Page 50 of The Alpha Wolf's Pregnant Bride

“Al-Alpha Cyrus?” I ask through a sniff.

Luna Phoebe nods wistfully. “My son hasn't gotten over his father's sudden death. That's why he's still without a mate.”

A moment of silence passes, in which we both take sips of herbal tea from our mugs.

“I'm sure he'll take a mate soon,” I comment stealthily, eyeing her discreetly from over the mug.

She sets her cup down and rolls her eyes. “Oh, no, he swore against it,” she clicks her tongue.

“I'm sure he'll change his mind,” I add hopefully, to which the luna shakes her head and sighs.

“I'm afraid not. Ever since his father died, Cyrus has been headstrong about not taking a mate. No one can change his mind, not even me.”

My heart begins to pound in my chest, my eardrums filling with shrill ringing that has me snapping out of the daze I'd been swept in since last night.

How could I be so stupid to think that Cyrus Rudolph could have any good intentions?

Of course, the man wouldn't take a mate. He's too much of a playboy—something I'd witnessed first-hand when I saw him flirting with that human in the restaurant.

The truth comes raining down on me like a thunderstorm meant to drown any hopes I could have had that the Alpha of Moon Shine could possibly want more than just sex.

“... I'm afraid the Rudolph name will die out when he does. He has no intention of taking a mate.”

The more Luna Phoebe speaks regretfully about Alpha Cyrus's stance on the matter, the more I become certain that I'd made a grave mistake. A terrible judgment that led me to give up my virtue to a man who will never honor me.

He couldn't respect me before, always belittling me and turning me against being a member of this pack. How could I forget, in a moment of reckless passion, that he'd been the sole reason for my departure nine years ago?

As my ears drum with panic, the bile that rises in my throat has me choking on the herbal tea.

“Oh, honey!” Luna Phoebe springs from her seat and comes over with a napkin. “Are you alright?”

“I-I'm fine,” I lie, gratefully taking the napkin and dabbing my lips. “I should probably get going now.”

Luna Phoebe nods and smiles at me, but her comfort no longer soothes me. I am too disheartened by the realization that Cyrus only used me for sex.

Not only that, but I'd foolishly revealed my secret identity to him. Ihelpedhim.

Only to be reminded that Cyrus Rudolph is a heartless brute who could never care for me the way I'd want him to.

Heart pounding and vision blurring with tears I refuse to shed, I run back to my cottage, to the sanctity provided between the four walls, and finally let the tears roll down.

I can't be here anymore. I made the biggest mistake of my life by coming back, hitting the last nail of the coffin by foolishly giving myself to the Alpha, who will never see me as more than another line to the tally of his many conquests.

He got what he wanted, and now I'm just disposable. It was only sex, and I was stupid enough to go above and beyond by helping him hack into the government systems.

That's why he'd been cold when he came back into the office. He had no intention of taking a mate, and he was only using me.

There's only one thing left to do. With the shattered pieces of my heart lodging in my throat, I rush into my bedroom and grab my suitcase out of the wardrobe.

Shoving my belongings inside, I vigorously wipe at my tears, shame fueling my need to get as far away from Mysthaven as possible.

As far away from the Alpha, who'd only used me for sex, I'd allowed him to use me for so much more, and I only have myself to blame.

I can't be here anymore.

Chapter 14 - Cyrus

“I've got it!” I announce as soon as I enter the boardroom. With the Alphas who form the Council of Oklahoma werewolf packs gathered in Alpha Theodore's office in Tulsa, I waste no time informing them that I now have the location of the rogues' headquarters.

---