Chapter 5 of The Alpha Regretted Rejecting His Dying Mate

The house was silent.

Too silent.

The kind of silence that seeped into your bones, heavy and suffocating, like the night before a full moon.

Dorian, Elira, and Aiden were gone.

They had left two nights ago, escorted by members of Dorian’s pack, moving into their newly claimed Alpha estate on the northern ridge — a grand mansion built of stone and moon-blessed timber. A place meant for a Luna.

A place that should have been mine.

Instead, it would now echo with Elira’s laughter.

With Aiden’s voice calling her Mommy.

They had left without hesitation. Without regret.

They hadn’t even looked back.

It should have broken me.

Perhaps a part of me had.

But as I sat in the empty living room, staring at the separation decree I had rewritten myself beneath the pale glow of moonstone lamps, something inside me hardened.

I wasn’t going to fight for a mate bond that had already died.

I wasn’t going to beg for a son who had already chosen another mother.

I wasn’t going to cry for a family that had never truly loved me.

No.

I was going to disappear.

And one day…

I would return as someone they would all fear.

With Cassian’s help, I moved quietly.

No servants. No pack members. No one knew.

I finalized the new separation decree through the neutral council scribes — taking nothing from Dorian. No lands. No gold. No pack privileges.

I would owe him nothing.

Not even resentment.

Then I did something even more drastic.

Through Cassian’s connections with rogue healers and shadow traders, I reached out to someone who operated beyond pack law — a quiet figure who dealt in forgotten bodies.

An unclaimed corpse.

She had been a rogue, abandoned and found near the southern forest border. Similar height. Similar build. Similar age.

Another forgotten soul.

Another woman discarded by the world.

I dressed her carefully in one of my favorite dresses — a soft silver gown Dorian once said made me look like moonlight itself.

My hands trembled as I slid my wedding ring onto her finger.

The band glinted faintly in the dim light.

Then I unclasped the delicate gold necklace resting against my throat.

Dorian had given it to me years ago, during our first winter as mates.

I had cherished it, even after everything.

Even after he stopped looking at me.

Even after he stopped touching me.

Even after he chose Elira.

Aiden used to tug at the necklace when he was a baby, his tiny fingers playing with the pendant.

“Mommy, I like this! Is this magic?”

“No, sweetheart,” I had laughed softly. “But Daddy gave it to me, so it’s special.”

“Then it’s magic!” Aiden had grinned, curling into my lap.

My throat tightened painfully.

That was years ago.

Now Aiden curled into Elira’s arms.

Now he called her Mommy.

I draped the necklace around the corpse’s neck, swallowing hard.

It was done.

The woman lying on the bed was no longer a stranger.

She was Evelina Ashclaw.

That night, before I set the house ablaze—

I picked up my moonstone communication pendant.

My fingers trembled as I infused a thread of wolf energy into it, connecting to Dorian’s mind-link.

The connection rang.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

No answer.

Of course.

I already knew why.

My mother had reached out earlier through our family link.

“Evelina… I didn’t know how to tell you… but Dorian, Elira, and Aiden left for Paris territory this morning. The Silver Crescent Pack is hosting them.”

Paris.

A honeymoon for Dorian and Elira.

A family journey for my son.

Without me.

A hollow ache spread through my chest, but I crushed it down.

I tried linking him again.

And again.

Still no answer.

Finally, I infused the pendant with a message, sending it through our fading mate bond.

To Dorian Ashclaw.

“Thank you for teaching me the most painful lesson of my life. Thank you for showing me how little I meant to you. Thank you for making it so easy to let go.”

“Congratulations on your new family. I hope Elira makes you happier than I ever could.”

I hesitated.

Then added one final line.

“Goodbye, Dorian.”

With steady breath, I released the message.

That was the last thing he would ever hear from me.

I made sure the flames consumed everything.

The memories.

The pain.

The Evelina Ashclaw that had been discarded like nothing.

As the fire spread, I stood in the shadows beneath the trees, watching the flames devour the home I once loved.

Laughter had once filled those walls.

Aiden used to run through the halls, calling my name.

“Mommy! Mommy, look at me!”

He used to crawl into my lap, wrapping his small arms around my neck.

“I love you, Mommy.”

Now he was in Elira’s arms.

Now he loved her.

The ache returned, sharp and hollow.

I buried it deep.

Emotions had no place in my new life.

By the time the pack guards arrived, it was too late.

The body inside was burned beyond recognition.

And just like that—

Evelina Ashclaw was dead.

The next morning, the news spread through the pack like wildfire.

Dorian'S POV

Our private wolf caravan arrived at the Ashclaw estate just before sunset.

I rolled my shoulders as I stepped down from the carriage, the long journey finally over.

The trip had been… good.

No tension.

No arguments.

No Evelina.

Just business and pleasure.

Elira looked radiant beside me, still glowing from our time in the Paris territory. She wore new silks, rare moonstone jewelry, everything she had ever dreamed of.

She clung to my arm like a perfect Luna.

Aiden had been happy too.

The kid called her Mommy without hesitation.

Didn’t look back.

And for the first time in years…

I felt peace.

Evelina was gone.

Not dead.

Just… gone from my life.

The past.

A fading ghost.

She had served her purpose.