Broken by the Alpha: The Moon Singer's Rise

Alexia POV

I stood anchored in the shadows at the edge of the Pack square, the damp earth seeping through the thin soles of my shoes. Overhead, the sky hemorrhaged red and gold as fireworks exploded, screaming in celebration of the new Luna.

Kassandra.

My hand throbbed—a dull, rhythmic reminder of who Jacob had chosen to save.

*Alexia.*

Jacob’s voice slid into my mind, slick with false remorse. The sensation made my stomach turn.

*I know you’re upset,* he continued via the *Mind-Link*. *I’ve been so busy with the security protocols after the attack. I didn't mean to ignore you.*

"Busy," I whispered to the darkness. He wasn't busy. He was crowning her.

*I love her ability to lead,* Jacob said, his thoughts messy and leaking into mine. *But I love your gentleness, Alexia. You balance me. A Wolf needs his Alpha female, but a man needs his soft place to land. You can be that for me. We can make this work.*

The audacity stole the breath from my lungs. He wanted a queen on his arm and a slave in his bed. He wanted the best of both worlds while I burned in the middle.

*You don't love me, Jacob,* I projected back, my mental voice sharp as a blade. *You love that I make you feel powerful. You love that I take your pain so you don't have to feel it.*

There was a pause on his end. A heavy hesitation.

*How is your hand?* he asked, the question feeling like a polite afterthought.

*My hand is destroyed because you chose her,* I replied. *You let her crush my bones while you played hero.*

*That’s not fair—*

*Alexia!* Kassandra’s voice screeched into the link, shattering the moment like breaking glass. *Stop harassing him! We are trying to have a moment! You ungrateful wretch.*

*Kassandra, calm down,* Jacob soothed her instantly. The shift in his tone was immediate. He went from repentant lover to fierce protector in a heartbeat. *She’s just... confused.*

A moment later, a young Omega runner came panting up to the edge of the infirmary building where I was lurking. He held a heavy velvet pouch, his eyes darting nervously as if he were approaching a wounded animal.

"Luna Kassandra sent this," he mumbled, refusing to meet my gaze. "She said... she said it's your severance pay. Since you can't play piano anymore, you'll need it to survive in the human world."

I took the bag. It was heavy. Gold coins. Pack currency.

Inside was a note, written in Kassandra’s looping, childish scrawl: *For the cripple. Don't spend it all on painkillers.*

Rage, hot and blinding, flooded my veins. It wasn't the insult. It was the audacity.

I didn't leave. Not yet.

I walked out of the shadows. I walked straight into the searing light of the bonfire. The music died down as people noticed me—the disheveled, bloodied Omega with a cast on her arm, marching toward the dais like a specter haunting a feast.

Kassandra gasped, clutching Jacob’s arm with theatrical fear. "She's going to attack me!"

I stopped at the foot of the platform. I looked up at them. They looked like royalty. I looked like a ghost.

I raised the velvet bag.

"I don't want your charity, Kassandra," I said, my voice cutting through the silence. "And I certainly don't want your blood money."

I threw the bag.

It hit the wooden platform right at her feet with a heavy thud. The fabric burst open. Gold coins spilled out, clinking and rolling across the stage, glittering mockingly in the firelight.

"These coins," I said, pointing at them with my good hand. "They aren't worth a single note of the music I wrote for this Pack. The music *you* stole."

Kassandra turned pale. "She's lying! Jacob, she's lying! I wrote those hymns!"

"You can't even read sheet music," I spat.

Kassandra grabbed her chest, her breathing becoming ragged. "My heart... Jacob... she's hurting me..."

It was a performance. A bad one. But it was enough for him.

Jacob’s face twisted into a snarl. He stepped in front of Kassandra, shielding her from me—from the broken woman who weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet.

"Enough, Alexia!" he roared, the Alpha Command vibrating in the air. "Get out of my sight!"

I looked at him. Really looked at him. The man I had worshipped since I was a child. The man who was supposed to be my other half.

"Tell me, Jacob Alpha," I said softly, the Command washing over me without taking hold because my heart was already gone. "Do you love her? Or do you just love her lies?"