The Alpha's Trash, The King's Treasure

Alyssa’s POV My smile was impossibly wide, stretching from cheek to cheek as if my heart might burst from the sheer joy pulsing through me. Butterflies danced in my stomach, their wings fluttering with anxious excitement. I was practically skipping through the forest trail, my feet barely touching the ground. I couldn’t wait to see him. Josh. My mate. My husband. My everything. Clutched tightly in my hand was a mithril dagger, its silver hilt catching glimmers of sunlight through the trees. Ronan had forged it himself—the infamous founder of Coop Ronan known across the five northern packs. Josh idolized his work, often comparing the curves and edges of Ronan’s blades to poetry. This gift wasn’t just a dagger. It was a symbol. A promise. And today… today was our anniversary. He didn’t know I was coming. He thought I was still across the ocean, following cold trails and cryptic whispers, searching for the father who had vanished from my life like smoke in the wind. That investigation had consumed me for years—but not today. Today, I was coming home. To him. To us. And this dagger wasn’t the only thing I brought back. No… today, I was bringing proof. Of who I really was. Of what I could be. Because I wasn’t just the wolfless Luna anymore. I wasn’t the fragile, pitied girl born into the Alpha’s bloodline without a wolf. I was more. I am more. The Moon Goddess didn’t forget me—she was only waiting for the right moment. Today was that moment. The packhouse loomed ahead, quiet... too quiet. My brows knitted. Where were the guards? The warriors? The hum of pack life? Only a few servants flitted through the corridors, whispering like shadows in corners. Odd. “L-Luna Alyssa?” a voice startled me from behind. Vivienne. Her face was pale, her eyes wide. She was a servant… but also my stepsister’s cousin. We weren’t close, but something in her expression twisted my gut. “Where is everyone?” I asked, eyes darting around the eerie stillness of the hallway. “They’re at… uhm, training,” she stammered, not meeting my gaze. Training? At this hour? Josh never trained at this time. Hell, he hardly trained at all. Not unless I dragged him there myself. “Training, hmm?” I arched a brow, my voice honeyed but laced with suspicion. Vivienne laughed—a brittle, nervous sound. “Maybe he’s finally listening to you?” she said, wringing her apron. I tilted my head, a forced smile on my lips. “That would be a first.” I stepped past her, but her body tensed. “Oh! You should rest! I’ll draw you a bath. Or maybe bring you some food?” she babbled, stepping in my path again. “No need. I’ll see Missy first. I want her opinion on something,” I said casually. Missy. My stepsister. My best friend. At least, I thought she was. We shared everything. Secrets. Dreams. Nightmares. She was the only one who never looked at me like I was broken… like I was less. “Uhh—no!” Vivienne’s voice cracked like lightning. “You can’t!” My blood froze. “…Why not?” I asked, my voice soft, sharp. Vivienne flinched. “You’re tired. You need rest. You’ve been away so long—please, Luna, just let us take care of you—” She was rambling. Desperate. Almost… scared. Something inside me twisted. A whisper. A warning. I narrowed my eyes. “I’m still Luna in this house. I think I’ll be the one who decides what I need.” I didn’t wait for her to reply. I walked past her, each step growing heavier. The box in my hand felt heavier too. Like it already knew what was coming. No. Don’t be ridiculous, Alyssa. It’s a surprise. A sweet one. That’s all. I tried to convince myself… but my hand trembled. Just then—a jolt. A sharp, searing pain ripped through my chest. I gasped, stumbling as my knees buckled. The box slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with a dull, final thud. No. Not now. Not this pain. Not again. I clutched my chest, the fire inside me raging, unrelenting. Like my very soul was being clawed apart. Why now? The doctors had told me I was fine. That it was stress. Nerves. Grief. Lies. This wasn’t stress. This was agony. I curled against the cold stone wall, tears stinging my eyes. And then—through the haze—I heard it. Voices. Soft. Muffled. Moans. I blinked. No… no, that couldn’t be. Not from that room. Missy’s room. The pain twisted harder. My heart pounded like a war drum in my chest as I crawled toward the door. My breath came in shallow bursts. “Ahh… yes, Josh. Please, f*ck me harder…” The world stopped spinning. No. No. Not him. Not her. It had to be someone else. Someone with the same name. A cruel, sick coincidence. But then— “Yes, Josh… Do I taste better than that wolfless mutt you call a wife?” My breath caught. The air turned to ice. The silence between her words was louder than any scream. “Can we not bring Alyssa into this?” Josh replied, his voice unmistakable. Sharp. Familiar. Real. And then the moans started again. Loud. Raw. Shameless. The rest of the world fell away. I couldn’t breathe. They betrayed me. He betrayed me. She destroyed me. My chest ached like my heart had been torn straight out. Shattered into a million pieces. Pieces that would never fit together again. “She’s pathetic,” Missy’s voice hissed. “Wolfless. Worthless. A shame to the pack.” Josh didn’t deny it. He didn’t defend me. And just like that, the box I brought—the gift, the proof, the love—it all became meaningless. I’d come here to give everything. But they’d already taken it all.