When The Alpha Chose Her Over His Luna

I waited by the lakeside for Holden, the crisp evening air carrying the faint scent of pine. My wolf stirred uneasily in my chest, a low growl of discomfort echoing in my mind. I didn’t want to listen to it—not now. When Holden finally arrived, he was dressed casually, which was unusual for him. As an Alpha, he always carried himself with an air of authority, his presence commanding and his aura dominant. Today, though, his shirt was slightly wrinkled, and his usual polished demeanor seemed... off.

He handed me a cup of flavored coffee, his deep voice soft. "Your favorite back in school," he said, his tone almost nostalgic.

I used to love it, but now it tasted like ash in my mouth. I didn’t have the appetite for it—or for him. Not anymore.

"Why aren't you drinking?" he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

I met his gaze, the weight of his Alpha aura pressing against me even now. "People change, Alpha," I said, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest.

Before Alianna, I never would have imagined Holden falling for someone so different from me. He hesitated, clearly thrown off by my use of his title rather than his name. Then, as if trying to bridge the growing distance between us, he gently pulled me into his arms.

"Skyler," he murmured, his breath warm against my ear, "I know you're hurting since we lost the pup. Just promise me you won’t let your mind go to dark places. We can have another."

"Skyler, I’m always here for you."

Always... that meant whenever he wasn’t with Alianna, he’d be with me. I leaned against his shoulder, the familiar scent of his Alpha musk wrapping around me. I forced a bitter smile and shut my eyes, trying to block out the pain. This might be the last time I’d allow myself to lean on him like this.

Once we got home, Holden immediately opened his laptop and dove into work. The photos he was editing were clearly someone else’s, and it twisted my gut. Back during our pack training days, we used to help each other with projects like this. He’d been my Beta then, my partner in everything.

Catching my gaze, Holden looked up and grasped my hand. "Just helping out some juniors," he said, his tone dismissive. "It’s how I give back to the pack."

Late that night, I woke to find Holden still glued to the computer. A new chat window had popped up on the screen. Carefully, I zoomed in on the conversation using my phone.

"Editing photos for you isn’t tiring. I’d do it all night. How do you plan to pay me back?"

"I’m thinking of renting a place near your home, hanging out during breaks. If that’s not enough, maybe we can have a pup together?"

"But I have one condition: if I have your child, you have to reject Skyler as your mate."

Their flirting hit a wall at that, and Holden’s fingers shook slightly as he stared at the screen, stuck without a reply. Alianna began losing patience, her tone edging into annoyance.

"If you stick with Skyler, you’ll be with a boring old she-wolf forever. I can give you what she can’t."

Reading this, Holden’s fingers flew across the keyboard.

"I just don’t want you to have a pup yet. How could I let that happen? Alianna, I’ll be with you tomorrow."

The next morning, when I woke up, Holden was gone, but he’d left breakfast on the table for me. I picked up my phone to message him but noticed Alianna had updated her profile. I’d followed it after spotting it on the pack’s bulletin board yesterday, thinking she only posted her photography work. Instead, I found something else.

"First time experiencing the contrast between fading and blooming."

The picture showed Alianna with a radiant smile, contrasted against my dejected silhouette. Humiliation and anger surged within me. Holden had clearly edited those photos for her; he must have recognized my silhouette but still let Alianna share them.

That evening, Holden came home smelling of alcohol. Seeing him drunk made me recall Alianna’s recent post.

"No wonder he’s the Alpha I picked; even drunk, he’s all about me. His stamina is something else."

Linking that comment to the man before me made me feel ill.

"Skyler, I missed you so much," Holden murmured, pulling me into an embrace. I wrestled to break free, but his grip was firm, his Alpha strength overpowering.

He carried me to the bedroom, gazing earnestly into my eyes. "Skyler, three days from now is our anniversary. How do you want to celebrate?"

Feeling Holden’s warmth, I buried my face in the pillow, tears quickly soaking it. In his drunken state, Holden failed to notice my distress, merely whispering my name now and then.

I couldn’t understand how he could be so infatuated with Alianna, yet pretend to be so devoted to me at the same time. My wolf growled again, a low, pained sound, but I silenced it. I didn’t need its reminders. The cracks in our bond were already too deep to ignore.