TEARING HIS LOVE IN PIECES

"Mr Alpha Santiago, I deeply apologise for interrupting you, but word's just got across to me that your mate is on her way to Naomi's room!"

A flash of panic appeared on Santiago's face as he stopped thrusting into his lover, Naomi. He tossed the phone aside.

"Who's calling, darling?" Naomi moaned, pulling at his neck.

"That nosy bitch!” he cussed.

Barely minutes after this, a knock was heard on the door.

"Delivery services here."

***

-LYRAEA-

The door was opened and my eyes took in the room. I was immediately hit with the heavy scent of perfume which tried to hide the even heavier stench of sex. Wild sex.

I had a stab of pain as I realized.

"What are you doing here?" Santiago asked in a hoarse voice.

He was lying on his tummy and Noami was beside the bed, hurriedly dressed in a duvet, massaging his back.

I opened my mouth to speak but said.

Suddenly, Santiago turned around and glared at me. "Why are you this way, Lyraea? And when the hell did you become a fucking delivery man? Don't you see Naomi is helping me with the taut knots I got while boxing?"

Naomi took a furtive glance at me and hurriedly turned away.

"She's barely dressed," I said between my teeth.

I was staring at Alpha Santiago, the leader of the Green Oceans Pack. He was, as chance would have it, my Mate. And for seven years with him, I'd served him like my life depended on him.

Somehow, it did.

But seeing this now, I was shocked to silence. I heard a low growl in me as my wolf, Omni, felt searing pain.

It had gotten so frequent that there was only little to nothing left before I gave in to the darkness of depression.

But I couldn't do anything about it; I was just an Omega from a pauper home who was "redeemed" by the Alpha's choice.

"Why's she acting like this, Alpha?" Naomi stupidly asked. "Can't count the number of times I've told her I'm your personal massage—"

"I didn't ask your opinion, whore," I lashed out.

She was up and approaching. "Excuse you?"

Shaking my head, I slowly pulled off the engagement ring from my finger, where it had sat for these years.

I tossed it on the floor, just beside the bed. "Alpha Santiago, let it be known to you this day that I reject you as my Mate. I—"

He interrupted me, violent surprise etched in his voice. "Don't dare me, Lyraea, do not start what you can't finish."

He put a feet on the ring, trampling it into the rug. "I guess you've forgotten so soon whom you're speaking to." His eyes were dark and his voice thick. "Then I'll have to remind you again. Now get the hell out of here back to your apartment and wait for me."

I slammed the door after me as I left, surprising even myself. My heart hammered in my chest as the terrific voice of the Alpha echoed in my ears.

But the time I used to tremble at such threat was gone. I'd rejected him as Mate. And I felt peace.

I alighted the stairs to my apartment— Santiago had bought Naomi the second floor just to spite me and cause me unimaginable pain.

I got home and browsed into the family group chat. Here, all the royalties and in-laws interacted.

Taking a long breath, I typed:

"I, AURORA, HAVE ON THIS DAY, REJECTED ALPHA SANTIAGO AS MY MATE. REASON: REPEATED INFIDELITY."

I added that I was calling off the engagement and whatever wedding plan there was.

A message popped in. It was a picture of Naomi seated across Santiago in her apartment, two laptops between them, all dressed in corporate.

"I shouldn't have replied to this, but just so everyone knows, this is the position Lyraea found me in, and has gone ahead to write this nonsense!" he texted under the picture. "Totally doing business with my subordinate."

"Liar!" I shouted, but didn't type it.

In split seconds, I saw yet another message: "Don't let me bring up the fact that you use my credit card to drink at bars with male friends, letting them shove their dirty fingers up your—"

My eyes widened. My thumbs hovered on my screen, ready to defend myself. I looked away, disgust and anger choking me. The lies kept pouring in.

The next message was from my divorced mother. "I'd always known this girl to be a fool. Look what you're doing to yourself!"

Wow, I thought.

"Go down on your knees and apologize to Alpha Santiago!" she typed in capital letters. "Do you even deserve him?"

I quietly exited the group chat. Immediately, my mom called and I docked the phone into a glass of water.

‘My heart burns,’ Omni whispered. ‘What are you going to do?’

"Leave the pack. Soon. I just want to do one last thing."

Hours later, Santiago returned with a bouquet of roses. I was on the sofa, surfing the web, trying to distract Omni.

He stopped at the door and sniffed around.

"You haven't made dinner. Don't tell me you're giving yourself the right to be angry," he said.

I stood up without a word. He grabbed my hand. I saw hidden desperation in his eyes.

He didn't want to let me go; the family culture was that the Alpha must get married to his Mate to gain full access to the family's plethora of wealth.

Right now, I didn't care anymore.

"Lyraea..."

"I don't give a dime what happens; in no way do you deserve me."

"Say that again." There were flashes of red in his eyes, his wolf hinting its readiness for violence. "I fucking dare you."

I stepped in closer, looked him in the eye and said, "I do not give a dime what happens to you and the entire royal family. That's what I said, Alpha Santiago.”