No Mate for My Ex Alpha

My breath caught, sharp and painful, as I lingered at the doorway of my mate Damon’s office—the pack’s alpha—eavesdropping on his conversation with his Beta about me.

“She’s just a safety net, man. You know how it is,” Alpha Damon’s voice casual and cruel, slicing through my heart like a blade.

A safety net? Me, his mate, to him?

His Beta, Logan, let out a low chuckle. “You’re playing with fire, Damon. The wedding’s in a week. You sure you wanna go through with it?”

Damon scoffed. “What choice do I have? Her father’s expecting this alliance, and once the deal is sealed, I’ll cut her loose.”

A sharp, sinking pain twisted in my stomach, so brutal I had to grip the doorframe to steady myself.

“She’s delusional.” Damon’s voice dripped with amusement. “She thinks this is some fated love story—like we’re actually meant to be. But the truth? I was never planning to be tied down to her forever.”

I swallowed against the bile rising in my throat. Delusional?

“You should have just made her your mistress,” Beta Logan said, laughing.

Damon snorted. “Tried. She wouldn’t even sleep with me until after the wedding. Said she wanted it to be ‘special.’” His voice turned mocking, dripping with scorn. “If she had given it up, maybe I’d keep her around longer. I could’ve had my fun.”...

A sharp ringing filled my ears. I couldn’t breathe.

I pressed my back against the cold wall, my fingers digging into the wood as their words sank in like poisoned daggers.

....

When I slipped into the study to surprise my fiancé Damon, Alpha of the pack, with a handwritten note—one I’d spent hours perfecting—the last thing I expected to hear was him laughing at me.

The soft murmur of voices carried through the slightly cracked door, but it was his familiar, rich voice that stopped me cold.

“She’s just a safety net, man. You know how it is,” Alpha Damon’s voice rang out, casual and cruel, slicing through my excitement like a blade.

The note trembled in my hand. My heart pounded against my ribs, the edges of the paper crinkling beneath my fingers. A safety net?

His best man, which was also his Beta, Logan, let out a low chuckle. “You’re playing with fire, Damon. The wedding’s in a week. You sure you wanna go through with it?”

Damon scoffed. “What choice do I have? Her father’s expecting this alliance, and once the deal is sealed, I’ll cut her loose.”

A sharp, sinking pain twisted in my stomach, so brutal I had to grip the doorframe to steady myself.

“Damn,” Beta Logan mused. “She really has no idea?”

“She’s delusional.” Damon’s voice dripped with amusement. “She thinks this is some fated love story—like we’re actually meant to be. But the truth? I was never planning to be tied down to her forever.”

"And she's not my mate. Nor will she be my Luna."

I swallowed against the bile rising in my throat.