The Alpha Who Chose Her Over Me

Kyson, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, was all too aware of the impact his betrayal had on me. He knew the sting of being let down by those you trust the most, especially when you’ve built your world around them.

My father, once the Beta of the Crimson Fang Pack, claimed he loved me, but after my mother’s death, he remarried a Luna from another pack and had a new daughter, leaving me behind as if I were nothing more than a shadow of his past. My mother, before her passing, had always been distant, her love more words than actions. By the time I turned eighteen, their bond had shattered completely, and I was left to navigate life alone. Their divorce and my father’s new mate bond left me feeling orphaned, adrift in a world that no longer had a place for me.

That same year, Kyson made a promise, simple yet profound. On my eighteenth birthday, I sat on the edge of the pack’s training grounds, a small honey cake in my hands, its candles flickering weakly as tears rolled down my face. I wished silently for someone—anyone—to stay with me. Kyson, fresh from a sparring session with his warriors, walked by. His broad shoulders glistened with sweat, and his piercing gaze softened when he saw me crying. He approached, his presence commanding yet gentle, and said, "Kalani, I’ll spend every birthday with you from now on."

Back then, he was the embodiment of youthful strength and ambition, a bright spot in my otherwise dim life. He took me under his protection, and for ten years, he stayed by my side, his aura a constant shield against the loneliness that threatened to consume me.

During those years, we grew into our roles. I became an illustrator, my art a quiet rebellion against the expectations of an Omega. Kyson, however, rose swiftly through the ranks of his pack, his dominance and ambition undeniable. When he became Alpha, he asked me to quit my job and focus on our home. "Kalani," he said, his voice firm but tender, "I want us to bond. I want you to be my Luna, to focus on our pack and our future."

With my deep longing for a family, a need greater than most, I agreed. We moved into a house in the heart of the pack’s territory, and I settled into the role of Luna, though I often felt out of place among the stronger, more dominant wolves who surrounded Kyson. More than one pack member warned me that power could change a man, but I trusted Kyson implicitly. He was my anchor, my only connection to a world that had otherwise abandoned me. If he ever betrayed me, it would shatter me completely.

A sudden heaviness settled over me as I watched Kyson’s sleeping form, his chiseled features softened in rest, his long lashes casting shadows over his face. Even in sleep, his lips were drawn tight, as if something troubled him. What was he mourning? Was it Jolie, the Delta warrior who had become such a constant presence in his life, or was it the fact that he’d missed my birthday? I assumed it was the former. The thought made my chest tighten, and I turned away, my wolf whining softly in the back of my mind, a reminder of the bond that still tethered us together, even as it frayed at the edges.