Let Me Say The Last Goodbye to You, Alpha!

Today was supposed to be my 18th birthday. Yet, I, Aria Williams, was unhappy about it. All I felt was nothing but emptiness. My pack, the Silver Thorn Pack, had made it clear to me. I was an outcast.

My mother, Luna Mara Williams, was the widowed Luna of the former Alpha. However, I wasn’t born of that union. Instead, I was born to her second husband, who was a human, named Jonathan Malloy, that died not long after my mother was pregnant with me.

Although the pack members treated my mother with respect, they hated me. It was reasonable, though. I was a hybrid, after all. Not only that, I hadn’t shown any shifting capabilities. That made me even less than a rogue.

Suddenly, a voice woke me up from my train of thought.

“Aria, sweetheart, are you ready?”

It was my mother’s voice.

“Ready for what?” I asked her, forcing a smile in return.

“Your birthday celebration, sweetie! We have a little surprise for you downstairs,” the Luna answered as she walked into my room.

As soon as she came here, her presence gave me a sense of comfort. However, I knew that there was still something that felt heavy. I had no idea why, but I could feel it close.

“Mom, I really don’t want to celebrate,” I said weakly.

I couldn’t help but look down as I continued, “Not when I’m still just … me, a human. I-I haven’t even shifted to my wolf form. I don’t think I can. I’m a failure.”

The Luna sternly said, “Don’t say that, Aria Williams!”

“You are still my daughter. To the hell with what people say,” my mother continued in an insistent tone while she brushed a stray hair behind my ear.

“Besides, I ordered the chef to make you your favorite cake!” she happily announced.

I perked up at the mention of cake and asked, “Chocolate?”

“You’re correct! Now come downstairs to the hall, okay? The pack is waiting,” my mother said while she was offering me her hand, which I reluctantly took.

For a while, I tried to control my breath. After all, the whole pack was waiting downstairs for me. Or, rather, they were forced to wait for me.

The truth was indeed very hurtful. I knew that no one wanted to wait for me, a hybrid. Not even my supposed mate, Benedict Harrow.

Still, I needed to come downstairs to please my mother. While the Luna seemed strong, I knew she had been getting weaker since last summer. My mother had worked tirelessly days and nights for our pack, but it weakened her. Only I knew about it as I worked alongside with her as her secretary.

“Mom, do you think they’ll really care?” I asked in a very quiet voice as I glanced at her before we opened the gate.

“Of course they will! They love you, Aria. You just have to give them a chance,” she replied excitedly.

Soon, the Luna opened the gate. The pack members looked at me for a while before the rain of confetti fell upon me and my mother. But I knew. They never really welcomed me.

“Surprise!” they all shouted with facades of enthusiasm.

“Whoa!” I said, forcing a smile as I felt my heart sink.

Nevertheless, I knew that I had to thank them.

So, I forced myself to say, “Thanks, everyone.”

Just like that, the party went on. But I felt detached. It was as if I was a mere observer in my own life.

On the other hand, I glanced around to search for Benedict, my fiancé, and the Alpha of the pack. That man promised me that he would attend my birthday party. Yet, he was nowhere to be found.

“Mom, have you seen Alpha Benedict?” I asked.

“He said he’d be here,” my mother replied while her eyes were searching the crowd.

“But you know how busy he can get,” she gently said as if she was trying to comfort me.

I just nodded my head slightly. Benedict had been distant lately. In fact, I knew that he was spending more time with Marina Lovell, his ex-lover, than with me.

“Yeah, I guess,” I said, trying to dismiss my worries.

As the party continued, both my mother and I parted as I greeted the guests. However, I could feel the buzz of my phone in my clutch. The moment I saw the phone to check the message, my heart dropped. It was a message from our pack doctor, Tonya Lewis.

[Doctor Tonya: Aria, you need to come quickly. It’s urgent. Meet me at the right wing of the hall.]

Without further ado, I ran to the right wing of the hall. When I arrived at that place, a group of pack members stood together with pale faces. I knew something went terribly wrong.

“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice trembling.

The pack doctor, Tonya, came forward as she said, “Aria … it’s your mother, the Luna.”

“What happened with Luna Mara?” I asked Tonya.

“She collapsed. We need you to come here,” the doctor said with a heavy tone as if she was trying not to cry.

“No! She was fine just a moment ago!” I shouted in frustration.

However, I knew that the Luna wasn’t fine when I saw her. She was lying on the floor. Her pale face had said it all.

“Mom!” I shouted my heart out.

“Aria,” my mother called me with a voice that was barely a whisper.

She continued, “I’m so sorry…”

“Don’t say that! Just stay with me!” I kept shouting as tears streamed down my cheeks.

This had to be wrong. I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me. It was just too much for me to handle. Without realizing it, I began calling the Alpha through my mind-link.

‘Benedict? Where are you?’ I called Benedict through the mind-link in desperation.

No matter how many times I tried to contact him through the mind-link, the man who was supposed to be my fiancee still hadn’t responded yet. Where was he? The Luna, who had raised him into the capable Alpha, was dying, but the man wasn’t even here.

Then, I found the answer. From his mind-link, I could hear a feminine laugh. I knew very well the owner of the laughter. It was Marina’s laugh.

‘So, you’ve been with her all this time,’ I thought to myself sadly.

Soon enough, I ended my mind-link. It was useless, after all. Since the time was getting tighter, I would rather focus on my mother than the reason why Benedict couldn’t come.

“Benedict … is coming, right?” my mother asked.

My lips quivered as I answered her with a lie, “Yes, he’s on his way to meet us, Mom. He’s worried sick.”

“I’m glad I can trust him to protect you. I hope you’ll be happy, Aria,” the Luna said her final words as she closed her eyes.

Not long after that, my mother drew her final breath.

It was the moment when I realized that my world had shattered. Someone whom I dearly loved had gone from this earth. Not only that, her death would haunt me as I lied to her.

In her last drew of breaths, she was still thinking that my fiancee would come. But he would never go to meet her for the last time. This would be something that I would bear with regret until the end of my life.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” I said quietly as I kissed her forehead for the last time.

‘Benedict won’t come,’ I bitterly told myself in my heart.