Alpha Alec's Redemption - Chapter 142: Chapter 142

Alec.
I woke up before the sun.
The soft glow of morning light crept through the curtains. I blinked into the brightness, dragging a hand down my face. I was awake, but my thoughts were still caught somewhere between sleep and that moment last night… when I almost lost control.
For a moment, I just laid there, staring at the ceiling, hoping the ache in my chest would ease. It didn’t. It never has ever since I realized that Sadie is my mate. The scent of her still clung to my skin, though we hadn’t touched. Not really.
Goddess, the way she looked last night—standing in the soft glow of her bedroom, wearing nothing but a tank and cotton shorts, her hair still damp from a shower, her eyes wary and wanting all at once. The way her breath hitched when I leaned in to kiss Aspen. The way her scent shifted—sweetened and sharp with desire.
I wanted her. Every damn part of me wanted her. My wolf, Knox, was unrelenting last night. Prowling just beneath my skin, demanding I take her, mark her, make her mine.
And I almost did.
It took everything in me to turn and walk away.
The full moon was days away, and already it was playing havoc with our bond. I could feel it like a live wire beneath my skin, tugging me toward her, whispering her name into every breath I took. But wanting her—needing her—wasn’t the same as deserving her. And I hadn’t earned that yet.
Knox had been pacing all night, scratching beneath my skin, howling for me to go back to her. To finish what we started. To mark her, claim her, bind her to us before the full moon rose and we lost our minds. I’d wrestled him for hours, grounding myself with every ounce of control I had. But my body was still humming, every nerve ending on fire, and the taste of her still lingered in my mouth even though I hadn’t even kissed her.
I got up, went through the motions of my morning - showering, brushing my teeth, pulling on a pair of training sweats and a fitted black T-shirt. Each routine movement was meant to distract me, to drown out the memory of Sadie’s scent, the way her eyes widened when I stepped too close, and the sound of her breath catching when I leaned in to kiss Aspen.
I wanted Sadie. Her heat, her presence, the maddening bond between us.
After a quick breakfast, I headed out to the training grounds. The morning air was crisp, biting. I welcomed it. At least it gave me something else to feel. By the time I stepped onto the training grounds, the sun was already high. I ran a hand through my damp hair and let out a sharp whistle.
All the warriors straightened. Eyes turned toward me. Some of them looked eager. Others wary. I could see the tension in their shoulders—like they were still processing everything they’d learned.
“I know Micah’s already briefed you on what’s going on,” I said, walking across the dirt-covered field.
A ripple of tension moved through the group. One of the younger warriors, a cocky kid named Rowan, raised a skeptical brow. “Alpha… is it true? That hybrids exist?”
The disbelief in his voice echoed in the murmurs around us. I didn’t blame them.
I didn’t answer. Not verbally.
Instead, I reached for the mind-link. “Jason, bring him.”
Jason replied almost immediately. “Already on our way.”
A minute later, Jason and Micah appeared at the far end of the field, flanking Brian.
There was a noticeable shift the moment Brian appeared. He looked different—clean-shaven, freshly showered, dressed in simple training gear. His entire appearance was a stark contrast to the bloodied, defiant version Sadie had tortured in the dungeons. And yet… he still carried the air of danger, the calculated control that didn’t belong to a man used to taking orders.
Shock rolled through the ranks. I could feel my warriors stiffen. Some inhaled deeply. Others took half-steps back. I didn’t blame them.
The warriors tensed, immediately catching the scent.
“Vampire,” someone whispered.
“He’s not just that,” I said calmly. “Brian. Show them.”
Brian looked at me, something unreadable in his expression. Then, slowly, he lifted one arm. His skin rippled. Bones cracked. And before their eyes, his fingers shifted into the claws and paws of a werewolf.
Several warriors stumbled back. Others swore aloud.
Brian let them see it for just a few seconds before shifting back. He flexed his hand and rolled his shoulder like it was nothing.
