Chapter 1 UNWANTED RETURN

Chapter 1

LISA'S POV

The letter crumpled in my fist as I stared at the pack house looming before me. Three years. I'd been gone for three years, and now they expected me to just walk back in like nothing happened?

"You can't avoid this forever," my best friend Emma said from the driver's seat. She'd driven me all the way from the city, even though I told her not to. "Your father is dying, Lisa. He needs you."

I wanted to laugh. The great Alpha Marcus needed me? The same man who stood silent when the pack elders declared me unfit to be Ryan's mate? The same father who watched as they sent me away in shame?

"He made his choice," I muttered, grabbing my bag from the backseat.

Emma touched my arm gently. "People change. Maybe things will be different now."

Different. Right. Nothing ever changed in the Moonstone Pack. The same traditions, the same rules, the same crushing expectations. And the same Ryan who probably didn't even remember I existed.

The gravel crunched under my feet as I walked toward the entrance. My wolf stirred restlessly inside me, sensing familiar territory. She'd been quiet for so long in the city, almost dormant. Now she was wide awake, searching for something. Or someone.

"Lisa?"

I froze. That voice. Deep, rough around the edges, like whiskey and smoke. My heart hammered against my ribs as I turned slowly.

Ryan stood at the doorway, and time seemed to stop. He was bigger than I remembered, his shoulders broader, his jaw sharper. Dark hair fell across his forehead, and those green eyes that once looked at me with such warmth now held nothing but cold surprise.

"You came back," he said flatly.

"My father's dying," I replied, proud of how steady my voice sounded. "I'm here for him, not for you."

Something flashed in his eyes. Anger? Hurt? It was gone before I could tell.

"The elders want to see you," he said, stepping aside to let me pass. As I walked by, his scent hit me like a physical blow. Pine and rain and something uniquely him. My wolf whined, reaching for his, but I shoved her down hard.

The meeting hall hadn't changed. Same wooden walls, same long table where the five elders sat like judges. Elder Catherine, the head elder, looked older but just as stern.

"Lisa Marcus," she said, her voice carrying the weight of authority. "You've returned at an interesting time."

"I'm here for my father," I said quickly. "Nothing more."

Elder Catherine exchanged glances with the others. "Your father's condition is complicated. The pack needs stability."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Everything," Elder James spoke up. "Alpha Marcus has named you his successor."

The words hit me like ice water. "That's impossible. I was deemed unfit—"

"Circumstances have changed," Elder Catherine interrupted. "The pack needs an heir. You're his only child."

"What about Ryan?" I asked before I could stop myself. "He's your Beta. He could—"

"Ryan has other obligations now," Elder Catherine said carefully. "He's engaged to Sophia Blackwood from the Silver Creek Pack. The alliance will strengthen both packs."

Engaged. The word echoed in my head. My wolf howled in pain, and this time I couldn't stop her. The sound ripped from my throat, raw and broken.

Ryan stepped forward from where he'd been standing by the door. "Lisa—"

"Don't," I snarled, my eyes flashing gold. "Just don't."

Elder Catherine cleared her throat. "You have one week to decide if you'll accept your father's wishes. If not, the pack will choose a new Alpha bloodline."

I stood abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor. "I need air."

I ran from the room, from Ryan, from everything. But as I burst outside, I slammed into a solid chest. Strong arms caught me before I fell.

"Whoa there," a familiar voice chuckled. I looked up into warm brown eyes. Nathan. Ryan's younger brother.

"Nathan?" I breathed. He'd been just a teenager when I left.

He grinned. "Welcome home, Lisa. Things are about to get very interesting."

Before I could ask what he meant, a sweet voice called out, "Ryan, darling, there you are!"

I turned to see a stunning blonde woman gliding toward us, her hand reaching for Ryan who had followed me outside. Sophia. So this was my replacement.

She saw me and smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You must be Lisa. Ryan's told me so much about you."

I highly doubted that. But as she wrapped herself around Ryan's arm, as he let her, something inside me shattered all over again.

"I need to see my father," I said to no one in particular and walked away.

But I felt Ryan's eyes burning into my back with every step. And my wolf? She was planning something. I could feel it.