Alpha’s Regret After He Proposed to a Fake Heiress

I'd been with Alpha Adrian Grant for eight years, but he never once allowed me to go public with our relationship.

On the eve of my birthday, I learned he'd bid on a priceless moonstone ring at auction. I could barely contain my excitement—I thought he was finally going to claim me openly.

But on my birthday, I saw the photos on the news. Adrian, kissing another she-wolf. And on Vivian's hand—the one wrapped around his neck—was the very moonstone ring I'd been dreaming about.

It hit me like a bolt of lightning. I drove toward Moonlight Forest, but halfway there, a pack of rogues ambushed me. Desperate, I reached through the mate bond, trying to connect with Adrian. Every single time, he shut me out.

Just when I'd given up hope, a passerby drove the rogues off and rushed me to the hospital. My pup was gone—lost in the attack. I called Adrian through my tears, over and over. On the twenty-fifth try, the call finally connected. But the voice I heard wasn't his.

"Ugh, so annoying. You promised you'd spend today with me—just me. Why are you taking calls from other she-wolves?"

Adrian immediately set me aside, his tone turning honey-sweet as he soothed the woman in his arms. "I know, I know. I'll ignore her. She's just some orphan with no family—how could she possibly compare to you?"

Their smug laughter pierced through the phone like a knife to the chest.

But what they didn't know was this: I was the true daughter of the Oceanridge Pack Alpha—his only heir. Vivian Blake was nothing more than a girl my family had taken in out of pity.

I opened the mind-link to my father. "Dad, I'm coming home. And that arranged mating you mentioned—I agree. But I have two conditions. First, remove Vivian from the pack. Second, cut all ties with Crescent Moon Pack and pull every cent of funding we've ever given them."

Ten years ago, my family tried to arrange a mating alliance for me. Furious, I ran away and didn't contact them for over a decade. My father used every resource the pack had to track me down, and when he found me, he let me be—afraid I was still angry, he humored me and let me stay where I was. He even funded Adrian's pack behind the scenes, worried I might struggle in a small pack. Half the projects in Crescent Moon Pack ran on my family's money.

So when my father finally received my message, he barely had time to feel happy before the anger set in. His voice was sharp with fury.

"Consider it done. I'll handle this personally."

"If it weren't for you being in that pack, I wouldn't give that small pack a second thought. I can't believe that Adrian had the nerve to treat you like this. Don't worry—I'll make sure he pays."

"As for Vivian—I only took her in because I felt sorry for her. Turns out a stray dog would've been more loyal."

Hearing my father's voice after all these years broke something inside me, and the tears came pouring out. He felt my anguish through our bond and softened immediately.

"Don't cry, sweetheart. If you don't want the arranged mating, your mother and I will respect that. We'll take care of you for the rest of your life if that's what you need."

I wiped my eyes and choked out the words. "No, Dad. I've made up my mind. This isn't some impulse—I've thought it through."

He was quiet for a moment. "If you're sure, then we won't push you. The pack celebration is in a few days. I'll throw a banquet in your honor and let the whole world know who my real daughter is."

I nodded and closed the link.

The pain from the miscarriage still twisted through my body, but it was nothing compared to the agony of being betrayed by the man I loved and losing our child. That was when I overheard the healers whispering outside my door.

"Who's in that room? She had a miscarriage and hemorrhaged, and her mate hasn't even shown up."

"I heard someone caught a glimpse of her phone. The man on her lock screen looks like the Alpha."

"Don't go spreading that around. The Alpha's mate is Vivian—I just saw her announcement on social media. They look perfect together."

I opened my phone and saw the post. Vivian in a silk negligee, draped against Adrian's shoulder, her neck and chest covered in marks that left nothing to the imagination. Her caption read: One promise. You waited eight years for me, and today I finally get to be with you.

The post was timestamped to the exact moment the rogues attacked me.

My heart clenched. Breathing hurt.

Then a text arrived from an unknown number: Not dead yet? Lucky you. But if you keep throwing yourself at Adrian, next time you won't be so fortunate.

So the rogue attack was no accident. Vivian had planned the whole thing. She'd killed my pup—a baby that hadn't even fully formed yet.

My nails dug deep into my palms. Grief turned to fury. My eyes went cold. I screenshotted Vivian's message and sent it to my father, asking him to track down those rogues.

After checking out of the hospital, I buried my unborn pup on a hillside with a beautiful view. The grief was constant, relentless.

Standing before the little mound I'd built with my own hands, I made a silent vow. Vivian had killed my child. I would make her pay.

That night, Adrian still hadn't come home. But Vivian's social media was updating in real time—a video of friends laughing and celebrating together.

"Adrian, congrats! Eight years of waiting and you finally got your girl."

"Didn't I tell you not to throw away that moonstone ring? You wouldn't listen. Had to buy it back at auction for a fortune."

"That moonstone—Adrian spent three days and nights searching Moonlight Forest to find it for Vivian's proposal. When she left, he tossed it in a fit of rage. Finding it again at auction eight years later? That's fate."

After that, I couldn't hear them anymore. Couldn't see. Tears blurred my vision, and the only sound was my own sobbing.

Eight years together, and he'd never once introduced me to his friends. In public, he always kept his distance. Whenever I questioned him, it was always the same excuse.

"I'm the Alpha. Everything I do becomes tabloid fodder. I know you hate being in the spotlight—I'm protecting you."

I'd actually believed him. I was touched, even grateful. But now I saw the truth: he simply didn't love me.

Late that night, I was already asleep when I felt a large hand pulling at my nightgown.