The Discarded Omega: An Alpha's Cherish

Chapter 2

Kira's pov

"Damon, wait." I grabbed his arm, my fingers digging into the expensive fabric of his suit.

He stopped, irritation flickering across his face as he looked down at where I held him. "What now, Kira?"

I let out a bitter laugh. When had it started—him not even wanting to hear a single word from me anymore?

"My parents' remains are being transported to the military base tomorrow." I forced the words out. "There's a repatriation ceremony and I need you to come with me as my mate."

He stared at me like I'd asked him to move mountains. That look hurt me again.

Since the day we mated, I had given him everything my parents left behind—the Alliance’s compensation, the pack’s lands, money… and yet he couldn’t even bother to attend their funeral.

"Tomorrow?" He glanced back at Serena, my mother's necklace glinting at her throat even through the tinted windows. "I don't know if I can—"

"Please." The word tasted like ash. "They died in service to the Werewolf Alliance. This is important."

Guilt crossed his face or just exhaustion at having to deal with me.

"Fine," he said finally. "I'll be there."

Relief flooded through me. "The ceremony starts at three o'clock at the Northern Military Base—"

"I said I'll be there." He pulled his arm free from my grip. "Now if you'll excuse me."

He walked away without looking back.

The sound of his retreating footsteps broke me, he didn’t pause or even the smallest glance over his shoulder as though I were already something he had erased.

It was so different, he was more cruel now. He was no longer the guy who used to wait for me or when he brushed rain from my hair with careful fingers, laughing as if the world were kind and endless.

Now, the man disappearing down the road felt like a stranger wearing his face. And I stood there, clutching ghosts, wondering how something that once held me so gently could leave me this easily.

The next afternoon, I stood outside the Northern Military Base, checking my watch for the fifteenth time.

Three-thirty.

I'd called Damon six times, each call went straight to voicemail.

He's just running late, I told myself.

My phone buzzed with a message notification.

Finally.

But it wasn't from Damon.

It was from an unknown number, but the photo loaded immediately, and all the blood drained from my face.

Serena and Damon, pressed against a wall in what looked like a hotel room. His hands tangled in her golden hair, her dress hanging off one shoulder, barely covering her. The ruby necklace rested against her bare skin as she kissed him.

The message beneath the photo was sickeningly sweet:

So sorry for occupying your husband's time today~ He's been such a comfort while I've been feeling unwell. I promise I'll visit in person soon to apologize properly. - Serena

My hands shook so badly I nearly dropped the phone.

Mira roared inside me, “Kill her! Kill that woman!”

I drew a deep breath and gritted my teeth, swallowing the pain.

He wasn't coming.

He'd never intended to come.

While I stood here waiting for him to honor my parents, heroes who'd given their lives for the kingdom, he was with her.

"Kira?"

I looked up to find Rylan Cole, the Alliance’s second-in-command, approaching, his crisp military uniform pressed to perfection. His weathered face was kind, but concern creased his brow as he glanced around the empty area beside me.

"Where's your mate? Isn't he coming?"

According to Alliance rules, both mates must be present to claim the bodies.

I slipped my phone into my pocket and met his gaze steadily. "I won't have a mate anymore, not after today."

Rylan's expression darkened with understanding, but he didn't press. Instead, he simply nodded and gestured toward the base gates.

"Then let's bring your parents home."

The ceremony was everything it should have been.

Soldiers lined up in two rows, standing at attention beneath the Silverland Werewolf Alliance's flag. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the parade ground as the honor guard marched forward in perfect formation.

Commander Rylan carried the urn himself, my throat burned as I watched him approach.

The people who had raised me, who had loved me unconditionally, were nothing but ash inside that wooden box now.

My father, Ronan Vance, had been the First Commander of the Werewolf Alliance. He'd led our forces on the frontlines for fifteen years, earning the respect and loyalty of every soldier who'd served under him.

My mother, Liora Vance, had been the Chief Healer of the Wolf Kingdom. She'd saved hundreds of wolves on the battlefield, her healing abilities legendary throughout the Alliance.

Three years ago, they'd answered the call to serve overseas during the war against the Rogue Alliance. They'd signed the peace treaty that finally ended the bloodshed and they'd died for it.

Assassinated by extremists who wanted the war to continue.

My brother Caleb had been with them. He'd gone missing during the attack, and despite every resource I'd poured into finding him, there'd been no trace.

Just... gone.

The Vance family had been heroes of the Alliance and Damon had never once asked about them. He'd assumed they were ordinary warriors, nothing more.

"Kira." Rylan's voice was deep, laced with sorrow as he stopped before me. "Your parents were found together. The overseas team cremated them as one, just as they would have wanted."

"Thank you, Commander." My voice came out steady despite the tears threatening to fall. "They loved each other so much in life. Now they can be together in death."

Rylan's eyes gleamed with unshed tears as he gave a sharp military salute then he straightened, holding the urn firmly with both hands as he presented it to me.

"The heroes' spirits live forever!" he called out.

