?
10:18The morning they left, I walked the family to the edge of the settlement. I unclasped
10:22the only thing of value I still wore, the Luna Elders' silver clasp, and placed it in
10:26Sarith's hand. That's yours, Elena. Keep it. I shook my head and pinned it to Kaelin's
10:30collar myself. I said, Everyone in the settlement knows this clasp is the Luna Elders' piece,
10:36passed to the maid of the pack's heir. If I keep wearing it, it draws questions. Better
10:39that Sarith has it. Mother, Elena is right. When we're together again, I'll give it back.
10:43Elena, what I give you belongs to you. In my heart, you are the only true mate this family
10:48has had. When you come to the city, I will get it back for you.
10:51Foster brother, that pendant was my grandmother's, the only thing she left me. Could you return
10:56it?
10:57Elena, I'm not used to you calling me that. When there's no one listening, call me what
11:01you always have.
11:06Better to be careful. We can't hand anyone a thread to pull.
11:10Fine. Once I've claimed you properly, you can go back to it.
11:14Let me keep the pendant for now. It was your gift to me. It's what we have between us.
11:19I never understood that. He used to resent the pendant, said a grown male wearing something
11:22like that looked ridiculous. Now that I was willing to take it back, he had found reasons
11:26to keep it.
11:27Foster brother, Christmas is almost here. I'll be alone, and I'd like something to hold
11:31on to. When I come to the city, I'll make you another.
11:35Kaelin gave it up without warmth, pressing the pendant and a folded stack of silver notes
11:38into my hands. At the last moment, he turned back. He gripped my hand once.
11:43Stay home and wait. When spring opens the roads, I'll come for you myself. There's one
11:47more thing I haven't told you yet.
11:48All right.
11:49I watched them go, then walked back inside. I reached to the top of the cabinet and took
11:53down the pack I had already prepared.
11:57I left the silver notes on the table. Then I turned north and didn't look back. The
12:01warrior I had promised myself to was somewhere in that direction. I meant to be claimed before
12:05Kaelin ever came to collect me. When that day came, I would be someone else's. There
12:09would be nothing left to untangle, nothing left to demand of me. Winter roads are slow.
12:13I had little silver, and I was too careful with it to hire a cart. I walked when I could,
12:17stopped to take work in whatever town would have me, and moved on again when I'd saved
12:20enough. By the time the cold began to ease, I was close to the northern border.
12:24Elena, the border war is over. The northern campaign won. Once they've processed the captured
12:29forces, they'll be heading back through the territory. You'll see your promised mate before
12:32long. Your mate is a hero of this pack. Call it a gift from me. Hire a cart. Go meet
12:36him at the
12:36border city.
12:38Hired a cart, and arrived before the soldiers did. With what little silver I had left,
12:42I found the city watch captain and pressed it into his hand.
12:45Captain, my promised mate's name is Aldrich. When he arrives, please tell him I'm waiting
12:52in the second house east of the city gate.
12:55You're Aldrich's promised mate?
12:59He smiled a little awkwardly.
13:01Keep it. Just put in a word for me if you ever get the chance.
13:05I had no idea what he meant. Aldrich was a low-ranking warrior. What good would a word
13:09from him do? The captain had probably mistaken him for someone else. Still, silver saved was
13:14silver saved. Waiting wasn't easy. I knew what Aldrich felt for me. He had shown it
13:19for years. But I had been mated before. I wasn't sure whether he had said yes out of
13:23true wanting, or out of something that would fade. Then again, I thought it through, and
13:28it settled. If he had changed his mind, I would manage on my own. I had two hands and
13:32enough stubbornness. I wouldn't starve. Once I was at peace with that, everything felt
13:36lighter.
13:38I started cutting fabric for a claiming dress. The best material I could find. Useful if things
13:43went well. A small pleasure for myself if they didn't. The first time I was claimed,
13:47there had been no wedding at all. The pack had nothing. No wedding dress. No feast. When
13:51I'd finally had coin to spare, the first thing I did was return two full jugs to that neighbor.
13:54She had held my hands and cried,
13:56Elena, a girl like you? Why did you stay in that pack? You've suffered so much. You're
14:00strong and you're lovely. You could have had an elder son and it wouldn't have been
14:03reaching. Why tie yourself to a scholar who can't lift his own pack and grind your life
14:06away?
14:06That's your bias speaking. I trust him. He won't fail me.
14:09You are such a fool. Now I understood. She was the one who had seen clearly. The day
14:14I slipped away from the settlement, I had nearly walked into Kaylin's sister-in-law.
14:20It was that neighbor who spotted her first. She held the woman back, then sent her husband
14:24to pass me word.
14:25Move. Now. Elena, that pack was never worthy of you. Go. Live freely. Stop letting them keep
14:33you caged. I'll deal with your sister-in-law. They won't know you're gone for a while.
14:40I never found out what she said to buy me the time, but it had worked. For an entire month,
14:44no one had come looking. People, though, have a way of undoing themselves. On the third day,
14:49a cart stopped outside my door. I thought it was Aldrich. I ran out. It wasn't. Kaylin
14:55stood there, dust on his shoulders. Elena. His voice worn down to gravel.
