Bury my name, Alpha

VIDA'S POINT OF VIEW

The scent of rubbing alcohol and crushed healing herbs clung to my skin. I hurried down the stone corridor of the pack house, my boots clicking softly against the floor. Not even an hour had passed since I last left Alpha Kane's bedside. For a grueling month, his room had been my entire world. He lay in a deep coma, his powerful chest barely rising and falling, entirely at the mercy of the darkness holding him under.

Everyone in the Silver Blood pack knew Kane was blindly infatuated with my sister. Aliyah was his first love, the only woman he ever looked at. He had already claimed her as his mate, sealing my own heartbreak.

Yet, I could not erase the past. I loved Kane since we were children, from the exact moment he threw himself between me and a snarling rogue wolf. His handsome face, with its sharp jawline and heavy brow, remained etched into my heart. To me, he was perfect, even if I was completely invisible to him.

Taking care of him was the only way I could show him the depth of my devotion. When my mother ordered me to nurse him in secret, I agreed without hesitation. I changed his bandages, applied fresh poultices, and kept him tethered to life. I did not regret a single sleepless night. Even if it took months, I would stay. In the quiet of his room, away from the judging eyes of the pack, I was free to touch his feverish brow and protect the man I loved.

But as I approached the living quarters, a familiar, high pitched laugh made me freeze.

I stopped just outside Aliyah's bedroom door. Through the crack, I heard her friend, Nora, asking a question. "Why aren't you the one taking care of Alpha Kane, Aliyah? You are his mate."

"I am not a caregiver," Aliyah scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain. "It is his own fault he ended up like a vegetable anyway. He is a weak Alpha."

My grip tightened on the edge of the stone wall.

"So, does that mean you don't really love him?" Nora asked. "From what I can see, you don't even care about him."

Aliyah laughed louder this time, a mocking, ugly sound. "Well, my pathetic sister is the only one crazy about him. But what can I do? He is the one who is crazy about me. I will just wait for him to wake up and ask me to marry him so I can become his Luna. Once that happens, I will have the power to rule the Silver Blood pack. Every pack will bow before me. And more importantly, all of Kane's wealth will become mine."

Blood rushed to my ears, hot and furious. I kicked the door open, the wood slamming violently against the stone wall. Nora gasped, stumbling backward into a vanity table, but Aliyah merely turned around, her eyes narrowing as she assessed me with cold disgust.

"You selfish monster," I spat, my voice shaking with raw rage. "He is fighting for his life, and you are standing here calculating his net worth? You don't deserve to breathe the same air as him, let alone rule this pack."

Aliyah sneered, stepping forward until we were inches apart. "Watch your mouth, Vida. You are talking to your future Luna."

"You will never be his Luna if he finds out what a parasite you are," I snapped, refusing to back down. "I am going to tell our parents. I am going to tell Alpha Kane the exact words that just came out of your mouth. They will see you for the hollow, gold digging liar you are."

Aliyah let out a sharp, mocking laugh, her eyes flashing with malice. "Do you really think they will believe you? Look at yourself. You are a nobody, a glorified maid hiding in his room while I hold his heart. Go ahead, run to mother and father. See whose side they take."

Before I could answer, she grabbed my shoulder and shoved me hard out into the hallway.

"Go back and take care of that vegetable Alpha," Aliyah sneered, leaning against the doorframe. "That was mother's order, remember? You are nothing but a tool to keep him alive until I can take his crown. Don't make mother angry by leaving her precious investment alone."

I swallowed the lump of fury in my throat, my fingernails digging into my palms until they nearly bled. "I will let this pass for now, Aliyah. Enjoy your delusion while it lasts. Because the very second Alpha Kane opens his eyes, I am burning your little empire to the ground."

Turning on my heel, I walked back to Kane's room and shut the heavy oak door behind me. The room was deathly quiet, save for his shallow breathing. Tears blurred my vision as I looked down at his pale face. It broke my heart that a man so fierce was being deceived by someone so hollow.

I knelt by his bedside, gently taking his limp, heavy hand in mine. "Please wake up," I whispered, a tear slipping down my cheek. "You need to know the truth. My sister is using you. You don't deserve her lies, Alpha. Even if you never see me, even if you never notice me, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you learn the truth."

His skin felt dry and warm. I needed to wipe his body with fresh water.

"I will be back in a few minutes," I softly told him.

I leaned down, pressing a gentle, lingering kiss to his forehead. His scent of pine and rain filled my senses one last time before I stood up, grabbing the empty wooden basin.

I stepped out into the hallway and immediately ran into Mary, one of the older pack maids. She looked at the basin in my hands. "How is Alpha Kane doing, Vida?"

"He is still the same, Mary," I replied, forcing a weak smile. "But I am hoping he wakes up soon."

I wanted to tell her more. I wanted to tell someone, anyone, about the poison Aliyah was spreading. But before I could open my mouth, a sharp, piercing scream echoed from the end of the hall.

Another maid was sprinting toward the pack house courtyard, her face flushed with excitement.

"Alpha Kane is awake!" she shouted, her voice ringing through the corridors. "The Alpha is awake!"

The wooden basin slipped from my hands and hit the floor with a loud crash. My heart pounded. Alpha Alpha Kane was awake.