All Chapters of The Alpha Detour: I Said Yes to Someone New: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

A week before our marking ceremony, my fiance, Alpha Mason Wallace, changed the venue from Moonlight Bay to Firefly Grove because of a single comment from his childhood sweetheart, Serena Lowell.When the day came, I went to Moonlight Bay alone and began my ceremony by myself.…Moonlight Bay was where Mason and I had first met, and where I nearly died for him. It held meaning for both of us. I never thought he would change the venue so casually, just because of Serena.I stood frozen outside the private room, listening to Mason with his friends. My teeth chattered from the shaking, and I pressed my hand to my mouth to stop the sob from slipping out.One of his friends tried to talk sense into him. "This is a big deal. You should at least talk it over with Cora. If she finds out you changed it without telling her, she'll lose it."Mason sighed. "That's exactly why I didn't tell her. You know how Cora gets. She's about to be my Luna and still fusses over everything. If I told her,

Chapter 2

I stumbled back home, shut the door, and sank onto the couch, crying until my throat was hoarse.When I first suggested holding our marking ceremony at Moonlight Bay, Mason looked at me with a soft smile and said, "Sure."I thought he understood why I chose it. It was where we first met, the night rogues attacked.I had thrown myself in front of him when the fire swept through the clearing, taking the blow in his place. The scars on my skin were the price I still carried.At the hospital, he held my hand and wept. He stayed by my side for three sleepless nights and promised me a lifetime of happiness.It turned out those promises fell apart the first time they were tested.I was still crying when my phone rang. Mason called from somewhere loud, music and laughter spilling through the line."I'm not coming home tonight," he said.Before I could answer, the line went dead.Sometime after midnight, my best friend, Fiona Olsen, woke me with another call.She'd sent a screenshot o

Chapter 3

The next day, Mason and I drove to the bridal shop to choose a wedding dress. The ride was silent the whole way.At a red light, Mason tapped the steering wheel, glancing at me and then away.I kept my face turned to the window.Finally, he broke the silence. "The flowers are crazy this summer. I bet the forest looks even better."When I didn't respond, he added, "They say Firefly Grove is swarming with fireflies this year. Couples who mark each other there will get the Moon Goddess's sweetest blessing.""Oh," I said.Awkwardness crept in. He tried again. "The marking only happens once. Don't you want a place that means more?"I frowned.The place where we first met, where I nearly lost my life, meant less to him than a spot Serena mentioned offhand."I can't think of a place that means more than Moonlight Bay," I said.He gave a stiff nod. "You're right."I turned to him and asked, "Anything else you want to tell me?"It was the last door I was willing to open for him, one

Chapter 4

In Mason's eyes, I never measured up to Serena.Even when my skin grafts were rejected and it felt like ants were eating me alive, he dismissed my pain as nothing more than an itch, then left me behind to go comfort Serena for her "headache".Any time I said no to anything, he shot back that I wasn't fit to be a Luna.He even turned our engagement ring into an accessory for Serena's gown.On my birthday, he left while I was still making a wish so he could fix Serena's plumbing.He forgot our anniversary and then bought plane tickets and took Serena to the coast.All of it paraded through my mind, clear as day. I should have let go a long time ago.As I walked out, I heard him disparaging me. "She's being ridiculous! Serena, don't bother with her."That night, he texted me."Cora, don't be mad. You're about to be Luna. Try to be reasonable."I stared at the screen for a long time.Fine. I would be reasonable. If he didn't want me in his life, I'd grant his wish.On the day o

Chapter 5

I held a bouquet of moonlit roses in my hands, just moments from walking into the church.Mason was stunned when the sound of the wedding march drifted through the phone. "Where are you? I don't see you."I smiled and kept my voice steady. "The lake looks beautiful tonight, doesn't it?"He stalled, then his tone spiked with panic. "You're at Moonlight Bay?""Yes.""Didn't you check the details before the ceremony? I changed the venue!"I watched the ripples catch the moon and answered softly, "I checked. I know you changed it to Firefly Grove."Mason was stunned. His voice trembled as he snapped, "If you knew, then why did you go there? Are you messing with me now?""Who changed the venue without telling me and made me look like a fool? And now, you have the nerve to say I'm messing with you?"He knew he was wrong, his voice edged with guilt. "I... I wanted to surprise you. How was I supposed to know...""A surprise?" I let out a mocking laugh. "You mean changing our ceremony

