Christmas With The Alpha

The Alpha

RONAN

The moon hangs high, veiled by thin wisps of cloud and casting a silvery glow over the snow-covered forest. The world is quiet, except for the crunch of my paws breaking through the thin crust of ice which lies on the snow. I've walked these woods for years, but tonight something feels... off. There's an unease in the air, a tension that hums beneath the surface like a taut string about to snap.

I can always tell when someone has invaded my territory. It’s like a sixth sense, and I can pinpoint exactly where the danger is coming from. But today, the danger comes from everywhere. I almost feel like my borders have crumbled completely, and I’m being attacked from every angle.

Fucking rogues.

I spent the whole of last night chasing them into the mountains, and the battle that ensued was brutal. I managed to kill six of them, but the remaining four escaped. The result was a few scratches which healed immediately, and my clothes were almost entirely ripped to pieces.

My breath clouds in the icy air as I stop near the frozen creek, my ears pricked and my senses sharp. The wind carries the faint scent of pine and frost, but underneath it, I detect something foul, something that doesn't belong.

Could it be that I overlooked some of them?

No. Definitely not. It’s not rogues.

So what could it be?

"Alpha," a voice comes from behind me, low but firm. I turn to see my beta shifting back into his human form, his chest rising and falling from exertion. His name is Darius Kane, and he's as reliable as he is stubborn. In other words, he's an absolute pain in my ass—but a useful one.

"We caught them," Darius says, his breath steaming in the cold. "The rogues trying to sneak into the southern edge of the territory. Three of them. Nasty bunch, but they're secured for now."

"Good," I reply, my tone clipped. "Put them in the holding cells and double the guards. I'll deal with them tomorrow."

Darius nods, his sharp blue eyes watching me carefully. "Something's off tonight. The air... it's heavier than usual."

"I know," I say, glancing toward the deeper parts of the woods. "Make sure the patrols stay on high alert. I'm doing one more sweep."

"Alone?" Darius arches an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You know, most Alphas let their betas do the grunt work."

"Most Alphas aren't me," I retort, baring my teeth slightly in a humorless grin.

"Fair enough," he says, his smirk widening. "Try not to bite off more than you can chew."

"Go babysit the prisoners, Darius," I shoot back before leaping into the shadows of the trees. “Whoever snuck into my territory tonight will not leave to see the sun rise.”

---

The woods are darker the deeper I walk into the shadows, the trees thick and ancient, their branches weaving a canopy that blocks even the faintest moonlight. I move silently, each step deliberate, as the wind howls in my ear. It should be freezing for any person out during this storm, but my coat is thick enough to keep the cold at bay.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to have some warmth right now. I imagine sitting by a fire and allowing the heat to seep through my bones, and my mind automatically wanders back to the girl from the bakery.

Feisty little thing. She had no idea who I was, and no clue about the authority I wield. And yet, she'd stared me down with that fire in her eyes, her words dripping with annoyance and no trace of fear. Most people, human or otherwise, wouldn't dare speak to me that way. But her? She didn't even flinch.

The thought makes me scoff. Humans. They are so oblivious to the truth lurking in their shadows. For centuries, my pack has lived in Silverpine, keeping to the edges and blending into the background. We've hidden in plain sight, protecting this land from threats they'll never know exist. And yet, it's humans like her—with their sharp tongues and misplaced confidence—who test my patience more than anything else.

But it’s not their fault. How can they be afraid of something they don’t even know exists? As far as she knows, I’m probably just a homeless man who stumbled into her bakery in tattered clothes and started making demands.

I did pay for the sandwiches though, so there’s that. And credit where it’s due, they were delicious.

I'm still mulling over her audacity when I suddenly sense it: a scent that sends every hair on my body standing on end. It's foul and sickly, like decay and death mixed with damp earth. My lips curl back, a low growl rumbling in my chest. Whatever this is, it's not natural.

I dash forward, my paws pounding against the snow as I follow the scent trail. It grows stronger with each step, and then—a new scent hits me. One I recognize. Sweet, warm, and distinctly human.

Her.

My heart lurches, and I push myself faster, the trees blurring as I close the distance. When I reach the clearing, the sight before me makes my blood boil. A strange creature looms in the darkness, large enough that I initially thinks it’s a bear, but it’s leaner and much more ferocious. Its tail is large and powerful, and its ears are sharp like a wolf’s. At first, I think it’s just a particularly large wolf. But in the largest wolf in the territory, and this creature is much larger than me. And when I see its glowing eyes, I realise that this is a creature I’ve never seen before, born from darkness and death.

And right there, crawling across the ground as the creature closes in on her, is the very woman I was thinking about a few minutes ago. She's frozen, wide-eyed and helpless, her ankle twisted beneath her as the creature inches closer to her.

That’s f*****g great, I think to myself. It’s exactly the kind of luck I have for something like this to happen. But as the creature raises its claws and prepares to strike her, I move automatically and lunge straight at it.

I slam into the beast mid-air, the impact sending us both tumbling into the snow. It snarls and snaps, its claws raking against my side, but I'm faster and stronger. My jaws close around its throat, and with a savage twist, I manage to bring the creature down and we tumble across the snow for a while. My claws lash out at everything before me, and I rip through its flesh with a ferocity that comes straight from my chest. When it realises that the fight is already lost, however, it turns around and flees into the darkness. I get ready to chase it, but the girl’s whimper stops me.

When I turn to her, she's still lying in the snow, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her wide eyes meet mine, and for a moment, I'm frozen. Something about her gaze tugs at something deep and buried within me, something I can't name. It’s almost as if I’ve known her my whole life, or at least a part of me has. She seems so familiar, and yet I’ve never known her before. I don’t even know her name. And yet here I am, staring into her eyes and wondering what she’s thinking of.

But then she blinks, and I snap back to reality. I can't let her see too much. Humans are not supposed to know about our existence.

I disappear into the trees before she can find her voice.

---

Darius and my younger sister, Lyra, are waiting for me near the northern border. Lyra's pacing, her golden hair pulled into a braid that swings with each sharp turn. Her wolf is restless, and it shows in the way her amber eyes flick to me as soon as I approach.

"What the hell was that?" she demands, her voice laced with frustration. "I felt it from halfway across the territory."

"So did I," Darius adds, his expression grim. "What was it, Ronan?"

I shake my head as I shift back into my human form. "I don't know. But it wasn't just a rogue. It was... something worse. Something I haven't encountered before. Like a creature from the depths of hell."

Lyra's frown deepens, and she crosses her arms. "We need to find out what's going on. This can't be a coincidence—the rogues, that thing, all in one night?"

"Agreed," I say, my voice steady. "But we'll deal with it in the morning. For now, we return to the pack house. I need to look into a few things."

As we head back through the snow, my mind drifts to her again. The girl from the bakery. There's something about her, something that doesn't add up. Her scent, her presence, the way she looked at me. It's a pull I can't explain, and it's irritating as hell.

I don't have time for distractions, least of all a human. But as we approach the pack house, her face lingers in my mind, unshakable.

And for reasons I can't yet comprehend, I know this won't be the last time our paths cross.

I’m definitely going to see her again.

***