The Alpha's Final Penance

After being stripped of my Beta title, I thought I could finally walk away from Alpha Lucas Stone. Then my mother fell critically ill. The pack healer demanded fifty million dollars for the rare herbs needed to save her life. All of my savings had already been drained by her previous treatments. I was completely broke. Lucas showed up at my door and handed me a card. "There's five million in here. The rest depends on your performance." Just like that, I became Lucas's on-call mistress. I gritted my teeth, studying the women in adult films, doing everything I could to please him in bed. When I finally asked, my voice raw and hoarse, "When do I get the rest of the money?" Lucas lit a cigarette. "Next month." A chill washed over me. I turned around, pleading desperately. "You said you'd give it to me tomorrow! My mom won't survive until next month!" "Please." Lucas slowly exhaled a ring of smoke. "All my liquid funds went into a limited-edition jewelry set for Mia. It's her birthday." He probably expected me to throw a fit like I used to. But this time, I was simply too exhausted. "You're going out like that?" Lucas glanced at my torn clothes, his eyes flicking toward the crack in the door he had intentionally left open. I knew what he was implying. Everything that just happened had been in plain view of his guards outside. They had already seen me in far more humiliating positions. What did this matter anymore? Numbly, I pushed the door open. He grabbed my wrist. "Do you have any self-respect left?" I met his gaze, my expression dead. "Did you ever leave me any?" He went silent. We both knew the truth. Ever since I beat him three rounds in a row during the werewolf academy tournament when we were nineteen, he had fallen hard for me. He used to say his favorite thing about me was the fierce, unyielding grit I showed in battle. Yet, after only seven years, he had grown sick of it. All because the pack's newest recruit, Mia Lane, curled up in his arms and whimpered, "Alpha, the way Sienna looks at me... it terrifies me." The next day, the entire pack gathered in the main hall. Lucas stood on the high platform, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before landing on me, cold and devoid of warmth. "I, Lucas Stone, Alpha of the Moonstone Pack, reject you, Sienna Vance, as my fated mate." His voice echoed through the assembly hall, every syllable driving into my heart like a silver needle. A choked whimper slipped from my throat. My knees gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor. It felt as though something inside my chest had been violently torn in two. Agony radiated from my core into every limb. My vision blurred; a shrill ringing filled my ears. No one came to help me up. He simply stood above, watching me curl into a ball on the ground, before turning around and walking away. When I woke, three days had passed. Aunt Claire was sitting by my bed, her eyes rimmed with red. She told me Lucas had stripped me of my Beta title, confiscated my pack crest, and severed my Mind Link access. Seven years of bleeding together couldn't outweigh a single tear from a newcomer. He had brought up severing our Mate Bond seven times, and every single time was because Mia wanted an official title. Even now, knowing full well my mother was lying in the healer's clinic waiting for the rare herbs to survive, he remained completely indifferent. My eyes burned. In a hoarse voice, I asked, "How much did that jewelry set cost?" He answered casually. "Three hundred million." Three hundred million. It felt like an invisible hand had gripped my heart, squeezing until I couldn't breathe. I only needed fifty million. A fraction of that pocket change could have saved my mother. Seven years by his side, and I was worth less to him than a set of diamonds for Mia. Lucas was a man of absolute authority. When he said I had to wait a month, he wouldn't change his mind even if I dropped dead right in front of him. I stopped arguing and pulled the door open. Several pack warriors were smoking outside. The moment they saw me, they went dead silent. They shifted their eyes awkwardly. One let out a dry chuckle. "Sienna, finished with your special training?" They exchanged crude glances, chuckling under their breath. Lucas hurled a glass from inside the room. Shards shattered across my calf, cutting into my skin. Blood seeped into my pants, but the wound closed almost instantly, leaving only faint pale marks. I didn't even flinch. He frowned at the faint marks on my leg, then threw his coat over my shoulders in front of everyone. "I said you'd get it in a month. I never said I wouldn't pay. Who are you giving attitude to?" He didn't even bother buttoning it. He just draped