Chapter 6

I drew a steady breath and stepped into the church.Waiting for me was the surgeon who had done my skin grafts, my senior from university, Simon Hale.Back then, our paths had only crossed over study groups and lab notes.After he graduated, he joined a major hospital, and we lost touch.Years later, when I was burned saving Mason, Simon was the one who treated me.I had been wrapped head to toe like a mummy. When the nurse finally loosened the bandages around my eyes, the first face I saw was Simon's."Simon?" I exclaimed in surprise.He smiled. "I'm surprised you still remember me."His gaze was heavy with heartbreak and pity, though at first I couldn't tell what it meant.Later, during my follow-up, a pretty doctor brought in my meds, and I joked, "Do all the female doctors here look so beautiful?"Simon glanced up from his notes and said, "None of them could ever be as beautiful as you."I glanced down at the uneven grafts and let out a bitter laugh. "Please don't tease

Chapter 7

By the time Mason showed up, the ceremony was over. Simon and I were still by the water, taking in the moonlight.Mason stalked across the shore and seized my hand, his eyes bloodshot. "Cora, I only changed the venue. You're really going to leave me and be with someone else over that?"I shook my head. He still didn't see it."There's nothing left between us. Please go."He stared at me, wounded. "How can there be nothing? I'm your mate!""Not anymore." I slipped my arm through Simon's and walked away.Mason stepped in front of us and jabbed a finger at Simon. "What does he have that I don't? Even if you're mad at me, you don't marry a stranger out of spite!"Mason grew more agitated as he spoke, his emotions on the verge of collapse."I've known him longer than you," I said calmly. "He isn't a stranger."Mason blinked, then anger flared. "So, the venue was just an excuse. You were cheating on me all along, weren't you?"I let out a cold laugh. "You broke what we had. I'm not

Chapter 8

Three days later, Simon and I drove back from Moonlight Bay. We were on our way to our new home when we ran into Mason.He looked wrecked. The shadows under his eyes were purple, and it was obvious he hadn't slept since the night of the ceremony.The moment he saw me, his dim eyes lit up again."Cora, listen to me..." He tried to grab my hand."Let go!" Simon stepped in front of me, his expression darkening."Please, give me a minute," Mason pleaded.I sighed and pulled my hand free. "You get three minutes. We're leaving after that."Mason suddenly dropped to his knees. His forehead hit the pavement with a dull thud. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault... I remember now. I remember everything..."His hands shook as he pulled a ring from his pocket. "Do you remember? I said I'd wait forever for you."The Blue Moonstone glinted in his palm.The sight of it turned my stomach. All I could see was that stone pinned to Serena's dress like a trinket."Mason, do you remember what you p

Chapter 9

The next day, the headlines blared that Mason was mauled by rogues at Moonlight Bay.Right after that, one of his friends called me. "Could you come to see him? He keeps calling your name," he pleaded.A beat later, he added, "If you want a last look, this might be it.""No," I said. "Mason and I are over. There's no reason to keep dragging this out."He hesitated, said he understood, and hung up."Is she still refusing to see me?" Mason asked with what strength he had left.His friend didn't answer, yet the look on his face said enough.Tears slid from the corners of Mason's eyes and soaked into the sheet.Out in the hall, Serena showed up with a fruit basket.When Mason saw her, a flicker of relief crossed his face. "You're here..."She set the basket on the table and looked at him without warmth. "Was it worth it? Doing this to yourself over Cora?"He didn't answer. He only let out a bitter smile.Serena sat on the edge of the bed, crossing her legs as the pitiful act sh

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