Leaving the Alpha for Good

Melissa’s POV

I never imagined the day would come when I’d be standing inside the grand hall of the Redmoon Pack—this cold, gilded mansion that once felt like another world to me. The marble floor gleamed beneath my worn boots, reflecting chandeliers that sparkled like icicles, so beautiful yet sharp enough to pierce. I shouldn’t be here. Not anymore. Not after what they did. But Elder Francine summoned me, and you don’t refuse the former Luna of Redmoon Pack, not if you value what little you still have left.

Her scent reached me before her voice did, lavender with a hint of dominance that made my wolf shrink back.

“Sit down, Melissa,” she said, her tone laced with politeness that was colder than winter wind. “We have important matters to settle.”

“What is it you want, Elder Francine?” I asked quietly, my voice hoarse from sleepless nights.

Her lips curved into something that resembled pity, though I knew better. “Straight to the point. I admire that,” she said, gesturing toward the seat opposite her massive oak desk. Everything here screamed power: the portraits of past Lunas, the Redmoon crest engraved in gold above the fireplace, the scent of old books and wealth.

Francine opened a drawer and took out a pristine white envelope. She slid it across the desk. I didn’t touch it, but I already knew what was inside.

“Five hundred thousand dollars,” she said smoothly. “That’s more than enough for you to start over somewhere far from here. You’ll never have to think about my son again.”

I swallowed hard. “You mean, you want me to leave Cyrus.”

“I want you to stop pretending you belong in his world,” she said, her tone sharpening. “You’re an omega, Melissa. You were born in the dirt and raised among the weak. My son—Alpha Cyrus Redmoon—was destined for greatness, not for a life in a rundown bungalow with… what was it? Your dead mother?”

The mention of my mother’s name made my stomach twist. I kept my voice steady, though the ache in my chest deepened. “You talk as if love chooses bloodlines.”

“Love?” Francine laughed lightly, the sound as bitter as venom. “Love doesn’t matter when it comes to a pack’s legacy. You think I’ll allow my son to be ruined because of your naive heart?”

Her words blurred for a moment as memories clawed their way into my mind, three years ago, when I found him.

He was lying in the woods, bleeding, disoriented, his wolf half-shifted and barely breathing. I thought he was just another rogue. I didn’t know then that he was Redmoon’s future Alpha. My mother and I took him in, nursed him back to health. He didn’t remember who he was, only fragments, something about a battle, a betrayal, and a woman’s voice calling his name before he fell unconscious.

And for a while, he was mine.

He chopped wood behind the bungalow. He fixed the roof when it leaked. He’d hold me under the moonlight and whisper promises of forever, his wolf humming with warmth against mine. I never cared that he didn’t remember his past. Because for the first time, someone saw me, not as an omega, not as a servant, but as Melissa.

Then one morning, he woke up and remembered everything.

The Redmoon crest burned on his arm, the mark of his bloodline, and everything changed after that.

He became distant. Cold. The Alpha in him resurfaced, and the man who once laughed with me over burnt stew was gone. When his mother came for him, I knew he’d choose them. And he did.

Now, here I was, sitting before the woman who had taken everything from me, being offered money to erase what was left.

Francine must have seen the flicker of defiance in my eyes because she sighed and reached for her phone. “You’re a stubborn one,” she said. “Perhaps this will help you make up your mind.”

She pressed a button, and the large monitor behind her desk came alive. My heart stopped when I saw what was on the screen.

A video. Two wolves, large and crimson-eyed, holding something between their jaws, a bronze urn. My breath hitched.

“Mother…” I whispered.

Francine tilted her head. “You recognize it, don’t you? The urn containing your dear mother’s ashes.”

My chest tightened. I could barely breathe. “What… what are you doing?”

“They’re at the cliffs now,” she said casually, as if she were talking about a walk in the park. “If I don’t make a call in the next ten minutes, they’ll scatter her ashes into the ocean. I hear the tide is rather strong this morning.”

“Please don’t.” My voice cracked, the omega in me kneeling beneath the weight of her dominance. “Please, Elder Francine, don’t do this. My mother… she doesn’t deserve this.”

“Neither does my son deserve your scandal,” Francine replied, her voice as calm as a blade before it strikes. “You filed a case against Alicia—the woman my son was arranged to marry. You accused her of murder. That case needs to disappear. Today.”

I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms.

And now even that was being taken away.

“Drop the case,” Francine said softly. “And promise me you’ll leave Redmoon territory. You’ll never see my son again. Do that, and your mother’s ashes will remain safe. Refuse…”

Her eyes glinted with something cruel. “And you’ll have nothing left to mourn.”

Tears blurred my vision. I wanted to scream, to let my wolf out and tear through this woman’s arrogance, but I couldn’t. I was still an omega. My wolf whimpered inside me, torn between pride and grief.

“Fine,” I whispered, the words tasting like ash. “I’ll drop the case. I’ll leave Cyrus. Just… don’t touch her ashes.”

Francine leaned back in her chair, satisfaction flickering in her gaze. “Wise choice.” She tapped a quick command on her phone and nodded toward the screen. The wolves disappeared from the cliffside, taking the urn with them.

I stared down at the envelope on the table. “I don’t want your money,” I muttered.

“Consider it compensation,” she said smoothly. “You’ve been useful in your own way. After all, my son’s survival back then was thanks to you. Think of this as a reward for your… service.”

My stomach churned. Her words made me feel filthy, as though everything Cyrus and I shared was nothing but a transaction.

I stood. My knees were shaking, but I refused to let her see my weakness. “You’ll get what you want, Elder Francine. I’ll be gone tomorrow.”

Tomorrow, I’ll leave this place for good. No one will stop me. Not even him.