THE ALPHA NEEDS ME

RAYA POV

My heart clenched as I looked at my phone and I could feel my eyes getting filled with restrained tears. It was my birthday. Today was supposed to be a happy day for me. I had envisioned spending the whole day with Skyler, my boyfriend. He had given an excuse that he had something urgent to do and it was impossible. He didn't even agree to spare a minute with me, nor did even wish me a happy birthday.

He probably had the day filled with lots of work - this I had thought. He was the new Alpha of White Moon Pack and he probably had a lot in his hands.

But my eyes watered as my gaze lingered on the phone’s screen and a drop of tears eventually dropped on it. In the video, my so-called ever-loving boyfriend was having a good dinner date with Tia at a place I had always wished and requested he take me to. The Maldives.

“Are you enjoying the video, Raya?” my nosey, annoying frenemy, Amira, asked, rubbing salt into my wound.

“I thought you said ‘Skyler is the world's best man to me.’ I bet you'd eat your words now. Anyway, happy birthday, friend.”

I chuckled bitterly after she left, unable to take my eyes off the screen as I watched Tia laughing to her heart's content.

She was his childhood friend, and I had thought that nothing was ever going to go on between them, considering how Skyler never gave me a reason to doubt him all these years. How wrong could I be?

She was the daughter of one of his pack’s elders and had always been considered the future Luna. But Skyler had told me that he rejected her, which made her disappear for some years, and now I'm seeing her with him, both looking happy.

She had gone live on her social media handle and it had spread around the world after she dropped lovely photos of her and Skyler kissing like they were a married couple.

He had made a promise before he left this morning that he was going to finish up his work for the day early and return to celebrate with me. But the sun has set and he seemed in the video like he was never going to leave Tia anytime soon. Maybe forever.

Lately, he's been acting different and colder towards me, and I had dismissed it, convincing myself that it was probably because of the accumulated stress from his bre position as Alpha. Looking at him in the video, he seemed so happy. It was as if he had been storing the love and happiness he was going to give me today for Tia. How great.

I walked to the table where I had done my best to make his favorite velvet cake and his favorite dishes, too. I took a piece of the cake and ate.

“Happy birthday, you fool," I muttered, blinking away any further tears. I looked aside; the loud laughter was Tia from the video I left playing, filling my ears. I shut my eyes as my heart seemed to be torn open and shredded to pieces.

I went and took my phone and called Skyler.

“Hey, Raya," he answered, his voice now bearing the usual coldness. I could hear the distant laughter of Tia who was certainly overwhelmed.

“Are you going to talk or not?" He scoffed, sounding irritated.

“Where are you?" I asked, my voice calm.

There was a brief pause in the end and he seemed to have put more distance between him and Tia before he responded. "At the office, tied up with work.”

His voice was so calm. It didn't even hold a hint of panic. What a perfect liar I never thought he could be.

“Tied up with work? Is your secret dinner date with Tia now work? I had no idea,” I stated, sarcastically.

He took a brief pause as if contemplating on responding. Then he spoke. “Are you trying to accuse me of something?”

"Maybe not if you could just tell me where you are, what you're doing, and with whom…?”

"I don't owe you an explanation!” He thundered. "If you don't believe me, suit yourself!”

Wow. It's the guts for me. But I care less about it now. Inhaling, I stated. “Fine. You can stay in the Maldives and enjoy your date with Tia. But know this… we're done for good.”

“You're joking," he snapped. "Stop talking nonsense.”

“Nonsense?" I clenched the phone, my teeth gnashing with barely contained anguish. "Your unnecessary lies are nonsense,” I spat.

He growled, totally losing his cool. "How dare you say that to me?!"

“Goodbye. Enjoy with your future Luna, Alpha Skyler," I curtly said and ended the call.

I had left my pack 4 years ago to come live in this city where White Moon Pack is situated simply because Skyler had complained about tolerating my parents, who didn't see him as befitting for me. I cut ties with my pack and made other sacrifices, including personal changes for him and this is what I get, a blunt betrayal from him.

This was it. I couldn't take it anymore than this. It was clear as the daylight that I no longer meant anything to him. Forcing a relationship with him was meaningless.

No more will I be an understanding and naive girlfriend. Never.