After My Death , My Alpha Mate Went Crazy

I didn't mean to wear the Goddess Pearl. It was Kaidon's precious treasure, something he found with Elara years ago. But here I was, standing in the center of the Blackwood Pack's courtyard, trembling as I felt the eyes of the entire pack on me.

I had only wanted to feel closer to him, to my mate, Kaidon, the Alpha. But now I was about to be flogged in front of everyone for it.

It had been a mistake—a horrible one. I hadn’t known that the necklace with the beautiful pearl I found in our room was the one he had meant for her, for Elara. Elara, who had returned to the pack, was everything to him. I was just the girl who happened to be chosen by the Moon Goddess to be his mate when Elara left. Now that she was back, Kaidon didn’t hide the fact that I was nothing but a substitute in his eyes.

"Kaidon, please," I had begged him earlier when he announced the punishment. "I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to wear the Goddess Pearl."

His cold, hard gaze didn’t waver. "You know what that pearl means, Luna. It was meant for Elara, the one I truly love."

I bit my lip, the weight of his rejection settling like stones in my heart. We had been mates for years, yet he never loved me. It was always her. And now, I was paying the price.

The sound of footsteps brought me back to the present. I stood in the pack courtyard, feeling the cold autumn breeze on my skin. Ronan, Kaidon’s younger brother and the pack Beta, approached me, holding a thick, leather whip in his hand. His eyes didn’t meet mine as he prepared to carry out his brother’s orders.

From the other side of the courtyard, Kaidon’s voice echoed with authority, "Begin."

I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the pain. The first strike of the whip cut through the air with a sharp crack, followed by the searing pain across my back. I gasped, my knees almost buckling from the force of it. Tears stung my eyes, but I forced myself to remain silent. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of hearing me scream.

The pack watched in silence, their eyes heavy with judgment. To them, I was a disgrace. I had broken one of the most sacred rules—wearing the Goddess Pearl was an honor that only the Alpha’s chosen one could bear. And to them, that was Elara, not me.

Elara stood beside Kaidon, her delicate features calm and collected, her gaze filled with something I couldn't quite place—pity? Satisfaction? I didn’t know. But her presence twisted the knife in my chest even deeper. Kaidon stood beside her, tall and cold, his eyes trained on me but void of any emotion.

As the second lash came down, I couldn’t hold back the cry that escaped my throat. The pain was unbearable, but the worst pain came from Kaidon’s complete indifference. How could he watch this and feel nothing?

"You shouldn’t have touched it, Luna," Ronan whispered quietly as he prepared for the next strike. "This is what he wants. Just get through it."

The third lash landed, and my vision blurred. My knees hit the dirt beneath me, and I gasped for breath, the air feeling thick and heavy. I could hear murmurs from the pack, whispers of pity and disdain.

I had spent years trying to earn my place in the Blackwood Pack, trying to make Kaidon see me, love me, but it was all for nothing. I was just a placeholder, the woman who filled the gap while Elara was gone.

The whip came down again, and this time, the world seemed to spin. I collapsed completely, my body trembling as I lay in the dirt. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear Kaidon's voice, cold and unfeeling, "Enough."

Ronan stopped. He knelt beside me, gently pulling me up to my feet. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

But sorry couldn’t fix this. Sorry couldn’t change the fact that my own mate had ordered this punishment. That he valued Elara and a simple pearl more than he ever valued me.

"Take her inside," Kaidon ordered, his voice cutting through the haze of pain. "She can rest. I don’t want her dying on my watch."

The crowd began to disperse as Ronan carefully led me back toward the pack house. My vision was still blurred with tears, and my body screamed with pain from the lashes. But none of it compared to the ache in my heart.

As we neared the house, I heard Kaidon’s voice again. “Ronan, make sure the pearl gets to Elara. She cried herself to sleep last night.”

My blood ran cold. Even now, all that mattered to him was Elara. Not the fact that I had just been flogged, not the fact that I was his mate.

When we reached the house, Ronan guided me to my room. His jaw was tight, but he didn't say anything. Once I was seated on the bed, he finally spoke, "Luna, you don’t have to stay here."

I looked up at him, tears still clinging to my lashes. "What choice do I have?"

He looked down at me, his expression unreadable. "You deserve better than this. Kaidon… he’s too blinded by Elara. But you don’t have to keep suffering."

I laughed bitterly, wincing at the pain in my ribs. "Where would I go? This is my pack. Kaidon is my mate."

Ronan’s eyes softened for the briefest moment. "You could leave, Luna. Find a new life. A better one."

I shook my head. The mate bond between Kaidon and me was strong, but it was one-sided. I had loved him fiercely, but he had never returned that love. Still, leaving the pack felt like abandoning everything I had ever known.

"Think about it," Ronan said softly before turning to leave. "You don’t have to decide now. Just… think about it."

As he left the room, I collapsed back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. I could still feel the sting of the whip on my back, but it was nothing compared to the emptiness that had settled in my chest.

Kaidon’s rejection. His betrayal. It was all too much to bear. But what hurt the most was knowing that I would always come second to Elara. Even though I was his mate, I would never be enough.

And maybe… maybe it was time to stop trying.