Too Late To Regret, My Alphas Chapter 3: The Alphas & Their Lies

Rosalie:

My steps faltered slightly as another mory surfaced - the day everything changed, the day everything began.

My throat tightened painfully.

My parents had been everything to . My only safe place in a world that constantly reminded I didn’t belong.

And then... they were gone. Just like that.

A car accident two years ago took them away from forever.

I had felt like I was drowning back then too. Alone, broken, and with nowhere to go. Until Alpha Blackthorn took in.

I had moved into the pack house shortly after, surrounded by people who either pitied ... or ignored .

I didn’t expect anything to change. I didn’t expect anyone to notice . But they did.

It started small. So small I almost missed it.

An accidental bump in the hallway - my shoulder colliding with a solid chest, strong hands catching before I could fall.

Kaiser.

I still rembered the way he had smirked down at with amusent flickering in his green eyes. "Careful, little wolf."

Little wolf.

No one had ever called that before.

Then there was Darien. He was soft-spoken and calm when he had spoken to for the first ti, like really spoken - not as the Beta’s daughter, not as soone insignificant, but as... .

"You should eat more," he had said one evening, sliding a plate toward when he noticed I had barely touched my food.

It was such a small thing, yet it had ant everything.

And Alastor, he had been different from the start. At the re age of 17, he beca the Alpha of Crescent Wolf Pack after his father’s death. He was colder, sharper, and his presence alone commanded attention.

Since he Darien and Kaiser’s childhood friend, he visited the packhouse a lot. And that’s how I got to et him.

I rembered the first ti our eyes t, his deep blue ones locking with my brown ones, and for a mont, I had felt seen. Truly seen. It had been overwhelming, terrifying, and even addicting.

One mont turned into many. Accidental encounters turned into intentional ones. Passing glances turned into lingering stares. Simple conversations turned into sothing deeper... sothing dangerous.

And sowhere along the way, I lost myself. Because before I even realized what was happening, they beca my world.

They sought out, stayed with , touched , and spoke words that wrapped around my heart and refused to let go.

"You are ours, Little wolf."

"The only one."

"We don’t need anyone else."

And I had believed them.

Stars, I had believed every single word. Even when they told to keep it a secret.

"It’s complicated."

"People won’t understand."

"Three Alphas with one woman... it will cause trouble."

I had nodded, agreeing, trusting them. Because I thought it ant sothing. That I ant sothing.

But tonight they stood before everyone, before both packs... and claid another woman without hesitation, without fear, and without even a second glance in my direction.

My chest tightened painfully as I realized it wasn’t about secrecy or about protecting , it was about hiding .

Sha burned through , hot and suffocating.

The whispers, the ones I used to ignore, returned.

"They are just playing with her."

"She’s too stupid to see it."

"She really thinks she’ll beco Luna?"

"They’ll never choose soone like her."

I had laughed it off. Though they were just jealous. Because I thought I knew the truth. Because I thought I was special.

My steps slowed to a stop and a broken sound escaped my throat - half laugh, half sob.

I was the joke. The biggest one of all.

I pressed a hand against my chest, trying to steady the erratic rhythm of my heart, but it only made it worse.

Because it hurt.

So much.

How could they do this? How could they look at like I ant nothing... after everything?

My fingers curled into the fabric of my dress.

"I was enough..." I whispered hoarsely, my voice trembling. "I was... I was enough..."

But the words sounded empty even to .

A sudden chill brushed against my skin, making shiver. I blinked, finally becoming aware of my surroundings.

I had walked far. Farther than I intended.

The familiar paths of the pack were gone, replaced by darker, unfamiliar woods that stretched endlessly in every direction. The lights from the party were no longer visible, swallowed by distance and shadow.

When had I co this far?

My breath hitched slightly as I looked around, and felt unease creeping into my chest.

The sky above had changed too. Dark clouds lood overhead, thick and heavy, swallowing the moonlight entirely. And then a low rumble of thunder echoed in the distance.

I stared up at it blankly.

I should have noticed earlier. The signs were there. The sky had been darkening long before the ceremony began. It was a clear warning, a reflection of what was to co. But I had been too busy dreaming. Too busy believing in sothing that was never real.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips as the first drop of rain fell, landing softly against my cheek.

Then another.

And another.

It was cold, sharp, and real. They mixed with the tears I could no longer hold back, tracing silent paths down my face.

"How fitting..." I murmured weakly, my voice barely audible over the growing sound of rain.

The sky wept for . Or maybe it mocked . I didn’t know anymore.

I closed my eyes briefly, letting the rain soak into my hair, my dress, my skin, and wash away everything that had once tied to them. To that place. To that lie.

But then, a sound caught my attention. It was faint at first, but then it got clearer.

My eyes snapped open and my body went still as I heard the voices.

"...find her-"

"...she couldn’t have gone far-"

"...Alpha said-"

My breath caught as cold dread slid down my spine.

They weren’t distant, but close... too close. And sothing about the tone of those voices - sharp, urgent, and dangerous - made every instinct inside scream.

Run.

I didn’t think, didn’t hesitate even for a second to confirm if I was overthinking the situation. I just turned.. and ran.