The Alpha Family

The walls closing in

Serenya

The silence in this house was no longer peaceful, it had become a suffocating one, pressing against my chest like iron. Each tick of the grandfather clock in the hallway reminded me that Celis still hadn’t woken up. Every day blurred into the next.

Her wedding was supposed to be in less than two weeks.

I curled deeper into the blanket on my bed, the one she gave me years ago before everything changed between us. It still smelled faintly of lavender and clean cotton. I hadn’t been able to wash it.

Mom barely came home anymore, she spent her days and nights at the hospital, waiting beside Celis’s bed as if sheer willpower could force her awake. Dad came back only to grab changes of clothes and shower. That left me… here alone.

The loneliness had grown thorn. It scratched at the walls of my mind, whispering old memories I didn’t want to revisit. And every time I tried to reach out to them, my throat locked up. What would I say? That I was the one who should’ve been in that car?

That I was about to cancel her wedding?

Elara had tried, she called, messaged. But I didn’t answer. Eventually, even she stopped, until today.

The knock at the door startled me. It wasn’t gentle. It was angry, desperate. Then a bang.

“Serenya!” a familiar voice shrieked. “Open this damn door right now!”

I froze, blanket halfway up to my chin. The banging continued, louder this time.

“Elara?” I croaked, barely recognizing the rasp in my own voice.

“Of course it’s me! Open up before I break it down!”

I hesitated, then pulled myself out of bed. My knees wobbled from days of barely eating. I twisted the lock, and as soon as I opened the door, Elara burst in like a storm.

She gasped when she saw me. “Oh my Goddess… Serenya. What the hell?”

Her eyes roamed over my face, taking in the dark circles, the sunken cheeks, the stained hoodie I’d been wearing for three days straight.

“Do you want to kill yourself?” she snapped, her voice shrill with panic. “Look at you!”

I blinked. “I’m fine.”

“Bullshit,” she barked. “Have you eaten? Have you even looked at yourself in the mirror?”

I shook my head, biting my bottom lip to stop it from trembling. “It’s not about Jace.”

“Jace?” she scoffed. “That bastard? I hope he rots. But if it’s not him… then what?” Her voice softened as she stepped forward and gripped my arms gently. “What’s going on, Serenya? Please talk to me.”

I didn’t answer at first. I just started crying.

Elara pulled me into a hug, stroking the back of my head like she used to when we were kids. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “You’re okay, baby. Just breathe. I’ve got you.”

Between hiccups and gasps, I finally told her everything. About the call. About how I’d promised to come but didn’t. About how Celis had been driving when she shouldn’t have. About how I heard the crash live. About Celis being in coma ever since.

When I finished, the room was quiet except for the soft sound of my sniffles.

Elara stared at me with wide, horrified eyes. “Serenya…”

“I should’ve been there,” I whispered. “It should’ve been me.”

“No,” she said firmly. “No. Don’t you dare say that.”

“But it’s true.”

“It’s not. You didn’t tell her to drive. You didn’t push her into the car.”

“I should’ve picked her up,” I said, my voice breaking. “She only called because she trusted I would.”

Elara stood and began pacing, fingers tangled in her hair. “This is not your fault. And if your mom or anyone else says it is, they’re lying. That’s cruelty.”

I flinched. “She blames me, Elara. She always has. Since that day…”

Elara stopped. “You mean the hot water thing?”

I nodded.

“I thought that was an accident?”

“It was,” I said quietly. It was a mistake. But she’s never forgiven me.”

“She’s insane,” Elara muttered. “I don’t care if she’s your mom. That’s emotional abuse. And Celis? She’s cold, always been. You didn’t deserve any of this.”

“She’s still my sister.”

Elara sighed and came back to sit beside me. “I know. I know, baby. And I’m sorry. I should’ve come sooner.”

I managed a weak smile. “You’re here now.”

Elara sat cross-legged on the bed, watching me nibble slowly on the banana she practically shoved into my hand.

“I swear,” she muttered, “if you don’t eat something with actual substance tomorrow, I’m going to drag your sorry ass to a diner and force-feed you pancakes.”

I raised a brow. “With syrup or without?”

“Oh, syrup. And whipped cream. Maybe even one of those sugar bomb milkshakes that give you a stomachache halfway through but make you see heaven first.”

Despite myself, a tiny laugh escaped.

She grinned. “There she is.”

I rolled my eyes, but the corner of my mouth twitched. “I haven’t laughed in days.”

“Yeah, and it shows. You’ve been brooding like a cursed heroine in one of those overly dramatic romance books you pretend you don’t read.”

“Hey,” I said, half-laughing, “I read thrillers now.”

