Six Days to Abandon My Fated Alpha

It was the early hours of the morning when Alpha Dean Willis returned to the Silver Moon Pack’s territory. Reina Lawson lay in bed, her eyes wide open, staring into the darkness. She hadn’t slept at all.

Before long, Dean pulled her into his embrace. "Still awake?" he asked, leaning in to kiss her, only to feel empty space. Confused, he held her tighter, trying to suppress his frustration. "Who upset you, Reina? I’ll handle it for you, okay?"

"Alpha," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Yeah?" he responded, his tone softening slightly.

The room was so dark she couldn’t see his face, but she could smell the lingering scent of rosemary clinging to him—a scent that wasn’t hers.

"Let’s break the bond."

Dean stiffened, then let go, rolling over to the side. "What now?" he sighed, rubbing his temples with impatience. "You’re too grown-up for this kind of drama."

He chuckled lightly, "Reina, you’re not getting any younger. Who would mark a Luna who smokes, drinks, has tattoos, and is tougher than most Deltas in the pack?"

Her chest tightened, a dull pain spreading she couldn’t suppress. Last year, when she had twelve stitches sewn into her arm without anesthesia due to an allergy, she gritted her teeth without uttering a sound. Yet, Dean’s drunken honesty now brought tears to her eyes.

"Alpha," she couldn’t help but ask, "If I were terminally ill, would you..."

"Reina." He cut her off, a hint of irritation in his voice. "Don’t ask pointless questions."

"If you really were terminally ill, would you want me to join you in some dramatic act?" He pressed his fingers against his brow. "I’m busy with the marking ceremony and the pack’s affairs. I don’t have time for this nonsense."

As he spoke, his phone suddenly buzzed. Annoyed, he hung up on the call, but it rang again. After several attempts, Dean got out of bed with his phone. "Yeah?"

A girl’s sobbing voice trickled through the receiver, indistinct but persistent.

"Damn it," Dean muttered under his breath, "This is such a hassle."

Despite his words, he hurried out the door. "There’s a problem with the pack’s patrols. I need to deal with it."

"You should get some sleep. Don’t wait up for me."

The door closed behind him, leaving Reina alone in the darkness. She clenched her fists, her wolf whimpering softly in the back of her mind, a sound of quiet despair. She had hoped, foolishly, that he might notice her pain, that he might care enough to stay. But Dean was the Alpha, and his priorities were always the pack—or so he claimed.

Reina turned her face into the pillow, letting the tears she’d held back finally fall. She thought of the marking ceremony, now just days away, and the life she had built with Dean over the past ten years. It all felt like a cruel joke now, a bond that had once been her anchor now dragging her deeper into despair.

Outside, the howl of a lone wolf echoed through the night, a haunting reminder of the world she was preparing to leave behind.