Chapter 3

When I got there, the door to the private room was slightly ajar. I paused and looked inside.

Alex was sprawled in a chair, clearly drunk. In front of him sat the pregnant she-wolf—Doris.

One of Alex’s friends looked at her and gave an apologetic smile.

“Doris, Luna refused to come, and Alex won’t leave. I had no choice but to call you.”

Doris returned a gentle smile, then approached Alex and tried to help him up. But he reflexively shoved her away, making her gasp in surprise.

The sound snapped him out of his stupor. When he looked up and saw it was Doris, he gave her a bitter smile—it looked more like he was crying.

“You... It’s all because of you. Lily doesn’t want me anymore—all because of you...” he muttered.

He kept repeating the same line, staggering around the room, searching for more alcohol.

No one could stop him. He was a powerful Alpha, and very few dared to stand in his way.

Suddenly, Doris picked up a bottle and smashed it on the floor. Everyone went still.

Even Alex, who had been raging a moment ago, froze and stared at her in a daze.

“Alex,” she said coldly, “this tantrum of yours is going to scare our pup.”

“Get up. I’m tired. Take me home.”

The room fell into a stunned silence. Alex was an Alpha—no one in the pack would dare raise their voice at him and expect to walk away unscathed. No one… except me.

He wasn’t a wolf who obeyed anyone.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for his outburst.

But it didn’t come.

Instead, Alex stood up quietly, gathered his things, and left with her—obediently.

Hidden in the corner, I let out a bitter laugh.

So, someone else could command him now.

Something that used to be only my privilege… as his mate.

As I watched them leave, I felt my wolf sobbing softly inside me.

She whispered that the bond between her and Alex was breaking.

I wanted to reach out and comfort her, but I couldn’t.

Something inside me had gone numb.

I followed them in my car, all the way to Doris’s den. I watched from a distance as they got out, and Doris helped him upstairs to her apartment.

A light flicked on in one of the high floors.

I stayed in my car the entire night. I didn’t know what I was waiting for—but I waited.

Alex never came back out.

I wasn’t tired. In fact, I couldn’t sleep. My heart felt frozen, like it had turned to ice.

Too numb to feel anything at all.

It was only around seven in the morning that he finally appeared downstairs.

He bought breakfast and returned to Doris’s place.

I didn’t know how to feel.

Quietly, I drove home.

At home, I called Alex. I didn’t bring up divorce—not yet.

“Where did you sleep last night… when I didn’t pick you up?” I asked, not looking at him.

I noticed his face—he looked pale. He had been looking like that for days now.

His hands trembled slightly as he answered,

“At the Alpha’s office.”

Sadness and disappointment settled heavily in my chest.

He lied.

When did he start lying to me so easily?

We had sworn to be honest with each other.

He had changed.

But I didn’t expose him. It didn’t matter anymore.

“How far along is she?” I asked, trying to hold back tears.

He paused for a long moment, clearly hesitating.

“Almost seven months,” he finally said.

Then, unexpectedly, he fell to his knees and buried his face in my lap. His tears soaked through my skirt.

I couldn’t believe it.

Alex—my strong, proud Alpha—was crying.

“Lily... I was wrong… Please, don’t leave me,” he begged.

Seeing him like that hurt.

But I couldn’t give in.

“Arrange a meeting. I want to talk to the she-wolf,” I said. He agreed without argument.

We chose to meet at Doris’s den.

Alex waited outside while Doris and I spoke alone in the living room.

She gently stroked her belly, her eyes filled with maternal tenderness and quiet confidence.

“That night… the lights were off. I was terrified,” she began softly.

“But when I woke up the next morning and saw Alex beside me, I… I actually felt a moment of joy.”

“Luna, now that Alex and I are expecting a pup soon… why don’t you let us be together?” she added with a light chuckle.

Her true self was now fully revealed, no longer pretending with Alex absent.

But I wasn’t surprised.

The night I picked Alex up, she had seen me hiding in the corner. I still remembered the victorious smirk on her face.

She stood up and opened the door to another room—a nursery.

It was warm and cozy, lovingly decorated.

“Alex picked out everything in here himself,” she said. “So you should know—he’s not indifferent about this pup.”

Her words struck a nerve. I tried to stay calm, but it was difficult.

So, Alex had expectations for this child too.

He wasn’t detached.

The realization drained me. My will to fight slipped away.

As I braced myself against the dining table, my hand knocked over a glass.

It fell to the floor and shattered with a loud crash.

Moments later, Alex rushed into the room.

I could barely stand, overwhelmed by emotion.

Doris, for some reason, was lying on the floor, clutching her belly in pain.

And in that instant, I knew—

My mate no longer chose me.

That moment will forever be burned into my memory.

Because Alex… walked right past me.

He didn’t ask if I was okay.

He didn’t stop.

He rushed straight to Doris, scooped her up in his arms, and left in a hurry.

As they passed, Doris gave me one last look—a triumphant smile.

She knew.

She had won.

Alex never looked back.