Chapter 4 - Recognition

Timothy's POV

Kael won't shut up.

My wolf has been pacing and snarling in my mind all day, ever since that incident with Penelope in the tunnel. He keeps throwing images at me of her stricken face, the way she stumbled when she ran. Something that makes every instinct I possess stand at attention.

"You're distracted," Dad observes from behind his massive oak desk. The Alpha's office overlooks our territory like a throne room, all dark wood."Madison's father called. He's concerned about your commitment to their arrangement."

I force myself to focus on his words instead of Kael's increasingly agitated whining. "What arrangement?"

"Don't play stupid, Timothy." His eyes narrow dangerously. "The mating contract we've been negotiating. Madison Sawyer is perfect Alpha Luna material strong bloodline, political connections, proper breeding."

The words feel strange to my ears, what was I expecting to just fuck and pass. Madison family had strong political connections in the werewolf pack and my dad saw that as an opportunity to strengthen his status. I never had a say in the Matter so I nod anyway. This is what has always been expected.

"The ceremony is tomorrow night," Dad continues. "I want you to formally announce your intention to court her. Make it clear to the pack that you're settling down."

Tell him no, Kael snarls. Tell him we won't be caged.

But I can't. This is duty, and duty comes before everything else. Even before whatever strange pull I felt toward a certain Omega girl with devastating eyes.

"Of course," I hear myself saying. "Whatever the pack needs."

Dad's smile is sharp with approval. "Good boy. I've arranged for the announcement to coincide with your hockey victory celebration. Killing two birds with one stone."

The meeting continues, but I'm only half-listening. My mind keeps drifting to physics class, to the way Penelope looked when Professor Williams talked about incompatible particles. She'd gone pale as moonlight, clutching her desk like it was the only thing keeping her upright.

Why do I care? She's nobody a bottom-tier Omega from a disgraced family who clearly has some kind of unhealthy fixation on me. The video Madison posted proves it. Penelope was literally stalking me, watching me through cracks in the doors like some kind of obsessed fan.

So why does Kael keep insisting something's wrong. "Timothy!" Dad's sharp bark jerks me back to the present. "I asked you a question."

"Sorry," I straighten in my chair. "What was it?"

"I said, what are you planning to do about the Omega situation?"

My blood goes cold. "What Omega situation?"

Dad's expression darkens. "Don't pretend you haven't seen that video, son. The whole pack is talking about it. Some pathetic Omega girl has been stalking you, and now it's public knowledge. It's quite embarrassing."

"She wasn't stalking me," I said quickly, then cursed myself for defending her. "She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"What happened?" Dad laughs, but there's no humor in it. "Timothy, she's been watching you for months. Multiple pack members have reported seeing her lurking around your usual haunts. This isn't a coincidence—it's an obsession."

The news hits me. Months? Multiple sightings? Why didn't anyone tell me before now?

Because you wouldn't have cared before, Kael whispers. But now.

"What do you want me to do about it?" I ask carefully.

"Handle it," Dad replies. "Publicly. Make it clear that this behavior is unacceptable, that there are consequences for Omegas who forget their place. The pack needs to see that the Blackthorn family doesn't tolerate disrespect."

My stomach churns. "You want me to humiliate her?"

"I want you to remind everyone where the lines are drawn." Dad leans forward."You're going to be Alpha someday, Timothy. How you handle challenges to your authority even pathetic ones sets the tone for your entire reign."

The weight of expectation settles on my shoulders like a familiar burden. This is what being an Alpha heir means crushing anyone who threatens the hierarchy, even scared Omega girls with hopeless crushes.

"I'll take care of it," I promise, hating how easily the words come.

Dad nods approvingly. "Good. Do it tomorrow night, after the ceremony. Make sure the whole pack witnesses it. Let them see what happens when someone reaches too high."

I leave his office feeling sick to my stomach. The hallways of our mansion feel like a mausoleum—all marble and ancestral portraits and the suffocating weight of legacy. Every Blackthorn Alpha stares down from their frames, reminding me of the blood that runs in my veins and the duties it demands.

My phone buzzes with texts from teammates celebrating last night's championship win, but I can't summon any excitement. The victory feels hollow when I know what's coming tomorrow.

In my room, I try to focus on game film, but the footage blurs as Kael continues his mental assault.

She's not what they think, he insists. There's something special about her. She is important.

"She's an Omega," I mutter aloud. "A nobody from a disgraced family who's been stalking me for months."

Look deeper.

"I've looked enough." I slam my laptop shut harder than necessary. "This conversation is over."

But Kael refuses to back down. Throughout the evening, he keeps flooding my senses with memories I didn't know I'd stored Penelope helping a younger student with homework in the library, Penelope volunteering at the pack's charity drive despite having nothing to give, Penelope standing up to a group of bullies picking on a smaller Omega.

Small moments. Glimpses of character that paint a picture completely different from the desperate stalker in Madison's video.

By midnight, I'm pacing my room like a caged animal. Through my window, Moonlight Lake gleams in the distance the place where tomorrow night I would complete my mission.