The Alpha’s Conflict

Alaric’s POV

The encounter replayed in my mind, though I didn’t want it to. The weak, tear-streaked face of the Omega I had bumped into wouldn’t leave me alone. I clenched my fists, trying to push it out of my head. She was nothing. Just a weak, pathetic Omega. The fact that she was my mate didn’t change that.

“She’s ours,” my wolf growled, his voice low and furious in my head.

“She’s not worthy,” I snapped back, my own voice icy and unrelenting.

“How dare you say that? She’s our mate!” My wolf’s voice thundered through my mind, his anger crashing against me like a tidal wave. He was pacing in my consciousness, restless and on edge. “Did you see her? She was hurting. She’s in pain because of us!”

“Because she’s weak,” I shot back, my jaw tightening. “I don’t have time to deal with her tears and fragility. She’ll never survive in our world.”

“She’s stronger than you think,” my wolf snarled, his golden eyes flashing in my mind. “You’re just too blind to see it. You keep pushing her away, but you can’t deny what she means to us.”

I stopped walking, my hands trembling at my sides. I hated this. Hated the way the bond pulled at me, hated the way her scent still lingered, faint but intoxicating.

The moment I had bumped into her, I had felt it. That electric pull. That undeniable connection. She was my mate. Our mate.

And yet, seeing her like that—broken, vulnerable—it had only made my anger simmer beneath the surface.

“She’s not what I wanted,” I said through gritted teeth. “I need someone strong. Someone who can stand by my side without dragging me down. Not an Omega who cries at the first sign of trouble.”

“You’re lying,” my wolf hissed, his voice cold and accusing. “You’re afraid. That’s what this is. You’re afraid to care for her. Afraid to let her in.”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” I growled, my eyes narrowing.

“Then why did her tears bother you?” my wolf challenged, his words cutting deep. “If she was nothing to you, why can’t you stop thinking about her?”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. Because he was right.

The image of her trembling form, her tear-streaked face, the raw pain in her eyes—it was etched into my mind, and no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t shake it.

My wolf growled low in my head, his frustration mirroring my own. “She’s ours, Alaric. Ours to protect. Ours to care for. If you keep pushing her away, you’ll regret it. I promise you that.”

“She’s weak,” I repeated, but the conviction in my voice was wavering.

“Then make her stronger,” my wolf snapped, his voice brimming with fury. “She’s your mate. You’re supposed to lift her up, not tear her down. Stop being a coward.”

I let out a frustrated growl, running a hand through my hair. “Enough.”

“No,” my wolf growled back. “This isn’t over. You can deny it all you want, but she’s the one. You’re only hurting yourself by pretending otherwise.”

The bond pulsed in my chest, a constant reminder of her existence, her importance. No matter how much I tried to fight it, it was there. And it wasn’t going away.

I hated it.

I hated her.

And yet, a part of me—a small, insistent part—felt something else.

Something I wasn’t ready to admit.

----

Elowen's POV

I barely made it back to the quiet corner of the forest behind the school before collapsing against a tree. My breath came in ragged gasps, and my legs shook so badly I could barely stand. My mind raced with the memory of his piercing gaze, his cold, biting words.

Alaric.

I had imagined this moment a thousand times before—meeting my third mate, the most dangerous of the Triplet Alphas. But none of those scenarios had prepared me for the icy disdain in his eyes or the sharp edge of his voice as he dismissed me like I was nothing.

The way he looked at me… as if I didn’t deserve to exist, let alone be his mate.

“He’s not like this,” my wolf whimpered in my mind, her voice trembling with both hurt and anger. “This isn’t him. This is just his fear speaking. You can’t hate him, Elowen. Please.”

I hugged my knees to my chest, tears streaming down my face. “How can you say that?” I whispered aloud. “He hates me, just like Theron and Ranon do. Just like everyone else. I’m nothing to him.”

“You’re his mate,” my wolf growled, her tone hardening. “You’re everything to him. He just doesn’t see it yet. But he will.”

I shook my head, bitter laughter escaping my lips. “You’re wrong. He doesn’t want me. None of them do.”

“You don’t understand!” she snapped, her voice rising in desperation. “The bond is stronger than his fear, stronger than his pride. He’s fighting it now, but he won’t win. He can’t win.”

Her faith in him made my chest ache. How could she still believe in this bond after everything? After the way he had spoken to me, after the way he looked at me like I was less than nothing?

“He thinks I’m weak,” I muttered, my voice breaking. “And maybe he’s right. Maybe I am.”

“No,” my wolf growled, her voice fierce and unyielding. “You’re stronger than they know. Stronger than even you know. And he’ll see that. You just have to give him time.”

“Time for what?” I demanded, my voice rising. “Time to reject me? Time to hurt me more than he already has?”

“No,” she said firmly. “Time to wake up. He’s lost in his own fear, his own doubts. But he’ll find his way. You’ll see.”

I pressed my face against my knees, trying to block her out, trying to block everything out. But I couldn’t escape the bond. I couldn’t escape the faint, lingering pull of him, no matter how much I wanted to.

My wolf whimpered again, the sound tugging at my heart. “Please don’t give up on him,” she begged, her voice softer now, almost pleading. “He’s ours, Elowen. And we’re his. Even if he doesn’t know it yet.”

Her faith was unshakable, but I wasn’t sure I could share it. All I could think about was the pain in his voice, the coldness in his eyes. The way he walked away from me without a second glance.

If this was what the mate bond was supposed to be, then I wanted no part of it.

And yet… deep down, a small, fragile part of me wanted her to be right. Wanted to believe that somewhere beneath his icy exterior, there was something more. Something worth fighting for.

But for now, all I could feel was the ache in my chest, the sting of his rejection still fresh and raw.

And the quiet, unrelenting whisper of the bond that refused to let me go.