The Alpha's fall

CHAPTER 1

We were meant for each other. I belong to him, and he belongs to me.

He made a promise that he would love no one but me. Because that was what was meant to be, and I held fast to that promise. I kept myself pure, and grew into someone worthy of being his Luna when the time came.

I loved him even though I could not see him. I made sure his name and honor were never stained by any blemish.

And when the day finally came for us to meet again, the first thing I felt was a maddening thumping in my chest, so loud it felt like it would make me go deaf.

I longed to see him drawn to me—the way I had fallen completely for him the very first time I laid eyes on him, though back then I had not yet earned his affection.

In an instant, his sharp gaze pierced right through my heart, and his heavy, crushing words shattered my entire being.

My mate did not want me. Worse, he despised me. Because he loved another woman. He had given his heart to someone else long ago.

Chapter 1

Eloise Pov

I stared at my reflection over and over again in the large mirror.

Is this too much? Or is it still not enough?

These were the questions running through my mind as I looked at myself. I had been restless since last night.

It had been a month since our Luna told me that Ralf—my fated mate—was coming home.

Twenty years had passed since we last saw each other. I was only six years old then, and he was ten.

I had no idea what he looked like now, and that uncertainty only made my feelings heavier. I did not know if he was still the kind, gentle boy I used to play with here in the pack. He might have changed, yet I was still so eager to see him.

"You know, you look like a spinning top standing there in front of that mirror. You’ve been turning around and around for ages, and I’m getting dizzy just watching you."

I saw my mother’s reflection behind me. She set down a tray with tea on the table, walked up to me, and placed her hands gently on my shoulders.

"You are so beautiful, my child."

She said it with a smile, her voice trembling as if she were about to cry.

I knew why there was sadness in her eyes. Ralf’s arrival would mark the day my mother had both been waiting for and dreading. There were only two of us left in our family; my father, who served as a Beta in this pack, had passed away a long time ago—the same time Ralf’s father, the Alpha, had died too.

I never fully understood the whole story, and my mother never spoke of the reason why it happened.

When Ralf arrived, it would also mean the time had come for me to leave her.

Not wanting to add to her sorrow, I held back the tears that threatened to well up in my eyes, and turned to face her with a smile.

"What’s this? I haven’t even left yet, and you’re already crying. Shouldn’t we just be happy?"

"Of course, I am happy. I’m happy because, at last, the day has come when I will finally see you happy too."

She nodded and smiled, even though her cheeks were already streaked with tears.

I hugged her tightly, just as I always did, hoping that somehow this embrace would ease whatever pain she was feeling.

"As long as you are happy, I will be happy too."

She whispered those words while I held her close.

I managed a faint smile at what she said, but deep inside, my heart felt as if it were melting completely.

On that very day, Ralf arrived — the only son of the late Alpha, and the rightful heir destined to take the place his father had left behind.

The entire household bustled with activity in preparation for his coming. After years of quiet emptiness, Luna Luella’s grand mansion was suddenly alive with movement and noise. Crowds had gathered from far and wide, all eager to welcome him home.

As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, a sleek, luxurious black car pulled up before the mansion gates. Pack members rushed forward at once, lining the path to greet him.

My heart thundered wildly against my ribs, and I was so overcome with nerves I could barely lift my head. After all this time, I was finally going to see him. Cold sweat prickled at the back of my neck, beaded on my forehead, and soaked my tightly clasped hands — until I heard the sharp, steady rhythm of his footsteps echoing across the marble floor.

I stood rooted to the spot, frozen in place, as he drew closer and closer, until only a few steps separated us. I took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm the storm inside me, determined to face him with grace. I even painted the sweetest, most welcoming smile I could muster upon my lips. But it was as if I were invisible — like thin air he simply passed through, unnoticed.

He never once glanced my way. To him, I was just another face in the crowd — just one more pack member among many. As if I meant nothing at all. As if I was far too insignificant, far too unimportant, to ever deserve even a flicker of his attention.

He stopped just four steps away from me, turning to face all of us who had waited so long for his return.

Standing right beside him was his mother, Luna Luella — her face lit up with joy, her happiness at his arrival impossible to hide.

“Thank you all so much,” he said. I could see clearly from his expression that none of this had been what he expected. Yet there was something else in his look, something that told me he did not welcome all the attention he was receiving.

He gave a very faint, reserved smile, and finally spoke the words on his mind.

“You really shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble for me.”

“Why not, my son?” Luna Luella replied. “You have been gone for so long. Now that you have come home, it is only right that we welcome you properly — don’t you agree?”

He turned to face his mother and gently took both her hands in his. She had to tilt her head all the way up just to look at him, for she had barely reached the height of his chest.

“Mother… I came home simply to see how you are doing,” he said softly.

“And that is exactly why we prepared all this for you, now that you are back,” she answered. “Besides, this is the perfect moment to formally announce to everyone that you will take your father’s place as Alpha.”

Our elder Luna spoke with certainty, but Ralf’s lips curved into a smile that never quite reached his eyes — cold and distant, nothing more than a mask.

“About that…”

He lowered his head slightly, as if struggling to find the right words or force himself to say what he truly thought.

“Mother… there is no rule that says I must become Alpha, is there?”

Slowly, the smile faded from Luna Luella’s face. At his words, a heavy silence fell over everyone gathered there.

“Well… I know I have cousins,” he continued, glancing toward the people he mentioned. “And Uncle Javier is here too. I am certain he would make a fine, capable Alpha — just as good as Father ever was.”

But his uncle showed no interest in what he had just said. Even his cousins, scattered throughout the crowd, only shrugged in response, unimpressed and unconcerned.

“Rafael… what on earth are you saying?” Luna Luella’s voice trembled. “This position belongs to you alone. It is not just an inheritance left by your father — it is a duty that has been placed upon you, one that has been yours for a very long time.”

“I am fully aware of that, Mother.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, “It’s just that… I no longer see myself as someone fit to be Alpha. I’ve realized there is so much more I can do, so much more I can be. My world has grown so vast now — far too wide and open to be locked away inside this pack, Mother.”

He spoke with a gentle certainty, a smile on his face, as if his decision was final and could never be changed. The way he said it made it clear he hoped we would understand his choice.

But how could we understand? We had spent our entire lives here, within these lands, waiting only for the day he would return.

The joy faded completely from Luna Luella’s face, and in its place came a quiet resignation — as though she had already accepted that every word he said was true, and nothing could sway him.

Even as I replayed his words over and over in my mind, I could not grasp what he truly meant. To become Alpha was the greatest honor one could ever receive. And he, as the only son, was the one destined and worthy to carry on his father’s line.

Could he really turn his back on all of this?

And right in the middle of these thoughts, a terrifying question rose up inside me:

“What about me? Am I included in all the things he wants to leave behind?”

…I am his mate, aren’t I? Surely I am…