Rejected by My Dying Alpha

LUCAS. I didn’t want to leave… but I had to. Every instinct inside my wolf screamed at me to stay beside her, to pull her into my arms and never let her go. But I couldn’t. Even if she was my fated mate… even if I loved her more than my own life… I still had to walk away. The Moon Goddess was cruel for binding me to the woman I could never keep. I took my first step away from her, and immediately, she called out my name. My wolf howled in agony, begging me to turn around. Begging me to go back to our Luna. But I forced myself to keep walking, pretending I hadn’t heard her. Because if I looked back even once… I knew I would never leave. “If you walk away,” she said through clenched teeth, her voice trembling with fury and heartbreak, “then forget about me completely. Because when you come back… I’ll make sure there’s nothing left for you to return to!” Her words struck harder than silver claws against flesh. Pain ripped through my chest, but I kept moving, forcing my feet forward even as my wolf fought against me. Then she spoke again. “Before you leave… I just want to ask you something.” I stopped walking. But I kept my back turned to her, afraid that if I saw her tears, I would lose what little strength I had left. “What is it?” I asked coldly, though my voice nearly broke. “Make it quick. I still have a long journey ahead.” Silence followed. Then her voice came again, softer this time… but sharp enough to tear through my soul. “In the five years we were together… did you ever truly love me? Or did you just stay with me because you needed my money to pay for your mother’s treatment?” My fists tightened at my sides. I couldn’t breathe. The mate bond between us pulsed violently, almost as if the Moon Goddess herself was punishing me for what I was about to do. I wanted to tell her the truth. That every moment with her had been real. That loving her was the only beautiful thing in my cursed life. That I was leaving because the rare wolf disease inside me was slowly killing me. A sickness even the healers feared. A sickness that would eventually drive my wolf mad before tearing my body apart. I couldn’t drag her into that darkness. I couldn’t let my mate watch me die. So instead… I chose to destroy the love she still had for me. “S-sorry…” The word nearly shattered me. “I never loved you.” The lie tasted like poison. “Yes… I only used you. I stayed because I needed money to keep my mother alive.” My voice cracked. My wolf let out a painful howl inside me, furious at the betrayal of our mate. But I forced myself to keep going. Because if she hated me… then maybe moving on would hurt her less once I was gone forever. Without another word, I walked away. Away from my mate. Away from the future we were supposed to have. Away from life the Moon Goddess once promised us beneath her sacred light. And with every step, it felt like my soul was being torn apart. = ALICE. Five years later… “Welcome to the Island of Fire.” The words were carved into a massive black stone standing near the docks, glowing faintly beneath the moonlight like an ancient warning. And now… here I was. Standing in the very place my friend claimed could heal even the deepest wounds. A hidden island known among werewolves as a sanctuary for broken souls. Because despite the passing years, the pain inside me still refused to fade. “This island will teach you how to breathe again,” my friend once told me. “You’ll learn how to live again too.” I wanted to believe her. After all, she had come here broken… and returned glowing with happiness, soon to marry the mate she found on this island. But me? I wasn’t sure I could ever become whole again. Not after him. Not after the Alpha, who shattered my heart and abandoned our bond as it meant nothing. The man I trusted more than myself. The man I believed was the Moon Goddess, created only for me. As I walked toward the resort, my head lowered, lost in painful memories, I barely noticed my surroundings. Suddenly… “Watch where you’re going.” A deep baritone voice snapped at me. My body instantly froze. That voice… It sounded painfully familiar. I looked up, but the man had already turned slightly away. A black cap shadowed most of his face, making it impossible to recognize him clearly. My brows furrowed. “Rude,” I muttered angrily. “Arrogant jerk.” But even after he disappeared into the crowd, something about him lingered in my mind. The way he spoke. The way his scent briefly drifted through the air. Familiar. Too familiar. I quickly shook the thought away. No. I didn’t come to this island to drown in old memories again. I came here to forget him. To finally let go of the Alpha who destroyed me. So instead of dwelling on the stranger, I continued walking, searching for somewhere quiet. Somewhere my thoughts couldn’t suffocate me. No looking back. That was the promise I made to myself the moment I stepped onto this island. Hours later, night finally covered the Island of Fire. Unable to sleep, I wandered outside my cottage. The sea glimmered beneath the moonlight, silver waves crashing softly against the shore. The cool night breeze brushed against my skin, carrying the scent of salt, earth… and distant pine. For the first time in years, the chaos inside me quieted. I removed my sandals and walked barefoot along the white sand, letting the cold water touch my feet. My hands stayed tucked inside my jacket pockets while my thoughts wandered endlessly. No destination. No purpose. Only one desire. To forget him. Then suddenly… I noticed someone standing near the shoreline. A man. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Powerful. Even from a distance, his presence felt overwhelming, the kind only dominant wolves possessed. The wind lifted strands of his long dark hair, hiding most of his face. But something about him made my chest tighten painfully. Familiar. My breathing faltered. No… It couldn’t be him. I immediately turned away, forcing myself to walk back toward my cottage. But before I could leave… “Alice…” My entire body froze. That voice. Soft. Deep. Achingly familiar. The voice that once whispered promises beneath the moonlight. The voice I had tried so desperately to erase from my heart. Slowly, I turned around. And before I could stop myself, my feet began moving toward him on their own… as though the mate bond between us had awakened after years of silence. Then our eyes met. And the world stopped. The crashing waves disappeared. The wind fell silent. Even my heartbeat seemed to vanish. Because standing before me… beneath the silver glow of the moon… was the man I once loved more than life itself. Lucas. The Alpha who broke me. Longing instantly flooded my chest. A dangerous, aching desire to run into his arms and forget every painful thing he had done to me. But just as quickly, the memories returned. His lies. His abandonment. The day he walked away from me without looking back. My hands slowly curled into fists. I forced myself to step away from him, ignoring the desperate cries of my wolf. A bitter smile formed on my lips. If fate truly brought us together again… then this time, I would not let my heart win. Because the only thing left inside me now… was revenge.