Silas

“Alpha, the contract between Just Pharma and MM Company has been broken,” my Beta, Bryan, reported crisply. “From what I gathered, MM tried to play a cheap trick with Just Pharma’s boss. But the boss caught them red-handed. Ruthlessly. It’s time for us to strike.”

I leaned back in my chair, fingers steepled under my chin.

Just Pharma.

That name had haunted me for three years.

But then, three years ago, Just Pharma rose like wildfire, crushing every competitor until the entire market bent around its orbit. That was when I finally opened my eyes and began building my empire seriously. We clawed our way up, took risks, merged companies, and survived betrayals. We were strong again.

But every time Just Pharma appeared on the horizon, my chest grew heavy with something I didn’t want to name.

“We will secure the lead this time,” Bryan pressed. “The office of Just Pharma is in Phantom Moon’s Economic Corridor. It’s the heart of the Kingdom’s wealth. Everyone who is anyone has a presence there. Billionaires, aristocrats, tycoons, everyone is fighting in that cutthroat competition there. We already have offices there, but…”

I raised a hand, silencing him. “Tell Amanda, our CEO, to meet their CEO.”

Bryan’s grin was sharp. “Already arranged. Augustus Blackthorn agreed to see her. He admitted we were their second option after MM.”

My jaw tightened. Second option. I hated those words. I never settled for second. And yet… this particular project stirred something deep in me. A strange pull I couldn’t shake. Perhaps, the answers to all the mysteries of life are settled there.

When I finally returned to the Packhouse that evening, my steps slowed. My chest grew unbearably tight the closer I came. I did not linger in the main hall. I didn’t want to see the expectant eyes of my people, my mother’s disapproving frown or Elizabeth’s desperate stare.

Instead, I climbed the stairs and went straight to the second floor.

To her room.

My wife’s room.

It remained untouched, sealed in time like a shrine. I had not moved a single thing. Her perfume still sat on the counter, the pearl earrings she used to wear still lying there, glinting softly under the light. I could still picture her wearing them, smiling faintly as if she didn’t realise how beautiful she was.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Her scent. It was faint, almost gone, but still enough to drive my wolf to madness.

My wolf’s growl echoed in my head. My wolf howled, restless, grieving and desperate. I forced him down, but he clawed at my insides every time we came here. Three years had passed, but neither of us had healed.

When Amelia left… my wolf lost all reason. He had destroyed half the Pack in rage and grief. For six months, I had drowned in alcohol, in guilt, in shadows of her memory. I was a pathetic Alpha then. Broken to the core.

But the Pack could not wait for me forever. Accidents happened. Enemies attacked. I had to rise again, if only to keep them alive.

And rise I did. Stronger, sharper and more ruthless than before. Yet at every step, an unseen hand opposed me. A hidden enemy that blocked me in trade, stole allies, and sabotaged contracts. Smaller Packs in the East had stopped trading with me altogether. I was forced to turn to humans; that was something no Alpha of my bloodline had ever done.

It worked. Human technology was advanced and human industrieswere efficient. Slowly, we regained strength. My Pack stood taller than ever now.

But in the quiet hours of the night…

None of it mattered.

The greatest grief of my life was not a lost contract, nor a weakened Pack.

It was the loss of my wife.

Amelia.

I missed her with every breath I took. The world was colourless without her. I wished every day that I could find her again. That I could fall at her feet, beg for forgiveness, and spend eternity proving I was no longer the man who broke her heart.

I knew she was alive. I could feel her. The bond was still there like a thin thread tying me to her. But every time I reached for her mind through the mind-link, it was silent. Every day. Every night. I would find silence. No clue, nothing. It was as if she had disappeared from the face of the earth.

That evening, my mother sat waiting at the dining table. Her sharp eyes followed me as I walked past.

“Elizabeth has been asking for you,” she said coldly. “You haven’t seen her once. Aren’t you cruel, Silas? She lost your child, and yet you show her no compassion, no emotion at all.”

Slowly, I turned to face her. “Why should I?” My voice was low. “Elizabeth is the reason Amelia is gone.”

My mother’s lips curled. “That good-for-nothing girl is gone for good! Can’t you see? You have a chance to move on. To build a life with a woman who adores you. Why do you cling to a ghost?”

My vision darkened. “The woman I love is Amelia. My wife. My fated mate. Not Elizabeth.” My tone was final, deadly. “And I will not repeat this again. Stop trying to force that woman into my life.”

Her voice rose sharply. “Amelia abandoned you! She left you! Elizabeth is here, willing to—”

“Mother,” I cut her off, my voice like ice. “If you do not stop forcing Elizabeth on me, I will stop joining you for meals. The only reason I came today was because it’s your wedding anniversary, and I thought you’d feel lonely without Father. But clearly, even tonight, all you care about is your schemes.”

Her face pinched, but I turned away.

“Fine,” she spat. “But at least move to your private residence. That building you live in is pathetic. It doesn’t even have proper stairs.”

I stopped at the door, looking back over my shoulder. “Amelia lived there just fine. You weren’t concerned then. Why are you so concerned now?” My voice dropped to a growl. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten how you forced Elizabeth on me during my rut.”

Her sharp intake of breath filled the silence. “You go through a rut every three months, Silas! It’s torture. Do you want to kill yourself? Or worse, let your wolf go berserk again? One day, it will explode, and none of us will be able to control you.”

I said nothing. What could I say? She would never understand.

I did not need lust. I did not need another body in my bed.

What I needed was Amelia. Her presence. Her warmth. Her smile. Her kindness. But she was gone! They were all the reason why she was gone!

I know that broke her heart once. But I would never do it again.

If loving her meant I would die from the weight of it, then so be it.

At least, I would die loving her.