My Alpha Stripped Me for His First Love

I barely remembered how I got back to my room.

One moment, I was standing in the hallway, my heart shattering with every whispered word.

The next, I was here—locked behind the heavy wooden door, my back pressed against it as my knees threatened to give out beneath me.

My breath came in sharp, uneven gasps.

The humiliation of the ceremony still burned my skin, but it was nothing compared to the deeper ache clawing at my chest.

Had he ever loved me?

The thought was like ice against my veins.

I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing a trembling hand against my mouth.

I had been his mate. His Luna.

But had I ever really been his choice?

Had I been anything more than a replacement for the one he truly wanted?

The answer was suffocating.

And I hated that deep down, I already knew it.

---

I had always known something was missing.

There were moments—fleeting, small—that I had ignored.

Moments when his touch felt obligatory instead of eager.

Moments when his eyes would drift over me, not with adoration, but with something else.

Emptiness. Distance.

As if, in his mind, he was somewhere else.

With someone else.

I had convinced myself it was just stress. That Killian had too many burdens on his shoulders. That he simply struggled to express love the way others did.

But now…

Now, I saw it for what it was.

I was never the one he wanted.

A bitter laugh caught in my throat.

How had I been so blind?

Every touch, every glance, every night spent beside him—it had all been a lie.

He had never belonged to me.

His heart was still hers.

---

The room was suffocating.

I needed air.

The walls felt too close, pressing in, trapping me with thoughts I didn’t want to face.

My legs felt weak, but I forced them to move, dragging myself toward the window.

Cool night air brushed against my heated skin as I gripped the frame, my fingers digging into the wood.

I sucked in a breath, willing the nausea in my stomach to settle.

And then—I saw them.

Killian stood in the courtyard below, his back to me.

His stance was tense, his shoulders squared.

But he wasn’t alone.

She was there.

Even in the dim moonlight, I recognized her instantly.

Her hair, dark and silken, cascaded down her back in waves. She stood close—too close—her head tilted slightly as she gazed up at him.

Killian was speaking.

His voice was too soft for me to hear, but I saw the way he leaned in. The way his lips moved with quiet, urgent words meant only for her.

And then, he smiled.

Not a forced, public smile.

Not the cold, sharp expression he had worn when looking at me.

No—this was different.

This was real.

Something deep inside me twisted, sharp and unbearable.

He had never looked at me like that.

Not once.

I felt my grip tighten on the window frame, my nails biting into the wood.

A shuddering breath escaped my lips.

I had been a fool.

I had spent so long believing that if I just tried harder, if I just proved myself, Killian would see me.

That one day, he would love me the way a mate should.

But I was never meant to be his.

I pressed a hand to my chest, my fingers curling over the fabric of my dress.

The pain wasn’t sharp anymore.

It was dull. Heavy.

Like a weight settling inside me that would never leave.

I forced myself to look away from the scene below, stepping back from the window.

Tears burned in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

He had taken enough from me already.