The Alpha Made Me Lose Everything

“The bond is complete. The pack has its Luna.”

Kael’s voice was quiet, almost emotionless.

I froze.

That voice—deep, commanding—was the same one that had whispered against my skin just moments ago. But now it sounded like stone. Final. Distant.

A chill slid down my spine, sharp and sudden, cutting through the afterglow still clinging to my skin.

Clutching the furs to my chest, I looked up at him—Kael, the Alpha King of Silver Fang, now already turned away from me, his bare back framed by moonlight pouring through the tall crystal windows.

My newly bonded mate.

My husband.

I slowly sat up in the massive bed, the silk sheets falling from my bare shoulders. My body still hummed with the memory of his hands, his breath, his weight. My pulse hadn’t yet calmed. My lips still tingled where he’d kissed me. I'd given him everything—my trust, my heart, my body—believing it meant something.

It had to mean something.

This was our ceremony night. I just turned to be his Luna.

I swallowed hard, but the ache in my throat only grew. “What do you mean?” My voice was barely more than a whisper. “The pack has its Luna – then what about you, Alpha?”

Kael didn’t look at me as he reached for his robe. The moonlight cut a silver line across his bare back—strong, regal, untouchable.

“I did what was required,” he said flatly. “Our people have their Luna. That is what matters.”

I felt the blood drain from my face.

“But it wasn’t just duty, not for me,” I insisted, my voice cracking. “I thought… I thought you felt it too. The bond. The connection.”

He turned then, slowly, like a king indulging a servant’s foolish question. His eyes, dark and unreadable, locked with mine.

“I don’t know what you imagined this would be, Leah. But let me be clear: this is not love. This is structure. Balance. Obligation. You were chosen because the spirits found you… suitable.”

“Suitable,” I echoed. The word dropped like ice into my stomach.

Kael’s voice softened—but not kindly. It was the kind of softness people used when explaining something to a child. “The Luna’s role is symbolic. Political. Spiritual. And temporary.”

“Temporary?” I whispered.

His next words hit like a blade through the chest.

“She’s coming back. Helena. My true mate.”

Silence crashed into me.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

“She’s still alive?” I choked.

His jaw tightened. “She’s been away on a diplomatic mission for over a year. The elders advised me to proceed with a binding for the sake of the pack. But when she returns… we’ll correct the course.”

“Correct the course?” I could barely hear myself over the roaring in my ears.

He didn’t flinch. “You will serve until then. And after that… your gifts will still be useful to the healers.”

Useful. Not loved. Not remembered.

He didn’t even recognize me.

That truth burned more than his rejection.

The sob caught in my throat before I