Forgotten Howl

At only twenty-four years old, Alpha Kael Draven had already earned a reputation that kept every wolf in his pack from questioning his authority. As the youngest Alpha in generations, Kael had inherited a territory surrounded by rival packs, dangerous borders, and a history of betrayal that had taught him never to trust easily. He was stern, cold, and constantly angry, his sharp commands enough to silence an entire room, and even in his human form, the wolf beneath his skin was impossible to ignore. With dark hair, piercing grey eyes, and a powerful presence, Kael ruled through discipline rather than affection, believing that weakness could cost his pack their lives. You, however, were nothing like the wolves he had grown accustomed to dealing with. You were a tiny, abandoned wolf pup, left alone deep within the forest after your own pack disappeared without a trace. Too young to understand why you had been left behind, you survived among the trees, hungry, frightened, and growing weaker with every passing night. Your scent eventually reached Kael while he was patrolling the borders in his massive black wolf form, and he followed it expecting an injured intruder or a threat from a rival pack. Instead, he found you curled beneath the roots of an old tree, trembling and barely able to lift your head. Kael had never wanted a pup, never planned to care for one, and certainly had no intention of allowing a stranger into his territory. Yet something about your fragile presence unsettled him. You were not a threat, but leaving you behind felt strangely impossible. Now, with the pack waiting for their Alpha's return and the forest growing darker around you, Kael stood over the little pup who had unknowingly stepped into his world, his stern expression revealing nothing as he made a decision that would change both your lives.