The Alpha's Desire Series - Book 1 by Black Barbie

In the world of Alphas, power is law and mates are claimed, not chosen.

One reckless night binds her to a pack ruled by violence and secrets. Marked by an Alpha who thrives on control, desired by others who refuse to let fate decide for them, she becomes the spark that ignites old rivalries and new wars.

Each Alpha wants something different.

Protection. Possession. Revenge.

None of them are willing to lose.

As the mate bond tightens and blood is spilled in her name, she learns the truth love is not the danger. Power is.

Because in a world where Alphas never share, the greatest sin is wanting more than one… and surviving it.

Blrub

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Prologue

“W-What… what is h-he?” Sofía whispered to herself, her voice barely more than a broken breath.

Her entire body trembled, each shudder rattling her bones as though she might come apart. The thing standing before her was not a man. Not truly. It was a beast a massive black wolf, its form powerful and unnatural, its presence filling the forest with a suffocating dread. She had watched it happen. She had seen him shift, flesh and bone twisting beneath her horrified gaze.

Panic seized her, sharp and merciless.

She bolted from the trees, lungs burning, terror driving her legs forward only for it to end moments later. A brutal force slammed into her from behind. She screamed as the ground rushed up to meet her, but before she could crash into the dirt, he moved with inhuman speed. Their positions shifted mid-fall, and she landed hard against his body as he absorbed the impact, his back striking the rough forest floor.

Sofía shrieked and scrambled away, staggering back on shaking legs. When she looked again, he was gone.

Her frantic eyes darted around wildly until her breath caught in her throat.

He stepped out from between the trees in his human form.

Bare-chested except for the loose pants hanging low on his hips, his skin was marked with dark, ominous tattoos that only added to his threatening presence. Moonlight carved sharp shadows across his powerful frame. She couldn’t look away not from him, not from his face.

Fernando’s eyes those furious, piercing green eyes held her captive where she stood.

“W-What a-are… y-you?” she stammered.

His jaw twitched, the smallest movement betraying the rage simmering beneath his otherwise cold, unreadable expression. He didn’t answer. He wouldn’t.

He didn’t want her to know the truth.

Didn’t want her to know he was a beast.

A sudden icy wind swept past her, threading through her hair and biting into her skin. The fine hairs at the nape of her neck rose instinctively, her body reacting before her mind could catch up.

Still, he said nothing.

The silence that enveloped them was thick and malevolent, heavy with unseen dangers lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike. It pressed down on her chest, stealing her breath.

And yet… she couldn’t move.

Something burned beneath her skinman unfamiliar heat that made no sense, that betrayed her fear. Looking into his dark eyes sent a strange calm through her body, even as her mind screamed at her to run. His face, bathed in moonlight, was dark and brooding and devastatingly handsome.

“You’re in heat.”

His voice was deep, rough, a baritone that vibrated through the clearing. The words came strained, as if dragged from him with effort, as though he were fighting something powerful something painful.

The truth slammed into her all at once.

He wasn’t human.

He wasn’t a man.

He was a creature.

A werewolf.

Her legs gave way beneath her, terror finally overwhelming her body. Then instinct took over. She spun around and ran, sprinting blindly in the opposite direction with every ounce of strength she had left.

A ferocious growl tore through the forest behind her.

Her heart stuttered violently, fear threatening to paralyze her, but she didn’t stop. She could feel him closing the distance, his presence looming closer with every step. Twigs snapped beneath her bare feet, dry leaves slicing into her skin, drawing blood but she didn’t slow.

She just needed to get away.

A shrill scream ripped from her throat as a powerful hand clamped around her arm, yanking her off balance. The world spun violently before she was hauled up and thrown over his shoulder.

“NO! Let go!” she cried, pounding weakly against him, thrashing in sheer panic.

One savage growl rolled from his chest, deep and dangerous.

Her body froze instantly, terror locking her in place.

“I won’t be gentle anymore,” he snarled, his voice raw, feral utterly inhuman.

