(ALEX POV)
This prison was cold, not only in the physical sense, but in the emotional sense as well. There was hopelessness in the air and the sound of the metallic doors slamming shut only made my chest feel tight and constricted. I despised this place yet this was the place I came for a reminder of what was taken from me and why I was the way I was.
I move down the long hall and the guards follow me, keeping a distance. They know who I am and will not be in my way anymore. When I got to the last cell in the row, I saw him, my father, the once powerful Alpha, now a mere shell of his former self. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, and although in the past he was a man with a well-built, broad chest, he was slumped over with the years he spent in prison.
“Alexander,” he said as he rose from his seat, his throat feeling raw and unused. His eyes that used to be bright, authoritative now looked so dull, the effects of time and injustice. But there was a brief moment of pride in his eyes when he looked at me, a glimpse of the Alpha that he used to be.
”Father,” I say in a voice as icy as the floor beneath our feet. I moved closer to the bars and held them with my hands as tightly as I could. "I'm here. "
He nodded slowly, standing on the other side of the bars. “You have become powerful, my son. More powerful than I have ever been. But power is not all that is needed. You also need to be wise. Do not let your enemies know your flaws.”
The word alone gave me shivers down my spine, reminding me of the day everything turned upside down. I was just 11 years old when they came to take her away. My memory is as sharp as a dagger, I feel the pain each time I remember that day. To me, my father had always been a man of steel, a man who was strong, respected and feared. But that day, when the guards took him out of our home handcuffed, he was so. .. defeated.
I stood there, frozen, my little hands clenched into fists. My mom was screaming, begging them to stop, but they wouldn't listen. They were determined to bring her down, to make an example of her. And the person who planned it all was Tara Logan, Scarlett's mother. She stood in the background, cold and calculating, watching as they tore my family down.
They said he was guilty of deceiving the group, of committing crimes he swore he hadn't committed. But no one listened. No one cared. They wanted to see him fall, and they succeeded.
I watched as they took him away, the man I had always admired, now just a villain in their eyes. My mother's screams grew louder, more desperate, until they were interrupted by the sound of a door slamming. The silence that followed was painful.
As I turned to my mother, I saw a look in her eyes that I had never seen-pure sadness. Her face was pale, her hands shaking. I reached out, but before I could say anything, she fled the room.
I chased after her, calling out to her, but she didn't stop. She ran upstairs, into their bedroom, and I followed behind. When I reached the door, I saw her standing at the window, tears streaming down her face. She looked up at me, and in that moment, I saw something break inside her.
"Alexander," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I'm sorry. I can't live without it."
Before I could process what she meant, she climbed onto the windowsill. I screamed, running towards her, but I was too late. She jumped out the window, her body falling to the ground below. The sound of her body hitting the ground is something I'll never forget ーa dull sound that echoed through the empty house, through me.
I remember falling by the window, staring at her lifeless body, my screams filling the silence. I cried until my throat felt dry, until there were no more tears left. And in that moment, I made a vow that has driven me every day since. I swore that I would make Tara Logan pay for what she did to my family. I would avenge my father's destruction, my mother's death, and I would destroy the Logan family, whatever it took.
That vow has shaped who I am today. Every decision I make, every step I take, is driven by that promise. It's what turned me into the Alpha I am today-ruthless, strong, and unwavering. I have built myself from the ashes of the past, and I will not stop until my vow is fulfilled.
Yet as I stand here, looking up at my father, I can't help but have a little doubt. Not in my mission-never that ーbut in myself. The memory of seeing Scarlett again, how my wolf reacted to her, kept haunting my mind. I can't be distracted, can't be weak. Not now, when I'm so close.
"Are you listening, Alexander?" my father's voice brought me back to the present. His eyes looked at me with a mixture of hope and despair.
"Yes," I replied, though my mind was still overshadowed by Scarlett's face. "I'll make them pay. I promise."
***
I left the prison, the cold air greeting me as I stepped out. My thoughts and emotions swirled, but one thing was clear ーI couldn't let Scarlett get in the way of my revenge. I can't let my wolfish instincts cloud my judgment. The Logan family would pay for what they did, and nothing would stop me-not even my feelings of attraction towards Scarlett.
However, even though I tried to convince myself, I couldn't ignore the turmoil inside me. The image of my mother falling, the sound of her body hitting the ground, and the fire that drove me all this time ーall of it started to blur. And the more I thought about Scarlett, the harder it became to distinguish between my need for revenge and the urge to protect her.
