The alpha doubt

The alpha doubt
Harrison stood in the prisoners' holding cells, staring at the fifteen conspiracy members locked behind silver-reinforced bars. They were awake now, and the ones who recognized him shrank back in fear. They should fear him. He'd killed several of their comrades in the battle. He'd watched his brother die.

And he felt nothing.

That was the worst part of losing the bond, not the absence of Elena's presence, though that was terrible enough, but the absence of all emotion. The bond hadn't just connected him to his mate. It had been the foundation of his identity as Alpha. His ability to feel the pack, to sense their emotions and needs, to lead them with instinct and certainty, all of that came through the mate bond's connection to the Luna.

Without it, he was just a man. Strong, yes. Trained, yes. But fundamentally alone in his own head in a way he'd never experienced before.

"Alpha Steele," one of the prisoners called out. A woman in her thirties with a defiant glare. "Your brother was right about the bonds. You know he was. You can feel it now, can't you? The emptiness. The freedom."

"Shut up," Harrison said without heat.

"He died trying to free us all," the woman continued. "He died a martyr to the cause. You can kill us, you can lock us up, but you can't stop what he started. Wolves all over the world are questioning the Moon Goddess now. Questioning whether their mates are really their choice."

"I said shut up," Harrison repeated, and this time there was a growl in his voice that made the woman flinch.

But her words had found their mark. Because she was right, wolves were questioning. Harrison had already received three calls from allied Alphas asking about what happened at the monastery. Asking about the severed bond. Asking if it was true that the Moon Goddess herself had intervened.

The supernatural world was watching, and they were seeing an Alpha who couldn't feel his pack anymore. Who'd lost the divine connection that made him worthy to lead.

"You look troubled, son."

Harrison turned to find Marcus approaching, moving carefully as always since his injuries years ago. His father had aged in the hours since they'd returned, the relief of Lucas's rescue warring with grief over Elijah's true death.

"I'm fine," Harrison lied.

"You were never good at lying," Marcus said. He pulled out a flask and took a long drink before offering it to Harrison. "Here. You look like you need it."

Harrison accepted and drank, the whiskey burning pleasantly down his throat. "How's Lucas?"

"Still sleeping. The boy's been through hell, but kids are resilient. He'll be okay." Marcus paused. "Will you?"

"I don't know," Harrison admitted. "Dad, I can't feel the pack anymore. I can't sense their emotions. I can't tell if they're loyal or plotting against me. I can't... I can't do my job without the bond."

"That's not true," Marcus said firmly. "I was Alpha for thirty years, and half that time your mother was too sick to maintain the Luna bond. I led through instinct, observation, and trust. You can too."

"But you always had the potential," Harrison argued. "You knew the bond would eventually be restored when Mom recovered. I have twenty-eight days, and then..." He couldn't finish the sentence.

"Then you either get your mate back, or you find a new way forward," Marcus said. "Harrison, let me ask you something. Do you love Elena?"

"Of course I do," Harrison said automatically.

"Are you sure?" Marcus pressed. "Or is that the bond talking? Because the bond is gone now, son. So what do you feel?"

Harrison wanted to snap at his father, to insist that his love was real. But the question deserved honest consideration.

What did he feel for Elena without the bond?

He thought about meeting her eight years ago. The instant recognition. The overwhelming certainty that she was his, that they were meant to be together. But how much of that was the bond, and how much was actually knowing her?

He'd been eighteen. She'd been eighteen. They'd known each other for three days before marking each other as mates. Three days. And then the bond had clicked into place, and suddenly everything felt right and natural and destined.

But what if it wasn't? What if they'd just been kids caught up in the overwhelming power of mate bond attraction? What if they'd built their entire relationship on a foundation that was never really real?

"I don't know," Harrison admitted, the words tasting like ash. "I thought I did. But now, without the bond, I keep thinking about how young we were. How fast it all happened. How little choice either of us had."

"That's the bond's influence talking," Marcus said. "The doubt, I mean. Of course you had a choice. You could have rejected the bond."

"Could we?" Harrison challenged. "Really? Have you ever heard of mates successfully rejecting the bond without going insane or dying?"

Marcus was silent, which was answer enough.

"Elijah was right," Harrison continued, the words pouring out now. "Maybe not about the solution, but about the problem. The mate bond does take away our choice. It decides our future in an instant. And we just... accept it. We celebrate it. We build our entire society around this system that strips away free will and calls it destiny."

"So what are you saying?" Marcus asked carefully. "That you want the bond to stay broken?"

"No!" Harrison said immediately. Then, more quietly, "I don't know. I miss Elena. I miss feeling her presence. I miss the certainty of knowing she was mine and I was hers. But I also... I also wonder if I miss the bond more than I miss her."

The admission hung between them, terrible and honest.

"You need to talk to her," Marcus said. "Have this conversation with your mate, not with me."

"She doesn't want to talk," Harrison said. "She asked for space."

"Then give her space," Marcus advised. "But not too much. You have twenty-eight days, Harrison. Don't waste them."

A commotion from the corridor made them both turn. Katherine was running toward them, her face pale with panic.

"Alpha," she gasped. "We have a problem. A big one."

"What now?" Harrison asked, exhausted.

"News crews," Katherine said. "Five different networks, three newspapers, and at least a dozen independent journalists. They're all setting up outside the pack gates demanding interviews. And there are protesters too."

"Protesters?" Marcus repeated. "Protesting what?"

"Some are protesting the mate bond system," Katherine explained. "Calling for wolves to have freedom of choice. Others are protesting those protesters, defending the Moon Goddess and traditional pack values. It's getting heated out there. We've already had two fights break out."

Harrison closed his eyes. Of course. Morgana had been right, their private crisis was now a very public spectacle.

"Tell security to keep everyone off pack lands," Harrison ordered. "We don't comment. We don't engage. We just…"

"Alpha!" Another pack member ran up, this one from communications. "The Council of Alphas is calling. They want an emergency meeting. They say what happened with the Moon Goddess affects all packs, and they need to discuss appropriate response."

"Tell them I'm busy," Harrison said.

"They said it wasn't a request," the communications officer said nervously. "They've invoked Council Law. You're required to attend, or you'll be found in contempt."

Perfect. Just perfect. Harrison had a mate to win back, a son to care for, prisoners to judge, and now he had to deal with political maneuvering from other Alphas.

"When's the meeting?" he asked.

"Tomorrow night. Virtual attendance is acceptable."

"Fine. I'll be there." Harrison turned to Katherine. "What about those binding runes? The ones that force you to tell the truth?"

Katherine touched her arms where the runes were hidden under her sleeves. "Active. Why?"

"Because I need someone I can trust to tell me the absolute truth," Harrison said. "Do you think my love for Elena is real? Or is it, was it, just the bond?"

Katherine looked stricken. The runes on her arms glowed faintly, and Harrison knew she couldn't lie even if she wanted to.

"I think," Katherine said slowly, each word clearly difficult, "that the bond amplified your feelings. Made them overwhelming