The shrill blare of her alarm shattered the quiet, dragging a groan of pure annoyance from Sofía’s throat as she blindly reached out and shut it off. Morning sunlight slipped through the narrow gap between the curtains, soft golden rays brushing against her bare arms as if coaxing her awake.

She yawned lightly, stretching before forcing herself upright and pushing the fluffy blanket aside. Leaving the warmth of her bed felt almost painful, but lingering wasn’t an option. It never was.

With her hair a tangled mess, she padded into the bathroom and took care of her morning routine. A quick shower chased away the last of her grogginess, leaving her feeling clean if not entirely ready for the long, exhausting day ahead.

She was Sofía Ana Rodríguez.

Seventeen years old. A girl. Or, as her classmates liked to label her, a nerd.

She lived alone in the aging apartment her grandfather had left behind. It wasn’t impressive by any stretch of the imagination, but it was hers and that made it home. Her bedroom was modest in size, with a double bed positioned in the center. A small study table occupied one corner, a cupboard standing close beside it. On the opposite wall sat a wide window, her favorite spot in the entire apartment, a couch tucked beneath it where she often found comfort staring out into the world beyond the glass. An attached bathroom old but functional came complete with a bathtub she was grateful for.

Just outside her room was a small lounge, an open kitchen stretching off to the left. A couch sat in the lounge facing a tiny table, and an old television rested across from it, relic-like but still working.

That was it.

That was her whole world.

Her parents had died when she was only thirteen. After that, her grandfather had been all she had left. He took her in, raised her, protected her until God took him too. She was sixteen when he died of a heart attack.

And just like that, she was alone.

Alone in a vast, unforgiving world.

It had been hard. It still was. But Sofía had learned to survive on her own. Her neighborhood wasn’t safe in fact, it was notorious for crime and illegal activity but she reminded herself daily that at least she had a roof over her head.

Tying her hair into a ponytail, she slipped into her knee-length skirt and buttoned up her baggy shirt as coffee brewed. She drank it quickly, grabbed her backpack, locked the apartment behind her, and headed out at a brisk pace.

The area she lived in was no place for someone like her. A girl like Sofía was nothing more than a lamb among wolves.

By the time she reached the bus stop, her steps slowed and she bent slightly, catching her breath. Ten minutes later, the bus arrived, and she climbed aboard, heading straight for her usual seat third from the back.

As the bus rumbled forward, dread began to coil tightly in her chest.

She was a good student. No better than that. She was on scholarship, one of the top students at Domingo Faustino Sarmiento High School. That scholarship was everything to her. Without it, she wouldn’t be able to afford the crushing tuition fees. With no guardian to stand behind her, her education depended entirely on her performance.

So she worked hard. Kept her head down. Tried to disappear into the background.

But it hadn’t worked.

She had been noticed.

Her weight had been noticed.

And that was where everything began to fall apart.

For two years, she had endured relentless bullying from a group of wealthy students who thought the world existed beneath their feet. She knew she was fat that was why she hid beneath oversized clothes, hoping to escape their cruel gazes. But no matter how much fabric she wore, it was never enough.

They called her names. Mocked her openly. And at the same time, those same boys looked at her with unsettling interest, their stares crawling over her skin while the girls shot her looks sharp enough to cut.

She grew painfully self-aware. Tried dieting only to land herself in the hospital, sick and weak.

So she chose a different path.

She ignored them.

Their words. Their pranks. Their ridicule.

But they never stopped.

Now she was in her senior year.

Just one more year in this hell, she reminded herself. Then she would be free.

Letting out a quiet sigh, she stepped off the bus and headed toward the school. Her hands curled into tight fists when she spotted them standing near the main entrance, clustered together like predators waiting for prey.

For a fleeting second, she considered turning back.

But she wasn’t a coward.

She endured them because they were rich because one phone call from their parents, who held power within the school, could destroy her future. And she had no one to protect her. No one to fight for her. Ignoring them had always seemed like the smartest choice.

