My Fated Alpha's Cruel Game

Dawn’s POV

The morning air felt crisp against my skin as I stepped out of my dormitory. My muscles ached from the previous night’s disaster, but I forced myself to walk with purpose toward the mess hall. The familiar sounds of clattering trays and hushed conversations filled the space as I grabbed my breakfast tray and loaded it with whatever looked edible.

I found an empty seat at one of the long tables and began eating mechanically, my mind still replaying every moment of my failure. The food tasted like cardboard, but I needed the fuel.

"How did things go last night?" Liam’s voice broke through my brooding thoughts.

I set down my fork and looked at him with defeat written across my face. "I’m going to get torn apart when they debrief me. The whole thing was a complete disaster."

Liam shook his head, his expression reassuring. "Come on, it was your first real mission. They’re not going to destroy you over one setback. They’ll want to analyze what went wrong, sure, but that’s how you learn."

"Maybe," I muttered, pushing food around on my plate. "But I feel like I let everyone down completely."

He nudged me gently with his elbow, trying to lighten my mood. "Listen, you’re not a failure by any stretch. Nobody truly understands what it’s like to face werewolves until you’re staring them down in person. We can drill until we collapse from exhaustion, but that doesn’t compare to the real thing."

His words brought a small smile to my face, though the weight of disappointment still pressed down on my chest. I had been given one job, one specific task, and I had blown it completely. Why had they chosen me for something so important if I wasn’t ready?

But my thoughts kept drifting back to Luna Elena. I had studied her photograph during briefings, but seeing her in person was entirely different. She moved with deadly precision, and when she tackled me, I realized I had severely underestimated her strength and protective instincts toward her pack.

The strangest part was when she called me Briar. The name echoed in my head, making no sense whatsoever. She had stared at me with such intensity, as if she recognized me from somewhere. But I had never seen her before in my life, and I certainly wasn’t this Briar person she seemed to think I was.

After finishing breakfast, I received the summons I had been dreading. Captain Gardner wanted to see me immediately. I made my way to his office, my stomach churning with anxiety.

Standing at attention across from his desk, I clasped my hands behind my back and waited for the interrogation to begin.

"Tell me exactly what happened out there," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"I apologize, sir. Luna Elena spotted me before I could reach the target location. She brought me down hard and managed to pull off my hood during the struggle. She saw my face clearly."

His eyes narrowed as he processed this information. "What occurred after your cover was blown?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Something very odd happened, sir. She seemed to freeze when she looked at me, and then she called me Briar. I have no idea why."

The Captain leaned forward slightly, crossing his arms over his chest. "How did you respond?"

"I fired at her and escaped into the forest as quickly as possible. I must have only wounded her because I heard her pursuing me afterward. I barely managed to lose her in the trees."

"At least you made it back alive," Captain Gardner said. Through his office window, I could see helicopters being loaded with tactical equipment and weapons.

"Sir, is there another operation planned?" I asked.

"We’re hitting a different pack tonight," he confirmed.

"I’d like to request permission to join that mission, sir. I believe more field experience will help me improve my performance."

His response surprised me. "That won’t be necessary for this particular operation. I’ll contact you when we plan our next strike against the Obsidian Pack specifically. You’re dismissed."

I nodded and left his office, but his words troubled me deeply. Standing in the hallway, I replayed what he had just said.

Why would he only want me involved in missions targeting the Obsidian Pack? What made that pack different from all the others we fought?

I knew better than to ask direct questions about things above my clearance level. My job was to follow orders without questioning the bigger picture, no matter how curious I became.

Frustrated and restless, I headed to the training grounds behind the base. The obstacle course became my outlet as I ran it repeatedly, pushing myself harder each time. My hands began bleeding from gripping the ropes and climbing walls, but I didn’t stop.

Liam eventually found me there, completely exhausted and covered in sweat. He forced me to take a break when he saw the blood on my hands.

"They’re keeping me off tonight’s mission," I told him between heavy breaths.

"They rarely send new recruits on back-to-back operations. Don’t take it as a personal slight against you."

"I thought I was proving myself here," I said, disappointment heavy in my voice.

"Are you serious? You’re leading the entire training class. You outperform soldiers who have been here much longer than you."

"Then why did I fail so badly? Why am I being sidelined today?"

"Stop overthinking everything. Let’s work on different training exercises and give your hands time to heal."

We moved to the shooting range, loading our weapons with silver ammunition and practicing on various targets. The training course required us to navigate obstacles while engaging werewolf and vampire silhouettes. Werewolves were more numerous and easier to track since they lived in organized packs, while vampires preferred isolation, making them much more difficult to locate and eliminate.

After weapons training, we grabbed lunch and I found a quiet spot outside to complete the required mission report. Every operation needed detailed documentation filed immediately afterward.

My trainer Fletcher approached and sat beside me against the tree where I was working.

"I heard about last night and that you’re being hard on yourself about it."

"Why does the Captain only want me involved in operations against the Obsidian Pack specifically?" I asked directly.

Fletcher looked genuinely surprised. "I wasn’t aware that was his policy."

"He told me he’d call me when they plan another strike on that pack, but he doesn’t want me on other missions."

"Let me look into this situation for you," he offered.

"I appreciate that. I knew you’d help me figure this out."

"Keep this conversation between us," he warned.

"Of course. Also, that Luna called me Briar during the encounter. I have no idea what that was about."

"I’ll investigate that too," Fletcher said, rising to his feet and heading back inside.

If anyone could uncover the truth behind these strange circumstances, it would be Fletcher. He wouldn’t just accept surface explanations from the Captain, he would dig deeper until he found real answers.