Page 1 of My Ruthless Alpha

Chapter 1 - Faye

The beat of my heart in my ears nearly drowned out my daughter's quiet playing in the living room. She chattered to herself, switching between stacking blocks and moving her dolls around, giving them voices unique to her imaginary scenarios.

Despite how I felt inside, I sat nearby, trying to focus on the calm scene in front of me.

Watching how Margo played so creatively without a care in the world always warmed my heart. How she was able to do as kids should, and how she was completely unaware of the turmoil around us. The rising tensions in our pack and how I was terrified of how it would affect us both.

At that moment, I was a stark contrast to her carefree playing, even if I had never voiced it.

Instead, I watched, pulling gentle smiles for her whenever she glanced over at me as if checking in to make sure I was still present…still paying attention.

However hard I tried, my mind just wasn’t there. It was far away, and in its absence was the lingering dread I knew I’d have to face eventually.

Regardless of my mental state, I swore to myself that I wouldn’t let Margo know. I’d keep her in the dark for as long as I could, all with the hope of shielding her from the hard truths I didn’t want to bring her down.

She was blissfully unaware, and that was how I wanted her to remain—for her sake.

After a moment, I glanced at my phone, checking again for new messages.

I didn’t know what I was waiting on or who I was hoping to hear from, but it became a habit I was struggling to shake.

That anxious, almost expectant reaction started when our previous alpha was killed. It happened only a few months ago, and ever since then, the pack seemed to be hanging in the balance.

It happened in a vicious, gruesome way that none of us expected.

Cyrus and his Luna were cornered by a young, power-hungry omega turned lone wolf who wanted what they had, and without warning, he killed them both.

That was when Colton Ashton assumed the alpha title and claimed the pack as his own. He has been holding everyone hostage, bolstered by the status he took by force.

Cyrus was well respected as our leader, and our pack only ever knew peace under him. Because of our respect for him, many of us have been unsettled ever since, not wanting to follow Colton but finding it nearly impossible to resist the call to do exactly that.

It took immense willpower for any subordinate shifter to resist the allure of an alpha, especially one who managed to gain their title via challenge, which made the situation even more difficult.

Because of how Colton came to power, many of us were still on edge, wondering what kind of leader he was and what he hoped to achieve with us. However, some didn’t resist and gave him their complete support.

Either way, things hadn’t been the same ever since Colton became alpha, and it was hard to shake the unease.

Because of that, I found myself wondering when the other shoe would drop—when I’d get a message detailing the next heinous thing he’d done…would he torment us just because he could?

I didn’t want to be so uneasy, especially not around Margo. I was the only parent figure in her life, and I didn’t want her childhood clouded by the dark, awful things around us.

She meant the world to me, and I couldn’t let our current situation affect her.

It was bad enough that she didn’t know her father…and I didn’t know how to navigate that topic yet. That uncharted territory seemed so daunting that I usually left that answer open-ended if she ever asked me about it.

Losing myself in thought, I jolted back to the present as her block tower tipped over and hit the floor. Margo wore a big smile and got up to grab a different toy from across the room.

I jumped as the doorbell rang, shattering any lingering concerns. I threw Margo a reassuring smile as I headed for the door.

Pulling it open, a flicker of relief moved through me when I found my closest friend standing there, glad to see a face I could rely on.

But the moment I caught that grave expression engraved on Sydney’s face, my heart squeezed.

That wasn’t what I was hoping to see. Not when my nerves were already frayed, and I struggled to keep myself steady while worry threatened to consume me.

Sydney let go of a breath and moved inside, carefully closing the door behind her. I could only watch, leaving room for her to come in as I crossed my arms.

“What’s going on?” I asked softly, worried about the remorse in her eyes. “That look on your face…something’s happening.”

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