The Alpha's Last Choice

The scent of fire and blood thickened the air, drowning out the usual crisp pine and fresh earth that defined our territory. Smoke curled against the night sky, staining the moon’s glow with dark shadows. The howls of the pack were no longer those of celebration but of terror.

The rogue attack had come without warning.

One moment, the Blood Moon Festival was in full swing—pups playing near the waterfall, warriors drinking by the bonfire, elders sharing stories beneath the great oak. Then, in a heartbeat, the peace shattered. A deafening roar split the night as monstrous, half-shifted rogues stormed the clearing.

They weren’t ordinary wolves. No. They were something worse. Their eyes glowed red, their bodies twisted with dark magic, their fangs dripping with something unnatural. A poison that could rot a wolf’s soul from the inside out.

I had barely shifted in time when I heard Amber scream.

“Mommy!”

My heart seized. I whirled around just in time to see her small body thrown through the air, crashing against a tree with a sickening crack.

“Amber!” I ran, my wolf howling in agony as I tore through the chaos. Wolves fought, snarls and whimpers filling the night, but nothing mattered except reaching my daughter.

By the time I reached her, she was on the ground, trembling, her silver hair matted with blood. Her skin was deathly pale, her lips slightly parted as if gasping for breath she couldn’t quite reach.

“No, no, no,” I choked out, dropping to my knees, my hands flying to her tiny body. “Amber, baby, open your eyes!”

Before I could gather her in my arms, a shadow loomed over us. A rogue.

Its grotesque form towered above me, reeking of decay and black magic. Its mouth twisted into something resembling a grin, jagged fangs dripping with saliva. I could feel the unnatural power radiating from it, a cold, hollow emptiness that sent a primal fear crawling down my spine.

My wolf snarled, ready to fight—to kill—but before I could shift, the beast was already flying backward.

Rafael moved like a storm, a whirlwind of fury and death. His claws ripped through the rogue’s throat before it could even register his presence. Blackened blood sprayed across the ground as he turned to me, golden eyes blazing.

“Get her to the healer!” His voice was thunderous, his wolf barely restrained.

I didn’t hesitate and I immediately scooped Amber into my arms then I ran.

By the time we reached the healer’s den, the rogues had been driven back, but the damage had been done. Our pack was wounded, our land tainted by dark magic. And Amber was barely breathing.

The infirmary was a whirlwind of movement. Healers rushed around, tending to the injured, their hands glowing with magic-infused salves. Rafael stormed in behind me, his body still vibrating with barely restrained fury.

Elder Corvin was already waiting, his sharp eyes scanning Amber's limp form.

“Lay her down,” he commanded, his voice grave. “Quickly.”

I obeyed, my hands trembling as I placed Amber on the cold stone table.

“What’s happening to my daughter?” Rafael demanded. His voice was lethal, but there was a tremor beneath the rage. A fear he refused to show.

Corvin’s lips pressed into a thin line. “It’s worse than I feared.” His fingers ghosted over Amber's arm, his expression darkening. “The rogue’s magic… it’s poisoning her wolf spirit. If we do not act fast—”

“Then act,” Rafael growled, his patience gone.

Corvin hesitated, and my stomach twisted.

“She needs a blood link to restore her life force,” he finally said. “But her lineage is rare. There’s only one match.”

I felt it before I even heard it, Corvin turned to Rafael. “You.”

Before we could process his words, the infirmary doors burst open.

A gust of cold air swept in, followed by the scent of something achingly familiar.

Lyra.

The woman who should have been Rafael’s mate.

She stood at the entrance, her cloak tattered, her emerald eyes wild with desperation. But it wasn’t just her scent that made Rafael stiffen beside me.

It was the boy clutching her side. A boy no older than Selene.

His face was bruised, his tiny frame trembling. His arm was wrapped in a crude bandage, blood still seeping through. The scent of sickness clung to him, but there was something else.

The undeniable scent of Rafael. My blood ran cold.

Corvin tensed. “This is… unexpected.”

Rafael’s voice was eerily calm. “Why is she here?”

Lyra’s fingers trembled as she knelt beside the boy. “Because… Corvin is also his healer.” She swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. “Elias was attacked by the same rogues. He was wounded by their poison, just like Amber.”

The room fell deathly silent. Corvin’s eyes darkened as he glanced at the child, then back at Rafael.

“Elias has the same affliction as Selene,” he said, his voice heavy. “And Rafael… you are his only match.”

A heartbeat passed. Then another. And then Rafael spoke, his voice deadly quiet. “What?”

Corvin inhaled sharply. “Elias is your son.”

The words were a death sentence. My knees nearly buckled. I had prepared for battle, prepared for war. But I wasn’t prepared for this.

Rafael didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. His entire body was stone, his fists clenched so tightly I thought his bones might snap.

“Is this some kind of sick joke?” His voice was low, lethal.

Lyra’s lips trembled. “I didn’t want you to find out this way.”

“How long?” His voice was pure ice.

Lyra swallowed hard. “Eight years.”

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest. Eight years. The same age as Amber.

Rafael inhaled sharply, nostrils flaring. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”

Tears welled in Lyra’s eyes. “I was protecting him.”

A bitter laugh escaped Rafael. “From me?”

“From my mate,” she whispered. “If he knew Elias wasn’t his… he would have killed us both.”

Corvin broke the silence. “There is no time for this. Rafael, two children need you.”

Two. The word twisted in my chest like a blade.

Rafael’s face was unreadable, but I knew him too well. His hands clenched at his sides, his wolf straining beneath the surface.

Lyra took a shaky breath. “I know I have no right to ask this of you, but… please. Save him.”

My throat burned. I turned to Rafael, my mate, the father of my child.

“Rafael,” my voice cracked, barely above a whisper. “Save our daughter.”

His jaw clenched. His golden eyes flickered between Selene’s still form and Elias’s bruised face.

One choice. Two lives. No way to save them both.

And for the first time in my life, I realized. Even an Alpha could bleed.