it over me carelessly, putting on a show for the others. I stared deeply at the man I had loved for seven years. I had thought that if I became a little more submissive, a little more humble, he might remember how I once took a fatal blow for him without hesitation. They say real love hurts when the other person is in pain, but his eyes held nothing but cold indifference. The moment I stepped out of the pack territory, every ounce of strength drained from my body. My legs shook so violently I could barely stand. Tears spilled over. Behind me, carefree laughter drifted out through the doorway.Someone asked Lucas, "Sienna was clearly set up this time. Are you really not going to intervene?" Lucas's voice sounded detached. "I'm the one who set the trap. Mia said Sienna humiliated her in front of everyone when she first joined the pack. She's held that grudge for years; I had to let her blow off some steam." "Aren't you worried she might actually leave? She was our Beta, after all. Her combat skills are terrifying." Lucas burst into laughter. "Cut the crap. We've known each other for eight years, and she's been with me for seven. When has Sienna ever failed to crawl back the second I say the word?" "If she actually has the guts to leave, maybe I'll finally respect her." I leaned against the outer wall, biting down hard on the back of my hand to keep the sobs from escaping. My father was once a senior warrior of the Moonstone Pack, managing the Eastern patrol territory for decades. Ever since Lucas handed that territory over to Mia, my father's command was revoked, his resource allocations were cut off, and he even had to pay out of pocket for basic healing herbs. The loyal men my father left behind were reassigned one by one, and old acquaintances began avoiding our family like the plague. I had begged everyone I knew, yet not a single person lent a hand. It turned out Lucas was pulling the strings all along. All because of a single tear Mia shed three years ago. My open cuts stuck to my sweat-drenched clothes, tearing at my skin with every move I made. Thinking of my mother lying weak in the clinic, and remembering the healer's warning that she wouldn't last much longer without the herbs, I slapped myself across the face. Twice. "You idiot. If you hadn't fallen for him, you wouldn't have dragged Mom into this dead end." I never imagined that giving my life to someone would lead to this. The Moonstone Pack ruled half the underground werewolf world. A single word from Lucas could decide life and death. Because he wanted to appease Mia, nobody in the entire werewolf community dared to help me. I stood on the edge of the bay bridge, completely broken, watching the violent currents below. A part of me wanted nothing more than to jump. Yet I couldn't bring myself to do it. If I died, what would happen to my mother? "Right... Mia Lane." The memory hit me. Three years ago, during an inter-pack summit, I had brought her along as a fresh recruit. In the lounge area, an Alpha from another pack had tried to grope her thigh while drunk. I caught him in the act and stepped in to protect her. Back then, I was giving Lucas the cold shoulder because of some rumor between him and another female wolf. To spite me, Lucas had smirked in front of everyone and declared, "Since when does Sienna love playing the hero? Newbie, you report directly to me from now on." I never expected that moment to be the start of our three-way nightmare. I didn't even know when Lucas had developed feelings for Mia. He gave her top-tier gear, hired the best combat instructors for her, and assigned her to the most crucial patrol routes. To make sure she never felt slighted, he handed over an entire piece of pack territory as her birthday present. Whenever Mia so much as frowned, I didn't even need to ask why. Lucas would cut contact with me beforehand, then apologize to other packs in my name. He once told me, "Mia is pure. She shouldn't have to deal with this." She couldn't be slighted, so I had to be the one who took the hit. Stumbling through the night, I rushed to the private club hosting Mia's celebration party. The guards at the entrance stopped me cold. "Sorry. The Alpha gave strict orders: no one disturbs Miss Lane." This private club was a place Lucas used to bring me to all the time. Now that I was an outcast, no one spared me any respect. The night wind bit through my thin shirt. My wounds flared up again, sending chills through my teeth. "Let her in." I looked up. Lucas was standing under the veranda, looking down at me. Something flickered in his eyes, but it vanished instantly into cold detachment. "Who are you putting on this pitiful act for? Don't you know catching a chill triggers your old injuries?" He was