My Secret Divorce From The Cruel Alpha

ALIA POV:

"How long are you going to keep this up? Your wolf is perfectly fine. Why lie to Alia about not being able to mate?"

The words bled through the crack in the study door, freezing my hand mid-air.

Today was our third wedding anniversary. My husband, Cason, the ruthless Alpha of the Hatfield Pack, was working late as usual. I had come to bring him coffee and his favorite sandwiches, the crusts cut off just the way he liked.

But the voice that answered from inside was cold, callous, and utterly indifferent.

"Because I don't love her. Why would I ever touch her?"

"You don't love her, yet you orchestrated that entire rogue attack just to play the hero? You almost got yourself killed! Don't tell me you did all that just for Karin?" The second voice belonged to Zane, Cason's Beta and most trusted friend.

My hands trembled violently. A drop of scalding coffee splashed onto my skin, but I felt absolutely nothing. My entire world was plunging into a freezing abyss.

Three years ago, I was ambushed by a pack of vicious rogues in the woods. I was nearly torn to shreds. When I woke up, Cason was by my bedside, tending to me with such devotion that I gave him my heart completely.

After we mated, he spoiled me flawlessly. He moved heaven and earth to give me whatever I wanted, making me the most envied Luna in the entire pack.

The only flaw in our perfect life? He claimed his inner wolf was severely injured during that rescue, leaving him unable to consummate our bond and give me a true mating mark.

My heart had ached for him. I took all the blame for our lack of pups. I willingly submitted myself to the pack elders' humiliating and agonizing fertility treatments, time and time again, just to protect his pride as an Alpha.

And now they were telling me it was all a lie? A trap he set up? He engineered the attack that almost killed me?

"Karin is weak. Her bloodline is too low," Cason's voice dripped with calculation. "If she married in, the pack elders would eat her alive. I needed a Luna with a fierce, dominant personality to draw all their fire and attention. Alia is the perfect shield."

The truth hit me like a physical blow to the gut. My whole body began to shake. I thought I was his cherished wife. To him, I was just a human meat shield to protect his fragile true love.

Zane clicked his tongue. "You are throwing away a treasure, Cason. Karin is just an ordinary female, but Alia is different. She's been fiercely loyal to you ever since you 'saved' her. And honestly? She is stunning. That body of hers is absolute perfection. Sure, she's a bit wild, but you've got her completely tamed. If she were mine, I'd have her in my bed every single night. How the hell do you manage to keep your hands off her?"

"The mere sight of her makes me sick."

"Fair enough. An Alpha like you has seen it all; naturally, you wouldn't fall for someone like her," Zane sighed. "But still, if you knew you only wanted Karin back then, why didn't you just snatch her from your brother?"

"Because... she didn't have me in her heart back then."

"Fuck. Who would have thought the ruthless Alpha Cason was actually a lovesick fool? But haven't you ever thought that doing this is entirely unfair to Alia?"

I subconsciously leaned closer to the crack of the door. They seemed to be pacing, their voices growing slightly muffled.

After a long, agonizing pause, Cason's voice drifted through the heavy oak wood.

"Karin is soft. She can't handle grievances. Alia... she can take it."

Those words were a silver blade plunging straight into my heart, leaving my limbs completely numb.

I can take it?

Because I was strong, I deserved to be abused? Because I was brave, I deserved to be the sacrificial lamb?

If it weren't for the illusion of Cason's deep love, I wouldn't have tolerated a single day in this feudal nightmare of a pack. I endured the elders' bullying and the suffocating rules for him. But in the end, he was proudly telling the world that I was nothing but a disposable tool.

Suddenly, Cason's phone rang inside the room. He answered it briefly. The moment he hung up, my own phone began to vibrate in my pocket.

A jolt of panic flared, but my survival instincts kicked in faster. I immediately clamped a hand over my phone and forcibly masked my scent, making sure Cason's wolf couldn't detect my presence outside the door.

Moving swiftly and silently, I slipped away from the study, fleeing back to my room like a ghost. Only when the door was shut tight did I answer the call.

"Alia, head over to the ancestral Pack House."

I narrowed my eyes. The love I had harbored for three years had rotted into pure, icy venom. "Why?"

"There's no time to explain, darling. I'll see you there."

