My Alpha Traded Me Away, So I Disappeared

On my 22nd birthday, my Alpha, Ethan, handed me a paper bag. I opened it. Inside was a piece of cheap, revealing lace lingerie.

He kept his head down, cutting his steak, refusing to look me in the eye. "Sophia owes a massive debt to some loan sharks. They demanded she sleep with them to clear it.

But those men... they play too rough. Sophia won't survive it. She'll die." "I just need you to take her place for one night. Just one night.

When you come back, I'll finally mark you." Sophia was an Omega he had rescued from an underground casino.

For her, Ethan—the proud Alpha of the Silver Creek Pack—was begging me for the very first time. "I'll make it up to you.

I'll treat you twice as well from now on." My nails dug deep into the edge of the table, but I forced a smile. "Why wait? I just got a fullbody spa treatment.

Tell him to come over tonight." Ethan frowned, his eyes darkening. "If you don't want to do it, just say so. I'll find another way.

You don't have to be so bitter." I blinked, genuinely confused. "I'm serious. Back at The Den, they trained us to always get a fullbody spa before hosting a guest.

It keeps the skin soft and smooth." I replayed my words in my head. I didn't think I had said anything wrong. But Ethan was angry.

He slammed his fork down. "I truly see you as my mate, Lily. You don't ever need to bring up your past at that place again." I knew his words were empty.

If he really saw me as his mate, he would never have asked me to sell my body to save another woman.

My old coworker's words from The Den echoed in my mind: “To an Alpha, an Omega is just a piece of meat. You think the Alpha rescued you because he cares?

He just moved you to a prettier cage.” Ethan looked at me. Suddenly, he reached out and gently tucked a stray hair behind my ear.

His fingertips brushed my cheek, sending a jolt of static electricity through my skin. My inner wolf whimpered, wanting to lean into his palm. But I forced myself to pull back.

He withdrew his hand, his face freezing back into its usual cold mask. "Lily, I will mark you.

I'll give you the most grand Mate Ceremony this pack has ever seen." I knew why he was saying this. The ceremony was just a consolation prize. A bribe to ease his guilty conscience.

I should have been thrilled. I had waited five years for this. But right now, my chest felt completely hollow.

Still, I nodded and forced a smile. "Can you stay with me tonight?" He didn't even know it was my birthday.

It was also the anniversary of the day we first met. "I'm not going anywhere tonight," Ethan smiled, patting my head as he pulled me into his arms. His embrace tightened.

For a brief second, my wolf felt safe. Then, his phone buzzed. I saw his fingers clench on the edge of the table, then slowly loosen. His wolf wanted to stay.

But the man was hesitating. In the end, the man won. He let go of me and answered the call. My werewolf hearing was sharp. I could hear Sophia crying hysterically on the other end.

Ethan instinctively pushed me aside, already halfway out of his seat. Then, he remembered his promise. For the first time, he hesitated.

But the hesitation didn't last. "There's an emergency with the pack. I have to go. Go to sleep early, don't wait up." He didn't even bother to make up a good lie.

I knew I could never compete with Sophia in his heart. But I just nodded quietly, ignoring the sharp, stabbing pain in my chest. I shouldn't have greedily asked for more.

Being by Ethan's side was already a miracle. We had met at The Den. It was my very first day on the job.

I was wearing a skimpy bunny suit, trembling as I poured drinks for wealthy Alphas.

Even when my fishnets ripped, I couldn't afford to throw them away, and the customers treated it like some cheap provocation.

Just as a fat Alpha grabbed me, trying to force a kiss, Ethan—who had been silent the whole night—spoke up and bought me out. I had been by his side ever since.

Ethan was always cold, but he saved his rare smiles for me. He would drape a blanket over me when I fell asleep on the couch. He memorized my favorite foods.

He would unconsciously breathe deeper whenever I walked by. And my breath would hitch whenever he got close, dizzy from his scent, wanting nothing more than to touch him.

I thought I was special. Until Sophia showed up. I watched Ethan get into brutal street fights for her.

I saw him get violently drunk, waiting outside her apartment building until dawn just to make sure she was safe.

He would take pictures of a random blooming flower just to share it with her.

