Farewell, Alpha

I sacrificed the wolf core to save my beloved.

To avoid being overwhelmed by guilt, I chose to leave and silently wait for death in a corner of the human world.

But even after he became the alpha of the wolf pack, he still went to great lengths to marry me. After we got married, he flaunted his mistress in front of me every day, trying to provoke me and get revenge.

But he didn't know that I was about to die.

Darling, I'm dying.

Chapter 1

In the third year since I mated with Silas, the powerful Alpha of the Silvercrown Pack, he took in a beautiful young she-wolf.

Her name was Chloe. Sweet, innocent, and exactly Silas's type. He kept her by his side for over half a year. Aside from me, she was the longest-lasting woman he had ever kept around.

My friends warned me to be careful. They said Silas had already given his heart to Chloe.

That day, I woke up coughing up black blood-a sign that my body was failing. I went to the pack healer. The old wolf looked at me with immense pity and told me I probably wouldn't live past the next year.

I gave a slight nod and whispered, "That's okay."

I wasn't afraid of dying, but I was terrified of the pain and the indignity.

Without my wolf core, my internal organs were slowly shutting down, subjecting me to a constant, burning agony.

The healer mentioned an exorbitantly expensive Fae potion that could numb the pain and make my final months a little more bearable.

My bank account was completely empty, so I went to Silvercrown Tower to find Silas.

Chloe was there, too. She was now working as his personal secretary. Silas was in a board meeting, so I sat in the waiting room.

Chloe stared at me, whispering to the other Omegas at the desk, "Is that really the Alpha's mate? Our supposed Luna? She's hideous. She looks entirely human, so frail like she could drop dead at any second."

"People say I look like her," Chloe scoffed disdainfully. "I don't see it. My wolf is full of vitality, and I'm way prettier than she is."

I looked at my reflection in the polished glass window. I wore no makeup and was bundled up in a heavy winter coat, trying to hide my skeletal frame.

I wasn't pretty anymore.

But then again, I was dying.

An Omega tugged at Chloe's sleeve and lowered her voice, "She just didn't dress up today. Her beauty used to outshine yours ten times over."

"Besides," the Omega warned, "don't let the Alpha's favoritism go to your head. Don't mess with her. You have no idea how obsessed the Alpha used to be with her. If you cross the line, he will tear you to shreds."

Hearing that Silas used to love me deeply, Chloe pouted and rolled her eyes in defiance.

She brought me a cup of tea, her voice dripping with a sickeningly fake sweetness. "Aria, how could the Alpha make you wait so long?"

"It's so weird. Whenever I go to him, no matter how busy he is with pack affairs, he drops everything to see me. He says I'm the most important person to him." She smiled, her eyes curving into sweet little crescents.

For a split second, I spaced out. When she smiled, she really did look like a younger version of me.

I thought about it carefully. The way Silas treated Chloe really was different.

He had let countless women drift through our lives, using them as tools to humiliate me.

He would bring different she-wolves into the pack, testing my reactions, trying to ignite the dormant fires of jealousy inside me.

But he never kept them around. A day, a week-he always grew bored quickly and then tossed them aside.

Except for Chloe. Silas bought her an apartment outside the pack's territory. He took her out to eat, bought her clothes, and went to the movies with her. They looked just like a deeply in love human couple.

He gave her money, and he gave her love.

I looked up at Chloe and offered a gentle smile. "If you're so important to him," I asked softly, "how can he bear to keep you as his dirty little secret? A shameful mistress?"

"You should convince him to break our mate bond as soon as possible, so he can finally make you his Luna."

Chloe flushed bright red with humiliation. She leaned in close, her voice dropping into a vicious hiss. "The one who is loved is the real mistress of the house! You're just taking up space!"

"The only reason you have him is because you met him first! But look at you now-you don't even carry the scent of a wolf anymore. You're old, ugly, and weak. What makes you think you can compete with me for him?"

Terrified that I might attack her, the Omega rushed over and pulled her away.

But honestly, it was fine.

I made a promise to myself a long time ago: I would never get angry over Silas again. I would never cry for him again. And I certainly wouldn't fight other women out of jealousy over him.

He wasn't worth it.

As Chloe was pulled away, her foot slipped, and she fell to the floor.

The porcelain teacup shattered, and a sharp shard pierced her palm. Wolf blood pooled on the smooth marble floor.

Through the glass walls of the conference room, Silas saw her fall. With hundreds of elite werewolves watching him, he slammed his files down, pushed open the door, strode over, and pulled Chloe into his arms.

"Who the fuck hurt her?!" His Alpha aura erupted instantly, freezing and suffocating.

The well-meaning coworker stumbled back, pale and trembling.

"I did it," I lied. "She got what she deserved."

Chloe glared at me through tear-filled eyes and cried out, "That's right, I deserve it! It's my fault for falling in love with a mated Alpha! It's my fault for letting people call me a homewrecker!"

"But Silas," she sobbed, clutching tightly to his shirt, "as long as you love me, I'll always stay by your side. No one can tear us apart."

She cried so beautifully. Even while saying something so ridiculous, she still looked brave and devoted.

Silas let out a soft chuckle, and the oppressive tension dissipated. He wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Be good. Look at you, crying like a little pup."

He really was different with her.

I lowered my eyes, too exhausted to watch anymore. "It's my birthday today," I said to Silas. "I want a hundred thousand dollars."

It was both tragic and comical. Our marriage was blessed by the Moon Goddess, yet our mind-link had been closed off for ages. I never reached out to him unless I needed money.

Silas always hated me, calling me a gold digger. Yet, in the past, whenever I asked for money, he would sign the check without hesitation.

But today was different. He looked at me, a cruel, mocking smile playing on his lips. "You want money? Fine."

"But Aria," he drawled, "bow your arrogant head and apologize to Chloe first."

He was actually trying to buy my dignity with a hundred thousand dollars, just to get an apology for Chloe.

This was the first time he had used his wealth to humiliate me, all for the sake of another woman.

I slowly clenched my fists, a faint smile ghosting my lips. I swallowed the metallic taste of blood rising in my throat and turned toward the elevator.

Suddenly, I didn't want the money anymore.

I found myself gripped by a morbid curiosity.

Silas, I thought, if you knew that money was just to buy me a little more time... to make my descent into death a little less agonizing, if you knew how much I suffered before I died... what kind of face would you make?