Alpha,Our Marriage Died Long Ago

After finishing the usual meal my family Loves, !tidied up the cabin and carried the scraps outside to throw away. Alpha River came back, running in his wolf form-with Scarlett, the woman he once loved.sitting on his back. Her face was pale, her whole body trembling the unmistakable aftermath of a mate bond being torn apart. Alpha River himself was covered in gashes.proof he'd just fought another wolf not long ago. My pup rushed up and clung to Scarlett rubbing against her playfully Alpha River looked at them with such tender affection that he could barely keep the smile off his face. I calmly dumped the scraps, and in that quiet rnoment it strucx me-perhaps the mate bond between him and me had long since become nothing more than an empty title. When l came back from the trash heap, Alpha River was carefully helping Scarlett to her feet. Scarlett gave him a faintly helpless look. “you don't have to fuss so much I'm fine. l can walk on my own. But his hand stayed firm around herarm, his body leaning in closer, voice low. “Still, you need to be careful Thepack doctor's warnings-l remember. He cut himself off the moment his gaze shifted and landed on me. The tenderness in his eyes vanishedinstantly, and his wolf snarled deep in his mind. Scarlett followed his line of sight and spotted me. She quickly pulled her arm free, forcing a smile,"You must be Vera? I'm… an old friend of AIpha River's," An old friend? That was far too polite. Back when they were still teenagers they'd trained together as warriors of the pack, one was the Alpha heir, the other a rare white wolf-everyone in Silvermoon Pack saw them as the Moon Goddess's chosen pair. I'd awakened my wolf a year before them, and I'd heard the whispers more times than i could count: they were destined to be the perfect mates. That was why i buried my own feelings,for Alpha River back then. If Scarlett hadn't chase  greater power-leaving for the northern Polar Pack to take another Alpha's mark-l would never have had the chance to be with him. The night Scarlett was marked,under that full moon, River lost control of his wolf, l was the one who went to calm him.. and that night, we crossed a line. Out of Alpha duty, he marked me as his mate. A year later, l bore his pup l once believed that love and a peaceful family would eventually soften him, that one day he would truly accept me. But l was too naive, His wolf never saw me as his true mate. And now, with Scarlett cast aside by her mate, River no doubt thinks his chance has come again. He swept his gaze over me, his wolf growling with clear displeasure.“Deaf?Scarlett's talking to you. Lucas came bounding over, siding with him without hesitation.“yeah,Mother, why are you just standing there like a statue? This beautiful lady Scarlett is talking to you. Then he reached for Scarlett's hand with a boyish grin. "Your hand is so soft Mother's always has little cuts from skinning prey." I rubbed my fingertips together. It was true-they were rough Day in and day out, i skinned carcasses, prepared meals, kept this Alpha and our pup cared for. How could my hands ever stay soft? Scarlett smiled gently, stroking Lucas's hair. A tender light flickered in her eyes.“lt's fine.I'll come by more often to keep you company, make you happy, okay? Then she looked straight at me Vera, Lucas didn't mean any harm He's just a pup-innocent, blunt with his words. She dug in her pocket and pulled out a small jar. "This salve is wonderful for skin. I've used it myself, but it really works. Take it, Don't think of it as charity. I didn't lift a hand. Even if it were the finest salve,l wouldn't take what she had already used. Just like Alpha River-he was what she had left behind. And maybe it was time l finally let go too. My silence stretched on. River's wolf loomned heavy with dominance, his voice sharp,"Scarlett's wrist is injured You want her standing there holding it out forever? “Go on. Take it.” His words always came as orders.laced with the crushing weight of an Alpha's will. My wolf cowered, trembling like the lowest omega in the pack. I obeyed, stepping forward to take River's tone dropped another degree, golden light flashing in his wolf's eyes. “Thank her." Lucas sneered at me, echoing him"Yeah, Mother, so rude." But l didn't. Instead, i turned and walked back to the trash heap, tossing the salve in without a second thought. River's wolf roared, fury breaking loose. "Vera, what the hell is wrong with you?" Lucas's brows furrowed, glaring at me. "Yeah, Mother, are you crazy? I stepped forward, meeting their eyes one by one.“I'm not crazy. She didn't want it, and l don't either. My gaze fixed on River, my wolf howling in anguish inside me. “Just like you, River.l don't want you anymore either." For a moment, River froze, shock written all over his face. Even his wolf seemed stunned into silence.