My Toxic Alpha Marked Another Woman, So I Staged My Death

When Daniel promised me a beautiful future, I was the only one in his eyes. He held me tight and said that once he inherited the Alpha title, he would make me his Luna.

We grew up together. The Iron Crest Pack and my home, the Stone Creek Pack, were neighbors, and he was a frequent guest at our house.

I watched him grow from an Alpha’s son into a fierce, powerful leader. I naively waited for that promised day.

But on the day he finally took over the pack, he held the hand of a woman in a white dress, looked at me, and said, "Elena, you have to be reasonable." The news that Daniel was going to mate with Lily Green—the daughter of the Silver Creek Pack's Alpha—spread like wildfire.

I was sitting at my vanity, putting on my makeup, when the news reached me.

Alex Carter, a common pack warrior who usually ran errands for the Alpha, walked in cautiously carrying a tray. He didn't even dare to look up at me.

He had been by Daniel’s side for a long time. He had witnessed every single vow Daniel had made to me. Even a messenger felt guilty. But what about you, Daniel?

I let out a selfdeprecating laugh and glanced at the food on the tray. I had no appetite at all. "Where is he?" I asked.

Alex bowed his head even lower. "Alpha Daniel is in a meeting.

He can't get away right now, but he is still thinking of you." My smile didn't reach my eyes. "He’s with Lily, isn't he?" Alex fell silent. So, I was right. Never mind.

I watched Alex leave. Outside, a light snow began to fall, mirroring the coldness freezing my heart. My first meeting with Daniel had been on a day just like this.

That year, after the Alliance Pack Summit, the Alpha of the Iron Crest Pack brought his son to visit the Stone Creek Pack to negotiate an alliance.

My father threw a grand banquet to welcome them. The young Daniel stood beside his father. He wore a heavy black coat.

Though he was young, his sharp eyes carried a quiet, commanding authority. I was standing at the landing of the stairs on the second floor when my father saw me.

He waved me down. "This is my daughter, Elena. She’s my only girl, and I've spoiled her rotten.

If she causes you any trouble, just let me know, and I’ll handle her." I stood there frozen, completely captivated by how handsome the boy was. I forgot to speak.

Suddenly, something stirred deep within my chest. My inner wolf was waking up, whispering to me that the boy standing in front of me was my fated mate.

Back then, I didn't fully understand what that meant. I just stood there, speechless. He offered a soft smile, and the warmth in his eyes made my heart skip a beat.

I didn't know then that he would become the future Alpha of the Iron Crest Pack. I called him Daniel. I constantly pestered him to teach me combat skills and tactical strategies.

He never showed a single hint of impatience.

Whether it was the burning summer or the freezing winter, as long as he visited Stone Creek, he would spend hours with me on the training grounds. I was wild and hyperactive.

Yet, a man as decisive and ruthless as him was always incredibly gentle with me.

My mother used to tease me. "When your father made you read the pack ledgers, you would throw a massive tantrum and cry your eyes out.

But look at you now—training in combat every day, getting taller and tanner. You don't look like a proper lady at all.

How are you going to be a Luna in the future?" I would shrug it off, but later that night, I’d secretly slather skincare cream all over my face.

A young girl's feelings are hard to hide. I loved his composure. I loved the fleeting sadness that occasionally crossed his face.

I loved every word he said, and every single thing he did. Daniel treated me wonderfully. In his spare time, he would take me to the local tavern in town to drink craft beer.

Every time he returned from a mission, he would bring back unique trinkets just for me. Besides my father and my brother, he was the best man in my life.

During those years, territorial disputes between packs became more frequent, and several wars broke out. My family ruled the Stone Creek Pack.

My father wasn't like other traditional Alphas. He taught me finance, strategy, and pack management from a young age. He was raising me to know how to lead.

When I was a kid, I hated it. I envied other girls who could act cute and throw fits, while I got lectured by my father if I made a single mistake in my lessons.

Fortunately, Daniel never raised his voice at me.

