Always And Forever | ENG

Chapter Twelve: The Price of Division

The tension in the pack house lingered long after Dean's storming departure. I could feel it in the eyes of every pack member-an unspoken question, a quiet disbelief. I was their Alpha now. But at that moment, it felt more like a title than a reality. My brother's opposition to me wasn't just a personal betrayal. It was a fracture in the very foundation of our pack, a wound that was only growing wider. And I didn't know how to heal it.

The weight of the pack's expectations pressed on me like an invisible hand, suffocating and relentless. Some members looked at me with fear, unsure if I was capable of leading them. Others, those who had followed Dean for years, looked at me with distrust, their loyalty splintering. Only a few had rallied behind me-Ace, Cellie, and a handful of others. But even they couldn't stop the growing divide.

As the hours passed, I sat alone in my father's study, the weight of the world on my shoulders. My thoughts were a tangled mess, the words from earlier echoing in my head. "You don't know what you're doing." Dean's words, so sharp and full of venom, had cut through me in a way I wasn't prepared for. I thought I was ready to take on the mantle of Alpha, but I hadn't anticipated how much it would cost me-how much it would tear me apart from the inside out.

The door to the study creaked open, and I didn't have to look up to know who it was. My father's presence filled the room, as large and commanding as ever, though his footsteps were softer now, slower. He paused at the door, his expression unreadable.

"You should rest," he said, his voice gentle, almost pleading. "The pack needs you to be strong."

"I don't feel strong," I muttered, my hands trembling slightly as I folded them in my lap. The anger, the fear, the doubt-it all felt like a storm inside me, and I didn't know how to control it. "How can I lead them when my own brother doesn't trust me?"

My father's sigh was heavy. He came to sit across from me, his gaze softening as he studied my face. "Dean's anger is not about you, Finley. It's about the pack. He's afraid of losing everything. He's been trained for this moment his whole life, and now it's slipping away from him."

"I never wanted to take that from him," I whispered, the ache in my chest deepening. "I just wanted to protect them. I wanted to protect everyone."

"I know," my father said quietly. "But in his eyes, you've taken something more than the title of Alpha. You've taken his place, his purpose. And that's not something he can easily accept."

I looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time since he entered. "I don't know how to fix this," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know how to bring the pack together when they're divided... when he's divided."

My father's gaze was steady, though I could see the lines of exhaustion beneath his eyes. He had carried this burden for years, and now it seemed that burden was falling on me.

"You don't have to fix it all, Finley," he said softly. "But you do have to show them that you're capable of leading. You don't have to have all the answers. You just have to lead with your heart, and the rest will follow."

But what if my heart wasn't enough? What if my heart wasn't strong enough to hold them all together when they were pulling in different directions?

"I'm not sure I can do it," I said, my voice breaking for the first time. "I don't think I'm ready."

"You are," my father said firmly, standing and placing a hand on my shoulder. "More than you know. You've already proven that you have what it takes. Don't let doubt cloud your path."

His words were comforting, but they didn't ease the tightness in my chest. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was failing them. Failing my pack. Failing Dean.

That night, sleep didn't come easy. I lay in my bed, the covers tangled around me, staring at the ceiling as my thoughts spiraled. I couldn't shake the image of Dean's furious face, his betrayal, and the resentment in his eyes.

I had known our relationship would change after Father passed on the Alpha title to me. But I hadn't anticipated the depth of the wound it would leave between us. Dean had been everything to me once-my older brother, my protector. And now, he was my greatest adversary. Not just as a rival for the pack's leadership, but as someone who couldn't-wouldn't-accept me in the role I had been thrust into.

A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts.

"Come in," I called, my voice hoarse.

The door creaked open, and I sat up slightly, wiping my face to hide the tears I hadn't even realized I'd shed.

Cellie stepped into the room, her face full of concern. "You okay?" she asked softly, her voice gentle, as though she could feel the heaviness in the air.

"I'm not sure," I replied, my voice shaky. "I'm... trying to be."

She sat beside me on the bed, her presence a quiet comfort. "You know you don't have to do this alone, right?"

"I don't want to be alone," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "But I feel like I am. I feel like I'm losing everyone. And I don't even know how to fix it."

Cellie was silent for a moment, and then she spoke, her voice steady and sure. "You don't have to fix everything, Finley. And you don't have to be perfect. Just be yourself. That's enough."

Her words were a balm to the rawness inside me. But deep down, I knew that the path ahead wouldn't be that easy. The pack was divided, and no amount of reassurance could change that. Dean was already lost to me, and every step I took toward being the leader the pack needed only seemed to push him further away.

And then there was the enemy lurking on the horizon. The creature. The figure. Whoever-or whatever-they were, they were coming for us. And I didn't know how to stop them.

I had to be the Alpha. But in order to do that, I had to face the hardest truth of all: being the Alpha meant choosing the pack over everything else. Even Dean.

But at what cost?