15:01Kaylin said, Elena, you have no idea how long I've been looking for you. He was across the yard in
15:06a few strides, his hand locking around my wrist hard enough to grind. Kaylin said, Elena, you
15:11promised me. Why did you leave? Why come all the way out here? I spent half a month preparing. I
15:16rode to the settlement myself to bring you home, and the house was empty. I said, do you know how
15:20frightened I was? I stopped pulling against his grip. Alpha Kaylin, why waste your concern on me?
15:25The mating scroll is ash. I'm not your pack anymore. Where I go, whether I live or die,
15:31none of that is your matter. Kaylin's jaw tightened. Elena, I know you're hurting,
15:35but this kind of recklessness doesn't suit you. You told me you would come to the city.
15:39You gave me your word. How can you break it like this? Something in me gave up trying to stay
15:44composed. I said, when we were claimed, you gave me your word too. You swore on the moon you would
15:49never take another mate. You broke that one first. So between the two of us, I'd say we're even.
15:58Kaylin saw that I meant it. His eyes went red at the edges. He pulled me close until there was
16:03almost no space between us. Thirteen years. You think that just cancels? Elena, I know I've wronged
16:10you. Let me make it right. Come back with me. I'll give you equal standing. You won't be beneath
16:15Kareth in anything. I promise. I couldn't stop a short, dry sound from escaping. Kaylin took it
16:21for pride over the title and frowned. Elena, equal standing is the best I can do right now.
16:26Sareth, what she did for me, what she did for you. Are you still going to use that story?
16:32I cut him off. Kaylin, your apology has no effort in it at all. Kaylin went still. His eyes shifted.
16:38What do you mean by that? I watched the change move across his face and I took it apart,
16:45piece by piece. Tarith already told me everything. There were no rogue wolves. There was no rescue.
16:51You saw her, wanted her, and used the sworn sister bond to get close. You destroyed the
16:56claiming she already had and took her for yourself, calling her your rescuer. That was cover,
17:01nothing more. Kaylin's face went pale. He opened his mouth. Nothing came out. I was done wasting
17:05time. I moved to see him out. He found his voice. Elena, listen to me. Kareth is possessive. She said
17:12all of that to drive a wedge between us. You know how it is. No mate wants to share. I
17:17cut him off.
17:17I felt nothing in my chest anymore. It had all gone numb. You understand that, which is why you kept
17:22me out here for 10 years, alone, while your mother faked an illness to hold me in place. Isn't that
17:28right? I said, if you care about her so much, stop chasing me. You'll hurt me,
17:35and you'll hurt her. I wrenched my wrist free and stepped back. The Elena who existed before is
17:40gone. She died the day she found out the truth. Who I am now has no connection to you, to
17:45Kaylin,
17:46to your pack. Out of whatever feeling I once had, I won't say a single word against you.
17:50I'm only asking you to leave. My promised mate is returning with the army. I don't want him to
17:56misread this. Kaylin's spine went rigid. He looked up at me. He said, promised mate? Who?
18:01What's his name? I said, a low-ranking warrior. No one you'd know. Please go,
18:06Kaylin's expression curdled. Elena, have you lost your mind? You'd pass up an alpha of the
18:12eastern pack for some common soldier with a border stipend?
18:18He said, he could be dead by next season. And even if he's not, what does he earn? You'd go
18:23back
18:23to going hungry. You're not young anymore. Do you really want that kind of life again? I looked at
18:29him steadily. I wasn't afraid of hardship when I chose you. I'm not afraid of it now.
18:35Don't speak about my promised mate like that. He may not have your rank, but what he feels for me
18:41is real. Unlike you. Kaylin opened his mouth, then stopped. A long pause, then more controlled.
18:48Elena, you've misread all of this. I never stopped carrying you. He seemed to decide that words weren't
18:54enough and cut himself off. Come back with me. I'll show you. Give me the chance. The border
18:59campaign's war alpha, General Vane. He and I go back. I'll speak to him. As long as that warrior
19:05is reasonable, I'll find him a proper match myself. I'll cover the claiming gifts.
19:12I had always been slow to anger. This was one of the few times I wasn't. Staring at Kaylin,
19:19I struggled to contain my fury as I questioned him, asking if he had lost his mind. He didn't
19:24put it plainly, but I understood perfectly. He intended to use his status as the alpha of the
19:30eastern pack to pressure Aldrich into stepping aside. Aldrich was just a foot soldier, with no
19:35standing to resist an alpha of the eastern pack. In desperation, I grabbed the sword from Kaylin's
19:40side. I pressed the blade firmly against my own throat, warning him that if he dared to go near
19:45Aldrich, I would end my life right then and there. I told Kaylin that my life was not worth much,
19:53but if a pack alpha drove a free woman to her death, his own fate would not be better. Kaylin
19:58had
19:58always thought of me as cautious and someone who valued her own life. He had never imagined I would
20:03resort to threatening my own life. He froze instantly, his voice dropping low as he urged
20:09me to put down the sword, saying we could talk things through. I didn't move an inch, firmly telling
20:14him there was nothing to talk about. If he didn't want me dead, he had to write down his promise
20:18immediately. The promise was simple. From that day on, if anything happened to me or my betrothed,
20:26Aldrich, he would be held fully responsible. Kaylin had spent years in pack politics and would never
20:32willingly leave evidence that could be used against him, but as he looked at the sword pressed to my
20:36throat, his tone remained steady. He agreed to write it down, but said he had come in a hurry and
20:41had nothing to write with, asking me to go inside to find him ink and parchment. I didn't think ahead,
20:48turning toward the house at once. But the moment my back was to him, he moved. He snatched the sword
20:54from my hand, didn't even glance at me. He ordered his escort to hold me while he went to find
20:59General
20:59Vane. His men reacted quickly, seizing me before I could respond. I couldn't even utter a curse.
