His Rejection, My Freedom The Alpha’s Ultimate Regret

Late that night, after the Full Moon Feast ended, an anonymous email swept through the Upper East Side. But the woman in the scandal photos wasn't me.

It was my fated mate, Adrian, the Alpha of the Stone Pack, passionately kissing Lydia from the Brooks Pack in the rose garden.

The subject line of the email was glaringly bold: "Exclusive: Stone Pack Luna Elena Betrayed! Alpha Adrian’s Secret Rendezvous with His Lover!" Adrian didn't even bother to deny it.

Instead, he posted a photo of his hand locked tightly with Lydia’s on Instagram, captioned: "With her, for the rest of my life." Everyone expected me to lose my mind.

They thought I’d scream, throw a tantrum, and tear Lydia to shreds at the next Pack banquet. But this time, I had already decided to leave.

Because my human mother—the woman Alpha Adrian always viewed as my ultimate stain—was dead. Just last night, a private investigator had sent those exact photos to my inbox.

He tried to blackmail me, demanding five million dollars to keep them quiet. If this had happened in the past, I would have run to Adrian like a crazy woman.

I would have thrown away my pride and dignity in front of the entire Pack. I would have clawed at them, screamed, cried, and begged Adrian to choose between me and that woman.

And back then, every time I cried, Adrian would break things off with his flings.

He would pull me into his arms, kissing my forehead gently. "Elena, do you think I like looking at you every day? You don't even have a wolf. Anyone is better than you.

But unfortunately, I’m stuck with you." "Don't think I actually care about you. I just can't let my fated mate die out there.

If you die, my powers go down with you." "You’re a qualified Luna.

You’ve always known how to make these nasty rumors disappear." For the past five years, I swallowed every ounce of my dignity just to beg Adrian to pay for my mother’s care home facility.

In this world, where werewolves are supreme and humans are trash, a hybrid with no wolf has no place. I wasn't accepted by the packs, and I couldn't survive in the human world.

Without Adrian, I couldn't even afford to live. He wanted me to keep up the appearance of a perfect Luna, so I smiled and held his arm at every banquet.

He wanted me to suppress his cheating scandals, so I paid off the private investigators and gossip editors over and over again.

He wanted me to stay quiet, so I pretended to forgive him after every halfhearted apology.

I was naive enough to think that one day, Adrian would remember my devotion and come back to me.

But now, with the rumors reaching a fever pitch and everyone waiting to see me fall, his public post was like a brutal slap to my face.

He broke his own rule—the rule of never publicly humiliating me. At that moment, it finally clicked. He never intended to honor our deal.

He just enjoyed watching a "broken toy" like me compromise again and again. And I realized something else. He didn't hate me. He hated that fate had tied him to me.

And I was the one he couldn't shake off, yet utterly despised. My phone buzzed relentlessly. In less than an hour, that post had been shared tens of thousands of times.

My Snapchat and Instagram were blowing up. The moment I locked my phone, Adrian kicked open the study door, his face dark with rage.

He grabbed my wrist so hard that tears welled up in my eyes. "Elena Miller, are you out of your mind?!

Delete that post right now, and write a public apology to Lydia!" "Do you have any idea what you've done?

She’s being completely blacklisted by the pack social circles because of you!" "Even the packs that were planning alliances with her family have pulled out!

Are you trying to ruin her life?!" My face went pale. I forced down the bitterness, trying to muster a polite smile.

But seeing Adrian defend the woman who destroyed our marriage broke the dam. My tears finally spilled over. How ridiculous.

I was Adrian's legal Luna, yet I was the one who had to apologize to the mistress. Seeing my tears, Adrian’s voice softened slightly.

He pulled me into his chest, just like he always did, and gently wiped the tears from my eyes. "Elena, Lydia is just an ordinary member of the Brooks Pack.

She needs this social circle to survive way more than you do." "What you did will ruin her reputation forever." "Be good.

Stop throwing a tantrum and taking your anger out on an innocent person." "Just take down the post, and apologize to Lydia at the next Pack banquet, okay...?" In Adrian's eyes.

The mistress who wrecked our marriage was the innocent one. And I, the wife trying to get justice, was just throwing a tantrum.

What a sick joke. "No!" I ripped myself out of Adrian's embrace, cutting him off sharply. "Adrian Stone, you're the one who's insane!" "I am the victim here!

Why should I apologize to the homewrecker who slept with my husband and ruined my marriage?" Adrian’s voice flared instantly, all trace of gentleness vanishing from his face. "Elena Miller, have I spoiled you too much?!

Lydia almost committed suicide two days ago because of this!" "When did you become so damn malicious?!" I closed my eyes and raised my voice: "Spoiled me?

You call cheating on me again and again spoiling? You call letting everyone humiliate me spoiling?" "I'm malicious?!

Adrian Stone, you two are the monsters here!" "You drove me to this point! Why the hell should I apologize to you cheating bastards—" Slap! A brutal slap stung my face.

It silenced everything instantly. My head snapped to the side, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. The pain throbbed through my skull.

