The Alpha’s Regret

Lupus’s POV

The moment the heavy outer doors slammed shut behind Sera, the suffocating silence that followed was heavier than any roar of battle.

I stood on the elevated stage, staring at the empty center aisle where she had just walked away. My chest burned with a strange mixture of fury and something raw that I could not name. The murmurs of hundreds of pack members drifted through the grand hall, but to my ears, the room was entirely deafening. Her scent still lingered faintly in the air. Soft. Familiar. Painfully haunting.

Unable to take the staring crowd or the judgmental whispers of the elders any longer, I turned on my heel, left the stage, and marched straight back to my private chambers.

The second the door clicked shut, the mask of the unbothered Alpha slipped. I slammed my fist against the stone wall. The sound cracked through the room, and the masonry shattered under the force.

"She defied me," I muttered, my voice tight. "She actually defied me."

I was the Alpha of the Dominion Pack. The strongest. The most feared. The one no one dared question. But Sera Ashford, an omega, had looked me dead in the eye in front of my entire empire and walked away without a single tear. That image burned in my mind like fire.

Before I could gather my thoughts, the door burst open. Daniel walked in without knocking. My Beta. My oldest friend.

"Lupus," he said, slightly out of breath from following me up from the hall. "Tell me you did not just do that."

I turned to face him, forcing my expression to go blank. "Do what?"

He swallowed hard, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Reject her. In front of everyone."

I clenched my jaw. "I did."

Daniel's face fell. "You cannot be serious. You..."

"Do not," I snapped, my voice cutting through his words like a blade. "Do not question my decisions, Daniel."

He hesitated, stepping closer. "But she is your fated mate, Lupus. The Moon Goddess chose her."

"I said do not!" I roared, letting my alpha aura flare. The power in my voice made the lamps flicker against the walls.

Daniel stopped immediately, bowing his head in submission as his inner wolf shrank under my dominance.

I exhaled slowly, trying to master the chaos in my veins. "If you care so much, go find her yourself," I said coldly. "Because I do not intend to."

Daniel frowned, lifting his head. Heavy disappointment was written all over his face. "You will regret this. I can see it in your eyes already."

"Enough!" I thundered again. "Leave, Daniel, before I forget you are my friend."

He stared at me for a moment longer, then turned and left quietly.

The room fell silent once more. I sank onto the edge of my desk, rubbing my temples as Sera's last words replayed in my head. I will rise again. A part of me wanted to laugh at her foolishness, but another part of me, the part I kept buried deep inside, twisted painfully at the thought. I did not understand why it hurt. I was the one who ended it. I was the one who said the words.

I poured myself a glass of whiskey and downed it in one gulp. The burning sensation helped clear my thoughts, if only for a second.

That was when Angela walked in.

She did not knock. She strolled in confidently, her short blonde hair brushing against her shoulders, her green eyes shining with absolute triumph.

"So," she said with a smirk, crossing her arms. "The weak little omega is finally gone?"

I did not respond. I just stared into the empty glass in my hand.

"I heard the whole announcement from the gallery," Angela continued, stepping closer to my desk. "I wish I could have seen her face closer up. She must have been utterly devastated to be cast out in front of the entire pack."

Her tone was light, but the venom behind her words made my stomach turn.

"Angela," I said quietly, not looking at her. "Do not push me right now."

"Oh, come on." She tilted her head. "You should be happy. You did what had to be done for our future."

I glanced at her sharply, my eyes flashing. "Watch your words."

Her smirk faded slightly, surprised by my tone. "What? I am only saying what is true."

"Sera may have been an omega," I said, standing up to my full height to tower over her, "but she was still my marked mate. You will not speak of her disrespectfully in my presence."

Angela blinked, taking a half step back. "You are defending her? After rejecting her publicly?"

"I am not defending anyone," I said flatly. "I am stating facts."

She studied me, her expression hardening. "You are angry. Why? You chose me because the pack respects strength, not sympathy. If you start showing regret now, the elders will see it as a weakness."

I turned away from her, walking toward the large window overlooking the grounds. Out there, past the courtyard, the forest stretched for miles under the full moon.

"She left," I whispered, realizing the sudden, jarring truth. "I cannot sense her anymore."

The pack bond was gone. The invisible thread that used to pulse in the back of my mind had snapped completely. I hated this feeling. This unease clawing at my chest.

"Lupus," Angela said, walking up behind me and resting a hand on my shoulder. "Forget about her. You did what was right for the pack."

"Right for the pack," I repeated quietly, staring out into the dark trees. "But not for me."

"What?"

"Nothing. Leave me, Angela. I need time to think."

She frowned, clearly annoyed by the dismissal, but she knew better than to argue when my voice carried that tone. She pulled her hand back and walked out, closing the door firmly behind her.

Once again, I was alone.

I closed my eyes, leaning my head back against the glass. The image of Sera's face appeared behind my eyelids. Proud. Hurt. Completely unbroken.

She will come back, I murmured to myself, the realization settling deep into my bones. And when she does, I will be ready.

But deep down, even as I said the words, I knew something had fundamentally shifted.

The bond was gone, yet the ache remained.

And that was the cruelest punishment of all.