Reborn and Engaged To My Ex's Alpha Rival

Chapter 2

Polly’s POV

The darkness was suffocating.

I lay curled on the cold, damp concrete floor, my body trembling uncontrollably. The cell smelled of mold and rust, and every breath I took felt heavier than the last. My chest throbbed with that same familiar sharp pain, my weak heart protesting the stress, the cold, and the betrayal that kept replaying in my mind like a broken record.

How long had I been here? Hours? A full day? Time had already started to blur.

I pushed myself up slowly, wincing as my wrists burned from where the enforcers had tied them too tightly before throwing me in. My thick curls were matted and dirty, sticking to my tear-streaked face. My plus-sized body ached from the hard surface, but that pain was nothing compared to the one tearing through my soul.

*Noah… how could you?*

I closed my eyes and let the memories flood in. The early days. When I first met him at a small local game. He was talented but unknown, struggling to get noticed. I was just starting my sports management firm with almost nothing, just two clients and a tiny office I could barely afford.

But I saw potential in him. I believed in him when no one else did.

I spent nights negotiating his first contracts, calling every sponsor I could reach. I redesigned his entire public image, from the way he dressed to the interviews he gave. I shielded him from scandals, paid off people when necessary, and stood by his side even when his own pack elders sneered at me, calling me “the chubby outsider” and “temporary entertainment.”

I sacrificed my health for him.

When he had that career-threatening injury two years ago, I didn’t hesitate. I gave him my bone marrow in that illegal backroom procedure. I nearly died on that table so he could keep playing. And when complications arose later, my ventricular tachycardia worsening, I still smiled and told him I was fine. That it was worth it.

All because I loved him.

A bitter laugh escaped my cracked lips in the darkness. Love? What a stupid, naïve word.

I hugged my knees tighter to my chest, trying to preserve what little warmth I had left. The cell was freezing. No blanket. No food since they threw me in. Only a small bottle of water they’d left in the corner.

Day two blurred into day three.

My stomach growled painfully. Hunger gnawed at me like sharp claws. I drifted in and out of restless sleep, haunted by dreams of the championship night, it was easily now the worst day of my life.

The flowers I'd prepared for him were probably trampled somewhere. And the speech? Worthless.

I whispered to the empty cell, my voice hoarse, “I built you, Noah. I made you the star everyone cheers for. Without me, you are nothing.”

Like how had I ignored every red flag. The way he grew distant after his fame increased. How he stopped introducing me as his girlfriend in important circles. The times Seraphine would appear at events, always standing close, wrapped around him while I was pushed to the background as “his manager.”

I had convinced myself it was temporary. That once he reached the top, he would finally claim me publicly. That my loyalty would be rewarded.

How blind I had been.

By what I guessed was the fourth day, my body felt weaker than ever. The palpitations came more frequently now, each one leaving me gasping on the floor. My warm brown skin looked pale even in the dim light that sometimes filtered through the small barred window high above.

I thought about my parents who had gone too soon. About Mira, my best friend and assistant, who had warned me so many times about Noah. I had brushed her concerns aside, calling her paranoid.

If only I had listened…

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor. My heart leaped with a foolish spark of hope before crashing back down.

The metal door creaked open and two enforcers stepped in first, then he walked in.

Noah.

He looked perfect, as always. Freshly showered, wearing a crisp black shirt, his hair styled for the cameras. The star. The Alpha heir. The man the entire werewolf world was praising right now.

I struggled to sit up, my body protesting every movement. “Noah…”

He stared down at me with cold, indifferent eyes. No trace of the man who once whispered promises in my ear.

“You look terrible,” he commented flatly. “But then again, you never were much to look at.”

The words cut deep, but I forced myself to meet his gaze.

“Why?” I whispered, my throat burning. “After everything I sacrificed for you. My health. My time. My entire life. Why do this to me?”

He crouched slightly, just enough to look me in the eyes without getting too close, as if I were something filthy.

“Because you were never meant to stay,” he replied calmly. “You were a tool, Polly. A useful one, I’ll admit. But tools get replaced when they no longer serve their purpose. And with Seraphine by my side, the pack elders are finally satisfied. She’s the Luna they want. Not some plus-sized nobody who crawled her way up from nothing.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks despite how hard I tried to hold them back.

“I loved you,” I choked out.

His lips curved into a cruel, pitying smile.

“That was your mistake.” He stood up straight again. “Enjoy your last few minutes, don't worry we’ll make it quick. Traitors don’t deserve long goodbyes.”

He turned and walked out without another word. The door slammed shut behind him, the sound echoing like a death sentence.

I collapsed back onto the floor, sobs wracking my body as fresh pain exploded in my chest.

He didn’t even look back, not a single glance.

If I survived this… no. When I survived this…

I would make sure Noah Hale regretted the day he ever used me.

I barely had finished that thought when the two enforcers stepped back inside. Their faces were blank, cold, like they were simply doing another routine job.

One of them carried a small metal vial that glinted under the weak light.

"It's time.”