Just moving my lips sent a shooting pain up my nose, making it hard to breathe.

Adrian stared at his own hand, completely frozen in shock. "Elena..." He took a trembling step forward, reaching out to wipe the blood from my lip.

I flinched away, coldly knocking his hand aside.

Adrian froze when I pushed him away. Seeing the bright red mark on my cheek, regret and pain slowly filled his eyes. "Elena, I'm sorry..." "I didn't mean to.

Please, let me look at it..." Before he could reach me again, Lydia appeared at the doorway, her face pale and tears streaming down her cheeks.

She ran into the room and fell straight to her knees in front of me. "Elena, this has nothing to do with Adrian! It's all my fault..." "Blame me, hit me, scream at me if you want!

But why did you have to turn the entire social circle against me?" "I...

I didn't even want to live anymore because of the hate..." Adrian stood between us, but it didn't take him long to make his choice.

He turned his back on me, gently lifting Lydia from the floor and carefully wiping her tears. He handled her as if she were a fragile piece of glass.

The tenderness in his eyes when he looked at Lydia felt like a thousand needles stabbing into my chest. It hurt so bad I could barely breathe.

Once upon a time, he used to look at me like that. When we were eighteen, Adrian would beat up any pack member who dared to bully me. He always fought for my honor.

I remembered the golden sunset bathing his young face, and a tencentimeter gash bleeding across his chest.

The healer said it was a miracle the blade wasn't silver and hadn't pierced his heart. But Adrian hadn't cared about the pain.

He only cared about my tears. "As long as I'm breathing, I will protect you." "Nobody gets to bully my Elena!" "If they try, I'll make them pay a thousand times over, even if it kills me!" Back then, my heart beat like a drum, and my tears flowed freely—deeply, desperately in love with his fierce protection.

But now, looking at the two of them comforting each other, my mind flashed through all the other women Adrian had held.

And then, I remembered kneeling on the floor, begging him to stay, while the pack members mocked me behind my back.

I finally realized that for the last five years, I hadn't been waiting for him to love me again. I had just been waiting for my own heart to completely die.

The rage and sorrow in my chest suddenly vanished, replaced by an eerie, hollow peace. I touched my burning cheek. It was dry. No more tears.

I looked up and caught the flash of smug triumph in Lydia's eyes. "I'm letting you go," I whispered. I turned to leave, but Adrian grabbed my arm in a death grip.

His eyes were red, and a rare flicker of panic crossed his face.

His voice trembled slightly. "Elena Miller, stop right there!" "If you walk out that door, I swear to God I will..." "Then do it," I interrupted, pulling my arm free. "Reject me.

It's what you want anyway." Adrian made a move to follow me, but Lydia's pathetic sobbing pulled him back. By the time he finished comforting her, I was already gone.

To make sure Adrian would keep paying for my mother’s medical bills next month, I swallowed my humiliation, put on a formal dress, and showed up at the Autumn Pack Luncheon.

I had to play the part of the perfect Stone Pack Luna. My mother's life depended on it. But when I arrived at the estate, the garden was eerily quiet. Nobody was around.

I walked toward the pool, only to find Lydia waiting for me with a cruel smile. Before I could react, she grabbed a handful of my hair.

With a hard shove, she slammed my head underwater. The chlorine and water rushed up my nose, and a suffocating panic instantly took over.

I tried to thrash, but my hands were tied tightly behind my back. "Don't move," Lydia’s mocking voice echoed from above, laced with laughter. "If you struggle, the zipper on your dress is going to burst.

Tomorrow, the entire werewolf community will be looking at nude photos of the Stone Pack Luna! Hahaha!" A cold dread washed over me.

Under the water, the only sound was my racing heart and my muffled screams. A second later, she yanked me out of the water.

The thin fabric of my dress was dragging down from the weight of the water. I instinctively tried to cover my chest, but my wrists were locked tight. "Elena, smile!

Let's take a selfie!" Lydia snapped a photo. In the reflection of the screen, I saw my own face. Pale, helpless, and trembling. Rage and humiliation exploded in my brain.

With a burst of adrenaline, I ripped my hands free from the binding. Slap! I channeled all my strength into a vicious slap across Lydia’s face.

Her right cheek swelled up instantly.

Her eyes widened in fury, but instead of hitting me back, she threw herself backward into the pool with a loud splash, crying out in tears. "Elena...

I just wanted to ask for the hosting rights of the banquet this year..." "I never wanted to steal your title as Luna!

Please, stop hurting me..." Her sudden act caught me completely off guard. "What are you talking about?" "Elena Miller!

What the hell are you doing?!" A furious roar boomed behind me. Adrian stormed over, and his palm slammed hard against my face.

The force of the blow sent a blinding pain through my head. My vision went black, and the world spun.

Through the ringing in my ears, I heard Lydia sobbing. "Adrian, the moment Elena saw me, she..." "Maybe she thought I was trying to take her place as Luna.

She just snapped..." Her voice was trembling, small, and sweet. She made sure to tilt her head so her bruised face was visible. Her lies stabbed straight into my heart.

