Alpha Ethan Can’t Love!

Dedication

For the ones who hope that every ending can be just the beginning of something beautiful—this one's for you.

🐺 🐺 🐺

Twenty-One Years Ago

Alpha Ethan

Vi should’ve been back by this time, and now I have to go there so she doesn’t end up getting spanked!

I take long strides as I head towards the forest. Although it is in the middle of spring, the wind is a bit chilly. Despite that, the warm orange sun is setting in a cloudless sky.

“Ethan!” I come to a halt just as I’m about to enter the forest upon hearing Beta Henry calling out to me. I turn my head to face him, standing a little far away from me. “It’s getting late. Don’t go into the forest, young boy!”

“Nobody bosses me!” I cross my arms and lift my chin. “I will be the future Alpha of this pack!”

Beta Henry sounds amused when he answers, which only frustrates me more. “Okay, little Alpha. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to find Vi! Mom told me to go get her ’cause it’s getting late.” Beta Henry’s smile seems bigger when he hears me, and I realize that I just contradicted myself. Apparently, Mom bosses me around.

“Okay, you can go, but don’t leave the territory! My mate got this bad feeling, and whenever she gets it, something’s about to go down.” He raises his face to the sky before continuing, “Or is it just because there’s a storm coming... but the sky is too clear for that…” He looks at me again. “As soon as you find your sister, go straight to the packhouse!” Then Beta Henry shifts into his big wolf and runs in the opposite direction of the forest.

Again, he bosses me. I enter the forest after sticking my tongue out at the back of his wolf. Now I feel much better!

If Mom or Dad figure out where she’s at, Vi’s gonna be stuck at home for a whole week!

Lucky for her, she’s got me as her big brother to watch out for her! I know exactly where Vi is because my baby sister always hides there.

Thick, towering green trees fill the forest, towering so high that they barely let any light from the setting sun sneak through. I start running, so we don’t return in the dark because Vi fears it. But I’m not afraid because I’m not a little boy!

Drat! Even when I am running, I can’t seem to reach the flower field where Vi usually plays.

As I sprint, dodging the trees, I can’t help but think about what it will be like when I meet my wolf a year from now.

I’m nine years old. Next year, I’ll turn ten. That’s when we meet our wolves. It feels like time slows down as I get closer to meeting my wolf!

If I already had my wolf now, I could shift like Beta Henry and get to where Vi is much faster!

I move the branch that’s in front of me out of the way as a smile appears on my face, thinking about how my life will change once I have my wolf.

After a few minutes, I finally make it to the flower field. Colorful flowers are everywhere, and I scan the area, searching diligently for Vi.

It’s much brighter here than inside the forest. Yet, before getting back to the trail, I almost step on some red rose branches.

I’ve been thinking about learning how to arrange flowers. It’s been lingering on my mind since my best friend Josh met his fated mate last week. I don’t want to be caught off guard like he was.

I’m going to make sure I’m super duper-ready for the moment I finally meet my fated mate. She will be the future Luna of my pack, and I will do everything for her!

Josh found his fated mate a year after he got his wolf. Still, they must wait until they turn eighteen to mark each other on their mate bond night.

I hope I meet my fated mate as soon as I get my wolf, like Mom and Dad. They found out they were fated mates immediately after meeting their wolves. I hope I’m as lucky as they are! I want to meet the person I will spend the rest of my life with soon.

Since I turned nine, I’ve been looking forward to the year passing so I can meet her. I sometimes wonder what she will look like or if she will be from here in this pack.

I hope she’s into braiding her hair. I think girls look cute with braids.

I blush at this thought.

I am still searching for Vi, and my worry is increasing.

Where is she?!

At the edge of the flower field is a huge cedar tree, which is Vi’s favorite tree in the entire pack.

I look around and don’t see her anywhere.

Even though I’m eager to meet my fated mate, no one is more eager than Vi. She has even made a list of things she wants to do when she meets her fated mate. This huge list goes from eating their weight in goodies to building a treehouse.

Seriously, her mate is going to have his whole life planned out because of all the stuff she’s got on their to-do list.

