After My Alpha Chose Her, I Found the Lycan Prince

The scent hit me first—expensive, floral, and overwhelmingly feminine. It didn't belong in Collin's room. I paused mid-motion, the stack of freshly folded t-shirts frozen in my hands as I tried to place it. Bianca's scent. My heart stuttered in my chest, but I forced myself to continue tidying his Alpha suite, ignoring the hollow ache spreading through my chest.

It was just a scent, I told myself. Nothing concrete. Nothing that could shatter the fragile hope I'd nursed for years.

Then I saw it. Tucked between his dark dress shirts was a silk scarf in deep crimson—Bianca's favorite color. I'd seen her wear it countless times at pack gatherings. My fingers trembled as I lifted it, and the mate mark on the corner confirmed my worst fears. The delicate crescent moon embroidery, stitched with silver thread—the same mark that should have been on my neck if he'd ever truly chosen me.

The room suddenly felt too small, the air too thick. I needed to finish quickly and leave before anyone found me here, surrounded by the evidence of my humiliation. As I moved to empty his wastebasket, my hand froze mid-air.

A used condom. The small, foil wrapper glinted up at me like a cruel joke.

Something inside me broke. The years of waiting, of making myself small, of believing that one day he would see me—they all collapsed into this single moment of devastating clarity. I wasn't his mate. I was never going to be his mate. I was just... convenient. An Omega who cleaned his room and warmed his bed when his true love was away.

'Lia.' His voice startled me. I hadn't heard him enter, too consumed by my discovery. Collin stood in the doorway, his tall frame blocking the exit. And beside him, like a ghost from my nightmares, stood Bianca. Her hand rested possessively on his arm, her lips curved in a satisfied smile.

'I was just cleaning, Alpha,' I managed, my voice barely above a whisper. I tucked the scarf behind my back, but it was too late. I'd seen the truth, and it was written all over my face.

Bianca's laugh was light, musical. 'Oh, Collin, your little Omega is so dedicated. Still cleaning up after you, I see.' She leaned closer to him, her scent enveloping him completely. 'Though I must say, some things should stay private.'

Collin's expression remained cold, distant. He didn't defend me. Didn't deny her words or pull away from her touch. He simply looked through me, as if I were invisible. 'Finish quickly, Lia. We need the room.'

I nodded mechanically, my chest tight with unshed tears. 'Yes, Alpha.'

Back in my tiny Omega quarters, I sat on the edge of my narrow bed, staring at the wall. The scarf and the condom—physical proof of what I'd always known but refused to accept. Muffin, my wolf pup, whimpered softly at my feet, sensing my distress.

'No more tears,' I whispered to the empty room, wiping my cheeks. 'No more waiting for someone who doesn't want me.'

I pulled out a single duffel bag and began packing. My clothes, few as they were. The small bundle of dried lavender my mother had given me. A worn paperback book. And finally, I scooped Muffin into my arms.

'We're leaving, girl,' I murmured, burying my face in her soft fur. 'We deserve better than this.'

The pack house was quiet as I made my way to the exit. Everyone was busy with afternoon duties, no one noticed the Omega with her belongings and her dignity. As I stepped across the threshold, the weight on my shoulders lifted slightly. The mate bond I'd never truly had was finally breaking—not with a ceremony or words, but with the simple act of walking away from a man who never chose me.

I didn't look back.