Unfortunately, they rarely allowed that.

She quickened her pace, slipping alongside them, silently chanting, Please don’t notice me. Please don’t notice me.

Luck, as always, betrayed her.

A tall figure stepped directly into her path, forcing her to halt abruptly and stumble backward. She closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself before looking up.

Miguel.

Though in her head, she called him Jackass.

Without a word, she tried to move past him but he merely grinned and blocked her again. For him, this was entertainment. For her, it was humiliation wrapped in misery.

“Where do you think you’re going, fatty?” Miguel sneered.

“Where do you think you’re going, fatty?” Miguel sneered.

She didn’t know why their words always found a way to cut so deep but they did. Every single time. Sofía said nothing and attempted to slip past him once more. Before she could, another body stepped into her path from the left.

Mateo.

Or Jerk, as she privately named him. Tall. Broad. All muscle and no brain. His actions matched the nickname perfectly.

“Not so fast, fatty,” he said with a grin that made her skin crawl.

“I’m going to be late for my class,” Sofía replied, forcing confidence into her voice. She could endure a lot but only up to a point. Thankfully, they hadn’t pushed her to the edge today.

Yet.

“She talks,” Lucía hissed.

Sofía had dubbed her the black witch mostly because of the pitch-black lipstick she wore every single day. It looked horrific, but for reasons beyond Sofía’s understanding, Lucía never went without it.

“Yes,” Sofía answered curtly.

The moment the word left her mouth, regret followed. She bit down on her lip, jaw tightening. Sarcasm was dangerous. She had just waved a red flag directly in front of a raging beast.

“Oh! She talked back to you, Lucía,” Miguel said, delight flickering in his eyes as he poured fuel onto an already burning fire.

Sofía, on the other hand, blamed her sudden boldness on the dull ache settling low in her abdomen. Her period was approaching making her irritable, sharper than usual.

And that sharpness could get her killed by these mannerless people.

“I didn’t,” she murmured quickly.

The last thing she wanted was to provoke them. She had no desire to relive the humiliation from months ago when they had dumped noodles and pasta all over her after she reported their bullying to the authorities.

That decision had cost her dearly.

Instead of protecting her, the school had warned her. Her scholarship had even been threatened. Since then, their cruelty had only intensified.

“You didn’t?” Lucía spat, stepping closer.

She towered three inches over Sofía. Sofía was five-four small enough to be easily overpowered.

“Wanna hang out with us sometime?” Axel asked casually from where he leaned against the wall, watching like it was all a game.

“No, thank you,” Sofía replied politely and tried to move around Lucía.

Lucía’s foot hooked deliberately around Sofía’s ankle.

Sofía wasn’t prepared. She stumbled and crashed to the ground with a painful thud.

Laughter erupted behind her.

Her cheeks burned as she hurriedly straightened her skirt, which had ridden up slightly from the fall. She didn’t look back not even once. Tears blurred her vision as she bolted for the girls’ restroom.

She locked herself inside a stall and wiped her tears harshly, anger flashing in her eyes as she stared at the floor for a full three minutes.

“It’s okay, Sof. Keep calm,” she whispered to herself.

She was all she had.

There was no one to share her pain with. No one to shoulder her burdens. No soul on this planet loved her.

Just her.

Alone.

With her demons.

Except for one person her best friend.

“You’re strong,” she murmured. “Ignore those bastards and bitches. They’ll pay for this someday. You’ll work hard. You’ll be successful. That will be the best slap to their faces.”

She said it quietly, trying to convince herself. Trying to mold her thoughts into something survivable.

Even though she looked normal on the outside, only God knew what ravaged her soul each night. The nightmares clawed at her relentlessly but she was still breathing. Still standing.

That had to be enough.

With a heavy sigh, she stepped out of the stall and washed her face, scrubbing away dirt and the remnants of tears. Her heart felt unbearably heavy as she headed to her first class, arriving just in time before the teacher entered.

“Take your seats, class,” Mrs. Mendoza said.