“Sure you do. But I still remember the time I caught you crying over that werewolf prince who faked his death to save his mate.”

“That was one time.”

“That was four times. And you made me re-read the last chapter with you while we shared a tub of ice cream.”

I shook my head, chuckling softly. “Okay, fine. Maybe I still like dramatic romance.”

“Exactly. And this?” She gestured around the dim room. “This is your tragic main character arc. But here’s the thing, Serenya, those girls always get up. They fall apart, they lose everything, and then they rise.”

“Yeah,” I said under my breath, “but only after a hot guy shows up to fix everything.”

“Well,” Elara smirked, nudging my leg with her foot, “maybe I’ll find you one of those tomorrow. Should he be a rogue prince or a misunderstood villain?”

“I think I’ve had enough of villains for a lifetime.”

Her expression sobered a little, but the light stayed in her eyes. “You’re not alone, okay? You’ve never been. Even when you shut me out for weeks, I still knew. I just had to kick the door down to prove it.”

“I’m sorry I pushed you away.”

“You don’t need to apologize. But next time you ghost me for that long, I’m showing up with a bucket of glitter and dousing your room in it.”

I snorted. “I hate glitter.”

“Exactly. Motivational glitter bombs.”

“Please don’t.”

She stood, brushing off her jeans. “Alright, emo girl, I’m gonna let you rest before your mood sucks the life out of me again. But I’m coming back tomorrow. And I’m bringing breakfast.”

I tilted my head. “Like, actual breakfast?”

“Like bacon, eggs, pancakes, and possibly a mimosa if I can sneak it out of my mom’s cabinet.”

“Sounds illegal.” I said.

“Sounds necessary,” she winked. “And if you’re lucky, I might even bring that guy from the gas station you said looked like a discount Thor.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And you love me for it.” She leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “Sleep, eat, cry, scream, do whatever you need tonight. But just know I’ve got you. Always.”

My voice thickened. “Thank you.”

“No thanks needed,” she said over her shoulder as she headed to the door. “You’re stuck with me for life, remember?”

And with that, she was gone, leaving behind the scent of her vanilla perfume and, for the first time in weeks, a sign of hope I didn’t think I’d feel again.

The loneliness returned, bigger than before.

……

Later that evening, I heard the front door creak open. My parents were back. I stayed still, hoping maybe they’d ignore me. But no. Minutes later, my bedroom door slammed open with that same force that I nearly jumped out of my skin.

My mother stood in the doorway, eyes blazing. “Get your ass downstairs. Now.”

She didn’t wait for me to respond. She just turned and stomped away, leaving the door swinging. I sat frozen for a second, heart pounding. The way she said it… something was wrong.

I got up and made my way downstairs, each step heavier than the last. My father stood in the living room, looking tired and worn. Like he’d aged years in just a few weeks. Mom stood beside him, arms crossed, red-eyed and furious.

“What happened ?” I asked quietly, already bracing for impact.

“She’s not waking up,” my mother hissed, voice trembling with rage. “The wedding is in ten days, and she’s still in that hospital bed!”

I stayed silent.

“Do you know what that means for our family?” she continued. “Do you know the contract we signed with the Kaelith family? If this wedding doesn’t happen, we forfeit everything! The business deal, the money, the reputation. And that’s not even the worst part, we’ll owe them. A penalty that will bankrupt us.”

I blinked. “But what does that have to do with—”

“You will take her place.”

My mouth dropped open. “What?”

“You heard me,” she said, stepping forward. “You will wear the dress. You will sign that contract. You will marry Alpha Kaelith in your sister’s place.”

“Mom, are you insane? He’s her fiancé. He….he doesn’t even know me!”

“He’ll adapt,” she snapped. “Or he won’t. That’s not our concern.”

“You can’t be serious. You want me to marry him… pretending to be Celis?”

“I want you to fix the disaster you caused!” she screamed.

My father flinched. “Darling—”

“No!” she shouted, spinning on him. “Don’t ‘darling’ me. You stood there while she ruined everything and now you want me to play nice? We had one chance to secure our legacy, and this child—” she jabbed her finger at me “—has managed to ruin it, like always.”

I looked at Dad, pleading with my eyes. He looked away.That was all the answer I needed.

“I can’t believe you’re both doing this,” I whispered, voice cracking. “You’re selling me off like livestock.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” she said, turning away. “You should be grateful we’re giving you a chance to be useful for once.”

I stood there, breath trembling, a thousand protests stuck in my throat.I turned and climbed the stairs, my legs shaking, the weight of their decision crashing down on me with every step.

Behind me, her voice echoed off the walls.

“You better not screw this up too.”