Hey, Alpha! Our Destiny Was a Scam!

Darius looked annoyed, his jaw tightening. “Stop making a fuss. Do whatever you want with the cake. I don’t care.”

A wry smile tugged at my lips, the irony of the situation hitting me. After all this time, he couldn’t even remember something as basic as my allergies. My bitterness slipped out before I could stop it. “Congratulations,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “I heard you’re finally crowning your Luna.”

Darius stared at me for a moment, something dark passing through his eyes, but he didn’t say a word. He turned and left as if the conversation hadn’t even happened.

I sat there for a long time, staring at the empty doorway.

What was that? What was he even doing in my room? His room was in the west wing, far from here. We might be tousling the sheets at night this past month, but I didn't think that was enough to turn him into a romantic.

I glanced at the slice of cake, the strawberries glistening under the morning light. I picked it up and tossed it in the trash. He hadn’t gotten it for me. I knew that. Only one person in this house would ask for a strawberry shortcake this early in the morning.

Vera.

And that just left me wondering what he was really here for.

That afternoon, I went to town for an errand. The marketplace was bustling, vendors calling out their wares, and shoppers chatting away, but I barely noticed. My mind was a storm. All I could think about was getting away from Stormfang and Darius. I needed a concrete plan that could get me out of this place for good.

As I turned the corner toward the bakery, lost in my thoughts, I heard someone mention my name. I froze, quickly slipping into the shadows, and hiding behind a stall. A group of she-wolves were talking about me.

“She’s finally getting ditched by the Alpha,” one of them sneered. My chest tightened as I pressed myself further into the corner, trying to keep my breath steady.

“Vera’s got it all now—strength, beauty, everything. Lyanna’s just a half-breed. No one even cares.”

Their words were like daggers. Vera’s voice echoed in my head, her smugness from before.

'No one gives a damn about you here'.

I’d known that long ago, but hearing it from someone like her was humiliating, and infuriating.

“They were training together this morning,” another one chimed in. “Alpha Darius and Vera looked perfect. Like they’re already the real deal.”

My heart clenched painfully, anger simmering just below the surface.

Darius had never once trained with me. But with Vera, of course, it was different. They kept talking, voices lowering to hushed whispers as they brought up my bleeding from yesterday.

“That kind of bleeding,” one of them whispered, “can only mean miscarriage. I saw it happen to a friend of mine. She’s lost the baby.”

A sharp pain tore through me at her words, fresh grief mixing with my rising fury. I bit my lip hard, struggling to keep myself from making a sound.

“But it was still the Alpha’s child, right? Even if it was half-breed, wouldn’t he come after Vera for hurting it?”

I held my breath, waiting for their response.

“No way,” the other one scoffed. “I overheard Vera talking to him yesterday. Darius said he didn’t care. He couldn’t care less about the half-breed.”

The world tilted. My legs wobbled, and I accidentally knocked against the stall, sending them scurrying. My stomach churned, anger flooding through me like wildfire. It wasn’t just that they saw me as nothing—Darius didn’t care either. I was nothing to him, and neither was our child.

By the time I made it back to the packhouse, my anger had reached a boiling point. I could barely contain it. Every step I took felt heavy, my fury pressing against my chest, clawing to get out. I just wanted to get back to the kitchen, unload the groceries, and lock myself away from everyone.

But the moment I stepped inside, a maid appeared. “The Alpha is calling for you, Miss Lyanna,” she said politely, though there was a glint of curiosity in her eyes.

I nearly growled. Of course, he was calling for me now. I’d just gotten back, and he was already pulling me away. His office was in the north wing, a long walk from where I was, and my patience was hanging by a thread. I hadn’t eaten all day, I was exhausted, and on top of that, I had to hear such vile things. I dumped the grocery bags on the maid and forced myself to head to his office.

I didn't bother knocking and just opened the door.

Darius didn’t even look up from his papers as I walked in. “I heard you haven’t eaten today,” he said flatly. “I had someone prepare a meal for you.”

I blinked, momentarily thrown off by his words. Then I saw the full-course meal on the coffee table, steam still rising from the dishes. Confusion twisted in my gut. Did he expect me to sit there and eat in front of him? I stayed silent, not moving.

After a long pause, he finally glanced up at me. “What’s wrong? Aren’t these your favorites?”

Favorites? I stared at the food, then back at him, my anger bubbling up again. What was this game? Was he trying to pretend he cared now? After everything?

I couldn’t take it anymore.

“What are you doing, Darius?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care. “Stop pretending like this is normal. Don’t do things out of character and act like you give a damn. Just tell me what you want.”

His eyes darkened, and I heard the low growl in his throat—a warning. Once, that growl would’ve made me shrink, would’ve made me bite my tongue. But not anymore.