Chapter 2

I was resolute in leaving Kaison’s world behind for good, placing the signed rejection papers on the nightstand as my final statement. As soon as I reached the hotel, my best friend Amelia quickly swept me away to her place. A Beta, fiercely loyal and protective, her home felt like a safe haven after the tumult of the past three years.

Over dinner, she tentatively inquired, 'Did the Alpha and Alexis take off for the Alps?'

I shrugged nonchalantly, 'No idea.'

In the past, each time Kaison and Alexis traveled together, I'd be stuck to my phone, silently weeping as I scrolled through pack updates or caught sights of their escapades. But not anymore. My wolf, once so desperate for his recognition, had quieted, accepting the harsh truth.

I had repeatedly expressed to Kaison how much I yearned to dash along the Alpine shores with him, feeling the crisp mountain breeze against our fur. He always had excuses—pack obligations, training, or some unforeseen emergency. Yet now, seamlessly, he and Alexis were venturing to the place I had dreamt of visiting.

Amelia looked at me, startled, her Beta instincts sensing the change in my aura. 'Girl, have you finally seen the light?'

With a bittersweet smile, I responded, 'I chose to reject him.'

'Am I hearing correctly?!' Amelia nearly leaped across the room to embrace me, her voice bursting with exhilaration. 'It’s about time you broke free! I’ve been urging you to leave him since he first showed interest in Alexis!'

'What did you say back then?' I asked, already anticipating her reply.

Amelia parroted me, elevating her voice to mimic mine, 'He assured me he'd always shield me, and I trusted him!'

'Yeah, well, if you could believe an Alpha’s smooth talk, pigs would soar!'

Hearing those familiar words, a flashback of my younger self appeared before me.

Growing up as an Omega in the pack, I relied on determination and hard labor to carve my niche among the warriors. It was my path to alter my fate, but also the inception of a nightmare.

Upon my arrival at the training grounds, my packmates mocked and tormented me due to my lowly status. They derided my scent, my lack of a notable inner wolf, and my slower shifting ability compared to theirs.

Once, a gang cornered me during a pack run, jeering relentlessly.

Kaison, the Alpha, intervened.

He used his Alpha voice, ordering them to retreat, then turned to me and spoke softly, 'Don’t worry, I’ve got you.'

From that instant, he became my guardian. It seemed inevitable for me to fall for him.

But when I mustered the courage to confess my feelings, his response was a stark awakening.

'I have a mate,' he stated plainly, slicing through me like a blade.

That was when Alexis’s name first entered my life. A Delta warrior, stunning and formidable, embodying everything I wasn’t. I recall feeling utterly mortified and naive, my wolf whining in the recesses of my mind.

Now, seated in Amelia’s snug living room, the memory seemed remote, as if it belonged to another person. The ache lingered, but it no longer engulfed me. For the first time in years, I sensed a spark of hope—an opportunity to begin anew, unburdened by Kaison’s indifference and the shadow of Alexis.

Amelia clasped my hand, her Beta vigor anchoring me. 'You’ll pull through, Elaine. You’re more resilient than you realize.'

I nodded, although I wasn’t fully convinced yet. But for the first time, I was ready to make an attempt.