Alpha Alec's Redemption - Chapter 159: Chapter 159

“Are you ready to go home?” Alec asks softly, his voice breaking through the calm of the cabin’s warm interior.
I look around once, then down at my hands. This small cabin has been my sanctuary for the past three days. In it, with Alec by my side, I’ve felt safe. I was in pain, yes, but I felt at peace in a twisted kind of way.
Now we are going back to the pack and I feel a heavy weight on my chest. I know it was just an illusion of peace, but it was something. For the past three days I haven’t thought about the curse, Xena, Kaden or the premonition of my death. I haven’t thought about the war that is to come or everything that could go wrong. Now, though, we are going back to all that chaos and I don’t know what to do.
“Not really,” I admit truthfully. “But I miss Aspen… so much.”
Not being able to talk to her has been hard. She has always been my center. My calm. I want her in my arms.
He nods and doesn’t say anything else—he just walks to the door and opens it, waiting for me to follow. I did.
The cool air hits me the second I step outside, and I inhale deeply. It stings a little, sharp and clean, in my lungs. I close my eyes for a moment and just let things be. I ground myself and try to think about anything except for what is waiting for me in Alec’s pack.
My mind tries to circle back to the kiss I shared with Alec. It was good. Really good. So good that it made something inside me ache in a way that scared me. But I shove the memory down. I am not going to let myself go there. Not yet. Not when I couldn’t separate what was real from what had been born out of moon heat and longing.
“You good to walk, or should I carry you on my back?” Alec asks, cutting into my spiraling thoughts. Something that I am grateful for, even if he doesn’t know it.
I shoot him a look. “I’ve been sleeping for so long, I need this walk. It’ll help get my system back on track.”
I wasn’t just talking big. It’s true. I need this walk. Maybe the walk will also help clear my mind from all my fears and confusion.
He grins, the teasing light in his eyes familiar now. “Alright. But if you get tired—”
“I’ll let you know,” I say, already stepping past him.
I don’t stop to wait for him as he locks the door behind me. Minutes later, he rushes and catches up to me.
We walk in silence for a while. The forest around us whispers softly, leaves rustling, twigs snapping under our steps. The sounds feel grounding. Comforting.
“She’s surprisingly calm,” Alec suddenly says, breaking the silence.
I glance over at him. “Who?”
“Aspen. I thought she’d be a little more frantic after not seeing you for three days.”
I smile faintly. “She’s used to it. Being the Alpha’s daughter means she knows I can’t always be home. She knows sometimes I have to go on missions… and sometimes they take time.”
The first time I went on a mission, Aspen had panicked. She had spent the whole time crying for me. I had to cut our mission short because Martha kept calling me. Aspen wouldn’t calm down.
When I came back, I had to explain it to her. Good thing she understood quickly. Yes, she’s young, but you have to understand that children born from Alphas mature much faster. That’s why Aspen always seems a bit mature for her age.
He looks impressed. “That’s… pretty remarkable. What kind of missions?”
“Hunting,” I say simply. “Whenever we got solid information about hybrids, we acted on it. My warrior and I track them down and eliminate them.”
Alec nods slowly, as if piecing things together. “How come you and your pack never said anything? About you being the Alpha of the Hope Pack? I would think anyone with a pack like yours would want the whole world to know.”
“I’m not like everyone else; I thought you’d have figured that out by now,” I joke.
“Oh, trust me,” he winks. “I’ve already figured that out.”
I totally ignore the wink and continue, “ And besides, you know how the council is. They’re a bunch of old, sexist assholes. Do you honestly think they’d take it kindly that the biggest reform pack is run by a woman?”
Damn I hated those twelve councilmen. It’s like they still lived in medieval times, where they still saw women as lesser than men. It’s been centuries since the council was formed and yet there has never been even a single councilwoman.
He chuckles, low and genuine. “You’re not wrong. They’d probably lose their shit and try to sabotage you every chance they got.”
“Exactly,” I mutter. “So, I kept my identity hidden. Especially in the beginning. If there was a situation that really needed me and there was no way around it, I’d send King instead. Most assumed he was the Alpha, and I didn’t correct them.”
Alec gives a thoughtful hum. “That’s why you kept your distance from the other packs.”
