Always And Forever | ENG

Chapter Four: The Weight of a Crown

I spent the rest of the day in a daze, barely hearing the conversations that happened around me. The pack's murmurs, once filled with casual gossip and light-hearted chatter, had shifted to something darker, more uncertain. There was no escaping the reality that I was now Alpha-or at least, I would be.

I didn't feel like an Alpha. I felt like a fraud.

The night was creeping in when I found myself alone in the clearing near the old oak tree, the one where I used to sneak away to when I needed to think. The air was cool, but my skin still felt warm, as though it were holding onto the tension of the day. The distant sounds of the pack preparing for the evening hunt drifted through the trees, but all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart.

I leaned against the tree, closing my eyes and breathing in the familiar scent of the forest-earth, pine, and the distant hint of the pack's lingering firewood. A moment of calm before the storm.

"You've been avoiding me."

I jumped, spinning around to see Ace leaning against a nearby tree, his arms crossed and a faint, knowing smile on his lips. His posture was relaxed, but there was an intensity to his eyes that told me he wasn't just here to chat.

"Not avoiding you," I said, forcing my voice to sound normal, though it came out a little sharper than I intended. "Just needed some space."

"Space is good," Ace agreed, pushing off from the tree and walking toward me. "But you can't hide forever, Finley."

I didn't answer. Instead, I turned my gaze back to the trees, watching the shadows lengthen as the sun dipped lower in the sky.

"You know," he continued, his voice gentler now, "this isn't easy for anyone, but it's especially hard on you. You've had to take on more than most ever will, and it's all happened too quickly."

I wanted to tell him that I didn't want it, that I couldn't carry this weight. But the words stuck in my throat. Because deep down, I knew that even if I couldn't embrace the title, I had no choice but to bear it.

"You think I can't do this, don't you?" I asked finally, my voice tight with the strain of everything I was holding back.

Ace was silent for a long moment, and I turned to face him, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. "You think I'm not cut out for this."

He sighed, a low, almost weary sound. "No, Finley. That's not what I think. What I think is that you're scared."

I flinched, more from the truth in his words than from the way he spoke them. I didn't want to be scared. I didn't want to feel small in a role that was supposed to make me larger than life. But I was.

"I'm not scared," I lied, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.

Ace raised an eyebrow, his gaze cutting straight through me. "You're terrified of letting everyone down, aren't you? Of not being able to live up to your father's faith in you... and your own."

I swallowed hard, looking away from him. His words were too close to the truth. I couldn't even argue with him. He was right.

"I don't even know what to do," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "Everything is moving too fast. Dean's angry. The pack's divided. And I... I don't know if I can fix any of it."

Ace took a step closer, his presence solid and comforting. "You're not alone in this, Finley. You don't have to do it all by yourself."

"But it feels like I do," I whispered, more to myself than to him. "If I don't do it right, then everything will fall apart."

Ace reached out and gently placed his hand on my shoulder, his touch warm and steady. "I'm here, Finley. And so is your father. You don't have to be perfect. You just have to be you."

I looked up at him then, his dark eyes serious but full of a quiet understanding. "I don't know how to be an Alpha."

"You don't have to be an Alpha," he said with a soft smile. "You just have to lead. Your way."

I felt the weight of his words settle in my chest. There was no one path to leadership, no blueprint for how to be the perfect Alpha. Maybe, just maybe, I could find my own way.

We stood in silence for a while, the only sound the distant rustling of the wind through the trees. I didn't know what the future held-didn't know if I'd be able to rise to the challenges ahead-but for the first time that day, I felt like I might be able to survive this.

"Thanks, Ace," I said quietly, my voice full of gratitude.

He smiled, the familiar, easy grin returning to his face. "Anytime. You'll see. You're stronger than you think."

Before I could respond, a sound reached our ears-a faint rustling, followed by a quick, sharp growl.

Ace's expression shifted in an instant, his posture tensing as his head snapped in the direction of the sound.

I straightened, my senses sharpening. The forest was quiet again, the sounds of the pack fading into the distance. Whatever had caused that disturbance, it wasn't natural.

"Stay close," Ace said, his voice low and commanding. "Something's wrong."

I nodded, my heartbeat quickening. As Ace moved forward, I followed, every instinct telling me that the calm of the night was only a thin veil over something far more dangerous.

And for the first time, I wondered if the true test of leadership wasn't just about my ability to lead the pack, but about my ability to survive what was coming.