ALIA POV:

When I arrived at the Ancestral Pack House, the oppressive weight in the air was palpable. Cason had already arrived before me.

Before I could even ask what was going on, a sharp, authoritative voice echoed through the grand hall.

"Kneel!"

It was Matriarch Eleanor, Cason's grandmother, her face twisted in absolute fury.

Over the past three years, I had knelt in this house more times than I could count. It had become a humiliating reflex. The moment her cane struck the marble floor, my knees hit the ground.

But as the cold stone bit into my skin, the icy clarity from my earlier revelation washed over me.

"Matriarch," I asked, my voice terrifyingly calm. "What have I done now?"

"How dare you play dumb!" Eleanor snarled. "Just because I scolded you this morning, you threw a tantrum and shattered Elias's Moonstone Amulet! You committed a heinous sin against this family, and you still refuse to admit it?"

I looked up, genuine confusion masking the deadness in my eyes. "I didn't touch Elias's amulet."

"Lies! Cason was just pleading for you in front of me," she sneered. "I thought if you simply apologized and showed genuine remorse, I might forgive you. But you remain as stubborn and unrepentant as ever!"

"Guards! Take her to the Hall of Alphas. She will kneel there for a day and a night. Without my explicit order, no one is allowed to give her food or water."

Cason stepped forward, his face a perfect mask of distress and devotion.

"Grandmother, please calm down," Cason pleaded, reaching out as if to protect me. "Alia definitely didn't do it on purpose. Since she is my Luna, I will kneel with her to share her punishment."

If I hadn't heard his conversation with Zane, I would have been moved to tears by his unwavering protection. Now, watching his performance, my stomach churned with nausea. He wasn't defending me; he was deliberately validating my guilt and provoking the Matriarch's wrath.

"Enough!" Eleanor roared, right on cue. "You've shielded her time and time again, and what has it changed? If it weren't for you, I would have stripped her of her title long ago! If you dare kneel with her, I'll add another day and night to her punishment!"

Just like that, I was dragged to the Hall of Alphas.

I was all too familiar with this cold, cavernous sanctuary. Over the past three years, I had been punished here countless times.

And every single time, Cason would sneak in late at night. He would kneel beside me, wrap his warm coat around my shivering shoulders, and feed me smuggled food, looking at me with eyes full of agonizing heartache.

I used to think that was love.

Hours bled into the night. The heavy oak doors creaked open.

Right on schedule, Cason slipped in. He knelt beside me, his hand reaching out to gently brush a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "Alia, I'm so sorry. I tried to reason with her..."

The moment his fingers grazed my skin, it took every ounce of my willpower not to violently flinch. His touch, which used to ignite sparks in my blood, now felt like maggots crawling over my flesh.

"It's fine," I replied, keeping my eyes fixed on the stone altar ahead. My voice was hollow.

He stayed for a while, playing the part of the tortured, loving husband, before kissing my forehead and leaving.

Shortly after he left, I needed to use the restroom. The guards stationed outside wouldn't deny me that basic necessity, though a maid followed closely behind me.

This was my life in the Hatfield Pack-a gilded cage where I was treated worse than a prisoner.

As I approached the corridor leading to the restroom, two hushed voices drifted from the adjacent drawing room.

"Cason, is it really okay to let Alia take the blame for me?"

My breath hitched. I pressed myself against the cold wall, gesturing for the maid to stay back. She, too intimidated to intervene, stopped a few paces away.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Cason's voice replied. The fake, tortured tone he had used with me just moments ago was completely gone, replaced by a soothing, indulgent warmth. "She's used to taking the fall for these things. You don't need to worry. The only thing that matters is-did you cut your hands when you shattered Grandmother's beloved amulet?"

My body went entirely rigid.

"No," Karin replied, her voice soft and fragile. "Cason, you are always the one I can rely on. Whenever something goes wrong, you're the first one here to protect me."

"Elias is gone," Cason said softly, referring to his dead brother. "From now on, whenever something like this happens, just call me. I will always handle it for you."

"In this entire pack, you are the best to me, Cason."

My heart, already shattered into a million pieces, was violently ground into dust.

A primal, blinding rage urged me to kick the door open, to expose their sickening affair and demand a divorce right then and there.

But cold, hard logic slammed the brakes on my fury.