All the "childish" things he used to scoff at were things he happily did for the woman he actually loved.

Before, I still held onto a stupid, desperate hope that we would end up together. But now? I just wanted to pay him back for saving me.

I closed my eyes and made a silent birthday wish. After tonight, I would owe Ethan nothing.

For three days, Ethan didn't come home. But the wedding planners he hired had already arrived to prepare for the Mate Ceremony. It was the dream I had chased for five years.

I wanted to wear that wedding dress at least once before I left. On the third night, Ethan finally returned. And he brought Sophia with him.

He didn't offer a single word of explanation for his threeday disappearance. "Sophia is moving into the estate starting today. I've had the maids pack your things.

You'll be staying in the guest room." Sophia was incredibly fragile, looking like a porcelain doll that would shatter at any touch.

She stood behind Ethan, whispering meekly, "Hello, Luna. Sorry to intrude." The title made both Ethan and me freeze.

Ethan recovered first. "Just call her Lily." I knew I had no right to act like the lady of the house. I gave a polite, emotionless nod and turned to go upstairs.

But then, a loud pattering of paws echoed down the hall. Buddy hadn't seen Ethan in three days. Seeing a stranger, Buddy trotted over and began sniffing around her.

He liked her scent and tried to jump up to play. Sophia burst into tears instantly, throwing herself into Ethan's arms.

Ethan wrapped his arms around Sophia and screamed at Buddy, "Get the hell away! Lily, get your damn dog!" He kicked Buddy. Hard.

Buddy's small body rolled across the hardwood floor, crashing into the wall. The poor dog didn't understand why the Alpha who used to pet him had suddenly kicked him.

He could only lie there, whimpering in confusion. I rushed over and scooped Buddy into my arms. "Buddy! Buddy, are you okay? Does it hurt?

Mommy's here, don't be scared." Buddy was a stray dog I had rescued years ago.

Back when loan sharks threw me onto the freezing streets, and I was shivering to death with a high fever, Buddy had used his tiny, warm body to keep me alive. He was old now.

The vet had already warned me that he didn't have much time left. I lost my mind. For the first time, I screamed at Ethan. "He's so small!

How could you kick him?!" Ethan looked shocked by his own actions. His lips parted as if to apologize, but Sophia's hysterical sobbing cut him off. "I'm sorry!

It's all my fault!" Sophia gasped, clutching her chest. "I overreacted. The underground casino... there were vicious attack dogs everywhere.

I had a panic attack." Sophia had an abusive, gamblingaddicted father who had literally used her as a betting chip. She had suffered unspeakably before escaping.

The casino owner was obsessed with her. He demanded she spend a night with him to clear her father's debt. The casino owner had powerful backing.

Even Ethan's pack hesitated to cross him. Sophia started hyperventilating. Ethan forgot everything else.

He swept her up in his arms and rushed toward the master bedroom. "Get the Pack Healer! Now!" The house erupted into chaos. No one cared about me or Buddy.

Buddy whimpered softly, his back leg bent at an unnatural angle. I grabbed a passing maid. "Buddy is hurt.

Can someone drive us to the Healer's clinic?" But everyone was running around for Sophia. The maid shoved my hand away, glaring at me. "Miss Miller, look at the situation!

Is your stupid dog more important than Miss Sophia's life?" "Honestly, even if you were dying today, you'd have to wait in line." Buddy's whimpers were growing fainter.

I couldn't wait. I held Buddy tight and walked out of the estate. Silver Creek Estate was perched on a hill far outside of town.

The winding roads had barely any traffic during the day, let alone at night. Surrounded by pitchblack pine trees and the sound of my dying dog's whimpers, I swallowed my terror.

I begged the heavens to save him. I had so little in this world. Please don't take Buddy away from me.

After walking for nearly an hour, my legs trembling, I finally saw the headlights of a pickup truck rounding the bend. I ran into the middle of the road, waving my arms frantically.

The driver was an old human man. He took one look at my tearstained face and the bleeding dog and told me to get in. At the clinic, the vet told me Buddy only had a fractured leg.

No internal bleeding. My chest heaved with relief. But when I stepped down, a sharp pain shot up my soles. I looked down and saw my feet were covered in bloody blisters.

