The Alpha’s Loss

When I lost my pup in a rogue attack, Zachary just happened to be passing by with his female Beta, Aria, in the passenger seat.

He saw my white fur soaked in blood, shielded Aria’s curious eyes, and coldly muttered, "Bad luck. Don’t look." Then he sped off.

That same night, while I was back in my den, I found a lace bra stuffed in the corner of our closet—a bra that definitely wasn’t mine.

Closing the closet door, I calmly called Alpha Taya. "Alpha, I've made up my mind. I can leave the pack next week and start training with your wolves."

——

"That's wonderful news, Ms. Rose! We're excited to have you!" she replied cheerfully through the link.

The second the call ended, Zachary walked out of the bathroom. His hair was damp, water droplets still clinging to his skin.

He used to take five minutes to shower. Lately, he’d been spending at least half an hour, always with his phone in hand.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked, not even looking up from his phone.

"I was on the phone with Ms. Nells, HR." I replied honestly.

"Ah," he said, barely paying attention. As usual, he wasn’t really listening.

And for the first time, I didn’t get mad or make a fuss. I just started drafting my resignation letter on my phone.

When he reached for his water cup, likely expecting the calming tea I used to make for him every night, he paused, noticing it wasn’t there.

Finally, he spared me a glance.

"I showed your scan to a healer. He said it was just a minor injury, nothing serious. Just keep the wound dry."

"Alright," I said without looking up, still typing.

This afternoon, I had eight stitches in my hind leg from the attack. Worse still, I had just found out I was four weeks pregnant and already showing signs of losing the pup.

The healer apologized, saying that if I had been brought back to the den sooner, the pup might have been saved.

Seeing the blank expression on my face, Zachary frowned and started walking over to check what I was doing.

But just then, his phone buzzed.

His lips curved into a smile, and without a second thought, he turned and disappeared into his study.

Once he was out of sight, I opened up my secret social media account and scrolled through his feed. Sure enough, there was a new post—visible to everyone but me.

It was an apology letter.

[I shouldn’t have let the best Beta in the pack down. Promised her dinner after patrol, but work got in the way, and I made her wait a whole ten minutes. Totally my fault. I'll do better from now on, be a good Alpha.]

I liked the post and, in the same breath, received a notification from Ms. Nells: the contract.

I clicked the link and signed the document without hesitation.

The next morning, Zachary woke up early and brought back venison and pastries from a popular pack bakery.

Just as I was about to open the bag with chocolate croissants, he slapped my hand away.

"You like peanut butter bagels, right? I got one just for you."

I froze for a second before realizing—the chocolate croissants weren’t for me.

They were for Aria.

I couldn’t hold back anymore. "We’ve been together for seven years, and you still don’t know I’m allergic to peanuts?"

His expression darkened, and he stood abruptly, snapping, "Stop making a fuss. Eat or don’t. I don’t care."

As he prepared to leave, I walked into the bedroom and came back with a bag.

"When you see Aria later, do me a favor and return this to her."

His brows knitted together before taking the bag. When he peeked inside and saw the lace bra, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. He opened his mouth like he was about to explain something, but when he saw my calm, indifferent face, he only said, "I’ll tell her to stop being so careless."

"Yeah," I replied with a quiet tone.

Sensing my low mood, Zachary offered, "I can give you a ride to the packhouse today."

Seven years together, and not once had he driven me to the packhouse, no matter how bad the weather was. He always kept work and personal life separate.

But Aria? On her first day as his Beta, she was already getting chauffeured by my chosen mate.