He Lost His Alpha Status After Turning Me Down Chapter 04
“I can forgive your disrespect toward me,” Geirolf said, his voice frigid. “But you need to apologize to Ulva.”
“Apologize to her?” My wolf let out an exaggerated howl of disbelief inside my head.
“She’s emotionally unstable. Why do you have to pick a fight with her?” Geirolf’s brow was drawn tight. “You’re a healer. You should know that someone with depression can’t handle that kind of provocation.”
“Do you remember that I’m carrying our pup?” I looked up at him, tears stinging my eyes.
He stiffened, just for a heartbeat. Then his voice turned hard again. “Apologize to Ulva.”
That was the moment an elder rushed into the hospital corridor, hurrying straight toward me. “Luna, a letter came for you from a university in the Far North… You’re going to the Far North? It’s nothing but snow and ice up there year-round.”
I nodded. “It’s the best werewolf medical school in existence. I plan to refine my skills there.”
The elder sighed. “You are the most admirable healer I have ever known.”
Geirolf’s expression darkened. He grabbed my arm. “When did you apply to a university? Why didn’t you discuss this with me?”
I pulled free, my eyes cold. “You never asked my opinion before making your decisions either.”
He froze. Then his voice dropped to a harsh whisper. “Altalune! Stop with this nonsense! You and I are not the same! You’re pregnant! You want to go to the Far North and suffer through their frozen wasteland? Have you lost your mind?”
I looked at him. My voice was steady, my resolve absolute. “I’ve never been more clearheaded. I’m an adult. I’m responsible for my own choices.”
“Is this still about me taking care of Ulva?” He stepped closer, his voice shaking with anger.
He took a deep breath, forcing control. “Altalune, if you withdraw the application, I’ll arrange another Luna ceremony for us. If you’re running off to the Far North because of some misunderstanding about Ulva, she’ll blame herself. Her self-esteem will be destroyed. Even if you won’t think about me, think about your patient!”
“And when have you ever thought about me!”
I finally snapped.
“I don’t want a makeup Luna ceremony!”
“I don’t want to be your Luna at all!”
A flicker of triumph crossed Ulva’s face, so fast it was almost invisible. Then she grabbed the hem of Geirolf’s jacket and whimpered in her most pitiful voice: “Altalune, I’m so sorry, this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have had that breakdown. I shouldn’t have called Alpha. Please don’t fight with him because of me. Even if I actually die someday, I promise I’ll never bother Alpha again…”
Geirolf looked at her, his eyes soft with heartache. “Don’t talk like that.”
Then another she-wolf appeared at the end of the corridor. She carried the unmistakable scent of Stormclaw Pack.
My mother. Ravik.
She stepped in front of me, shielding my body with hers.
“Alpha.” Ravik’s voice was a low growl. “Your actions today are a direct provocation against Stormclaw Pack.”
Ulva rushed forward a step. “Ravik of Stormclaw Pack, I truly want them to make up. The Far North is brutal. If anything happened to Altalune, I’d carry that guilt for the rest of my life.”
Ravik answered her with a deep, resonant wolf’s howl.
Ulva shrieked and clamped her hands over her ears.
Geirolf pulled her behind him, his stare as cold as a glacier. “You are an elder of Stormclaw Pack, which is the only reason I show you respect. But Ulva is innocent. There’s no need to keep humiliating her.”
Ravik laughed, though there was no humor in it.
“Innocent? You abandoned my daughter at her own Luna ceremony for this woman. You held her in your arms in front of everyone. There is nothing innocent about what’s between you two. You’ve violated a sacred vow!”
Geirolf’s face went hard. “Watch your tone.”
Ravik stepped closer. “Watch how you treat my daughter.”
Ulva stumbled backward like a frightened bird.
Geirolf thought she was in danger. Instinct took over. He reached out and shoved, and his hand caught Ravik square in the shoulder.
She lost her balance. Her whole body tipped backward.
“Mom!” I screamed and lunged for her, watching helplessly as the back of her head cracked against the corner of a table. I lost my own footing and crashed to the floor beside her.
Blood seeped through Ravik’s hair and dripped onto the pale tile.
Geirolf stood frozen. He opened his mouth to explain, but when he saw the crimson blazing in my eyes, the words died in his throat.
I looked up at him. My voice shook so badly I could barely get the words out.
“Geirolf, you… how dare you…”
Fur rippled across my skin, my wolf clawing toward the surface.
Ulva started hyperventilating, her whole body trembling, and she crumpled into Geirolf’s arms. “Alpha, I’m so scared… Did I get her hurt? It’s all my fault. I’m the one who should die, right…”
Geirolf shot me a glare, then turned to Ulva. “This isn’t your fault. She lost her balance on her own. A little bump and she passes out? Who knows if she’s even faking it.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was like listening to a stranger instead of the man I’d loved for years.
We were in a hospital, at least. Healers came running from every direction, ready to rush Ravik to the emergency room.
But Geirolf stepped into their path.
“Ulva was just triggered. Her depression is flaring. Treat Ulva first.”
“As for Ravik…” He looked down at me from his full height. “Altalune can handle it herself. She is, after all, supposed to be the greatest healer alive.”
The sound of the slap echoed off the corridor walls.
My palm connected with his face so hard his head snapped to the side.
He stood there, stunned.
“From this day forward, I am no longer your Luna.”
He pressed his hand to his cheek and stared at me, disbelief written across every line of his face.
I wasn’t finished.
“Oh, and there’s something I forgot to mention. I’m not just Stormclaw Pack’s best healer. I’m also the daughter of Stormclaw Pack’s Alpha.” I held his gaze without blinking. “I’m calling off the alliance. Stormclaw Pack is done with Ravenhowl Pack. Every agreement, every partnership. Over.”
