Alpha’s Regret After He Proposed to a Fake Heiress

"Sorry, Serena. You'll need an invitation. We can't let you in without one."

I froze. Adrian had never mentioned any invitation.

From inside came the tinkling sound of laughter. Vivian stood among the guests in a Luna's formal gown, the center of everyone's attention.

"Adrian, you're so lucky to have such a beautiful mate. Don't forget to invite us when you have the mating ceremony!"

Adrian's smile was so warm it made me doubt my own memories. "Absolutely. Being with Vivian is the greatest blessing of my life. I'll always take care of her."

Their laughter cut like glass.

The guard shifted awkwardly. "If you don't have an invitation, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."

I fixed him with a stare that shut him up instantly.

"I don't have an invitation. Will this do?"

I produced a gold insignia. The guard's eyes went wide. It was the crest of the Oceanridge Pack Alpha's direct bloodline—only immediate family carried the gold. Regular members received silver. Offending a direct heir of the most powerful pack in the wolf world was unthinkable.

His demeanor transformed instantly, and he ushered me inside.

All eyes were on Adrian and his soon-to-be Luna. No one noticed me. I stood in a corner, watching in silence.

Vivian pointed at a towering Moon Tree and laughed. "Adrian, remember? We buried a prayer charm under this tree. We said we'd dig it up on our mating day."

Adrian stroked her hair. "Of course I remember. After you left, I came here every year to check on it. Every time, I missed you."

She pouted playfully. "Are you blaming me for leaving?"

"Never. I'm just glad you came back. Every woman I met while you were gone—I saw your face in all of them."

The glass in my hand went still. My whole body locked up.

He'd taken me to that tree every year. I'd thought it was our ritual, our special thing. Now I realized he'd been revisiting old memories—pining for the woman he'd actually loved all along.

All those times he'd looked at me with what I thought was love—had he been seeing someone else?

He probably figured that since I was just an orphan, I should feel honored to serve as Vivian's stand-in. That even if I found out, I'd never leave.

He was wrong. No one was irreplaceable.

I walked out without looking back. I booked a flight home that same day and boarded the plane with my suitcase.

Three days until the celebration. Three days, and everyone who'd hurt me would pay.

The reception made headlines across the wolf world—what was supposed to be a business event had turned into an engagement party. Meanwhile, "Oceanridge Pack Celebration" quietly climbed the trending topics.

On the day of the celebration, my parents hosted a grand banquet at the pack shrine, inviting Alphas from every major pack and a full press corps for live coverage.

Everyone assumed my father would announce Vivian as his heir. No one knew she was just a refugee whose family had been destroyed by rogues. My father had found her during a campaign. Missing me after I'd run away, he'd brought her home to raise as a daughter.

Vivian arrived in a lavender designer gown on Adrian's arm, all smiles as she worked the room. But Adrian looked distracted—restless since the moment he'd walked in. He hadn't heard from me in weeks. Calls unanswered. Texts ignored. I'd vanished.

He'd assumed I was just throwing a tantrum and would come crawling back. Instead, he'd received notice that I'd formally left his pack.

Before he could make sense of it, Vivian had dragged him here. He couldn't afford to upset her, so he shelved his worries. But his mind was elsewhere.

His friend noticed. "Still worried about that little mistress of yours?"

Vivian's brow twitched. Adrian glanced at her and forced a shrug. "No chance. She was just a fling. Not worth worrying about."

"Good. You've got Vivian now. Time to settle down. She's the one you'll spend your life with."

His friends had always known Adrian kept an orphan on the side—they just didn't know who. In their eyes, only someone like Vivian was worthy of an Alpha.

Vivian's lips curved in satisfaction. Then a figure crossed her line of sight, and her eyes went wide.