Chapter 7 Temporary Alpha

LISA'S POV

Sophia's smile cut through me like broken glass. The council chamber felt too small, too hot, filled with wolves who'd just handed my birthright to the woman who might have killed my father. My hands shook with rage I couldn't release, my wolf pacing inside me like a caged animal desperate for blood.

"This is insane," I said, standing so fast my chair crashed backward. The sound echoed off stone walls that had witnessed a hundred years of pack decisions. Now they'd witness my humiliation. "My father named me his successor. Not her. Me."

Elder Catherine's face remained carved from ice, unreadable and cold. "You're emotionally compromised, Lisa. You fought your brother yesterday. Your father disappeared in flames last night. Your shoulder still bears the mark from saving Ryan during the rogue attack." She paused, letting each word land like a stone. "You need time to grieve. To heal."

"I don't need time. I need my pack." My voice cracked on the last word, betraying the pain I was trying to hide. Sophia's eyes gleamed with victory, and I hated her for it. Hated myself more for letting her see me break.

"Sophia has Alpha blood through her mother's line," Elder James added, his voice gentle like he was explaining something to a child. "She has experience managing inter-pack politics. Her leadership would be temporary, just until we confirm Alpha Marcus's fate and you've had time to prepare properly."

I looked at Ryan, standing silent against the wall like a statue. His jaw was clenched tight, his eyes fixed on some point above my head. Say something, I begged silently. Fight for me like you never did three years ago. His mouth opened, then closed. Nothing came out.

Daniel's laughter shattered the tense silence, dark and mocking. He leaned back in his chair with the casual grace of someone who'd learned to find humor in hell. "This is entertaining. The pack that threw me away and called my sister weak is now choosing a complete outsider to lead." He looked at Sophia with cold assessment. "Fine. I'll accept any Alpha who can actually lead when the Silver Creek warriors arrive. Can you do that, princess?"

Sophia met his gaze without flinching. "I've been trained for leadership since birth. Have you?" The challenge hung between them like a drawn blade.

Nathan stood, his face flushed with anger I'd never seen before. "I vote for Lisa. She earned her place by fighting Daniel. She saved Ryan's life. She's proven herself more than—"

"Your vote is noted," Elder Catherine interrupted smoothly. "But the decision stands. Three to two. Sophia will lead for one week while we search for Alpha Marcus and Lisa recovers from her trauma."

One week. Seven days of watching the woman who wanted Ryan, who maybe murdered my father, who definitely wanted me gone, play Alpha with my pack. My throat closed around words I couldn't speak without screaming.

"Meeting adjourned," Elder Catherine said, and just like that, my fate was sealed.

I walked out before anyone could see me cry. The hallway blurred as tears fought their way free, hot and angry on my cheeks. Footsteps followed me, heavy and familiar. Ryan's scent wrapped around me like a ghost.

"Lisa, wait. Please." His hand caught my arm gently. I jerked away like his touch burned.

"Don't." The word came out sharp enough to draw blood. "You stood there silent while they gave her everything. Again."

"It's complicated—"

"It's always complicated with you!" I spun to face him, and the pain in his eyes almost made me stop. Almost. "Three years ago, it was complicated. Yesterday during training, it was complicated. Today, watching you let your fiancée steal my birthright, it's complicated." I stepped closer, close enough to see gold flecks in his green eyes. "I'm done with complicated, Ryan. I'm done with you."

I left him standing there and didn't look back, even when my wolf whimpered at the distance growing between us.

Daniel waited outside, leaning against the wall like he'd known exactly where I'd go. Soot still stained his clothes from last night's fire, and the cut above his eye had scabbed into an angry red line. He looked like violence waiting to happen, and right now, that felt like exactly what I needed.

"Want to learn something useful?" he asked, pushing off the wall. "I can't teach you to be stronger. But I can teach you what I learned from surviving ten years with wolves who'd kill you for showing weakness."

"What's that?"

"Strategy. How to read people, how to see the trap before it closes." He started walking toward the burned remains of the pack house. "Fighting isn't about strength, little sister. It's about knowing your enemy better than they know themselves."

I followed him through ash and debris, our feet crunching on charred wood that used to be home. The morning sun cut through holes in the remaining walls, creating patterns of light and shadow that looked like broken teeth.

Daniel stopped at what used to be the main hall, studying the destruction with eyes that missed nothing. He crouched, running his fingers through the ash, bringing them to his nose. "Accelerant," he said quietly. "This wasn't an accident. Someone wanted this place to burn hot and fast."

My stomach dropped. "Are you sure?"

"I've seen enough arson to know." He stood, following some pattern only he could see. His path led to a section of collapsed floor, and when he started digging through rubble, I helped. Our hands worked in synchronized silence, removing stone and wood until we found it.

A door. Hidden beneath the floor, its metal surface barely touched by the fire above.

Daniel pulled it open, revealing stairs that descended into darkness. The smell that rose was old paper and secrets. We climbed down into a basement I'd never known existed, our phones providing weak light that created more shadows than it chased away.

The room was small but packed with filing cabinets, boxes, and a large safe built into the wall. Daniel went straight for the files while I explored the boxes. My mother's handwriting on labels made my chest tight. Her journals. Her research. Things my father had hidden away after her death.

"Lisa." Daniel's voice was strange, hollow. He held a file in his hands, his face pale beneath the soot. "You need to see this."

The contract was official, stamped with the pack seal. It detailed the terms of Daniel's sale to a rogue leader named Viktor. My father's signature sat at the bottom like an accusation, neat and careful. The price paid: three thousand in gold and a promise of non-aggression for five years.

My brother had been sold for gold and temporary peace.

But Daniel wasn't looking at that contract anymore. He'd found another one beneath it, this one unsigned but filled out completely. My name was at the top in my father's handwriting.

The same terms. The same rogue leader. The same price.

My father had planned to sell me too.