The room settled instantly. Sofía slid into her usual spot at the back, right beside the window. Pulling out her notebook, she began taking notes.

None of the bullies were in this class.

A small mercy.

After three consecutive periods, recess finally arrived. A time of laughter for others but torture for her. The cafeteria terrified her. That was where the noodles and pasta had been dumped over her head.

Since that day, she avoided it completely.

Instead, she had found her sanctuary an empty classroom on the top floor of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. Hardly anyone ever went there. It was cluttered with extra desks and chairs, forgotten by the rest of the school.

It was hers.

Dropping onto one of the cleaner chairs, she groaned softly. She had forgotten to bring food irritation rising instantly until she remembered the packet of chips and biscuits she had shoved into her bag earlier.

Opening the front zipper, a genuine smile curved her lips when she found them.

Maybe God hadn’t forgotten her after all.

She munched quietly while gazing out the window. Below, a few teachers stood near the parking lot, talking with the head of the school authorities. She didn’t spot her math teacher, Ms. Monica and she silently prayed that the woman was absent.

Two minutes later, the gates swung open.

A sleek black Range Rover rolled inside.

The windows were heavily tinted she couldn’t see who was inside from her vantage point. The vehicle stopped, and the head of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento approached, followed closely by several teachers.

Still chewing her chips, Sofía watched as the door opened.

A man stepped out.

All she could see were his broad, powerful shoulders and jet-black hair.

He didn’t even turn to face the headmaster only nodded briefly before allowing the teachers to escort him inside.

Sofía stared at the beautiful car for a full minute, admiring it until dread slammed into her chest.

Math class was next.

The subject she hated the most.

The only one she could never fully understand.

Too many formulas. Too many methods. Too many similarities.

She hated math.

She hated math.

After finishing her lunch, Sofía checked the time and felt dread sink into her stomach. She had barely two minutes before the class she despised the most would begin. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she tossed the empty snack packets into a bin, stopped by the restroom to wash her hands, adjusted her clothes, and finally headed toward class.

She had delayed for a reason.

Lucía and Miguel were both in that class.

The moment she stepped inside, Miguel let out an obnoxious hoot but before Lucía could add her usual venom, the head of the school entered the room. Instantly, everyone rushed to their seats.

Caught off guard, Sofía slipped into the nearest empty chair right at the front rather than her usual spot at the back.

Great, she thought grimly.

“Good afternoon, class,” the head announced. “I’m here to inform you about the sudden absence of Ms. Monica. She was involved in an accident last night.”

A chorus of gasps rippled through the room. Guilt washed over Sofía in a heavy wave. She had wished selfishly not to see Ms. Monica today.

“Her ribs were fractured, and her left leg was broken,” the head continued. “She’s out of danger and currently hospitalized. It may take several months possibly more than a year before she can return to duty.”

The students nodded solemnly.

“So,” the head went on, “we have arranged for a substitute teacher to take her place. Let me introduce your new math teacher Mr. Fernando Ruiz.”

The moment the name was spoken, a man walked into the classroom with slow, deliberate steps.

It felt as though the air had been punched from Sofía’s lungs.

The man standing before them looked like anything but a teacher. He was tall easily six-two with broad, powerful shoulders. The taut outline of muscle showed clearly through his fitted shirt. His biceps were thick and defined, but it was the black ink trailing across his neck and hands that truly caught her attention.

Her gaze dropped unbidden to his Adam’s apple, then traced the sharp line of his jaw, shadowed by a neatly trimmed black beard that gave him a rugged, dangerous edge. His lips were pressed into a thin, unreadable line. His nose was straight with a slight crook at the bridge, as though it had been broken once.

Then her breath hitched.

His eyes sharp, piercing green locked onto hers.

He was staring straight at her.

Sofía snapped her mouth shut and immediately dropped her gaze to her notebook, heart pounding.

This was the man from the Range Rover.

And unlike the other male teachers, he wasn’t old. Not even close. He wasn’t a boy either he was firmly, unmistakably a man.