The moment I've been waiting for has finally arrived ーMother Scarlett is back in town, and with her return, the opportunity to take revenge on the Logans is within reach. It should have been simple: use Ryan, get the information I needed, and then destroy them.
However, things were not that simple.
The moment I saw Scarlett again, something inside me changed. I had prepared myself to see her, to use her as a pawn in my game, but the moment our eyes met, everything I knew began to crumble. My wolf, who had always relied on dominance and control, reacted in a way I didn't understand. There was a pull, a connection I couldn't ignore ーa feeling that went against everything I had planned.
"How can she be my mate?" I muttered, clenching my fists as I wandered around. The daughter of the woman who destroyed my family, my mate? Moon goddess must be playing with me.
The way my wolf moved when I was close to her, my rapid heartbeat ーit was all frightening.
I leaned against the table, trying to control my emotions. She’s just a pawn, I told myself. Nothing more.
Scarlett's POVI hated him—at least, I tried to convince myself of that. This made me angry within me each and every time I saw him with Sienna. But no matter how hard I tried to look the other way, there was always something lurking deep down inside of me every time he was around—an instinct that I wished to defy.I would not accept this. He wasn't my partner. He simply couldn't be.Alexander had been stalking me more than usual since I got back from my trip. His sharp gaze followed me wherever I went. And now, he had the nerve to complement me He was staring at me as if I was a different person.“You have grown up, Scarlett,” Alexander’s voice was rough, his eyes seemed to have turned almost black and I couldn’t decipher the emotion that was reflected in them.He moved nearer to me but I shifted my distance backward.I raised my eyebrows and snorted, looking at him in the eye. “I haven’t changed that much,” You do not have to lie to me, Alpha Alexander.”He again moved closer to me,
(Scarlett's POV)I have never felt stranger than tonight. By my side, Ryan, my twin brother, stood confidently, a proud Beta of our pack. He looked like a mountain, erect and solid, while I felt like his shadow-trapped in this incompleteness, a werewolf who hadn't even felt his full transformation.Ryan had had a wolf for years, and his strength seemed to be fused with it. He was assertive and authoritative, all the things a Beta should be. As for me? I'm still stuck in the in-between phase ーnot fully human, but not fully wolf either. An Omega who hadn't even met her wolf yet.Even more painful, my other twin sister, Sienna, already had her wolf. The only thing that set us apart, besides her striking strength, was the color of our eyes. My soft green eyes seemed to fade next to her piercing blue. She was everything I was not ーstrong, graceful, and admired. And she had her wolf.My father, the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, insisted I should come to this party. "It will be good for you,"
(Scarlett's POV)The girls immediately paled, and the smirks on their lips were replaced with terror. Camilla, who had initiated the bullying earlier, swallowed hard, her bravado fading under Alexander’s glare.‘We didn’t mean—’ one the girls started to say, but Alexander interrupted.“I don’t want your excuses,” he snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously. “If I ever find you pestering her or anyone else, then you will be answering to me. Got it?”They nodded quickly, their faces as white as a sheet, obviously frightened.“Go now,” Alexander commanded, his tone as icy as the winter wind. “Before I make you regret it. ”He moved towards me and reached out his hand to touch mine; I did not move away from him, and there was a spark in his eyes that made me feel attracted to him. When our fingers met there was a jolt, an electric current ran through me and I felt as if I had been struck by lightning.Alexander helped me stand and he held my hand for a little too long. I looked into his eye
(Scarlett's POV)Two years later I was a totally different person. Living in New York was a new beginning for me and for the first time, I was able to shift into my full wolf form. My wolf form made me feel powerful and strong something I had never felt before. I was not the Omega who would always wear thick clothes to avoid being seen. Now I am strong and confident, I have no problem with accepting myself for who I am.Now, I am a student during the day and a model at night, trying to keep up with the new looks. The hoodie jacket that I once wore as my armor is now changed by clothes that flaunt my strength.At one point in the shoot, the photographer walks over, and stares, before fixing a light.“Scarlett, you don’t need much makeup – you are gorgeous,” he said with a sleazy grin, “How about a drink after this? We can discuss your future in modeling ーand some behind-the-scenes ‘wizardry,’ if you catch my drift.”‘Thank you for the compliment but I am here for business not pleasure.