Heir to the Alpha Spin-off: Refusing My Alpha Mate

CLAIR

He had the audacity to interrupt me, to mock me. As if being a woman trying to lead in a male-dominated world wasn’t challenging enough. But at least he let me finish the meeting without further interruption.

After the meeting, most of the alphas left. I noticed Tommy getting up and motioning for Arthur to leave. But Arthur’s gaze was fixed on me, almost tangible and warm.

He slowly rose, shrugged off Tommy’s hand on his arm, and began walking toward me. A shiver ran up my spine, spreading throughout my body. As he approached, his steps firm and purposeful, my heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my head.

I had a vague memory of Arthur before I left. He was tall then, but now he seemed even taller. The closer he got, the more I realized I barely reached his chest.

His blond hair was cropped short, his jaw square and chiseled beneath a beard. His light green eyes practically glowed against his tanned skin. He was so handsome it was almost disconcerting.

When he finally stood before me, his body eclipsed mine. Was he going to attack me? Was he so humiliated that he would resort to physical violence after everything I said?

I was ready for it, prepared to fight back if necessary. I pulled a dagger from my waist holster and braced myself. But then I heard a whisper.

“Clair? Can I talk to you?”

I turned, surprised by the gentleness in his voice.

“Yes, but if you expect me to take back what I said, you…,” I began, but he just shook his head, laughing.

“I don’t expect it and I know you wouldn’t.”

Arthur laughed again, looking down at my hand. I had been gripping the dagger so tightly that the hilt had left marks on my fingers.

“Wait, you didn’t think I was going to…,” he asked, his brow furrowing. “What kind of monster do you think I am?”

His words stung, making me feel like I had misjudged him. I simply sheathed the dagger, not responding.

“Did you have something to talk about?” I asked, lifting my gaze to meet his.

He stared at me for a few seconds, so deeply that it made my breath catch in my throat. My mouth went dry. It felt like he was reading every inch of my soul.

“I wanted to apologize for my attitude at the meeting.” His voice was firm, commanding.

An alpha apologizing? I was taken aback. Was I supposed to thank him for his apology?

“Okay,” I said, turning to leave. But then I felt a hand on my arm.

“Wait.” His touch sparked something in me that I had never felt before.

I looked down at his fingers gripping my arm, then back up into his green eyes. “I’m really sorry. We’ll both be alphas one day. I don’t want our relationship to start off on a bad note.”

His words were sincere, heartfelt. He was so close, his scent so strong, it made me dizzy. I was losing my grip on reality.

“Then you should have taken a shower and prepared yourself better before coming to the first meeting, Arthur,” I said, shaking my arm free of his grip.

After the meeting, I tried to forget about the whole incident, but I couldn’t. I went to train, hoping to clear my mind, but he was always there, lurking in my thoughts.

I finished organizing the items for tomorrow’s ball. It was more like a dinner, but it was the ball a week before the Moon Ball. I wasn’t trained to do Luna’s duties, but now I had to.

My father hadn’t had a luna since my mother died giving birth to me. Veronica, the beta of our pack, took on many of the roles while I was still a child. But as I grew up, she passed them on to me, just as my father did.

I was raised to be the greatest warrior alpha that ever existed. My father’s original plan was to have many children. When my mother first became pregnant, he had hoped for a son to be his successor, the new alpha.

He never told me, but it’s rumored that his scream of disappointment when he found out his first child was a girl could be heard for miles. But it wasn’t as loud as his scream of pain when he learned he had lost his mate and luna.

They say I almost died at birth too, that I fought hard and survived. But my mother bled out after childbirth, which was unusual for wolves. To this day, we still don’t know exactly what happened.

All we know is that she died minutes after giving birth to me. Her name was Ivy, and everyone in the pack says I’m the spitting image of her, except for my personality. That’s all my father.

But everyone tells me that after losing his wife, my father took me in his arms and said, “Now it’s just the two of us, little warrior Clair. The two of us against the world. You were born fighting, and we will fight whatever is necessary together. You will be the most incredible alpha that ever existed.”

He never called me luna, always alpha. Since my birth, he has fought for the council’s law so that I could take over the pack. He trained me to be independent, to not need anyone, especially a mate.

While a young alpha would normally undergo two trainings at a time, I would do five or six. An alpha needs to know everything, but if you choose an area to specialize in—legal, custody, administration, etc.—I chose them all.

I trained day and night to be ready, to never have to prove anything to anyone. I wanted my reputation and my achievements to speak for themselves. Most importantly, I wanted no one to ever doubt that I am capable, especially the council.

Three years ago, we managed to change the law. This year, I will be the first female alpha to take over a pack alone. The ball held a certain significance. It was the final gathering of the lunas and alphas in our region before the Moon Ball.

This year, the honor of hosting the ball fell to my pack, a responsibility that rotated annually. More than that, it was my debut ball as an adult. Even though I had plans to reject my mate, the weight of the occasion wasn’t lost on me.

I was a bundle of nerves, but I did my best to keep my anxieties hidden beneath a veneer of confidence.

***

The following day, I threw myself into my training and the final preparations for the ball. Despite my best efforts, my mind kept circling back to Arthur. Would he show up?

I shook my head, trying to dispel the thought. The day was a whirlwind of activity, and before I knew it, night had fallen.

After a quick shower, I dressed and headed straight to the festivities. I was on my home turf, surrounded by my pack and my guards. The pride in their salutes was palpable, a feeling so profound and beautiful that it sent shivers down my spine every time.

“Presenting our future alpha, Clair Troffenhol,” the gate guard announced, swinging open the grand hall doors for me.

As I stepped into the room, the announcement of my arrival was met with a ripple of tension.

The admiring glances from the other alphas filled me with a sense of pride.

I had worked hard to get here, and it felt good to be recognized for my achievements.