Even when he was frustrated, he would just take a deep breath and give me a helpless smile. "Elena, the sweet plums at the orchard outside the town are ripe.

Let me take you to pick some." I dropped whatever I was doing and followed him. He drove me to the orchard, nimbly climbed up a tree, and picked a whole bag of plums for me.

I sat on the grassy hill, happily munching on the fruit. The wind blew through his dark hair as he sat there in his black clothes, staring at a plum in his hand, lost in thought.

Daniel’s mother had loved sweet plums. Back then, I was too young and careless to realize that the emotion in his eyes was deep, agonizing grief.

One autumn night that year, we went for a walk along the river and were ambushed by a pack of rogues. We ran for our lives and hid in an abandoned warehouse.

He was badly injured, and before long, he developed a raging fever. He started burning up, slipping in and out of consciousness, muttering incoherently. "Mom...

I picked some sweet plums for you. Please, try some..." It was only then that I learned the truth.

When he was eight years old, a rogue pack named Bloodfang had raided a border village of the Iron Crest Pack.

His mother and many of his pack members were brutally slaughtered in that raid. His father’s visit to Stone Creek was to secure an alliance so they could destroy Bloodfang together.

I couldn't begin to imagine how an eightyearold Daniel had managed to survive that horrific slaughter. Touching his burning skin, my heart ached terribly for him.

I soaked my clothes in cold river water, running back and forth in the dark.

I stripped off his shirt and held him close against my bare chest, trying to use my own body temperature to cool him down. After doing this several times, his fever finally broke.

At dawn, the cold morning air made me sneeze. Daniel, who was nestled in my arms, jolted awake. Our eyes met.

Daniel, who hadn't flinched when facing a dozen enemies the night before, looked at his bare chest and blushed for the very first time.

Before he even turned twenty, Daniel had successfully united three border packs into a defensive alliance on behalf of the Iron Crest Pack.

Every time my father mentioned him, he couldn't stop praising him. My father said Daniel was brilliant and had a glorious future ahead of him. He wanted us to be together.

My mother, however, was worried. She said Daniel was not an ordinary man, and his path would be dangerous.

My father just laughed and said his daughter deserved the best man in the world. I eavesdropped from outside the door.

Actually, since that night in the warehouse, I had already decided that he was the only one for me.

But father, if you were still alive today, you would definitely regret your decision.

Daniel and I were together for seven years.

Yet, when he turned thirty and finally inherited the Alpha title, taking control of the entire Iron Crest Pack, the Luna he chose was not me.

He held Lily’s hand, laughing and talking with her. She wore a white dress and looked so gentle, so innocent. Lily was the daughter of the Silver Creek Pack's Alpha.

Now that Daniel needed to secure his new territory, a political marriage was his best option. I should have seen it coming. I walked back to my quarters, completely hollowed out.

My mind kept flashing back to the night we spent in the garden when I was nineteen.

He had held me tight and whispered, "Elena White, I, Daniel Black, swear I will never betray you." The night I walked in on him and Lily, I told him I was leaving.

For the first time in his life, he snapped at me, his suppressed rage barely contained. "Elena, you have to be reasonable." But I am your fated mate!

I fought back my tears, stubbornly refusing to look at him. We stood in a tense silence for a long time.

Finally, his tone softened, and he tried to coax me. "Lily and I are just business partners. You are the only one I love.

We've been together for so many years, don't you know my heart by now?" I remained silent. He continued, "I will make you the Beta of the pack. You will have the same power as me.

You won't have to bow to anyone." I looked at his face. It was the same face I had loved for years, but I felt absolutely no connection to him anymore.

Was this really my Daniel? "Then can I make one request?" I asked quietly. He let out a sigh of relief, thinking I was giving in. He quickly asked, "What is it?" "Let my brother go.

Michael White, the son of the former Alpha of Stone Creek." He froze, and his voice hardened. "No." I let out a cold laugh and pointed toward the door, telling him to get out. "I will give you anything else, Elena.

Just don't make things difficult for me," he said, sounding as though I was the one being unreasonable. When Daniel annexed the Stone Creek Pack, my father died in the conflict.

