After You Chose Her, I Freed Myself, Alpha!

Lycia’s POV

I arrived at the pack house with two bags full of gifts.

And there they were. Irene, dressed in a thin dress that wasn’t even appropriate for the living room. Leaning lazily against Ravien's chest. As if nothing wrong had happened.

I should have been jealous. Angry. But this time, I felt empty. Maybe because I had been hurt too many times.

Ravien stood up hurriedly when he saw me. His face was pale with panic. Meanwhile, Irene just smiled, like a winner greeting her opponent's defeat.

I didn't speak. Just walked past them. Both of them were surprised by my reaction.

“Lycia, wait!”

Ravien grabbed my arm quickly.

I just turned my head.

“Yesterday I wanted to visit you,” he said hurriedly. “But suddenly Irene got sick. And your parents wanted me to take care of her.”

My expression didn’t change at all. Flat. Unmoved even when those brown eyes looked at me with a hint of regret.

He must have sensed something different in me. A foreign feeling he couldn’t understand. He kept trying. But failed.

“My twin sister, it’s not what you think.” Irene approached us. Putting on her innocent face.

“Irene is right. Stop misunderstanding and running away!” Alpha Ravien chimed in.

Irene nodded again. With a small smirk. “Yes, we didn't do anything. Believe us.”

Her words contradicted her hands, which were moving. Tying her hair up high. Revealing the bite marks on neck. A sign of ownership.

She wanted to see me broken. But she only got the calmness she couldn't provoke. “Yes. Whatever.”

That's all I said before turning around and walking away.

“Lycia!”

My father’s voice cut through the air. Sharp and cold. I turned around. He stood at the threshold of the main hall, his face flushed red.

I clutched the small boxes containing the gifts tightly. Rare wool chosen for my father, a special dress for my mother. Their favorite food.

But before I could speak, a hard slap struck my face.

The gifts scattered across the floor.

“Did you intentionally hurt yourself to punish Ravien so he could feel the pain?” my father, Alec, shouted.

And I remained silent.

“How dare you!” Emma, my mother, joined in. “Alpha Ravien nearly died because of you! What were you doing outside the pack earlier?”

Of course, they didn’t know.

That’s because our bond had been severed. But I wouldn’t tell them.

I bent down, picking up the gifts. “I bought some gifts for you all.”

My father swatted my hand away. “Omega! Throw all this trash away!”

Without looking, without touching—they rejected me completely.

Then Mother spoke—words that shattered what little defense I had left. “Sometimes I regret giving birth to you.”

I froze. And it made no difference. I had always faced their anger. Even though it wasn't my fault.

“Can’t you just sit quietly like your twin sister does?” My mother’s voice was filled with frustration. “I’m tired of seeing you cause trouble!”

My breath caught. Mother. I loved her. But she… said words I never imagined she would. Tears fell.

And just then, I felt Ravien approach. “I'm okay.” He gripped my arm. “I think I need to talk to her.”

He took me away—to our room. Now it felt like a cold room filled with painful memories.

I sat on the edge of the bed, silent.

Ravien stood before me, staring at me as if choosing his words.

“Your parents were right. Earlier, my body was in so much pain.” He explained gently. But he seemed frustrated that I remained silent. “Luna, can't we just be okay like before? You now resemble a walking statue.”

I almost laughed. “You wanted everything to be okay after all the chaos that had happened?”

“This is all because of you! Even my pain earlier, you are the source of chaos!” He shouted in disgust.

“I want to sleep,” I said coldly. “You, take care of Irene as usual.”

He was about to protest, but I quickly lay down on the bed. His wolf seemed angry before left the room.

I sat back down. My parents' words were still clear in my mind. But I ignored them and started packing. I only took a few important items I had stored in my private closet so Alpha Ravien wouldn't find them.

I gathered the items from him. It was time to dispose of everything. I even opened the necklace I hadn't had time to throw into the sea.

I carried the box containing those items to the backyard. The fire was burning brightly.

“Lycia, what's that smell?” Alpha Ravien's voice sounded sharp. “Fire. What are you burning?”

His face changed when he saw the contents of the box I was holding. The gifts from him—all of them meaningful. Especially that moon necklace.

“Isn't it enough that you almost killed me earlier?” His voice rose an octave, his anger beginning to creep in. “I won't ask what happened to you, but stop this drama! Give me those things!”

My hands remained tightly clutching the box. “Why should I?” my voice was flat.

He stared at me, surprised by my calmness. But his eyes began to burn. There was a wound there—but not from loss, but from his ego being torn apart.

“That moon necklace…” his voice dropped. “It was given to you at your first dream location. You mustn’t forget that.”

I laughed briefly, hollowly. “And you also must not forget that you took Irene to all the places you promised me. You fulfilled my dream for another wolf. That means—nothing matters anymore.”

Ravien’s face changed. Guilt and anger collided in his eyes. But he still tried to defend himself. “It’s because I was angry at you. You ruined the party—”

“Enough about the past.” My tone was firm.

I walked toward the fire and began throwing the items from the box one by one. Letting him watch as they turned to ash.

When I lifted the moon necklace, Ravien’s hand gripped my wrist.

“Let go!” I shouted, angry.

His grip tightened. The wolf within him emerged. The vibrations from his Alpha power made the air seem to tighten, the ground trembling slightly.

But I didn’t flinch. I was a wolf too. And tonight, I was a wound that wouldn’t be conquered.

We held each other in place.

“Lycia?”

A soft voice—piercing from behind.

Irene stood in the doorway. Her expression feigned confusion. Her eyes shifted from us to the flames.

“What are you doing…?”

Neither of us answered.

And at that moment, Ravien’s emotional outburst reached its peak.

The force of it sent me flying backward. My body stumbled toward the flames.

But unfortunately, Irene was right behind me. Too close. She couldn’t dodge.

We both fell into the flames together.

My body absorbed some of the heat for her, but Irene screamed. Her scream pierced the air. Her hands were partially burned.