Suddenly, I see the ponytail of Vi’s hair swaying as she enters an abandoned cabin not so far from where I am.

I start running towards the cabin, but something in front of it catches my attention. Near the door are poisonous flowers, which Mom warned Vi not to pick.

Vi knows better than to disobey Mom with that. I look around and start to feel a chill throughout my body. Something is off!

As soon as I approach the old hunting cabin, I push open the creaky old door with force, causing a loud noise. “Violet!” I shout. “What are you doing here? You know this is close to the pack border! It’s dangerous to stay here—”

I stop talking when I see her jumping to grab a bottle filled with red liquid from an overhead cabinet.

“What are you doing?” I ask, confused.

“Ian! I’m glad you’re here! Help me get this little bottle!” She points her index finger at the bottle out of her reach, but I cross my arms and frown.

I glance around. The cabin doesn’t look as abandoned as it should look; on the contrary, it looks like someone spent the night here.

I uncross my arms, suddenly remembering Beta Henry’s warning.

“Vi, let’s get out of here! I think someone is living here without Dad’s permission!”

She rolls her chestnut eyes, “Of course there is,” she says petulantly. “I saw an old lady leaving here. I hid, so she didn’t see me, and when I went in and saw these little shiny bottles, I was sure who that old lady was!”

“You know her?”

“Duh! Of course not, Ian!” she exclaims, swinging her ponytail while shaking her head. Ever since she learned to speak, Vi has been calling me Ian because she couldn’t say my name right. “That old woman must be a witch! Just look at that little bottle,” she points to the bottle again. “I bet that red liquid must be a love potion!” She says with a big smile, appearing to already plan how she will use this potion.

I go to her and grab her hand. “We need to get out of here now! This old woman must be dangerous! She’s not supposed to be here without Dad’s permission! Besides, if she’s a witch, we’ll be in big trouble!”

Vi pulls her hand from mine. Even though I’m two years older than her, we’re almost the same height. “Please, Ian! Grab it for me! I swear, as soon as you take it, we’ll leave, and I’ll give you my dinner dessert today!” She offers the bargain.

Mom made double chocolate chip cookies earlier. Yeah, Vi got me there.

“If I take the bottle, you’ll give me your dinner dessert for the whole week!”

“Ugh!” She rolls her eyes in frustration. “Okay! It’ll be worth it!” We shake our hands, sealing our deal.

Then I intertwine my hands together so she can place her foot up and reach for the little bottle, which she does with a huge smile on her face.

As soon as she catches it, she does a victory dance, but I interrupt her by pulling her out of the cabin in a hurry. We need to get out of here right now!

“Calm down, Ian! The witch won’t come back here now. She won’t even notice that I took her love potion!” Vi protests, trying to release my hand as we leave the cabin.

Wow! It’s already darker than I planned. The sun is almost setting!

I let go of Vi’s hand. “Chop, chop, Vi!” I say, heading towards the trail to enter the flower field.

However, when I look back, I see an old woman with black hair and a wrinkled face heading towards Vi.

“So you’re saying you swiped my potion, thinking it was some pathetic love elixir, little girl?” The witch’s ghoulish voice seems as foreboding as the black cape covering her body.

“Vi, come close to me!” I order Vi, but she appears to be paralyzed with terror, gazing at the old witch while her arms shake uncontrollably. “Don’t come near my baby sister!”

“I can see in your pretty eyes, little girl, your greatest desire,” she says before bringing her wrist close to her mouth.

The old witch looks behind us as though she can see the pack members.

Her eyes are so evil that, just like Vi, I, too, am frozen in my place.

“You filthy werewolves, I’ve got just the punishment in mind for the likes of you!” The evil witch sinks her teeth into her wrist until blood spurts from her mouth. Then she rubs a dry black herb into her bloody wrist in a disgusting way before raising her arm with her index finger pointed at Vi.

“I curse you to never find your fated mate!” She casts the spell with a vicious smile, showing her blood-stained teeth.

However, I snap out of my stupor and immediately step in front of Vi.

Instead of her, I am the one who receives the curse.