I had held my father's cold, lifeless body, crying until I had no tears left. Daniel, always so stoic, had red eyes too.

I had whispered to him, "I don't have a father anymore." He had pulled me into his arms, his lips trembling as he repeated, "Don't be scared, I'm here." My father had fought tirelessly in the Pack Council to secure support for Daniel.

In the end, Daniel couldn't even tolerate his existence. After my father's death, Stone Creek was swallowed by Iron Crest. My brother, Michael, refused to bow to Daniel.

Frictions grew between them, and they began clashing in secret. Daniel feared that Michael’s influence would surpass his own.

So, the first thing he did after becoming Alpha was frame Michael as a traitor and banish him from the territory, forcing him to become a rogue. The victor writes the history.

I didn't blame him for that. But he shouldn't have smeared my brother's name with treason, and he certainly shouldn't have tried to wipe out the last of the White bloodline.

I looked at him with pleading eyes, throwing away all my pride. Fine.

If staying in this pack meant watching him break every single promise he had made to me, if it meant becoming the submissive woman I had always despised—I would do it.

Compared to my brother's life, what did my pride matter?

I used my submission to extract a promise from him: to spare Michael's life, let him leave the territory, and never allow him to step foot in pack lands again.

It was the first time he had seen me so broken. He stayed silent for a long time before finally whispering, "Fine." The heavy rock in my chest finally lifted.

For the first time in months, I sincerely said, "Thank you." As long as he was alive, there was still hope.

Before the mating ceremony, I didn't see Daniel again. I stood by the floortoceiling window, staring at the pack's horizon. How ironic.

Exactly a year ago today, Daniel and I were running wild and free in the woods. Now, I was just a forgotten ghost.

The mating ceremony was being held at the grand hall of the estate. Even from miles away, the roaring cheers of the crowd reached my ears.

Tina Miller, a sweet pack girl assigned to take care of me, walked in. She whispered that the wind was too cold for my fragile health and that I should head inside.

I found it almost funny. Years ago, I could fight on the training grounds for three days and nights without break.

People used to praise me for being a fierce, capable female warrior. Now, I was reduced to a "fragile" woman who couldn't even handle a breeze.

Come to think of it, I hadn't slept well in a very long time. I asked Tina to bring me my sedatives, took them, and went to bed.

Late at night, a heavily drunk Daniel stumbled into my room. He kissed me just like he used to, stripping off my clothes and pressing his body against mine.

I suddenly spoke up. "Do you do this to Lily too?" He froze instantly, pulling away from me. "Why bring her up?" I smiled coldly, putting my clothes back on. "She is the rightful Luna now, isn't she?" I remembered when he had first achieved success, and another pack had sent him a beautiful woman as a gift.

I had thrown a massive fit, publicly hummiliating the person who sent her.

Daniel had only looked at me with an indulgent smile, dismissed the woman, and bought me a limitededition sports car to coax me.

Back then, I didn't allow anyone to share his love. "When it's just the two of us, don't mention anyone else, okay?" he coaxed softly, wanting me to act cute and lean into him like before.

I let out a bitter laugh. "The fact that I'm still willing to stay in this estate is already my ultimate compromise.

From now on, don't come to my room." He sat up abruptly, grabbing my chin in the dim light, forcing me to look at him. "Elena White, what the hell is that supposed to mean?" I stared straight into his dark eyes. "I made myself very clear.

Are you deaf?" Rage flared in his eyes, making him look like a savage beast. I had an old injury on my shoulder—a scar from a silver blade I had taken for him years ago.

It ached terribly whenever it rained. But right now, he didn't care about my pain at all. He pinned my shoulders down, his movements rough and violent.

I curled up in pain, but he ignored my silent agony, ruthlessly forcing himself on me. "Elena White! No one defies me!" The night was agonizingly long.

When he was done, he tossed me aside like trash. "Think about your attitude. I'm leaving." The lights went out, and tears slid down my cheeks, soaking into my hair.