right. I had once taken a strike from a silver weapon to save his life. The internal damage never fully healed, and whenever I caught a cold, it triggered high fevers and agonizing pain. Back when things were good between us, he would wrap me in his heavy coat and stay by my side through the night. I kept my head lowered. "I want to speak with Miss Lane." Lucas's brow furrowed, a mocking smirk touching his lips. "Still the same, aren't you, Sienna?" He was afraid I would pick a fight with Mia. After all, I had a history.When I first discovered that Mia kept sending Mind Links to Lucas in the dead of night, claiming she was having nightmares, I stormed into her quarters and dragged her out in front of the entire squad. While the warriors were whispering and snickering, Lucas walked up and slapped me across the face. Every warrior on site froze. I held my ground, asserting my claim. "You're my man. She has no business bothering you at midnight." Lucas only gave me a chilling look, pulling the pale, trembling Mia behind his back. "Look at you, acting like an unhinged shrew. You think you deserve to call me your man?!" He left me standing there, enduring the stares and whispers of the crowd. Because of that incident, Mia was given the slot for an overseas deployment that I had spent an entire month preparing for. Meanwhile, Lucas threw me into the pack dungeons to reflect on my actions. For every day Mia sulked, I spent a day locked in that cell. Without a single drop of water or crumb of food. It took Lucas a full week of pampering her before he returned. Afraid the rumors might upset her, he transferred the management rights of an entire territory to her name as compensation. I shook my head, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying. "I just want to explain to her that there's nothing between us anymore." The clear suspicion in his eyes sent a sharp ache through my chest. I had to admit, I still loved him. I knew that as the Alpha of the Moonstone Pack, his pride ran deep. Over the years, I had never dared to cross him. I was always terrified that a single wrong look would hurt his ego. Yet I never imagined he could be this cruel to me. Just to clear Mia's grievances, he orchestrated a trap to back me into a corner. It wasn't that I stopped loving him. I was simply terrified to. Once the humiliation cracked open, it spread like wildfire. My eyes turned red instantly. Lucas's brow furrowed deeper. "If you have something to say, just say it. What are you crying for...?" Just as he reached out his hand, a figure hurried out of the club. Mia was wearing a tailored evening gown, exuding wealth and effortless confidence. She looked far more radiant than the timid newcomer she used to be. Far more like the woman Lucas treasured above all else. "Why did you come out?" Lucas's tone softened immediately. She looked down, her eyes rimming with tears, which instantly threw Lucas into disarray. He wrapped an arm around her, murmuring softly, "Who upset my Mia?" Mia finally broke into a smile through her tears, lightly swatting his shoulder. "I heard Sienna was here. I wanted to see her." "You see her now. Are you satisfied?" He was asking Mia, but his eyes were fixed on me. I imagined she was quite satisfied. The Sienna who once saved her at the pack summit was now standing before her in tattered clothes, blood and sweat matting her hair against her face. A complete and utter wreck. What else could she possibly want? I wanted to scream at them, but I didn't dare. I was terrified that if I upset Mia, my mother wouldn't even last the next few days. I forced myself to paste on a subservient smile. "Mia. Long time no see." She seemed far more composed than I was. "Sienna, you didn't have to come all this way. I've already forgiven you." I looked up at her. Forgiven me? Forgiven me for taking away her phone when she tried to seduce someone else's Alpha? Or forgiven me for standing in her way of becoming the Alpha's Luna? My mind went blank. I simply stared at her in silence. Lucas suddenly flared up. "Mia was kind enough to forgive you. Don't you know how to say thank you?" My heart felt like it was being sliced into ribbons. I clamped down on my teeth to keep the tears from falling. I rolled those three words over and over in my mouth, biting down until the taste of copper filled my throat, before choking them out: "Thank... thank you..." Lucas shifted his gaze away. He pulled a pack reserve card from his pocket and pressed it into Mia's palm. "There's fifty million on here. It's up to you whether to give it to her." My eyes lit up instantly. As long as I got that money, my mother could get the herbs and survive. I looked at Mia with desperate hope, only to watch her slowly curl