“Yep,” I say. “It was safer that way. For me, for my people, for our goals.”
“But what about now?” he asks. “You’re not the same woman you were when you started all this. You’ve got power now. Enough to deal with the council if they tried anything.”
I look at him sideways, smirking. “Are you trying to incite me against the council?”
He puts a hand to his chest in mock offense. “Me? I would never do such a thing.”
I laugh, the sound surprising even me. It feels good to laugh. Especially when I thought back to how just a few hours ago, I was ready to punch him in the throat over Lola.
“Hold that thought,” I say, brushing his arm as we continued walking. “First, I need to help your pack. Then maybe I’ll take on the council.”
I couldn’t stop the thought, though. Maybe with my powers I could change up some things. Maybe it was time for women to have positions in power.
Do you know there has never been a woman in the alpha position? Even if she was born to alpha parents and was the only child. The title of Alpha wouldn’t be given to her. It’s tradition in all packs that in such a situation, they’ll wait for the woman to find her mate, and when they mated and marked each other, the title of Alpha would be given to her mate instead of her.
I find it ironic that wolves don’t give women positions of power and yet they worship Selene, who is infact a WOMAN. It's completely insane. You'd think that women would be the ones leading.
We walk side by side, the trees thinning as the path gives way to familiar trails. Before I realize it, we are stepping onto Pack territory.
We were just passing the training fields when a shriek pierced the air.
“Mommy!” she screams. “You are back. I missed you.”
I barely have time to react before Aspen launches herself at me, arms wide and eyes shining with joy.
I catch her with a grunt and hug her tight, while Alec supports my back so that I don’t fall. I was still a bit weak after all. “I missed you too, baby.”
She kisses my cheek before leaning over and planting one right on Alec’s.
“I missed you too, Alpha Alec!”
Alec laughs, warm and rich, as he ruffles her curls. “I missed you, little Pixie.”
I stare at her, brushing a leaf out of her hair. “Have you been good?”
She nods enthusiastically. “I’ve been playing with Martha and Uncle Micah and Jason. And I played with the kids and I ate all my vegetables, even the green beans I don’t like.”
“Wow,” I say. “Sounds like you’ve had a full schedule.”
Aspen’s eyes twinkle. “Did you go on an Alpha mission?”
“Yes,” I say without hesitation.
Her gaze bounces between Alec and me, suddenly curious. “Were you with Alpha Alec?”
There is a pause. Alec and I look at each other. I didn’t see a point in lying to her. I don’t know why, but I swear I could see something in her eyes. Something like hope.
“Yes,” I reply honestly. “I was with Alec.”
Aspen studies us for a second, then grins and nods like it makes perfect sense. “Okay!”
There it was again. That emotion in her eyes. Maybe it was time to tell her the truth, because something tells me that if I don’t, she’ll adopt Alec as her father and start trying to play matchmaker.
She leaps from my arms into Alec’s, making him laugh again as he catches her. He twirls her around. Their laughter rings through the air, light and contagious. But something tugs at my thoughts.
“Hey,” I call gently, once Alec stops, “you didn’t mention Raven. Have you seen her?”
Aspen’s smile fades a little. “No. I asked Martha. I wanted to play tea with Aunt Raven, but she said she’s not here.”
My heart skips.
This wasn’t like Raven. At all.
I stiffen, trying to keep my face neutral for Aspen’s sake. But my mind is already racing. It’s been three days. She doesn’t usually stay gone for that long. Especially without communication. She understands the full moon, so she would have left a message for me. The fact that she didn’t is worrying.
I close my eyes and take a breath, centering myself. Blocking out everything around me, I reach through the bond that tethered me to my magic.
“Raven?” I call through the link.
Silence.
Then—
“Sadie?”
Relief hits me so hard I almost stagger.
“Where have you been? Where are you? Are you okay?” The questions pour out before I can stop them. Her voice sounds… drained. Faint.
“I’m okay,” she replies, but her voice sounds so tired it made my chest squeeze. “I’ve been away… following a lead.”
“What kind of lead?” I ask, really curious.
There is a pause and then her next words freeze me in the spot.
“I think I found a way around the spell.”