A sudden wave of panic washed over me. If my parents were watching me from the heavens, what would they think of me now? Daniel, you promised my father.

You promised you would never treat me like this.

The night before my brother was scheduled to leave the territory, I went to see him.

Knowing this might be the last time we ever saw each other, I brought his favorite whiskey and some food. We sat together on the carpeted floor.

I raised my glass. "Cheers, Michael." I had always hated the burning taste of strong liquor, but tonight, as the alcohol burned down my throat, it felt incredibly numbing.

So, alcohol really was a good thing. Looking at the raw scars on my brother's hands, my nose tingled. "I'm so useless.

I couldn't protect any of you." He finished his glass, shook his head, and sighed. "A grown man needing his little sister to protect him?

That's embarrassing." He fell silent for a long moment, then spoke softly. "Our father and I were blind. We brought a monster into our own home. How can I blame you?

But leaving you here alone... it's going to be so hard on you." I wiped my tears. "Just live a good life out there. Don't try to get revenge.

The Daniel we knew is gone." The game was over. No one could fight him now. He smiled at me.

Though his hair was messy and he looked exhausted, he was still incredibly handsome. "My little Elena has finally grown up." My brother left the next morning.

But Daniel's men kept a close eye on him. They stalked him everywhere, harassing him and making it impossible for him to settle down anywhere or even find a decent job.

My onceproud brother was struggling just to stay alive. I begged Daniel to intervene, and he promised he would.

But behind my back, he ordered his men to pressure Michael even harder, forcing him to flee to the most remote, hostile lands.

I was locked away in the estate, forbidden from seeing him off. Staring out the window at the distant mountains, I kept repeating to myself: Just run.

Just get away. Get away from this toxic dump and find a place of your own.

I only hoped that my brother would have a better life than me. A few weeks later, I was sitting at my desk, stitching an herbal sachet, when the guards announced that Lily had arrived.

Daniel had decreed that I didn't have to bow to anyone, so up until today, Lily and I had never met facetoface. She wore a pristine white dress.

She looked clean, elegant, and strikingly beautiful. "I've been wanting to visit you, but I've been so busy keeping Daniel company lately. I finally found some time today.

I hope you don't mind," she said, sitting down casually. Her smile was sweet, perfectly polite. I kept my eyes on my stitching. "You flatter me, Luna Lily.

I should have been the one to pay my respects to you." She rested her chin on her hand. "You've fought beside Daniel for so many years, and he lets you live here without bowing to anyone.

That's such a massive sign of respect. Unlike me... I used to stay safe at home all the time.

Daniel cherishes me too much; he says he could never bear to let me live a life of blood and violence..." My hand trembled, and the needle pierced deep into my finger.

Blood welled up. My stomach churned, but I kept my face completely expressionless. "When did you and Daniel meet?" I asked quietly.

Lily giggled, looking like an innocent teenager in love. "Daniel and I? Oh, it was about three years ago. My father highly respected him.

Daniel promised him that he would mate with me, so my father provided all the resources and warriors to help him secure the Alpha title..." Three years ago. Three years ago...

He had betrayed me that early. And all that time, we were still considered the most enviable couple in the pack. I looked down at the halffinished sachet.

I used to hate doing delicate needlework. But during winter patrols, Daniel always complained about the freezing wind on his neck, so I forced myself to learn how to knit.

I remembered how he used to sit in his pajamas, leaning his head on his hand, watching me under the warm lamp light with a soft smile. "Looking at a beautiful girl under the lamp... it really is a view." I had blushed and glared at him. "We've been together for years, stop being so cheesy." My vision blurred.

Tina saw that something was wrong and rushed over to support me. I waved her off. "I'm not feeling well. You should go, Lily.

Let's talk some other day." Lily rolled her eyes, looking bored, and walked out.

I turned to Tina. "Throw all the needles and thread away." Tina looked at the sachet with pity. "But you're almost finished.

Why would you..." "Just throw it away," I interrupted her. "I don't ever want to touch them again." If something is already dirty, what's the point of keeping it?