Always And Forever | ENG

Chapter Two: Unraveling

The night air bit at my skin as I stepped outside the pack house, but it wasn't enough to cool the fire burning in my chest. My breath came in sharp, shallow bursts, the weight of the evening pressing harder with every step I took away from the murmurs inside. I didn't stop until I reached the edge of the forest, where the tall trees towered like silent witnesses to my unraveling.

I leaned against one, my hands pressing into the rough bark, grounding myself in its unyielding surface. My mind was a storm, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't pull myself out of it.

What just happened?

I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that when I opened them, I'd find it was all some cruel misunderstanding. Maybe Dean would come stomping through the woods to find me, yelling about how Father had come to his senses, that this Alpha nonsense wasn't mine to bear.

But when I opened my eyes, all I saw were shadows. All I heard was the silence.

A laugh bubbled up from my throat, bitter and humorless. Me, the Alpha. What a joke. I couldn't lead a hunting party, let alone an entire pack. Dean was right-this wasn't about me. This was about the pack, and what they needed wasn't me.

It was Dean.

"Finley," a soft voice broke through the quiet, and I turned to see Cellie approaching. Her blond curls were wild in the breeze, her hazel eyes warm and full of concern. She moved carefully, as though I might bolt if she came too close.

"I knew you'd be out here," she said, her voice gentle. "You always run when things get too heavy."

"Guess I'm predictable," I muttered, sinking to the ground and hugging my knees to my chest.

She sat beside me, close enough that her warmth seeped into the space between us, but not so close that it felt suffocating. Cellie knew me better than anyone-better than my family, sometimes better than myself.

"You okay?" she asked after a long silence.

I let out a shaky laugh. "Do I look okay?"

"No," she admitted, her tone light but careful. "But I figured I'd ask anyway."

I pressed my forehead against my knees, the bark of the tree digging into my back. "What the hell was my father thinking? Giving me the Alpha title? It makes no sense. I'm not ready for this-I don't even want it. Dean does. Dean deserves it."

"Does he?" Cellie's question was soft, but it cut through my spiral like a blade.

I lifted my head to glare at her. "Of course he does. You've seen him-he's been training for this his whole life. He's better at everything. Better at leading, better at fighting, better at... all of it."

"And yet your father chose you."

"That doesn't mean he's right," I snapped.

"Maybe not," she said, unfazed by my sharpness. "But have you considered that maybe your father sees something in you that you don't?"

Her words struck a nerve, and I looked away, staring into the dense darkness of the forest. "If he does, he's wrong," I whispered.

Cellie didn't argue, didn't press me further. Instead, she reached over and plucked a stray leaf from my hair, her touch light and familiar. "You always do this, you know. Tear yourself apart before you even give yourself a chance."

"It's not self-doubt if it's the truth," I muttered.

She sighed. "You're impossible."

We sat in silence for a while, the kind of silence that didn't need filling. It was one of the reasons I loved Cellie-she didn't feel the need to fix me or lecture me. She just... stayed.

Eventually, I spoke again, my voice quieter this time. "Dean's never going to forgive me."

She hesitated. "He's angry right now, sure, but-"

"No, you didn't see the way he looked at me," I interrupted, my chest tightening at the memory. "He hates me for this. And I don't blame him. I'd hate me, too."

"Finley..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say.

I didn't blame her. What could anyone say to make this better?

A sudden rustling in the trees snapped me out of my thoughts. My head whipped around, every muscle in my body tensing.

"Relax," Cellie said, a hint of amusement in her voice. "It's just Ace."

Sure enough, Ace emerged from the shadows, his hands raised in mock surrender. His dark hair was disheveled, and there was a cocky grin on his face that made me want to throw something at him.

"Really?" I snapped. "You couldn't announce yourself like a normal person?"

"Where's the fun in that?" he teased, sauntering over like he didn't have a care in the world. "Besides, I figured you'd want to see a friendly face after... all that."

I rolled my eyes, but a small part of me was glad he was here. Ace had a way of lightening the mood, even when things felt unbearable.

"Your dad sent me to find you," he said, dropping onto the ground beside us with zero grace. "He's worried you might do something stupid."

"Like what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Run away and join the circus?"

"Hey, with your acrobatics skills, you'd probably do great," he shot back with a grin.

Cellie snorted, and despite myself, I felt the corners of my mouth twitch.

"Seriously, though," Ace said, his tone softening. "You okay?"

I hesitated, then shrugged. "Not really."

He nodded, as though that was the answer he'd expected. "Well, whatever happens, you're not in this alone, okay? You've got us."

I glanced at him, then at Cellie. Their presence was a small comfort, but it didn't change the fact that I was now carrying a weight I didn't know how to bear.

For the first time that night, I allowed myself to say the words that had been clawing at my chest since the moment my father spoke.

"I don't think I can do this," I whispered.

Neither of them argued.

And somehow, that made the admission feel a little less terrifying.