“I’ll leave the class to you, Mr. Ruiz,” the head said before exiting.

The door closed.

“First and foremost,” Mr. Ruiz said, his deep, rich voice carrying effortlessly through the room, “I don’t like disturbances.”

Sofía dared to glance around. Every student was staring at him just as openly as she had moments ago.

“Open your books,” he ordered.

No one hesitated.

Mr. Ruiz strode to the whiteboard and began solving a problem. The sharp tap of the marker against the board echoed through the room, each strike hinting at either irritation or simply his nature.

“Eyes on the board,” he snapped, his voice rising slightly.

The entire class flinched and obeyed instantly.

Tension hung thick in the air for the rest of the period. Sofía felt rigid, as if carved from wood. Sitting in the front row only made it worse. Every now and then, Mr. Ruiz’s gaze would drift to her, and each time her nerves threatened to snap.

She had never missed her back seat more than she did today.

Lesson learned never sit in the first row.

The moment the bell rang, Sofía wasted no time. She hurried out of the classroom, heading straight to her next period but her mind stayed behind, tangled in green eyes and a commanding voice. She barely registered a thing during the entire class.

When the final bell rang, she bolted from the building.

While others went home to rest, Sofía had work to get to. She was relieved that Mateo and his friends didn’t cross her path again after the morning incident.

As she passed the parking lot, her eyes drifted to the sleek black Range Rover, standing out like a dominant anaconda among small mice.

“One day,” she whispered with a soft smile, “I’ll buy you.”

Twenty minutes later, she arrived at the small café where she worked. Jogging to the restroom, she quickly changed into her uniform and stashed her bag in the cabinet. When she stepped back out, Alfonso was waiting grinning from ear to ear.

“Guess what?” he asked, barely containing his excitement.

“What?” Sofía replied.

“I got selected for my school’s soccer team!” Alfonso announced proudly.

Her face lit up instantly. She reached out and shook his hand, congratulating him warmly.

Alfonso grinned wider. “Your birthday’s in a week, right? I’ll treat you on your birthday.”

Her smile softened into something genuine and bright. “I’d love that.”

Instead of replying, Alfonso flicked her forehead with his finger.

“Ow!” Sofía groaned, rubbing the spot as he laughed and walked off to tend to the customers.

The audacity of that boy.

She headed into the kitchen, still rubbing her forehead, where Noelia stood preparing orders.

“You’re late, Sofía,” Noelia whispered so the owner wouldn’t hear.

“I missed my first bus,” Sofía replied apologetically.

Noelia nodded in understanding.

Noelia wasn’t exactly a friend not yet. She’d only started working there a week ago. But aside from Alfonso, she was the only person who treated Sofía with quiet kindness.

And for now, that was enough.

Sofía was not someone who trusted easily. She never warmed up to people after a few meetings, never let anyone close without time and proof. The invisible walls she kept around herself were tall and unyielding, built brick by brick over years of loss and hurt. Alfonso was the only person in this world she trusted completely.

Because she didn’t socialize, she spent most of her time alone and when loneliness lingered too long, she found herself talking to herself just to fill the silence.

Work was exhausting that evening. Mondays always were. Customers poured in relentlessly, orders stacking one after another until time slipped through her fingers unnoticed.

By the time her shift finally ended, it was already late into the night. Noelia had left earlier. Alfonso locked up the café, the metallic click echoing softly as they started walking together down the dimly lit street.

Alfonso had been working there long before Sofía. He was the one who had helped her get the job. He had been her friend since she was fourteen more than a friend, really. She thought of him as an older brother, the kind who watched over his sister with quiet vigilance. He was twenty now, protective to a fault.

More than once, he had urged her to sell her apartment and move closer to his place. Her neighborhood wasn’t safe, and he worried constantly. But she had always refused. That apartment was the last piece of her family, the last thing her grandfather had left behind. She couldn’t let it go.