"THE HEROES' SPIRITS LIVE FOREVER!" the soldiers echoed in thunderous unison.

I finally lost my battle with the tears. They slipped down my face as I returned their salute with dignity, my spine straight, my hand steady.

"I, Kira Vance, am here to bring my parents home."

I extended my trembling hands and took the urn, bringing it close to my chest.

Mom. Dad. Forgive me. I'm finally bringing you home.

After the ceremony, Rylan walked me back to my car.

"Kira." He stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. "The Air Force unit has been in disarray since you left. Morale is low, performance is declining. We need you back."

I looked up at him, surprised. Mira immediately let out a low, rumbling sound. I knew she was reminiscing—longing for the freedom of running wild and the thrill of battle.

"You were the best captain we ever had," he continued. "You led your unit with honor and skill. The base gates are always open for you and this will always be your home."

Three years ago, I'd resigned my commission when I married Damon.

My mother’s final wish was for me to find a mate—she feared that without the protection of our family, I would be torn apart by countless enemies.

She wanted me to disappear into anonymity, to live as an ordinary she-wolf with a simple but safe future. Damon happened to appear in my life then—handsome, young, ambitious.

On countless nights haunted by nightmares, he wiped away my tears and my pain.

I'd thought I was building a future with him, a perfect mate bond. I'd used my parents' death benefits to give him the capital to start his company, believing in the dream we'd build together.

The image of Damon kissing Serena flashed through my mind, and that suffocating pain washed over me again.

What a fool I'd been.

"I'll think about it, Commander," I said quietly. "Thank you."

He nodded, understanding in his eyes. "If anyone gives you trouble, don't suffer in silence. I may be getting old, but I've still got your back."

I drove home with the urn secured in the passenger seat.

The road passed by the Alliance Military Academy where I once studied, the sprawling forests hiding the training grounds. I used to run freely there, clutching my dreams of becoming a warrior, stepping onto my path of duty.

But the same road also led past the Alliance’s mating ceremony hall. It was there that I exchanged vows with Damon, the Moon Goddess binding our lives together.

The colliding memories nearly tore me apart. I slammed the accelerator, desperate to leave it all behind—Damon’s love and his lies.

s When I approached the pack house, voices filtered through the door before I even touched the handle.

"She's just an orphan with no connections." My mother-in-law Margaret's voice was filled with disdain. "How could she ever help Damon's career?"

Her bitter laugh followed. "If she wasn't Damon's mate, I never would've agreed to let her marry into our family."

Just an orphan.

My grip on the urn tightened until my knuckles went white.

"Exactly." Vivian, Damon's sister, chimed in. "What does she have besides a pretty face? Even her job is charity from Damon, just because they're married. She really thinks she's something special."

So this was how they saw all my years of sacrifice. Worthless.

"Can a pretty face put food on the table?" Margaret's tone shifted, becoming almost fawning. "Look at Serena. She's the youngest female captain in the Wolf Alliance’s Air Force. A real accomplishment. Besides, the Langleys and Thornwoods have deep roots together. Most importantly, she and Damon are childhood sweethearts with a real bond. How could some orphan compare?"

Childhood sweethearts with a real bond.

So in their eyes, I was the third wheel ruining their perfect story.

"What's the point of talking about this now?" Vivian sighed. "They're already married."

"Marriage can be undone," Margaret shot back. "She's not tied to my son forever. If Damon marries Serena, the Langley support could take his career to new heights. Not like now, wasting his energy on dead weight who contributes nothing."

Dead weight?

I sneered in my mind. It was the useless me that gave Thornwood its first seed money, turning a crumbling pack into what it had become today.

Fueled by anger, I shoved the door open, cutting off their conversation.

Margaret's face twisted with displeasure. "Kira! Have you no shame? Eavesdropping on private conversations?"

"I walked through the front door," I said flatly. "How is that eavesdropping?"

"You—" Vivian stumbled over her words. "Good that you heard then! If you have any sense, you'll leave on your own. Stop getting in the way of Damon and Serena."

"If Damon wants to sever the mate bond, he can tell me himself." I met her glare calmly. "I won't stop him."

Margaret stepped closer, her gaze venomous. "My son can't even stand being around you anymore. Can't you see that? He won't come to you directly because he's too kind, too considerate of these past few years. But we all know the truth."

She leaned in. "What can you offer compared to Serena? The youngest female captain in the Wolf Alliance! A woman of real accomplishment, real status. The Langleys have deep roots in the Alliance. And you? You're nobody. An orphan with nothing."

Vivian joined in. "Even your job—Damon gave that to you out of pity. Everything you have is because of him."

I let out a cold laugh. “Have you forgotten the money and lands I brought?”

Margaret’s expression flickered, but she forced herself to stay calm. “So what? Just some dowry! Your dead parents didn’t leave anything of real value!”

Then the front door opened.

Damon walked in with Serena tucked against his side, his hand resting protectively at the small of her back. Her dress was different from the photo, she'd changed but my mother's ruby necklace still glinted at her throat.