Alpha's Worthless Remorse

At the Thorn Pack banquet, Jacob Mason carefully cut the steak on my plate. His gentlemanly demeanor and meticulous attention to detail drew envious glances from those around us.

"Our Alpha is so good to our Luna," a voice murmured from across the table. "You won’t find a more devoted mate in all of Southspire."

I glanced at Jacob, a sweet warmth unfurled in my chest. I silently tightened my grip around the Moonstone Ring—a ring my father had left me, the symbol of power in the Lotus Pack. I had planned to give it to Jacob when the banquet ended, when we were alone.

But as the evening wore on, the noise and the clinking of glasses became too much to bear. I feigned a slight dizziness, excusing myself to return to our castle ahead of him. In truth, I needed the time to prepare a surprise—something special to commemorate this night.

When everything was set, I silently slipped back into the banquet hall, ready to take Jacob by the hand and whisk him away. But as I arrived, I stopped dead in my tracks. There he was, holding Hazel Rhea tightly in his arms.

"Chloe is so rigid," he said. "Always clinging to the dignity of being the Lotus Pack Alpha's daughter. How could she ever compare to Hazel's passion?"

"Don't worry," he added, his tone light with mock reassurance. "Hazel and I are just friends. Chloe won't feel betrayed."

He laughed softly. "But don't tell her, alright? She's so old-fashioned—if she found out, she'd leave me for sure. Honestly, the thought of spending the rest of my life with such a dull partner… It's exhausting."

Just friends? Is that what he called the way his hand slid beneath her dress—being "just friends"?

I didn't interrupt them. There was no need to disturb their lively conversation.

Instead, I slid the Moonstone Ring onto my finger. Without a word, I turned and left. In the quiet of the night, Xavier Grey—who had been following me all along—waited.

Together, we set off on the journey I should have taken long ago.

As Thorn Pack's Luna, I was once the envy of countless werewolves. My love story with the handsome and powerful Alpha was considered a legend across Southspire.

But tonight, Jacob was nothing like the gentle, respectful man he used to be. He said I was rigid, lacking passion—like an ornamental figure collecting dust in the corner.

What shocked me more was his hand—the same hand that once traced my face with such tenderness—now slipping beneath Hazel's dress.

Hazel Rhea. The newly arrived Omega, young and full of restless energy. Her gaze brimmed with playful provocation. It was clear she knew exactly how to ignite his desire.

Yet, despite witnessing it with my own eyes, I felt nothing—no sharp ache, no burning sense of betrayal. The unique bond that should connect us as mates felt distant, as though it had quietly unraveled without me noticing.

Later that night, Jacob staggered back to the castle, reeking of alcohol, his friends propping him up on either side.

"Chloe, why are you still awake?" His voice was thick, edged with a forced warmth as he pulled me into his arms, laughing along with their jeers. He was worried the chill from outside might make me cold.

But it wasn't the cold that unsettled me. It was the overwhelming scent of perfume clinging to him—a sharp, cloying sweetness that didn't belong to me.

I pushed him away. He wasn't expecting it, and he stumbled to the floor.

"This smell," I said quietly, "is disgusting."

For a moment, panic flickered across his face before he smoothed it over with feigned calm.

"Oh, that? It's from the servants' new batch of liquor," he said lightly. "They love mixing flower petals into everything. Some must have spilled on me by accident."

Once, I would have believed him. If I hadn't overheard what he said about me tonight.

"The wine tonight was my own brew," I said, my voice steady. "Bloodwine. There were no flower petals."

Declan McGraw, one of his most loyal men, reacted first. Without hesitation, he grabbed his mate, Mindy Marrock, and slapped her across the face.

"It's your fault!" he barked. "Pushing your homemade flower wine on the Alpha—look what you've done now!"

Then, turning to me with a forced smile, he added, "I'm sorry, Luna. My mate insisted on offering her brew tonight. But the Alpha—he only drinks the wine you make. He was afraid you'd be upset."

The others quickly joined in, eager to smooth things over.

"Yes, Luna, the Alpha was worried you'd misunderstand."

"You'll never find a man more devoted to his mate," another chimed in.

Jacob, always quick to follow their lead, sighed and said, "Everything I have has always been under your Luna's care. From now on, no one is to touch my things without her permission."

They all held their breath, waiting for me to offer a smile, to forgive and forget, to play the gracious and understanding Luna.

But I didn't.

I lifted a finger and pointed at the faint smudge on his neck.

"Then tell me—whose lip print is this?"