21:06Just then, a deep, calm, and resonant voice came from beyond the gate. The voice asked Alpha Kaylin
21:13why he was there and mentioned that he had heard his name, wondering if something was wrong.
21:20I didn't recognize that voice, but moments later, I heard Kaylin's tone shift to one of deference as he
21:26greeted the man, addressing him as General Vane and saying what perfect timing his arrival was.
21:31He added that it was nothing urgent, just a small favor he wanted to ask of General Vane.
21:36Only then did I realize that the man before me was General Vane, the War Alpha of the Northern
21:41Territory. General Vane smiled and readily agreed to help, but asked Alpha Kaylin to wait a moment
21:47while he finished a piece of business first. Kaylin stepped back toward the gate quickly, respectfully
21:52saying he was willing to wait and telling General Vane to take his time. General Vane then dismounted
21:58from his horse and pointed directly at my door. He said that as it happened, his business was right
22:03there. Kaylin stopped abruptly, looking stunned. General Vane looked at him without further explanation,
22:10only stating that he had come to negotiate a claiming. Kaylin froze completely, unconsciously
22:16stepping in front of the gate. He tried to persuade General Vane, saying that his mate bond was well
22:21known, his children were nearly grown, and such a thing would be inappropriate. General Vane laughed
22:28heartily, shook his head, and told Kaylin he had misunderstood. This claiming was not for himself,
22:34but on behalf of his sworn son, who had been injured and couldn't come in person.
22:39I was just as confused as Kaylin, even starting to wonder if General Vane had come to the wrong house.
22:45General Vane himself looked a little uncertain as he walked past Kaylin into the yard.
22:49His escort, not wanting to get into trouble, let me go.
22:53Born in the north, General Vane was straightforward and didn't notice anything amiss. He looked straight
22:59at me and asked if I was Elena. I nodded slowly. He immediately looked satisfied, confirming he had
23:05come to the right place. He told me that his sworn son was my betrothed, Aldrich.
23:13Upon hearing General Vane's words, my thoughts went sideways. Aldrich was just a low-ranking
23:18soldier. How had he ended up as General Vane's sworn son? I rubbed the back of my neck and explained
23:24to General Vane that I thought there must be a mistake. My betrothed was indeed named Aldrich,
23:29but he could never be General Vane's sworn son. I even wondered if there might be two people with
23:35the same name. General Vane seemed less confident as he described his sworn son's features.
23:41Born in the eastern settlement of the southern territory, with a small mark near the corner
23:45of his left eye. He asked if these features matched my betrothed. He added that if it would help,
23:51he would have his sworn son carried over for me to confirm in person. I stopped him quickly,
23:56telling him there was no need, that every detail he described matched Aldrich perfectly.
24:01I begged him not to move the injured Aldrich, saying that since he was hurt, I would go to
24:05see him myself. With that, I walked toward the gate, distracted. But Caelan, who had been silent
24:12for a long time, suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
24:19Caelan stood in front of me, turning to General Vane and saying there was something he should know
24:24first. He told General Vane that I was his pack sister, that he had raised me, and that he had
24:30never heard me mention the name Aldrich once. He added that if Aldrich and I had made promises to
24:35each other without the family's knowledge, their bond could not be recognized. Then he lowered his
24:40voice, leaned close to me, and warned me not to say anything foolish. He said that Aldrich was now
24:47General Vane's sworn son, and if General Vane found out I had been mated before, I would not
24:52only lose this claiming, but also ruin Aldrich's reputation. Those words hit home. Aldrich had only
24:59just found his footing in the north. If I cost him everything because of my past, I would never
25:04forgive myself. I was still trying to figure out how to respond, when General Vane's expression shifted.
25:10He told Caelan firmly that his approval no longer mattered, because it was not I who had come to them,
25:15but they who had sought me out. General Vane then spoke of Aldrich's deeds, saying that in this
25:21campaign, Aldrich had charged into the thickest of the fighting. He had taken out the enemy's left
25:27flank and brought back the enemy commander's banner, earning the first honor of the war. Yet he had
25:32refused all rewards from the High Alpha, every single coin. Instead, he used his achievement to
25:39petition the Moon Council for a decree, a recognized claiming with me. General Vane
25:45finally warned Caelan that if his family dared to object, they would be opposing the High Alpha's
25:50own ruling. I stood there for a long time, never having imagined that Aldrich would fight so fiercely
25:56for me.
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