The Alpha I Saved With Eighty Million, Now Uses It to Cage Me

The front page of today’s Moon Fang Pack News was dominated by mine and Alpha Evan’s bonding ceremony. What should have been a blessed event was instead drowned in curses. Of course, no one dared to insult Alpha Evan—the ruling Alpha of Moon Fang Pack. Instead, they praised his so-called devotion. And they hurled every shred of venom at me. "That woman still has the nerve to return to Alpha Evan’s side? Has she forgotten how she left him back then?!" "Shameless. What does Alpha Evan even see in her, to let her become Luna?" "She left him for eighty million without even looking back. A gold-digger like her should be cast out of the territory!" Dressed in the snow-white wedding robes embroidered with the Moon Goddess’s sigil, I stood at his side. But in their eyes, I was filth—unworthy of the Alpha beside me. And they weren’t wrong. I wasn’t worthy of him. Six years ago, when I chose eighty million over him, I should have known his revenge would come one day. I gave a self-deprecating smile. But in Evan’s eyes, that smile became defiance. “What’s wrong, Fiona? Hearing them curse you—does it sting?” He pressed my hand into the crook of his arm, grip firm, as if afraid I’d bolt. “Fiona, you’d better listen well. Listen to every word they’re spitting at you. You need to know how I survived these six years.” I closed my eyes. The memories slashed open inside me, sharp as blades. Six years ago, Evan had been bedridden, his body ravaged by Heart-Devourer sickness. The surgery cost a fortune. We had just graduated from Totem Academy. We were both orphans, with no pack, no family to lean on. We could barely make ends meet, let alone dream of that kind of money. Evan would smile through the pain, whispering that it was fine, that he would get better. But in the end— Even I “abandoned” him. For eighty million, I walked away. Not long after, the entire Totem Academy was buzzing with it: The mates blessed by the Moon Goddess had shattered their bond. Fiona had left her dying mate for money. The bonding ceremony had long since ended. I sat alone in the bridal chamber, drowning in silence. Evan hadn’t stepped inside once. His hatred was clearer than any vow. I let out a bitter laugh. Six years ago, I “abandoned” him. Six years later, when my family teetered on bankruptcy, they shoved me forward as a bargaining chip for marriage. My betrothed was supposed to be a nearly forty-year-old, one-eyed, crippled warrior. But then Evan appeared. He spent eighty million to buy that marriage for himself. When news of our engagement spread, everyone was stunned. Stunned by Evan’s supposed devotion. Stunned by my shamelessness. I’d seen it all. The insults no longer shocked me. Because I knew. Evan hadn’t bought this marriage to rekindle what we once had. He bought it for revenge. To make me pay for walking away. When he came to my family to propose, he didn’t so much as look at us properly. Not even at me, standing at the side of the sofa. It was the first time I’d seen him in six years. He had changed—grown sharper, colder, the weight of Alpha authority draped around him like armor. But those pale, distant eyes… those hadn’t changed. When they fell on me, there wasn’t a trace of warmth. “Fiona, are you ready to bond?” I lowered my head, nails biting into my palm until blood welled beneath them. The pain kept me steady. I knew what his words truly meant. My wolf, Yara, snarled in warning: “Fiona, be careful! He’s asking if we’re ready for his revenge.” My family bent and scraped before him, bowing him in and sending him out as if he were their god. After the door shut, my stepmother sneered at me: “Turns out bringing back an Omega-born bastard like you had some use after all.” That night, things went badly. I shoved her away during an argument, left a bruise on her cheek. Father locked me in the basement for a day and a night. On the night of the bonding, Evan still didn’t step into the bridal chamber. I sighed, stripped off the ceremonial robes, and went to bathe. When I came out, toweling my hair, I found a new message on my phone. A video. The man in the clip was the Alpha who had just marked me today. Evan lounged in the center of a bar booth, surrounded by beautiful women. His lips curved in a lazy smile, utterly at ease. A second later, my phone rang. “Alpha Evan is waiting for you in 1978.” Before I could even refuse, the line went dead. I exhaled slowly. His revenge had come far quicker than I expected.