Adrian’s face grew darker, his eyes colder than ice. "She's lying! Adrian, she's twisting the truth!" "You—" "Lying?

I saw it with my own eyes!" "Elena Miller, I thought you stayed quiet the last few days because you realized your mistakes.

I didn't know you could be this malicious." Adrian's chest heaved with anger, his finger shaking as he pointed at me. "Lydia didn't even hold a grudge against you for what happened before, and yet you still can't tolerate her existence?!" I stared into Adrian's ragefilled eyes.

Something deep inside me finally shattered. "Again," I whispered, laughing through my tears. "You really are blind, Adrian." "You never believe me." "Adrian Stone, are you completely braindead?

You're the Alpha of the Stone Pack, yet you fall for such a cheap, pathetic act." "Elena Miller, you are utterly delusional!" "Oh, you love hosting these events, don't you?

Let's see how you're going to pay for your mother’s care home without your Luna status!" My heart plunged into a frozen abyss.

As expected, Adrian stripped me of my duties and handed the banquet planning over to Lydia.

Lydia snuggled into Adrian's chest, throwing me a victorious smirk from behind his shoulder. "No, Adrian, you can't do this!" "This position... I need it!

Please!" If I lost this, I couldn't pay the facility.

The image of my mother lying helplessly in that bed flashed through my mind. "You brought this on yourself, Elena." "This is your punishment.

Consider it your apology to Lydia!" My mind went completely blank. The terror of losing my mother drove me insane. Lydia's smug smile pushed me over the edge.

I lunged forward, but a massive force grabbed my arm. Adrian threw me hard onto the concrete ground.

He stood in front of Lydia, shielding her, his eyes burning with disgust. "Elena Miller, have you lost your mind?!" I screamed, my voice cracking with desperation: "Adrian Stone, do you really not see the truth?!

You know how badly I need—" Slap! Another slap silenced me instantly.

My vision blurred, but I could see dozens of pack members watching from the distance, whispering and pointing. I couldn't even feel the physical pain anymore.

The overwhelming humiliation burned through my veins like fire. "I am done with your tantrums, Elena!" "I have seen nothing but malice from you today! Someone throw her in the pool.

Let her cool off and think about what she's done!" Hands grabbed me, forcing me down into the water. The dirty pool water rushed into my nose and throat.

As I choked and struggled, the icy grip of death tightened around me once more.

I don't know how much time passed, but eventually, someone dragged me out of the pool. I coughed up water and dirt onto the grass. They threw me into a corner like a wet, stray dog.

Adrian grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look up at him. "Elena Miller, when are you going to learn?" "Life is much easier when you just behave." I forced my eyes open, seeing nothing but deep disappointment and disgust in his gaze.

Without another word, he picked Lydia up in his arms and walked away. The cold wind cut through my soaked dress. I knelt on the grass, shaking uncontrollably.

But the cold was nothing compared to the naked humiliation of being put on display like a circus animal. I didn't understand. I had already agreed to let them go.

Why couldn't they just leave me alone? Why did they have to use my mother's and my lives as props for their twisted love story? My phone buzzed on the grass nearby.

I crawled toward it. It was the care home. Ignoring the throbbing pain in my body, I answered quickly. "I'm so sorry, I might be a little late with the payment this month—" "Mrs.

Miller, because the bills have been overdue for too long, the facility has stopped all medical services. Your mother..." "She passed away.

I am so sorry for your loss." "What...?" The phone slipped from my hand, clattering onto the ground.

The nurse on the other end was still talking about funeral arrangements, but I couldn't hear her. Tears blinded my vision. I collapsed into a tight ball.

I reached out with trembling hands, searching the grass for a long time before my fingers finally found the phone.

With the last of my strength, I choked out one word: "Okay." I got up, ignored the shouts of the pack guards, and ran out of the estate barefoot. I ran toward the hospital.

The wind roared in my ears, and my tears mixed with sweat, soaking my clothes. The care home room was deathly quiet. There was only one bed left, covered in a large white sheet.

My mother lay there, all alone. I stopped at the doorway, all the strength draining from my limbs. I dragged my knees to her bedside and reached out to touch her pale, gentle face.

The moment my fingers met her cold skin, the reality finally hit me. She was gone.

I collapsed onto the floor, the grief tearing through me like a physical blade. I’m so sorry, Mom.

I’m too late. I let you die all alone in this horrible place. I’m a terrible daughter, aren't I? The wind blew through the open window, making the curtains rustle softly.

I leaned against the wall, slowly pushing my broken body up. My hands hurt, my face burned, and my heart was numb. But my head felt incredibly light.

The breeze felt like a heavy weight being lifted from my shoulders. Like a puppet on strings, I climbed up onto the window sill.

Down below, I saw Adrian carefully applying ointment to Lydia's cheek. But my heart didn't hurt anymore. There was nothing left. The golden sunlight filled the room.

I remembered how much my mother loved freedom. Suddenly, everything made sense.

I grabbed the lighter from the nightstand and threw the flame onto the heavy curtains. Mom, I’m coming with you.