Six Years as the Alpha’s Joke

The moment I opened the doors to the full-moon banquet hall, a glass of icy laurel wine hit me in the face.

The room exploded with laughter.

Sienna Blake sat on the arm of a leather chair near the fireplace, her phone pointed at me. She looked as pleased as if she had just won a trophy.

“I told you she’d come,” she said. “Pay up, Callum.”

Pale gold wine slid into my lashes and down my chin, staining the black satin dress I had spent all afternoon choosing.

Callum Thorne walked over with the same soft smile that had persuaded me to forgive him too many times. He dabbed my cheek with a napkin.

“God, Tessa. You really dressed up.”

He looked almost sorry.

For the dress. Not for me.

“What is she talking about?”

“We made a bet,” Callum said, as if it were harmless. “I said you wouldn’t come tonight. If I won, I was going to announce you as the future Luna of Black Hollow at tomorrow’s council meeting.”

Sienna waved her phone. “But you came, so he lost.”

Callum gave me an apologetic shrug.

“Looks like we’re postponing the Luna ceremony until next year.”

Every first full moon of spring, Callum helped Sienna turn the promise of making me his Luna into their favorite joke.

Last year, he took me to a private club filled with candles and moonflowers. Half his friends already had their phones raised when he dropped to one knee and pulled out a moonstone ring.

An Alpha only presented that kind of ring to the woman he intended to name as his Luna. For one foolish moment, I thought he was serious.

Then the ring sprang open, spraying silver-blue powder across my hand and dress.

Sienna laughed so hard she nearly dropped her phone.

Callum laughed too. He only stopped when he saw the tears in my eyes.

Later, he held my stained fingers and promised, “Next year, Tess. No more jokes. I’ll choose you in front of the entire pack.”

So when he asked me to meet him in the banquet hall where we had shared our first date, I believed him again.

I wore the black satin dress he loved, pearl earrings, and the heels he once said made me look dangerous. I had even drafted an announcement for the pack’s social page.

One ridiculous little post waiting for one ridiculous little dream.

“Do you know what tomorrow is?” I asked.

“Our sixth anniversary.” Callum’s smile tightened. “Come on, Tessa. You didn’t honestly think I’d forget.”

He knew what this night meant to me and had chosen to turn it into another game.

I removed the plain silver ring from my right hand.

Callum and I had bought matching rings when we first became a couple. He still wore his through council meetings, patrols, and formal gatherings. I had treated mine like the first half of a promise.

Now I let it fall.

The ring struck the marble, cutting through the laughter.

“Callum,” I said, “we’re done.”

His smile disappeared.

“Don’t turn this into something bigger than it is. It was one glass of wine, Tessa. I’ll replace the dress.”

“One glass of wine?”

“Sienna has pulled worse pranks before. She went easy on you tonight.”

Sienna lifted both hands, her face settling into wounded innocence.

“It was a joke. If you didn’t like it, fine. We won’t do it again. But breaking up with Callum over this? Isn’t that a little dramatic?”

Someone at the back snorted.

“I told you she couldn’t take a joke.”

That was how their circle worked. Sienna humiliated me, and I became the problem for refusing to smile.

The first time I met her, Callum arranged a private dinner to welcome me into his circle. Sienna suggested a full-moon challenge game.

Everyone else received harmless dares.

When my turn came, Sienna told me to climb onto the table and imitate the sounds a she-wolf made during mating season.

I refused.

“Relax. We’re only trying to make you feel included.”

“I said no.”

She covered her face and ran from the room in tears.

Every man at the table followed her.

Callum did too.

The dinner had been arranged for me, but I finished it alone while the candles burned down.

After that, Callum only brought me to pack gatherings when Sienna was willing to tolerate me.

Now he looked at me with that same tired impatience.

“Tessa, apologize to Sienna.”

Once, I would have done it. I would have swallowed the shame and reminded myself that he loved me when we were alone.

He remembered how I took my coffee. He stayed beside me when thunderstorms made my wolf restless. For six years, I had used those tender moments to excuse every time he chose Sienna’s feelings over mine.

Not tonight.

I picked up my purse and coat.

“Callum Thorne, we are over. For real this time.”

I walked toward the doors.

Sienna’s voice followed me into the corridor.

“You’re really not going after her? Your girlfriend looks furious.”

Callum gave a short laugh.

“She’s throwing a tantrum. Give her a night to calm down.”

“You sound very sure.”

“She always comes back. Tessa is easy to soothe. Unlike you.”

The doors closed behind me.

And the part of me that had spent six years waiting for him to choose me finally went quiet.