The Alpha’s Loss

Ever since Zachary and I started dating, I'd been making him a birthday cake every single year—always by hand, never using shortcuts.

When I glanced at the screen of his phone, I knew immediately who the request was for again. I'd seen that little wolf avatar on his screen—it was Aria's profile picture. I didn’t say a word, and the living room felt unnervingly quiet.

Zachary was completely unaware of how unreasonable his request had been, looking at me, waiting for a yes. Eventually, I just nodded, keeping my face neutral. "Send me the picture," I said, standing up. "I'll head out now to buy the ingredients."

I thought back to that night seven years ago. If Zachary hadn't been there, I wouldn't have made it out of that rogue attack unscathed. I glanced at him one last time, thinking, 'Once I finish this cake, I’ll finally be done with him.' I headed for the door, feeling the heaviness in my steps. Before I could reach the doorway, Zachary's voice, surprised, cut through the silence behind me.

"Harper…" he started, his voice unsure.

I didn’t bother turning around. "Anything else?" I asked, my tone flat.

There was a pause before he spoke again. "I'll Venmo you for the ingredients."

I continued walking without a word. When I stepped into the elevator, I pulled out my phone and stared at our chat history.

5,363 messages—that’s how many I’d sent him.

He’d replied to only 25.

It was exhausting to care, so I could only smirk. Upstairs, in the living room, Zachary's phone would buzz with the notification of the $100 transfer being rejected. I could imagine his hand clenching around the phone as he read the alert.

Later that night, around 8 p.m., my phone rang. Zachary's name flashed on the screen.

"Hey, where are you?" he asked, sounding almost… concerned.

I was sitting in a booth at a diner near my place, picking at my food. "What’s up?" I asked, sidestepping his question.

"Nothing much," Zachary replied, his voice softer now. "I just wanted to say... the cake you made was delicious. As always."

There was a brief silence on the line before he added, in a lower voice, "Thanks. I know it was a lot of effort."

Before I could respond, I heard Aria's sugary voice in the background.

"Harper!" she called out, her tone light and overly sweet. "I heard from Zach that you made my birthday cake today. Wow, you’re so talented! I wish I could do that, but I’m so clumsy. Zach's always calling me his little pup."

I could picture her pouting as she spoke. Before I could even process her words, she invited me to the party. But I didn’t get a chance to respond before Zachary’s voice returned to the line.

"Well, you don’t need to come," he said, a bit firmer this time, before hanging up.

A few minutes later, my phone buzzed again. It was a message from him, with his location pinned and a note attached: [If you do stop by, grab a bag of deer-flavored chips for Aria from the convenience store.]

I sighed, letting out a sarcastic faint smile. When I pushed the door open to the private room, I spotted Zachary immediately. He was feeding Aria a slice of cake, her wide, doe-like eyes looking up at him. The moment he saw me, his expression shifted into one of irritation. His gaze darkened, and I knew exactly what he was thinking.

Why did I show up?

I knew already that Aria had been the one to send the message, not him. But I'd come anyway.

"Harper!" Aria greeted me with a wide smile, her voice as sugary as ever. Zachary’s eyes narrowed at me, and I could feel the tension in the room rising.

"Didn't I tell you not to come?" Zachary snapped, his irritation spilling over.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Aria quickly jumped in, pouting dramatically. "I’m sorry, Zach. I just wanted some chips, so I tricked her into coming," she said, her voice dripping with false innocence.

Zachary’s hard expression softened as he reached out, ruffling Aria’s hair affectionately. "You little pup," he muttered with a fond smile.

Watching him, I knew this was my moment. I reached into my bag and pulled out my resignation letter.

"Zachary," I said, stepping forward, "one of my pack members has a family emergency and needs to leave. I’ll need you to approve this."

Technically, Alpha Iron himself, Zachary, should’ve handled it, but since it was me, the HR manager had sent the letter directly to me. The lighting in the room was dim, casting shadows across Zachary’s face. He didn’t even glance at the letter as he scribbled his signature, his attention fully on Aria.

Just as I was about to take the letter back, Zachary’s hand shot out, grabbing mine. His expression shifted, his brow furrowing as he stared at my hand.

"You… You came here just for this?" he asked, his tone low and unreadable.

I nodded.

His face darkened again, and for a second, I thought he was going to say something. But then he flinched, pulling his hand back as if burned. I realized his fingers had brushed the burn marks on my palm from making the cake.

He must’ve been disgusted.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Aria’s eyes light up with sudden interest. "Oh! Harper! That necklace you’re wearing… It looks quite familiar," she said, leaning in, her smile widening. "I just remembered, a few days ago, I saw something just like that in Zachary's trash can."

I watched Zachary subtly move his hand to cover his neck, but I pretended not to notice. Keeping my voice calm, I replied, "These necklaces are pretty common. If you like it, I can give this one to you."

Aria didn’t respond.

When I walked out of the room, I headed straight for the nearest trash can and threw away the bracelet. I’d worn it for the past seven years, but it no longer meant anything—just trash. I turned to the elevator, and while waiting, my phone buzzed. It was Ross calling.

"Did you book the subsidiary pack’s relocation yet?" he asked.

"Not yet," I replied, my voice steady. "I’ll do it in a few days."

Before I could hang up, I heard Zachary’s voice behind me. "You’re booking something?" he asked, his voice confused.