Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate-Chapter 42

Elodie’s POV~

As soon as Liora’s hair was dry, she announced she wanted to sleep.

I didn’t believe her for a second. She was still clutching her phone like it was a secret she couldn’t part with. I leaned against the doorframe, watching her try to look innocent. “You can look at it for a little while,” I said gently. “But then you go to bed after that, okay?”

“I know, Mom.”

Her voice had that tired patience children use when they want you to leave. I smiled faintly and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “Alright then. I’ll check on you later.”

She nodded, eyes already glued to the screen. I hesitated a second longer, then turned away.

The moment I closed her door, I heard it, the soft click of the lock.

My chest tightened. Liora never locked me out unless she wanted to talk to Sienna. And I knew that’s exactly what she was doing now. She’d probably call her, whispering things I wasn’t meant to hear, things about her father that still hung like a ghost in this house.

I stood in the hallway for a moment, staring at the door, then sighed and made my way back to the master suite. The lights in the hallway were dim, and everything felt too quiet.

Dante still wasn’t home.

The house, though large and beautiful, felt cold, soulless. I could almost hear the echo of my own footsteps following me, mocking how alone I’d become in a place that was supposed to be ours.

I showered, took my time with it, let the water burn against my skin until I felt something... anything. Then I slipped into one of Nonna’s old silk robes, found a book on my nightstand, and tried to read.

But I couldn’t focus. My mind kept drifting. The clock ticked louder than it should’ve. Eleven-thirty. Still no Dante.

My heart told me not to care, but my wolf wouldn’t listen. She still pricked up at the faintest sound of an engine outside, still hoped to hear his boots on the marble, his low voice saying my name.

He wasn’t always like this.

There was a time, years ago, before everything changed, when he’d look at me and there’d be fire in his eyes. Wouldn’t get his hands off me, placed several kisses and kept repeating that o was his world. Before he became Alpha of the Bellini Pack. Before Sienna.

I should’ve known the moment she came into our lives that nothing would be the same.

She had a way of drawing people in, of making you feel like you were standing in the shadows no matter how brightly you tried to shine. Dante used to look at me like that like I was his world. Then one day, his gaze shifted, and it was like watching the sun turn away.

By the third year of our marriage, things had softened between us. Not love, maybe, but comfort. Peace. Then Sienna appeared.

And I lost him without a fight.

I sighed and closed my book, the silence pressing in from all sides. My chest ached with the weight of things left unsaid. I stood and left the room, padding quietly down the stairs.

That’s when I heard it.

A voice, soft, teasing, and familiar. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

“Everyone’s asleep,” Amber said lightly. “Or is it because Elodie’s here that you don’t want to go back to your room?”

My heart froze. Amber... And Dante.

I stopped at the edge of the hallway, the faint light from the chandeliers catching on the polished floor. They stood together near the study, Amber with that knowing smirk, Dante with his hands shoved into his pockets, looking irritated but calm.

Dante was standing out on the terrace, cigarette glowing faintly between his fingers, smoke curling up into the night. The wind carried the faint scent of his cologne, cedar, spice, and something darkly masculine that used to make my heart ache in a softer way. Now it just hurt.

From where I stood by the doorway, the moonlight painted his frame in silver and shadow. He looked carved from stillness, detached, unreadable. I couldn’t see his face clearly, but I didn’t need to. I knew that posture, the quiet kind of indifference that came from years of holding himself above emotion.

Amber’s voice broke through the silence, smooth and teasing. “You know, I understand you, Dante. I’ve met Sienna a few times. She’s only twenty-five, already earned her doctorate from one of the top universities in the Pack in Europe. She’s smart, capable, beautiful and that wild, untameable spirit of hers... that’s something most women just don’t have.”

Her tone was laced with admiration, though it stung like poison in my ears.

“She’s radiant,” Amber continued, glancing up at her brother. “She has everything it takes to attract you. But her background isn’t exactly... prestigious. Have you thought this through?”

Dante didn’t even flinch. His voice came out low, calm, final. “I know what kind of woman I want.”

Amber frowned. “But—”

He turned his head slightly, and even in the dim light I saw that sharp flicker of warning in his eyes. The kind of look that silenced people. I’d seen it before, directed at his rivals, his subordinates, even pack members who dared challenge his authority. But never at family.

Amber hesitated, her tone softening. “You’re so protective of her. You won’t even let me say a word against her. Fine, I’ll stop talking.” She gave a dry laugh. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

I stood there frozen, my heart sinking deeper with every word. My hands were clenched so tightly that my nails bit into my palms. The night air was cold and sharp, burning my cheeks. I should’ve turned away the moment I heard Sienna’s name but I couldn’t. I stayed. Like a fool desperate to hear something that might fix the ache.

But there was no fixing this.

Amber’s words had only confirmed what I’d already known, what I’d refused to admit out loud: he didn’t just admire Sienna... he wanted her. Protected her. Defended her. The way he once did me.

I bit my lip and finally took a step back. I couldn’t breathe.

Just as I turned to leave, Amber’s voice cut through the silence again, casual, as though she’d just remembered something trivial. “Oh, by the way, I heard Elodie submitted her resignation from the company?”

My heart stuttered.

Dante’s reply was quiet, indifferent. “The day before yesterday. Albert said she made a mistake with a client. He was angry, so I told him to follow company procedures. Terminate her.”

For a moment, I couldn’t move.

Amber gave a short, incredulous laugh. “So that’s what happened. When she told me earlier, she made it sound like she resigned on her own. I was wondering how someone like her could walk away from you so easily.”

Her laugh was cruel, echoing faintly in the night air. “So she was actually fired. Figures.”

Dante didn’t say a word. Didn’t defend me. Didn’t even deny it.

It was like I’d been erased, like I was just another name on his payroll. Nothing more.

I pressed a hand to my mouth to keep from making a sound, then slowly backed away before either of them could see me. My legs felt weak, trembling beneath me as I climbed the stairs, my vision blurring.

When I reached the second floor, I almost collided with York, Dante’s youngest brother.

“Whoa, Luna... sorry,” he said quickly, steadying me with a hand on my shoulder. His expression softened when he saw my face. “Are you okay?”

York had always been kind to me. Naïve, maybe, but kind. One of the few people in this mansion who still looked at me like I mattered.

I forced a small smile, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I’m fine.”