“This,” I said, raising my voice over the murmurs, “is what we’re facing. And you’re going to learn how to fight it.”
“Get into your stances,” I commanded. “He’s not here for show. He’s here to help you train.”
Some hesitated. I didn’t give them time to dwell on it. “Now.”
That snapped them into motion.
The first round of drills began. Brian was fast—inhumanly fast-faster than any vampire or werewolf I’d seen—switching forms mid-combat, exploiting blind spots, adapting to their attacks with chilling ease.
He was stronger than most of the warriors could comprehend. He held back, but he didn’t go easy on them. I could tell. He wasn’t here to maim. He was there to help.
It was almost mesmerizing. And terrifying.
Micah, Jason, and I stood back, just watching.
“Damn,” Jason muttered. “He’s efficient.”
“Calculated,” Micah added. “Doesn’t waste energy.”
I nodded, arms folded, eyes on every movement. “That’s how the rest of them fight. They are ruthless.”
We kept watching, analyzing every strike, every maneuver. Brian didn’t brag, didn’t showboat. He was quiet. Precise. Lethal.
It had been maybe thirty minutes when a giggle broke the tension. That’s the only warning I got.
Something warm and small slammed into my chest.
A small blur ran across the field and something warm and small slammed into my chest before I could even register what was happening.
I instinctively caught her.
“Aspen?” I looked down in shock as her little arms wrapped around my neck, and she beamed up at me.
“I found you!” she announced proudly.
The training ground went completely silent.
She reached up and touched my cheek, her smile stretching wide. “I found you, Mister Alec.”
I felt it—this massive, aching swell in my chest.
Goddess, this little girl… She had no idea what she did to me. How she cracked me open with nothing but a smile and those bright, trusting eyes. She didn’t care that warriors were staring. That gasps echoed across the field. That I was the big, bad alpha.
To her, I was just me.
I smiled. “You found me, huh?”
She nodded and then, as if we weren’t in the middle of a very intense training session, she started talking. “I told Mommy that I dream of you and that I will find you with my nose. I told her you smell like fire and trees. Did you know that? You do.”
I laughed—actually laughed. It caught me off guard.
“I missed you,” she whispered, brushing her tiny nose against mine.
“I missed you too, Pixie.”
Her eyes widened before she smiled wide. “You called me Pixie, like Tinker Bell.”
Having watched enough Disney shows with Piper when she was young, I am proud to say that I know who Tinker Bell is.
“Yes, you are my little Pixie.”
The training ground stilled, a hush falling over the warriors as they took in the sight of me—Alpha Alec—cradling Aspen and having a conversation with her.
“Back to work,” I said, without looking away from Aspen.
They scrambled to obey.
Aspen kept talking—about her dreams, about breakfast, about a butterfly she’d seen outside the window—and I listened like it was the most important conversation I’d ever had.
Micah cleared his throat behind me.
Aspen peeked around my shoulder. “Hi,” she said, a little more shyly now.
Micah smiled. “Hey there, little one.”
“This is Micah,” I said. “And that’s Jason. Your uncles.”
Jason gave her a wink. “Hey, princess. You can call me Uncle J.”
Aspen giggled. “Are they my uncles like Uncle King?”
I shrugged. “Yes.”
She looked at them, then back at me. Her next question was soft, uncertain.
“Are you my uncle too?”
It knocked the air out of my lungs.
I froze.
I didn’t know what to say. The words hit me harder than they should have. She was so innocent, so unfiltered. And I… I didn’t know how to answer. Not with everything between me and Sadie. Not with all the ways I’d failed her before.
My mouth opened. Nothing came out.
Aspen frowned, sensing my hesitation.
I hated that.
So, I smiled, even though it felt like my chest was cracking open.
The word no hovered at the edge of my tongue, but I couldn’t spit it out.
Before I could respond, Aspen laid her head against my chest and whispered, “It’s okay. I don’t mind. I still like you.”
That… undid me, but it also gave me peace knowing that she would accept me no matter what.