My Alpha Took My Son

Leo's tiny fingers curled around mine as he nursed, his eyes drifting closed in that perfect, trusting way that made my chest ache. The afternoon light filtered through the nursery curtains, painting everything in soft gold. For once, the pack house was quiet. For once, I could just be his mother.

The door opened without a knock.

Levi filled the doorway, his Alpha presence sucking the warmth from the room. His eyes swept over us—me in the rocking chair, Leo at my breast—and his jaw tightened.

"You look overwhelmed," he said.

I wasn't. I'd been calm for the first time in days. But I knew better than to argue.

"I'm fine," I said softly, adjusting Leo's blanket.

Levi crossed the room in three strides and lifted Leo from my arms before I could protest. My son made a small sound of complaint, his feeding interrupted, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from reaching for him.

"Sarah can finish," Levi said, already moving toward the door where the wet nurse waited in the hall. "You need rest."

Rest. That's what he always said. Rest, Arya. You're too fragile, Arya. Let someone else handle it, Arya.

I pulled my shirt closed and watched my pup disappear into Sarah's capable arms. The hollow feeling in my chest wasn't new. I'd learned to live with it—this sense that I was a guest in my own life, watching through glass while others made the decisions.

"Come downstairs," Levi said, his tone leaving no room for refusal. "There's someone I want you to meet."

I followed him down the curved staircase, my hand trailing along the polished banister. The pack house was beautiful—all dark wood and expensive rugs, the kind of place I'd never imagined living when I was a child. Before the rogues. Before everything.

A woman stood in the foyer.

She was stunning in that effortless way some wolves are—long dark hair, delicate features, eyes that seemed to hold secrets. She wore jeans and a simple sweater, but somehow made them look elegant. When she saw Levi, her face lit up with a shy smile.

"Arya," Levi said, his hand settling on the small of my back in a gesture that looked protective but felt like a leash. "This is Kehlani Davis. She'll be Leo's new nanny. Live-in."

I stepped forward to greet her, forcing a smile I didn't feel.

Then the scent hit me.

Rust. Tobacco. Old blood.

The world tilted. My wolf—silent for so long she was barely a whisper—suddenly screamed inside my head. I knew that scent. I'd spent ten years drowning in it, choking on it, praying to the Moon Goddess to make it stop.

The rogue leader. The man who'd kept me in a cage. Who'd sold me like livestock.

This woman carried his blood.

"No." The word ripped from my throat. My vision sharpened, my canines lengthening as my wolf surged forward for the first time in years. "Get out. Get OUT!"

I moved without thinking, putting myself between Kehlani and the stairs that led to my son. My nails had become claws. A snarl built in my chest, feral and desperate.

Kehlani stumbled backward, her eyes wide with fear. "I—I don't understand—"

"Arya!" Levi's voice cracked like a whip.

I didn't stop. Couldn't stop. That scent was everywhere, filling my lungs, dragging me back to the darkness. "She's his daughter! Don't you smell it? Don't you—"

"SUBMIT!"

The Alpha command hit me like a physical blow. My knees buckled. Pain exploded through every nerve as my wolf was forced down, crushed under the weight of Levi's dominance. I hit the marble floor hard, a whimper escaping my lips before I could stop it.

My body wouldn't obey me. I was frozen on my hands and knees, shaking, while my wolf howled in agony inside my head.

"I'm so sorry," Levi said, but he wasn't talking to me. He was looking at Kehlani, his expression soft with concern. "She has... episodes. Trauma from her past. I should have warned you."

Episodes. Like I was broken. Insane.

I heard footsteps—pack staff gathering in doorways, watching. Judging. The Omega who couldn't even control herself. The damaged stray the Alpha had been foolish enough to take in.

Levi picked up Kehlani's bags himself, his hand gentle on her elbow as he guided her toward the guest wing. "Let me show you to your room. You'll be comfortable here, I promise."

Their footsteps faded down the hall.

I stayed on the floor, my body still locked in submission, tears burning hot tracks down my face. Above me, I heard Leo start to cry. My son. Crying for me.

But I couldn't move. Couldn't go to him.

The Alpha had spoken.