Because of that worry, Alfonso walked her home every night after her shifts ended. It had been his idea for her to dress like a boy during those late walks because a girl, even walking beside a man, wasn’t safe in that part of the city after dark.

Sofía wore the oversized hoodie Alfonso had gifted her on her last birthday. Her hair was tucked away, her face mostly hidden beneath the cap. The cloth tightly wrapped around her chest was the part she hated most. It made it hard to breathe, squeezing her ribs until every breath felt shallow.

Her bullies called her fat.

Her chest was large, and to pass as a boy she had to bind it tightly breathing like a dying cat just to make herself smaller.

They walked quietly past a group of men loitering beside their bikes, bottles clinking as they drank. The men didn’t even glance their way. Relief loosened something tight in her chest.

When they reached her apartment, Sofía turned to Alfonso. “Thank you,” she said softly. “But you don’t have to do this every day.”

She felt like a burden just saying it.

Alfonso smiled and promptly flicked her forehead with his stone-hard finger.

“Ow!” Sofía winced, rubbing the spot as she glared up at him. He was taller, always looming slightly over her.

“Shut up, Sofía,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“You hit my forehead again and I—I will never make sponge cake again,” she threatened.

His jaw dropped.

“Don’t you dare,” he said dramatically. “I can’t live without your homemade sponge cake!”

“Then don’t hit me,” she muttered.

He laughed. “Fine.” He ruffled her cap affectionately and motioned for her to go inside.

She smiled softly, nodded, and gave a small wave before slipping inside and locking the door behind her. Only after the lock clicked did she hear his footsteps fading away down the street.

Sofía went straight to her room and immediately peeled off the hoodie then the suffocating cloth around her chest. The moment it loosened, she sucked in a deep breath and sighed in relief before pulling the hoodie back on.

Freedom.

Living alone meant she could wear anything or nothing at all.

It was comfortable.

She freshened up in the bathroom, then wandered into the kitchen to make dinner. It was far too late to cook anything elaborate, so she settled for a simple sandwich. After eating, she double-checked the door lock once, then again before padding back into her bedroom.

She collapsed onto the bed with a heavy sigh.

One exhausting day down. Many more to survive.

Later that day, Sofía sat in the library, finishing a pending assignment during her free period. Once that was done, she pulled out her notebook and began listing groceries—everything she needed now that the month had ended. She carefully wrote down prices beside each item.

When she totaled the amount, a small smile crept onto her face.

It was under budget.

And there was still a little left over savings.

Satisfied, she packed up and left the library. The corridors were crowded with students heading to their respective classes. Her thoughts were still wrapped around grocery lists and budgeting Sunday was six days away, and between school and work, she barely had time during the week.

A sharp yelp tore from her throat when she slammed into something solid.

For a split second, her mind went blank. Her body tipped backward

A rough grip seized her arm.

She screamed as she was yanked forward, her body slamming back against the wall.

She didn’t open her eyes.

The grip tightened, pain shooting up her arm, forcing a wince from her lips. When her eyes finally flew open, the first thing she saw was a wolf.

Not alive.

A pendant steel and cold shaped like a viciously growling wolf.

Her gaze shot upward.

Her breath caught violently.

Green eyes.

Forest-deep. Sharp. Unforgiving.

Mr. Ruiz.

A chill raced down her spine as she stumbled back two steps, terror flooding her expression.

“I—I’m s-s-sorry,” she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. Unable to withstand his dark, intense stare, she dropped her gaze to the floor.

She was afraid of him.

Who wouldn’t be? He was large, intimidating, dangerous looking everything about him screamed power.

“Look where you’re going,” he said coldly.

Her throat tightened. She lifted her eyes to explain, but his expressionless face and piercing gaze silenced her instantly.

Without another word, he walked past her.

Only after he was gone did reality sink in.

She bent down to pick up her fallen bag and froze.

Several students were staring at her.

“This nerd is so lucky,” one of the girls near the lockers sneered. “She practically felt him up.”

Sofía’s heart dropped into a hollow pit of disgust.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5