her fingers around the card. A faint smirk played at the corner of Mia's lips. "Sienna made the entire squad laugh at me back then, and she made the Alpha misunderstand me. I can't just hand it over that easily, can I?" Lucas chuckled and tapped the tip of her nose affectionately. "Whatever you want." Panic seized me. My mother was waiting for this money to survive. All my savings had been spent on her care. I was completely penniless, and everyone in the pack avoided me like a curse.When my mother was young, she had been wounded by a silver weapon, leaving her with permanent internal injuries. Recently, her condition had deteriorated, and the healer warned me her time was running out. With the final glimmer of hope right in front of me, I begged desperately. "Mia, it was my fault. Punish me however you want. Just please, help me." Mia tilted her head, thinking for a moment before letting out a playful giggle. "How about this, Sienna? Give me a few good wolf howls right here, and I'll give you the card. Deal?" She smiled sweetly, but her words dripped with venom. "Make it sound convincing. I heard that back when you went on covert ops, you were an expert at mimicking sounds." Lucas remained silent. He stood beside Mia, as if silently backing her every move. "Not willing?" Mia sighed, moving to slip the card back into her designer clutch. I blurted out immediately: "I'll do it!" Her smile widened, her eyes crinkling in anticipation of the show. I glanced at Lucas, who didn't show a hint of emotion. My throat felt like it had been scraped with sandpaper. It was just a few howls, yet it felt as if every shred of my dignity was being stripped away in public. I parted my lips, but no sound came out. My nails dug deep into my palms. The taste of blood filled my mouth. "Awoo..." When the first sound escaped, I could hear my voice trembling. "Awoo... awoooo..." The second howl came out clearer. A waiter in the hallway muffled a laugh. "Sounds just like a stray dog," someone whispered. Mia giggled in satisfaction, then feigned regret. "Oh, Sienna, I was just teasing. Why did you actually do it?" I didn't stop. Keeping my head down, I continued: "Awoo... awoooo..." Every sound tore through my throat like a razor blade. "Well..." Mia sighed lightly, dropping the card at my feet. I bent down to pick it up, my tears splashing against the plastic surface. My mother was saved. Lucas, I will never dare to love you again. I stood up and whispered, "Thank you." Lucas's expression darkened. He brushed Mia's hand off his arm and turned back into the club. "Lucas..." She called out to him, but he didn't look back. Mia glared at me in annoyance. "Still here?" I gripped the card tightly and left the club behind. Behind me, the voice of Mia's friend drifted through the air: "Mia, are you really Lucas's mate now? The Moonstone Pack is the most powerful pack in the territory!" Mia's earlier annoyance vanished into thin air. She raised her chin proudly. "I told you, but you didn't believe me." The woman sounded thrilled, though a hint of curiosity remained. "That Sienna Vance just now... she had something going on with the Alpha, right? You really just gave her fifty million like that?" Mia's eyes darkened, a smirk curving her lips. "Who said it was free? I already had someone upload the audio from earlier onto the pack's private forum." "What audio?" Mia chuckled. "Nothing much. Just an audio clip of Sienna Vance... howling like a dog outside the club." The healer's clinic was located on the outskirts of pack territory. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, feeling a sense of peace I hadn't felt in months. *Mom, I'm getting the herbs right now. I'm going to take you away from this place.* The healer's cottage sat on a small slope. I could see the old oak tree and the healer's silhouette moving near the entrance. I held the card high above my head, shouting: "Healer! I have the money!" I wanted the entire world to hear. Yet the moment I shoved the gate open, chaos greeted my eyes. The healer and her assistants were frantically gathered around the bed. "The patient went into shock! Her heart channel just severed!" I froze, then lunged forward, slamming the card onto the table. "Take the money! Buy the herbs! For my mother, Margaret Vance!" The healer looked at me, then glanced back toward the bed, her eyes filled with pity. She didn't take the card. I stood frozen in place. Lying on that bed was my mother. Terror seized my lungs. "Mom!" I never knew death could arrive in such terrifying silence. I rushed toward the bed, but the assistants held me back. Voices drifted in from outside the courtyard. "Listen to this audio! Sienna Vance is barking like a dog!" "God, how did she fall this low..."