If I rashly demanded a divorce now, Cason would never agree. He still needed his perfect meat shield to protect his precious Karin from the pack elders. I would just be painting a massive target on my own back.

I survived the rest of the day and night in the freezing hall. Cason came to check on me a few more times, but his visits were brief.

When the punishment finally ended, I walked out of the Hall of Alphas. My knees were bruised and bleeding, every step sending shooting pain up my legs, but my spine was ramrod straight.

Once I was safely back in my own room, I pulled out my phone and dialed the only person in this world I could trust-my best friend, Harlene.

She picked up on the second ring.

"Harlene," I said, my voice eerily calm, stripped of all warmth and illusion. "I need a lawyer and the Pack's legal documents. I'm initiating the formal Rejection."

ALIA POV:

I sat on the edge of my bed, recounting the events of the last twenty-four hours. I told her everything without shedding a single tear. The time for tears was over.

"Alia, a formal rejection is a nightmare. You'll be cast out with nothing," Harlene said, her anger softening into deep concern.

"I know," I said, my voice steady. "I'm ready. I just need the documents."

"Okay. I'll get my family's best lawyers to draft the Declaration of Rejection and the asset division papers. We'll make sure it's ironclad."

As we ended the call, my gaze drifted to the window. Outside, on the large perch in the aviary, sat Cirrus. My beautiful white gyrfalcon. He was a gift from my father when I married into this pack, my only true companion in this cold, gilded cage. He tilted his head, his dark eyes watching me, as if he understood.

That evening, the atmosphere at dinner was thick with unspoken tension. Matriarch Eleanor sat at the head of the table, her face stern. Karin Garcia, for once, was smiling at me. A sweet, cloying smile that didn't reach her eyes. It set every nerve in my body on edge.

The main course was brought out by a servant, carried on a large platter with a polished silver cloche.

Karin leaned forward, her voice dripping with faux concern. "Alia, dear, I know you've been upset lately. I had the chef prepare something special, just for you. I hope it helps you recover your strength."

Cason looked at her with open admiration, as if her gesture was the height of kindness.

With a theatrical flourish, Karin lifted the silver lid.

In the center of the platter lay two roasted birds, golden-brown and garnished with sprigs of rosemary.

My world stopped.

My eyes locked on the leg of the larger bird. On the small, familiar silver band that hadn't been removed.

Cirrus's band.

The blood drained from my face. A sound, a strangled, guttural noise, was ripped from my throat. I shot to my feet, my chair scraping violently against the floor.

My hand trembled as I pointed at the platter. "What... what did you do to Cirrus?" My voice was a raw, broken whisper.

Her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh! Was that your pet? I had no idea! I just went to the back aviary and saw two beautiful birds. I assumed they were for the kitchens..."

A wave of pure, undiluted rage washed over me, so powerful it left me shaking. I rounded the table, my hand raised, intent on wiping that smug smile off her face.

Before I could reach her, a hand like a steel vise clamped around my wrist. Cason. He had moved with Alpha speed, positioning himself in front of Karin like a shield. The pressure was immense, his fingers digging into my flesh, threatening to crush the bone.

"Alia! Are you insane?" he roared, his face contorted with fury. "You'd attack Karin over a damn animal?"

I stared at Cason, at the way he protected her, at the utter contempt in his eyes for my grief. The last, fragile thread of any feeling I had for him snapped.

I looked him dead in the eye. "You're right," I said, my voice chillingly calm. "It was just an animal. Like me."

I wrenched my arm from his grasp with a strength that surprised us both.

Suddenly, a deafening crash echoed through the dining room.

Matriarch Eleanor had slammed her silver goblet onto the table. Her face was ashen, her eyes fixed in sheer horror on the second, smaller bird on the platter. She recognized the distinct golden band on its roasted leg.

"My Snow Dove..." Eleanor's voice trembled, escalating into a furious roar. "You slaughtered my Snow Dove?!"

Karin's victorious smirk vanished instantly. She shrank back, her face turning pale. "Grandmother, I... I didn't know..."

Everyone in the pack knew those Snow Doves were the most treasured possessions of Eleanor's late husband. They were her untouchable relics.

"Who gave you the audacity?!" Eleanor shrieked, her Alpha aura flaring. "Guards! Drag her to the Hall of Alphas! She will kneel on the cold stone for three days and three nights!"