After I left Alpha father and son went crazy with regret

Chapter 10

After that day, Nora barely had time to dwell on Arnold and Linda.

Leo had flooded her inbox with dozens of gigabytes of study materials, and she needed to absorb it all as quickly as possible.

After hours of reading, she set down a thick book and nestled into the recliner, exhaustion weighing her

down.

Her eyes fluttered shut, but just as her mind began to drift, her phone vibrated in her hand.

The screen lit up with Zoe’s name, her best friend and eternal source of adventure.

“Come out and play, Nora!” Zoe’s voice bubbled with excitement. “It’s the Moonlight Feast Festival! Everyone’s out partying under the full moon….you have to come.”

The Moonlight Feast Festival…the first full moon night of summer…was a sacred time for the wolves. It was a night of celebration, of feasts, music, and dancing under the moon’s soft silver glow.

Nora hesitated, memories swirling in her mind. It was during the Moonlight Feast Festival of her eighteenth year that she had first awakened her wolf.

“Go,” Lena, her wolf, urged gently. “You haven’t relaxed in ages. And this festival… it’s where it all began

for us.”

After a moment of deliberation, Nora gave in. She asked Zoe for her location, grabbed her car keys, and

headed out.

The drive was brief, and soon she arrived at the festival grounds.

The full moon hung low in the velvety sky, casting its serene light across the open field. Strings of colorful lanterns swayed gently in the breeze, their soft glow intermingling with the flicker of a grand bonfire at the center. Exquisite tents dotted the field, adorned with ribbons and banners. Wolves of all ages gathered, their laughter and song filling the night air.

As Nora stepped into the lively scene, she scanned the crowd for Zoe. But before she could find her, her eyes landed on someone unexpected… a small, bouncing figure she hadn’t seen in far too long.

It was Alex.

The golden wolf–head mark around his neck glinted in the firelight, a symbol of his lineage. Nora’s breath caught in her throat.

Aloha fathe

85

Chapter 10

It had been weeks, perhaps longer, since Alex had last called or spoken to her. She had told herself it didn’t matter, that she had moved on from him and his father. But seeing him now, so carefree and happy, left her feeling hollow.

Nora took a deep breath as she told herself to start getting over the feeling and learn to let go gradually.

in mind, Nora didn’t go up to say hello, she just

“Alex, come here!”

chatter. Linda appeared, stepping into view with her flawless poise.

to her,

her embrace, clutching her

Linda!” Alex exclaimed, pulling a small box from his pocket. “I made this

the box to reveal a delicate bracelet made of polished moonstones. Each stone gleamed

fastening the bracelet around her wrist. “It’s beautiful, Alex. Thank you so

frozen, watching the scene unfold.

bandaged Alex’s scrapes, the nights spent comforting him when he was sick, the

was, gifting Linda a token of affection he had

expression softening further as Arnold stepped

authority. His tone wasn’t harsh, but firm, as though concerned about Linda’s comfort.

in a

to him for over six years, yet he had never once displayed such consideration for her. Not when she had carried Alex on her hip for hours,

she had burned herself cooking his favorite meals or worked tirelessly

son.

Chapter 10

lifted, revealing the cruel truth she had refused to see. Arnold wasn’t

the delicate curve of her neck, which was sparkling with a delicate necklace of moonlight gems. “Look, it’s the gift you gave me. I’ve worn it all night. Does it look good?”

Arnold replied simply, his eyes lingering on

chosen with care, a personal and thoughtful gesture

bothered to make

Linda her gift? Why didn’t I know about it? You’re not allowed to

when he

number, but she had stopped counting long ago. Even this morning, they had

to Arnold’s arm, her touch light and familiar, as though

in, her voice

“Let’s go to

of the venue and grab something to eat,” she suggested, a smile playing

slight nod,

on his toes. “Let’s go as a family

Family.

She had spent years convincing herself that she could build a family with Arnold, that their bond as mates would eventually grow into love.

light of the moon, the truth was undeniable.

had already chosen his family. And it didn’t include

trio laughed and chatted, Nora quietly slipped away, her chest aching with the weight of her realization. She had clung to hope for far

moon that had once marked the start of her new life, she resolved to let go

they walked away. The image of their retreating

and

Chapter 10

swallowed by the crowd,