Alpha’s Mistake Chapter 08
Hugo’s Perspective
I still remember that night. The burn of my palm scraping against the car door metal.
Natalie left.
That damn car’s dust cloud stung my eyes. I stood there until the last glow of the taillights disappeared into the dark. That’s when the emptiness hit me.
I thought she’d come back.
The next day. Or the day after. If I just lowered my pride a little, if I told her Nicole didn’t really matter, she’d get over her stubbornness. She belonged to me. Since we were toddlers, she’d always followed behind me. I gave her something, and she took it.
But this time, she didn’t come back.
A month later, Nicole came to me crying. She was pregnant.
I stared at the pregnancy test and felt nothing but irritation. I didn’t love Nicole. But I was raised to take responsibility for the weak. That cold-hearted woman ran away. As the pack leader’s son, I couldn’t let my reputation take a hit.
“Fine. We’ll bond,” I told her coldly.
The wedding was rushed. No big celebration. No racing heartbeat of excitement. I drank a lot that day. Standing there watching Nicole in her white dress, all I could think about was the blank look in Natalie’s eyes. She’d said, “Quit the act, Nicole. This little performance might fool them,
but it doesn’t fool me.”
Back then, I thought she was just being jealous and dramatic.
Three months into the marriage, I caught Nicole stealing money from the house to pay
debts.
off
It wasn’t for tuition or living expenses. She was keeping up appearances with her rich friends. Buying designer bags that didn’t suit her. Even keeping some guy on the side.
We started fighting. Every fight, I thought about Natalie.
I remembered her sixteenth birthday. She went on a secret mercenary job at the border just to
He gave her blessing bracelet to another woman. She watched through the…
buy me a limited-edition watch. Came home with her arm wrapped in thick bandages, smiling at
- “Happy birthday, Hugo.”
Back then, her eyes had light in them.
That light was gone.
Nicole’s greed had no bottom. She started selling confidential files from my family’s business. Called it “investing.” I was drowning, trying to keep the business afloat while paying off her debts.
I took out my old comm crystal so many times, wanting to text her.
I wanted to say, [Natalie, come back. I’ll give you everything. Kick Nicole out. You can have the
Beta position.]
But I couldn’t type the words. I was an Alpha. Future pack leader. How could I bow to a woman who abandoned her own family?
Then my dad dropped dead from a heart attack. The doctors said it was chronic stress and
anxiety.
I got to the hospital and my mom was sobbing, holding onto me. She grabbed my hand, her words slurred through the tears. “If only Natalie were still here… she was always so on top of things. She would’ve taken care of your father…”
That hit me like ice water.
I finally understood. I hadn’t just lost an obedient follower. I’d lost the only person who truly loved me, respected me, and could stand beside me in that house.
While I was gone, Nicole sold some of my father’s antique heirlooms. That was the last straw.
I searched for Natalie like a madman. I used every connection I had. Dug through United Pack Elite Warrior Academy’s records. Asked everyone who might know her.
“Natalie White?” The instructor at the academy looked at me with something like respect. “The tactical genius? She graduated a while ago.”
“Now she’s the most famous Special Ops captain on the border. Heard she’s turned down multiple recall orders from headquarters. Wants to stay on the front lines forever.”
“Where… where is she now?” My voice shook.
He gave her blessing bracelet to another woman. She watched through the…
He gave me coordinates.
I resigned from my pack position. Sold the last property I owned to pay off part of Nicole’s debt.
Then bought a ticket to the border.
Seven years. That’s how long it took to grind a proud, rich kid into a broke middle-aged man,
I stood outside that coffee shop and saw her through the glass.
She’d cut her hair short. She wore a sharp tactical uniform. She was studying a blueprint with some guy. Young guy. His eyes were full of affection and admiration.
She smiled.
Not the careful, eager-to-please smile from before. Not the cold, distant one after. This one
was real. Peaceful.
I pushed the door open. The wind chime sounded like a judgment bell.
I walked up to her and babbled apologies. Told her Nicole was a liar. Said the family had lost everything. Said her parents were scavenging for scrap.
I wanted her pity. I wanted her to just pat my shoulder and say, “It’s okay.”
But she didn’t.
She just looked at me calmly. Like I was a stranger. “What happens to you now doesn’t have
anything to do with me.”
Those words hit my heart like a dull knife.
I reached for her, but that guy-Felix-slapped my hand away without a second thought.
I watched them walk away side by side, and it finally clicked.
Back in that storage closet, she wasn’t dodging my hand because she was scared.
She just didn’t want me anymore.
I slumped into a chair. People stared. In this busy city, I was like an abandoned orphan.
I used to be the proudest wolf in the pack. Best bloodline. Best fiancée. Best future.
Until I turned the only person who truly loved me into someone else’s armor.
He gave her blessing bracelet to another woman. She watched through the…
-…
I put my head down. Tears fell on the cold marble table.
So this is what it feels like to be abandoned by the whole world.
