Chapter Three : Burning Bridges NATHAN The silence in the room was suffocating after my father s words sliced through it . I am never going to hand the pack over to you if you dont agree to this . You either marry her or lose the pack . I stared at him , forcing my fury to stay buried under the surface . My tone was cold , measured . So , you expect me to marry a stranger a woman Ive never met because you re so paranoid about your bloodline ending with me ? His hand raked through his hair , a familiar gesture of frustration . His voice softened , as though he thought compassion would mask the ultimatum . I only want what s best for you , Nathan . You ve spent years resenting women because of what your mother did , and- Dont bring her up . I snapped , the 11:36 444 Chapter Three : Burning Bridges. words spilling out before I could stop them . My patience was wearing thin . And if you knew what was best for me , you wouldnt threaten to take away the one thing Ive trained my entire life for . If its an heir you want , Ill give you an heir . but I will not marry a stranger . He shook his head , disappointment lacing his gaze . This is about more than just an heir , Nathan . Its about you moving on from the past . Letting someone in . Someone who isn t Nadia . All I want , he continued , is for you to be happy . Nicole is kind and beautiful . Youll see that . She ll be good for you , in time . I glared at him , my voice dropping to a dangerous growl . If you force me into this , I will never forgive you . His weary sigh was punctuated by a faint , sad smile . Then so be it . The decision is final . You have three days to submit your answer to the council . 45 % 11:36 216 Chapter Three : Burning Bridges He turned without another word , the door slamming behind him . And just like that , the choice was made for me . I had trained to be an Alpha my entire life . It was all I knew . This was the sacrifice I had to make to claim what was rightfully mine . But Nicole , whoever she was , would never mean anything to me . At least , thats what I told myself . Over the three years that followed , I came to see that my father had been right . Nicole was everything I didnt know I wanted . She was kind . She was strong . She was … perfect . And that perfection was my downfall . Because the moment I trusted her the moment I let her past my walls she cheated on me and betrayed me . Women were all the same . They made you believe you were the center of their world , only to leave you shattered , wondering why you 45 % 11:36 3/6 Chapter Three : Burning Bridges were never enough . Nadia was the only exception . The only woman I could trust . My sister , my constant . And no matter what Nicole believed about her , Nadia had proved , time and again , that she would never leave me . The day Nicole walked away , I told myself she was nothing to me . Just like she was always meant to be . But over the two years that passed , Id kept tabs on her learning that she had taken over her pack . Which was why she had married me , using me for my resources . And I should have treated her the same as a means to an end . Instead , I let her in . And I hated her for it . A sharp knock at the door dragged me out of the memory , my chest tightening at the flood of emotions . Come in , I called , irritation lacing my 45 % 11:36 4/6 Chapter Three : Burning Bridges voice . One of my top men stepped in , his head bowed respectfully . Just tell me what it is , I muttered , leaning back in my chair . His voice was cautious . Something has come up that requires your attention , Alpha . Alpha Ivan is requesting approval to form an alliance . I waved a hand dismissively . How many times do I have to tell you ? Grant permission without bothering me with irrelevant details . I don t care who aligns with whom . He hesitated , his eyes flickering with unease . I thought you d want to know who he wants to align with , he said carefully . Its Nicole Myers . The room went still . The name sent a jolt of cold fury through 45 % 11:36 5/6 447 Chapter Three : Burning Bridges . my veins . Why is she reaching out to a Kaldor pack ? From what I heard , wolves are going missing in the Hasting faction . They re being found dead . I believe she needs more resources to protect her territory . Shall I approve the request ? My jaw clenched , No. Decline it . And send a message to Ivan and every Alpha in the Kaldor faction . From this point , Nicole Myers is blacklisted . Any Alpha caught aligning or associating with her will face dire consequences . You might also like Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!