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Fated to My Forbidden Alpha – Episode 05
News of Alexander Kane’s acceptance swept through the Blood Moon packhouse faster than any official announcement. Servants whispered it in the kitchens, warriors repeated it across the training yard, and council members arrived early for meetings they normally avoided. Nightwind was not sending a representative. Its Alpha was coming himself.
Inside his office, Jackson stared at the formal card on his desk as though another explanation might appear between its embossed lines. “Alexander Kane is coming,” he said, testing the fact aloud. It still sounded less like an honor than a warning.
Across from him, Beta Luke failed to hide his excitement. “I can’t believe he accepted.” Blood Moon invited powerful Alphas to major ceremonies as a matter of courtesy, but most responded with gifts or envoys. Alexander rarely crossed another pack’s border without a reason.
“Neither can I.” Jackson tossed the card down and leaned back. Nightwind and Blood Moon had no alliance, friendship, or useful history of cooperation. Their territories lay hundreds of miles apart, and the two Alphas had exchanged little more than formal greetings. “What exactly does he want?”
Luke considered the question. “Maybe nothing. He was invited to an engagement party, and perhaps he decided to attend one.” Jackson gave him a flat look. Both men knew leaders did not move convoys and elite guards across the country on a whim.
“No one travels that distance for cake and music,” Jackson said. Beyond the window, preparations had already begun in the courtyard, where workers raised a ceremonial arch beneath Blood Moon banners. His engagement should have been a declaration of strength. Alexander’s presence threatened to turn it into someone else’s stage.
Luke leaned forward. “Maybe that is the reason. Nightwind is the largest pack in the country, but everyone has noticed Blood Moon’s growth.” His tone brightened as he listed the gains Jackson knew by heart: territory doubled in five years, trade routes secured, and ranks strengthened by ambitious young wolves.
Jackson’s suspicion eased enough for pride to enter. Blood Moon had risen because he refused to let older, richer packs dismiss it. The idea that Alexander Kane finally viewed him as a rival was far more satisfying than the possibility of some hidden investigation.
“You think he’s worried?” Jackson asked. Luke lifted one shoulder. “Or impressed. Either way, accepting the invitation means we have his attention.” A slow smile touched Jackson’s mouth. If Nightwind considered Blood Moon competition, then Jackson’s reign had achieved exactly what he intended.
For a moment, the tension in the office lifted. Luke watched his Alpha move from alarm to vanity and made the mistake of chuckling. Jackson’s eyes narrowed at once. “What’s funny?”
“Nothing, Alpha.” Luke tried to straighten his face, but his grin betrayed him. “It’s just reassuring to know the fearless Jackson can panic over a guest list.” A pen flew across the desk. Luke ducked, laughing as it struck the door behind him.
His amusement lasted until Jackson smiled back. It was the calm, dangerous smile that usually preceded punishment disguised as responsibility. “You seem unusually enthusiastic about the party,” Jackson observed. Luke’s laughter died. “Alpha, whatever you’re thinking—”
“You’ll handle the preparations.” Jackson began stacking reports as if the decision were already ordinary. “All of them. Security, lodging, ceremony, banquet, and the receiving line. I want every detail reviewed before Alexander enters our territory.”
Luke looked horrified. “From beginning to end?” Jackson nodded. “Every single moment.” When Luke called the order cruel, Jackson’s smile deepened. “That isn’t cruelty. It’s leadership.”
Then another realization struck Luke. “The party is this weekend.” Jackson continued sorting papers. “Correct.” Luke planted both hands on the desk. “My birthday is this weekend. You promised me time away from duty.”
“I changed my mind.” Jackson rejected every protest with the same indifferent no, even when Luke reminded him he was turning eighteen and had waited his entire life to welcome his wolf fully. At last, Luke accused him of being evil. Jackson merely pointed to the door.
Luke started toward it, muttering about tyrants and ruined birthdays. Halfway across the room, he stopped. His shoulders stiffened as a thought displaced his irritation, and when he turned back, all humor had left his face.
“Does Selene still not know?” he asked quietly. The question erased Jackson’s satisfaction. He looked toward the forest beyond his window, where the servants’ quarters stood partly hidden beneath the trees, and silence answered before he did.
“No.” The word came reluctantly. Luke exhaled and closed the distance between them again. He was one of the few wolves who knew what Jackson had concealed—and perhaps the only one willing to challenge him about it.
“You need to tell her,” Luke said. Jackson’s jaw tightened. “It’s complicated.” Luke folded his arms. “Only because you made it complicated. She is your mate.”