I brought Buddy back to the estate. But before I could even enter my room, a maid blocked my path. "Sophia had a severe asthma attack last night.

The Alpha had to carry her into the master bedroom." "The doctor said she needs absolute peace. You'll have to stay in the guest room for now." A dull ache throbbed in my chest.

But I was too exhausted to fight. I had stayed up all night. Besides, the guest room wasn't new to me.

When I first came to Silver Creek, I had lived in this very guest room for three years. The wedding planner Ethan hired arrived.

Today was the day to try on the wedding gowns for the Mate Ceremony. She brought over a dozen designer gowns. But the guest room was too small to fit them all.

They were piled haphazardly on the floor. Once I squeezed into one of the dresses, I couldn't even see myself properly in the tiny guest room mirror.

I decided to carry the gowns out to the spacious living room. As I was adjusting the veil, Ethan and Sophia walked through the front doors.

Sophia looked radiant, her cheeks flushed with health. There was no sign of yesterday's lifethreatening asthma.

Seeing me in the wedding dress, Sophia smiled warmly. "What a beautiful dress, Miss Miller. It looks gorgeous on you." Then, her smile faded into a look of deep longing.

She whispered, "Every Omega dreams of wearing a gown like that for their Mate Ceremony.

I guess I'll never get to experience that." Ethan had been staring at me, a rare look of awe in his eyes.

But the moment Sophia spoke, his expression hardened. "Are the rooms upstairs not big enough for you?

Did you have to bring all this to the living room just to show off in front of her?" The excitement of trying on the dress vanished.

I never expected these to be his first words to me. "What are you standing there for?

Go take it off." I had imagined Ethan's reaction to seeing me in a wedding dress a thousand times. None of those fantasies ended like this. I didn't argue.

I silently walked back to my room and took off the dress. When I came back down, Sophia had already gone upstairs. Ethan was sitting alone on the sofa, staring at the floor.

I looked around, but Buddy was nowhere to be seen. He was injured; he couldn't have gone far. A cold dread seized my chest. I started calling his name.

Ethan snapped, "Sophia just went to sleep.

Stop shouting." I stared directly into his cold eyes. "Where is Buddy?" He looked away. "I increased the budget for our Mate Ceremony by another eight million dollars.

Everything will be done exactly how you want it." "As for the dog, I found him a good home with a nice family. He'll be much happier there." My knees buckled.

I collapsed onto the floor. Ethan lunged forward to help me up, but I grabbed his collar, my voice trembling. "What did you say?" "Sophia has a phobia of dogs because of her past.

The Healer said we can't have a dog in the house." He pulled my hands off his jacket. "But you know what Buddy means to me!" "I can take him and leave!

I don't want the ceremony anymore! I don't want anything!" I begged him, promising that Buddy and I would never bother him again.

But Ethan just shook his head, a flash of pity crossing his eyes. "You can't leave, Lily. Sophia needs you." "We got word that Marcus is coming back." Marcus.

The Alpha of the Iron Crest Pack. Sophia's primary creditor. "He's coming back solely for Sophia.

We're out of time." Ethan pulled me up by force, locking me in a suffocating embrace. "Before he gets here, I will give you the most lavish Mate Ceremony.

Everyone will know you are my Luna." I saw Buddy's favorite tennis ball sitting under the sofa. The room began to spin, and darkness swallowed me whole.

When I woke up, Ethan was holding me, his eyes wild with excitement. "You're pregnant!

You're carrying my pup!" The stoic Alpha was gone, replaced by a giddy boy. "If it's a girl, she's going to be just as beautiful as you." But my face remained completely blank.

I felt no joy. This pup wasn't conceived out of love. The sound of glass shattering broke the silence.

Sophia stood at the doorway, a pale, fragile smile plastered on her face. "Congratulations." Ethan instinctively let go of me, taking a step toward her. "Sophia..." "You don't need to worry about me anymore, Ethan.

Your priority is Lily now. I'll handle my own mess." Sophia bowed her head, tears cascading down her cheeks. "Thank you for everything." With that, she bolted down the hallway.

