Chosen To Be The Alpha's Surrogate

** Malachi I**

I burst through the mansion's front doors, the scene before me chaos incarnate. My warriors, transformed into their wolf forms, stand in a defensive line at the edge of our territory. Their hackles are raised, low growls rumbling from their throats. Across from them, another pack of wolves stands ready, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.

At the forefront of this invading force stands a woman. Her posture exudes confidence, but it's her eyes that catch my attention-cold and calculating, with a deadly glint that sends a chill down my spine. *She's the Alpha?*

"What do you want?" I demand, my voice carrying across the tense silence.

She takes a step forward, and my pack responds with a chorus of snarls. The woman stops, tilting her chin up in defiance. "We're here for our Alpha," she states, her voice as sharp as a blade.

I furrow my brows, confusion momentarily overriding my anger. Then, like a bolt of lightning, realization strikes.

*Rook. She's here for Rook.*

...

*She's his mate. Their Luna.*

Suddenly, everything falls into place. Rook's unbreakable resolve, his refusal to bend under torture, the air of authority that clung to him even in chains-it all makes sense now. *He's an Alpha.*

The knowledge settles in my gut like a stone. An Alpha. I've been holding a rival Alpha captive. The implications of this are staggering, but I can't afford to dwell on them now. Not with the threat at my doorstep.

I school my features, not wanting to give away my surprise. "He was trespassing on my territory," I say, my voice steady and unyielding. "Until I get the answers I want, Rook isn't going anywhere." The woman arches an eyebrow, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. "Are you sure about that?"

As if on cue, more wolves emerge from beyond the treeline. They keep coming, an endless stream of fur and fangs. I've never seen a pack this large before. *We're outnumbered.*

But I stand my ground, weighing my options. My pack may be smaller, but we're known for having some of the most skilled warriors. Quality over quantity. *But is this a fight I want to risk? With Penelope, with our unborn child on the line?*

The woman's eyes narrow, impatience radiating from her in waves. "If you don't deliver Rook within the next ten seconds," she snarls, "we're going to tear this place apart."

A dark chuckle escapes me. Her threat ignites a fire in my blood, my wolf snarling for release. "You seem to have forgotten," I say, my voice low and dangerous, "that you're trespassing on my land." "Five," she counters, her pack tensing behind her.

"One," I growl, and with that single word, all hell breaks loose.

My wolves charge forward. The sound of snarls and snapping jaws fills the air as I transform, my bones cracking and reforming in seconds. I launch myself directly at the woman, but she's quicker than I anticipated. She leaps over me with inhuman grace, darting past me and into the house.

Without hesitation, I give chase. My claws scrape against the hardwood floors as I tear through the mansion, following her scent. She's fast, but I'm driven by something more powerful than speed-the need to protect what's mine. We burst through the back door, and I watch as she transforms mid-leap, hitting the ground running. She heads straight for the woods, and I follow, my powerful legs eating up the distance between us.

The forest blurs around me as I chase her deeper into the trees. The thrill of the hunt sings in my blood, urging me to run faster, to catch her, to end this threat. But as we go deeper and deeper into the woods, a nagging thought begins to form in the back of my mind.

*She's not fighting back. She's not even trying to lose me. She's just... running.*

I skid to a halt, my claws digging furrows in the soft earth.

*Penelope.*

This isn't a retreat it's a diversion. A trap to lure me away from the house, away from my mate.

I let out a howl, warning my pack. But even as the sound echoes through the trees, I know it's too late. I've been tricked, led away like an overeager pup chasing a rabbit.

I turn and start running back towards the mansion, my heart pounding with fear and anger. I push myself harder, faster, branches whipping past me as I tear through the undergrowth.

But with every step, dread grows in my chest. I've left Penelope vulnerable, abandoned her in the middle of an attack. The very thing I swore I'd never do.

*I just have to get back to her. I can still save her.*

As I break through the treeline, what greets me confirms my worst fears. The battle has moved closer to the house, and through the chaos, I can see unfamiliar wolves entering the mansion. *No!*

A roar of rage and despair tears from my throat. I've been outmaneuvered, outsmarted. And now, Penelope might pay the price for my mistake.

I charge back into the fray, my claws tearing into the first enemy wolf I encounter. I fight with a ferocity I've never known before, driven by fear and desperation. Wolves fall before me, but for every one I take down, two more seem to appear. When I finally break through their lines, I bound up the steps to the mansion's entrance, bursting through the doors, my senses on high alert for any sign of Penelope.

*No...*

The sight that greets me makes my blood run cold. Derek lies unconscious at the bottom of the stairs, his body twisted at an unnatural angle. It's clear he was knocked out and tumbled down the steps. The scent of his blood mingles with the acrid smell of fear that permeates the air.

I let out a low whine, nudging Derek with my muzzle, but he doesn't stir. I can hear his heartbeat, weak but steady. He's alive, but I'll have to come back for him. *Penny.*

Taking the stairs two at a time, I race towards our bedroom. The door hangs off its hinges, and my heart sinks as I step inside. The room is in shambles-furniture overturned, sheets torn, the mirror shattered. And no sign of Penelope. Her scent lingers, mixed with the unfamiliar odors of the intruders. I can smell her fear, her desperation. The wolf inside me howls with rage and despair.

I've failed her. I failed to protect her when she needed me most.

A red haze descends over my vision as fury overtakes me. I let out a roar that shakes the very foundations of the house. The Alpha in me, the primal force that demands I protect what's mine at all costs, surges to the forefront.

I tear out of the room, my mind racing. If they've taken Penelope, they've likely taken Rook too.

I make a break for the dungeon, praying I'm wrong, that at least one thing hasn't gone to hell.

But as I reach the top of the dungeon stairs, my last hope crumbles. Seth lies sprawled on the floor, a nasty gash on his forehead. The dungeon door has been ripped off its hinges, the metal twisted and warped.

I don't need to go down there to know Rook is gone too. They've taken everything my mate, my prisoner, my sense of security. In one fell swoop, they've brought me to my knees. And for a moment, I stand there, overwhelmed by what's happened.

*This can't be happening...*

...

*No. This isn't happening.*

Slowly, a cold determination settles over me.

I turn back to the chaos outside, my mind already formulating a plan. I'll rally my pack, tend to the wounded, and then... then we hunt. We'll track them to the ends of the earth if we have to.

*This isn't over.... Not by a long shot.*

...

*Hold on, Penny. I'll find you. Both of you.*