The Alpha's Abandoned Mate

Lily and I met during a pack run organized by the hiking club. At the time, I was the newly appointed Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, and my days were consumed by responsibilities—securing our borders, mediating disputes, and ensuring the safety of my wolves. The weekends, though, were my escape, a chance to breathe, to feel the wind against my skin as I ran through the forests in my human form.

Lily joined the club in my second year of leading the pack. At first, she was just another face in the crowd, a quiet presence among the wolves who gathered to run the trails. But she had a steadiness about her, a calm that drew me in. We often found ourselves at the front of the pack, the first to reach the summit, and over time, we grew closer.

She was a Gamma from a neighboring pack, a position that demanded discipline and loyalty. I admired that about her. I worked tirelessly to maintain the strength and unity of the Silver Moon Pack, while Lily balanced her duties with a quiet determination that I found grounding.

When we reached our hundredth peak together, I knew it was time to make my feelings clear. I wasn’t one for grand gestures or poetic declarations—those were for Lycan princes and their elaborate courtships. My confession was simple, straightforward: "Lily, let’s start dating."

She agreed. Her father had been a Beta, known for his charm and flair, but his pursuit of power had left scars on their family. Lily valued reliability above all else, and I prided myself on being someone she could trust. I was never late for a date. My gifts were predictable but always thoughtful. If it rained, I wouldn’t offer to pick her up without prompting, but as soon as she called, I was there without hesitation.

In our third year of dating, we marked each other as mates. The ceremony was private, just the two of us and the Moon Goddess as witness. I remember the words we spoke, the vows that bound us together: "I, Keanu, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, mark you, Lily, as my mate, my Luna, my partner in all things." Her voice had been steady, her eyes filled with a quiet resolve as she repeated the vow back to me.

Life before and after the marking was much the same. We settled into a rhythm, a calm that felt like home. I cooked, she did the dishes. She shopped for groceries, and I’d come home early to start the bread maker. It was a life of quiet contentment, and I believed it would last forever.

Until that day, three years ago, at the marking ceremony of my old college friend. During the celebration, Trey, my younger brother and a Delta in the pack, got drunk. He grabbed my hand, tears streaming down his face.

"Keanu, seeing you live like this, it pains me," he slurred. "I’m about to mark my mate, embracing the joy of it, yet seeing you in this state, it just upsets me."

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "If Cassidy hadn’t gone overseas as a war correspondent back then, you wouldn’t have shut yourself off, become so distant."

I glanced at Lily, who stood nearby, her expression unreadable. "Don’t pay him any mind; he’s just drunk," I assured her.

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Once we were home, she spoke, her voice calm but firm. "Keanu, I may have many shortcomings, but one strength is my ability to sever emotional ties quickly."

I stood in the shadow of the room, my wolf stirring uneasily in the back of my mind. I couldn’t see her expression clearly, but I felt the weight of her words. After that, Cassidy vanished completely from our lives—mine and Lily’s. Until now.