Ethan forgot about me instantly. "Get some rest!" he yelled over his shoulder as he chased after her. I moved out of the guest room, but I didn't go back to the master bedroom.

The maids prepared a replica room for me on the opposite side of the estate. Ethan didn't return for a whole week.

When he finally came back, he looked terrible. Dark circles bruised the skin under his eyes. But there was a terrifying, cold resolve in his gaze.

The veins in his neck bulged, his breathing heavy as if he were fighting his own body. I could feel the suffocating tension.

My inner wolf sensed the imminent danger, whimpering in sheer terror. "Lily Miller," he said, his voice flat and lifeless. "I reject you as my fated mate." Those words pierced my chest like a silver blade.

It wasn't just the agonizing pain of the mate bond tearing apart; it was the biological collapse of an Omega being rejected by her Alpha.

It felt like my entire world was being violently deleted. An excruciating, tearing pain exploded in my chest, radiating down to my fingers and toes.

My lower abdomen cramped violently. The pain was so sharp I collapsed onto the floor, curling into a ball. Warm, thick blood began to seep through my clothes.

Ethan stood there, his face completely pale. His hand twitched, wanting to reach out, but he forced himself to stay still.

His inner wolf was howling in absolute fury, demanding he throw himself down, lick my wounds, and take back those cursed words. But the man stood rigid.

He never reached out to help me. The pup was gone. Just like that, as if it had never existed. Ethan and Sophia came to visit me in the pack clinic.

The first thing I asked him was, "When is Buddy coming back?" "I've sent someone to fetch him. Just focus on recovering." An annoyed frown creased his forehead.

Sophia stepped forward, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Ethan has been so busy with pack matters.

He hasn't slept a full night in days." She opened a thermos she brought with her. "I made some chicken soup for you, Miss Miller. Drink it while it's hot.

It's good for recovery." Greasy yellow oil floated on the surface of the soup. Just looking at it made me want to vomit.

Sophia lowered her head in disappointment. "I understand if you hate me and don't want to eat anything I made. But I spent hours simmering this broth.

I just don't want it to go to waste." Ethan immediately ordered, "It's just soup. Drink it." Knowing Buddy was still in his hands, I didn't dare anger him.

I forced down the nausea and swallowed the greasy liquid. Sophia smiled sweetly and handed me a tissue.

As she leaned in close, she whispered in my ear: "How does Buddy taste?" My brain went completely blank. I stared at her. Her smile was pure venom. "You raised him well.

He made a wonderful broth." The realization hit me like a physical blow.

I screamed, throwing the bowl at the wall, and lunged at Sophia, wrapping my fingers tightly around her throat. "What did you say?!

Say it again!" Ethan grabbed my arms and violently slapped me across the face, tearing me off her. "Are you out of your mind?!" I stared at him, cold sweat dripping down my back. "Where is Buddy?" I grabbed Ethan's shirt.

He was my last hope. Ethan checked Sophia's neck for bruises before turning his angry gaze back to me. "I told you he is fine! What the hell is wrong with you?!" "Let me see him!

I want to see him right now!" I sobbed, begging him like a dog. Ethan had never seen me look so pathetic. He pulled out his phone and made a call.

But as the line connected, his face suddenly drained of color. Panic seized me. I reached for the phone. Ethan grabbed my wrists, pinning me down. "Lily... Buddy was old.

He died of natural causes. You can't blame anyone for that." Sophia stood in the corner, watching my agonizing breakdown with a hidden, satisfied smirk.

The doctors injected me with a heavy dose of sedatives. I finally went quiet, seemingly accepting Buddy's death. For the next few days, I became a perfect, obedient doll.

Tomorrow was the Mate Ceremony. And right after the ceremony, I would be handed over to Marcus. "This is the heirloom necklace of the Johnson family.

Only the Luna can wear it." Ethan handed me a velvet box. "Once this is all over, I'll take you to get a new dog.

And we will have more pups." Ethan began describing the future he had built in his head. "Our kids will run around the yard with the puppy.

The house will be so lively." I didn't open the box. I closed my eyes. "I'm tired.

I need to wake up early tomorrow." Ethan didn't suspect a thing. "Lily, you'll be the most beautiful bride tomorrow."