After My Mate Chose My Sister Over Me

The antiseptic smell of the infirmary couldn't mask his scent. That intoxicating blend of pine and winter frost that made my fingers tremble as I prepared the therapy room. Alpha Alec Harrison's aura filled the space before he even entered—dark, commanding, and laced with something feral that called to the emptiness inside me.

"Keira." His voice was rough when he finally appeared in the doorway, his broad shoulders blocking most of the light. "I need you."

Those three words sent heat spiraling through me. I kept my expression professional, though my heart hammered against my ribs. "Alpha Harrison, please lie down. We'll begin the aura therapy shortly."

He complied, his movements fluid and predatory even in his weakened state. The obsidian claw mark on his forearm—a battle wound from last week's territory dispute—had healed poorly. His wolf was fighting him from within, making him dangerous to everyone except me.

"Your wolf is restless tonight," I murmured, placing my hands on either side of his temples. "Let me help you calm him."

My fingers traced the tense lines of his face, feeling the slight tremor beneath his skin. His eyes—those storm-gray eyes that had haunted my dreams for months—fixed on mine with an intensity that stole my breath.

"You're the only one who can reach him," Alec whispered, his voice dropping to a register that vibrated through my bones. "The only one who makes him quiet."

I leaned closer, letting my scent envelop him. The air between us thickened as I channeled my calming energy into his aura. "Breathe with me," I instructed softly. "Let the tension leave your body."

His breathing synchronized with mine, our chests rising and falling in perfect harmony. The professional boundaries that had kept me safe for months began to blur as his hand caught mine, his thumb tracing circles on my palm.

"Keira," he said again, but this time my name was a prayer on his lips.

I shouldn't have leaned closer. I shouldn't have let my lips brush against his jaw. But the pull between us was magnetic, inevitable. His hands tangled in my hair as he pulled me down to him, and suddenly we were drowning in each other.

Hours later, I lay beside him, my fingers tracing patterns on his chest. The silence felt heavy with possibility.

"Alec," I whispered into the darkness. "What are we doing?"

His body tensed beneath my touch. I felt him withdraw before he even spoke.

"This is therapy," he said flatly, his voice suddenly clinical. "Nothing more."

I sat up, pulling the sheet around me. "Therapy doesn't involve—"

"Don't." The word cut through the room like a whip. I flinched as he stood, his naked body silhouetted against the dim light. "We don't need to discuss this."

"But I thought—"

"I said don't." His Alpha tone slammed into me, forcing submission into my bones. I watched him dress with mechanical precision, his jaw clenched so tightly I could see the muscle ticking beneath his skin.

He stepped away from me as if my touch burned him now. "This doesn't change anything between us."

I flexed my damaged right hand unconsciously, feeling the familiar ache where Brooke had ensured I would never be a Lead Medical Healer. "So this was just... what? A mistake?"

His eyes flashed with something dangerous. "It was necessary. For my wolf."

Before I could respond, my phone buzzed with an urgent message from the pack house. Alpha Frederick wanted to see me immediately.

---

My father's office smelled of old books and power. Alpha Frederick sat behind his massive oak desk, not bothering to look up as I entered.

"Keira." He finally acknowledged my presence after I'd stood there for several minutes. "There's been a development in our negotiations with the Western territories."

I remained silent, knowing better than to interrupt him.

"The Rogue King Joziah West has expressed interest in strengthening our alliance." Frederick's eyes met mine briefly before sliding away. "Through mating."

My blood turned to ice. "Mating?"

"You're twenty-five now, Keira. A Late Bloomer with no wolf to speak of." His voice was clinical, as if discussing livestock. "Joziah doesn't require a strong mate. Just one who can bear children and manage his household."

"You can't be serious." My voice shook despite my efforts to remain calm. "Joziah West is notorious for—"

"For what?" Frederick's eyes narrowed. "For being powerful? For controlling the largest unclaimed territory in the region?"

"For killing his last three mates," I whispered.

Frederick's Alpha aura filled the room like a suffocating blanket. I fought to remain standing as it pressed down on me.

"You will do as you're told," he growled. "The ceremony will take place next month."

I felt something inside me crack as he dismissed me with a wave of his hand. My father—the man who had watched my mother die and done nothing—was now selling me to a monster to secure his precious territory.

And there was nothing I could do to stop it.