The Alpha's Second Choice, His First Regret

CHAPTER 4

The arrow whistled through the air, missing my heart by inches. I staggered back, feeling the sharp sting as it grazed my cheek. Warm blood trickled down my face, the metallic scent filling the air.

"You think anyone wants you here?" Theo's voice dripped with venom as he lowered the bow. "You're nothing but a cheap replacement. A stand-in that everyone tolerates because they feel sorry for you!"

My hands moved before my mind could process what I was doing. I shoved him, hard. Theo stumbled backward, shock flashing across his face. For five years, I'd endured every cruelty, every humiliation without retaliation. But this, this attempt on my life had shattered the last of my restraint.

Theo's eyes widened in shock, then his features twisted into something truly hateful. He threw his head back and let out a loud scream that seemed to shake the walls around us.

"DAD! DAD, SHE HIT ME!"

Caleb appeared, his eyes black with barely held anger. "What have you done?" he demanded, rushing to Theo's side.

"What have I done?" I pointed to my bleeding cheek. "Your son just tried to kill me!"

Caleb's eyes flickered to my wound, and for a heartbeat, something like concern flashed across his face. He reached out, his fingers hovering near the cut. "You're bleeding..."

"He shot an arrow at me, Caleb! He could have killed me!"

Theo buried his face against his father's chest, his shoulders shaking with expertly timed sobs. "I-I didn't mean to hurt her," he whimpered. "She was leaving us forever! I just wanted to scare her!"

"Is this true?" Caleb asked, his voice softening as he stroked his son's hair. "You're really leaving? Tonight?"

I straightened my spine, refusing to be swayed by the sudden tenderness in his tone. "Yes. I'm done being a replacement. I'm done trying to be someone I'm not."

"But the family reunion is tomorrow," Caleb said smoothly, stepping closer. "Everyone will be here. What am I supposed to tell them when you're missing? That you abandoned your responsibilities? That you couldn't handle it?"

His words were laced with manipulation, carefully chosen to make me doubt myself.

"Tell them whatever you want. It's not my problem anymore."

He caught my wrist as I turned to leave, his grip firm but not painful. "What about our agreement, Emma? You promised to help Theo heal. To be what he needed."

"For two years, Caleb. Two years that turned into five. I've given enough."

His expression darkened. "So that's it? You throw away everything we've built because of one little incident?"

I laughed bitterly. "One incident? Your son has been terrorizing me for years! He poured scalding wax on me. He put bleach in my shower. He destroyed the only thing that mattered to me—my camera, my work, my identity!"

"He's grieving," Caleb insisted, his voice dropping to a level that made me hesitate despite myself. "Think about what leaving will do to him. To the family. To us."

There had never been an "us," and we both knew it.

Theo peered up at me from beneath his lashes, a calculating gleam in his eyes. "What everyone says is true—that you never loved mom. That you were just waiting for her to die so you could take her place."

The accusation stung me.

Caleb's stance shifted, his body language protective as he shielded Theo. "Is that what this is really about? You couldn't handle living in Olivia's shadow, so you're running away?"

"No," I shook my head, recognizing the trap. "This is about me finally choosing myself."

"Our family has traditions older than any of us," Caleb's voice took on a formal, almost ceremonial quality. "We stick together, no matter what. Do you understand what breaking that tradition means?"

"I'm not your true wife," I reminded him. "I'm just the stand-in you married to keep up appearances."

His face hardened. "If you walk out that door, you'll be cut off. Completely.

The threat hung in the air between us.

"I'd rather face my chances alone than spend another day being erased in my own home."

"Stay," Caleb's voice suddenly softened, his hand reaching for mine. "Selena can handle Theo's needs now. She will come during the week, we’ll agree on selected times ... you won't have to shoulder it all alone anymore."

I stared at him, trying to sink it all in. This wasn't about me.

His words were with calculation as if he was coming to realization of what my leaving could cost him.

"You're family," he insisted, but his eyes slid away from mine. "Olivia would want…."

"Don't." My voice cut through his like a blade. "Don't you dare use her memory to manipulate me. Olivia would be horrified by what you've let Theo become. By what you've become."

I stepped toward the door, my resolve hardening with each step.

"Emma," Caleb called after me, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone. "If you walk out that door, don't bother coming back. The family won't accept you again. I won't accept you."

I paused at the threshold, feeling the weight of five years of sacrifice pressing down on me.

"Good," I said without turning around. "Because I'm never coming back."

As I stepped into the cool night air, I heard Theo's whisper to his father.

"Let her go, Dad. We never needed her anyway."

"As I stepped through the front gates of the Weah estate, I was finally free. Part of me couldn't believe this moment had actually come—that I was really doing this. I flagged down a cab, loaded in my suitcase and told the driver, "To the airport, please."