Alpha's Regret After I Became the Queen

Ethan's car stopped in front of our house, but he made no move to get out. I turned to him, confused. He awkwardly rubbed his nose and cleared his throat.

"So, um, Scarlett has her graduation prom coming up," he began, not quite meeting my eyes. "She was wondering if she could borrow your sapphire necklace—the one I gave you when I first proposed."

That necklace was my most treasured possession. When Ethan had first asked me to be his mate, he'd placed it around my neck.

He'd told me then that sapphires represented loyalty and faithfulness.

I studied his face—the hopeful, pleading expression.

"I don't need to loan it to her," I said evenly. "She can have it."

His eyes widened in surprise, then crinkled with joy. "Really? You'd do that? I promise I'll buy you something even better in the future. Something worthy of the Alpha's mate."

"It's fine," I said, my voice hollow. "It's just a necklace."

Ethan leaped across the center console to embrace me, his arms wrapping around my shoulders. "You're amazing, Emma. This means so much to Scarlett."

I carefully shifted away from his attempted kiss.

"If it's urgent, why don't you take it to her now?" I suggested.

His eyes lit up again. "Great idea! "

Before leaving, he ran back to me.

"Once all this graduation stuff with Scarlett is over, we're having our ceremony," he promised fervently. "This time, I swear nothing will stop us."

I smiled without responding, because I knew our mating ceremony would never happen.

After Ethan left, I sat alone, gently touching my stomach.

"Baby," I whispered, "Mommy is so sorry. I promised to give you happiness, but it seems I'll have to break that promise. Please don't hate me."

On my way to the hospital, I spotted a familiar figure in the maternity ward corridor. Scarlett, my sapphire necklace already gleaming at her throat, with Ethan's arm around her waist and his other hand protectively cradling her stomach.

My hand trembled on my own belly. I couldn't tell if they had seen me.

A moment later, my phone vibrated with multiple notifications.

I opened it to find a series of explicit videos. I immediately recognized Ethan and Scarlett.

They were tangled together in bed, Ethan's muscular body glistening in the dim light, while the woman beneath him matched his wild thrusts with breathy moans. It was the kind of stimulating scene that would make anyone blush.

Anyone except me.

My wolf had been dormant since the pregnancy began, which was why I couldn't sense my mate's condition or feelings.

Although I had suspected Ethan and Scarlett were sleeping together, I had never been certain.

Until now.

Even with my suspicions, having the truth displayed so blatantly before me still caused a sharp pain in my chest.

I hurriedly wiped away my tears. When I looked up, I caught Scarlett's gaze from across the corridor. She gave me a challenging look, her hand deliberately caressing my sapphire necklace—now around her throat.

I finally understood. All the photos and videos sent to my phone—they were all from Scarlett.

If she wanted my position that badly, she could have it.

I stepped out of the hospital entrance, my body still weak from the procedure.

"Well, well. Look who's finally done killing their puppy." Scarlett's voice cut through the air.

She stood leaning against a sleek black car.

"How does it feel?" I tried to walk past her but she persisted, stepping directly into my path. "How does it feel to lose a baby? Probably for the best, don't you think? Better to abort it now than to give birth and have the puppy discover its father doesn't love it."

My hands clenched into fists. "Move, Scarlett."

"Or what?" She cocked her head, smirking.

The rage building inside me threatened to boil over. I raised my hand, intending to move her aside.

Before I could touch her, Scarlett's eyes widened dramatically. She clutched her stomach and let out a blood-curdling scream, dropping to the ground in one fluid motion.

"My baby!" she wailed, curling into a ball. "Oh god, my stomach! The baby! "

A deep, feral growl erupted behind me.

I turned to see Ethan, his eyes already glowing Alpha red, his body vibrating with rage.

"Ethan, I never touched her—"

I never finished my sentence. In an instant, he shifted into his massive silver wolf form, lunging at me with supernatural speed.

His jaws didn't clamp down, but his body slammed me against the hospital wall. Pain exploded through my already weakened frame. My stitches tore open, warm blood seeping through my hospital gown.

"She came to see you," he snarled, spit flying from his lips. "Scarlett knew you were in the hospital and came out of kindness, and this is how you repay her? "

Without another word, he turned around, picked up Scarlett, and called for the healer.

I slid down the wall, leaving a trail of blood, I looked up at the man I had once loved with all my heart.

This was the 105th time he had betrayed me.

And it would be the last.