When Our Daughter Commanded the Alpha to Kneel

The rain in the Neutral Lands didn't wash things clean; it just made the rot spread faster. It drummed a relentless, hollow rhythm against the corrugated tin roof of our shack, matching the erratic beating of my failing heart. I was cold. So incredibly cold. It wasn't just the damp draft seeping through the gaps in the rotting wood; it was the Wolf’s Wasting. My body was finally giving up the ghost, punishing me for severing the bond with my mate five years ago.

"Mama?"

Adley’s voice was small, a whisper that cut through the roar of the storm. I turned my head on the thin, mildewed pillow. Even that small movement sent a spike of agony down my spine. My beautiful girl sat on the edge of the mattress, her knees pulled to her chest. She was too thin, her skin pale and translucent, but her eyes... they were his. Holden’s eyes.

I tried to smile, but my lips felt like cracked parchment. "I'm here, baby."

I knew my time was measured in minutes now. The emptiness where my inner wolf used to be was expanding, a black void swallowing my soul. I reached under the mattress, my fingers trembling as they brushed against the rough wood of the box I had hidden there. It was heavy with secrets.

"Adley," I rasped, pulling the box out. It was just a simple wooden thing, battered and stained, but it held everything that mattered. "Listen to me closely."

She leaned in, her small hand covering mine. Her skin was fever-warm. She was sick again, and I had no medicine left. This was why I had to die. As long as I lived, we were rogues, hunted and starving. But without me...

"Take this," I wheezed, pressing the box into her hands. Inside lay my diary, three crumpled silver coins—all the wealth I had left—and the locket containing a lock of golden fur. Holden’s fur. "You have to go to the Obsidian Shadow Pack. You have to find the Alpha there."

Adley’s brow furrowed. "The Obsidian Alpha? The scary one?"

"He..." My breath hitched, a rattle sounding deep in my chest. I couldn't tell her he was her father. If Holden still hated me—if he believed the lie I told him to save his life—he might reject her too. I couldn't bear the thought of my daughter dying of a broken heart, just like her mother. "He owes me a debt. Give him this box. Promise me, Adley. Promise me you won't stop until you put this in his hands."

"I promise, Mama," she sobbed, a single tear escaping to track through the dirt on her cheek. She didn't cling to me like a normal child; she sat straight, fighting the tears. She had the spirit of an Alpha, even if her body was frail.

"Don't look back," I whispered, my vision blurring at the edges. The darkness was warm, at least. Warmer than this shack. "I love you, my little wolf.