Unmarked: Leaving My Alpha Boyfriend

Because I was a human, my werewolf boyfriend, Alpha Ethan, always refused to mark me. But on our third anniversary, I walked in on him pinning Olivia against his office desk, kissing her passionately. Ethan only looked up when he heard the door click. When he saw me, his expression barely flickered. "Why are you back? Didn't you say you were having dinner with your parents tonight?" At that exact moment, I was suddenly glad I was just a human. A human who wouldn't feel the agonizing soul-shredding pain of a mate's betrayal. Ending this relationship wouldn't cost me much. "Ethan," I said, my voice much calmer than I expected. "We're done." Ethan's indifferent expression finally cracked. He let go of Olivia, stood up straight, and frowned at me. "What did you say?" "I said, we are done." Beside him, Olivia let out a soft gasp. She covered her mouth, her eyes wide with simulated shock. But I saw the triumphant gleam in her eyes perfectly clear. Ethan stared at me for a few seconds. Then, he let out a scoff—a knowing, impatient laugh. "Here we go again. Emily, can you stop throwing a tantrum every time you see me talking to another woman? Olivia is the Elder’s daughter. She’s going to inherit her father’s position. We were discussing pack business." "Does discussing pack business require locking the door? Does it require pinning her against your desk?" Ethan’s face darkened. If I were a werewolf, my inner wolf would probably be cowering under his Alpha aura right now. Too bad I was just a human. I wasn't afraid of him. The silence stretched, thick and tense. Then Olivia spoke up, her voice dripping with sweet innocence. "Luna Emily, you're misunderstanding. I just tripped, and Alpha Ethan was only catching me..." "Oh? And did you trip out of your shirt buttons too? Is that why they're undone?" Olivia's face flushed red. She lowered her head and shut up. Ethan’s expression grew even colder. "Emily, what do you want from me? I’m exhausted from running the pack all day, and I come home to your constant paranoia. Look at yourself. Do you have even a shred of the grace a Luna should have?" Hearing his accusations, I almost wanted to laugh. He seemed to have forgotten that three years ago, when he first became Alpha, I was the one who used my family's trading company resources and connections to open up new markets for him. That was how the pack secured a stable source of income. He was also the one who used to hold me, complaining that he was too busy with the pack and I was too busy with my family business, leaving him feeling neglected. So, I resigned from my family's company. I dedicated myself entirely to being his Luna, managing every detail of the estate for him. And now, my sacrifice was just ammunition for him to look down on me. "I don't need your validation anymore, Ethan. We're over." With that, I turned and walked out of the study. Behind me, Ethan called out, "Where do you think you're going?" I didn't answer. When I got back to our bedroom, the cake and the candlelit dinner I had prepared for our third anniversary were still sitting on the table. I had planned to celebrate our three years together. Now, it just looked pathetic. I scooped up a bite of the cake. Leaving it at room temperature for too long had made the cream sour and heavy. Frowning, I spat it out and threw everything on the table straight into the trash. There was no point in forcing myself to eat spoiled food. And there was no point in holding onto a spoiled relationship.That evening, Ethan actually returned to the manor by seven—a rare occurrence. When he walked in, I had just finished an online interview with a company in the human city. The hiring manager was very impressed and wanted me to start next week. "Next week? Do you have plans next week?" I calmly closed my laptop and came up with a random excuse without missing a beat. "Nothing major. Just meeting up with a friend for dinner." Ethan nodded, not thinking much of it. He took off his coat, draped it over a chair, and raised an eyebrow when he noticed the cake in the trash. "Still throwing a fit? Over something so small?" I replied flatly, "I'm not mad." Ethan scoffed, clearly not believing me. "Not mad? Then why did you throw the whole cake away?" "Honestly, you're almost thirty. Why are you still acting like a teenager obsessed with sweets? It's not even a special occasion, yet you went out of your way to buy a cake. I think you're just—" He stopped mid-sentence. His eyes had caught the digital candle shaped like the number "3" sitting in the trash. He stared at it for a long moment, then slowly looked up at me, hesitating. "Today is... our third anniversary?" He didn't even remember. Feeling guilty, Ethan rubbed the back of his neck and stepped closer, softening his tone. "Emily, I'm sorry. The pack business has been so crazy lately that it slipped my mind. And about this afternoon... I really was just talking business with her. You're overthinking things." Over the years, Ethan had mastered this push-and-pull tactic. He would hurt me, then throw me a bone. It was classic gaslighting, keeping me on a leash. But that trick only worked when I was still in love with him. A shattered heart doesn't flutter anymore. I turned my head away, avoiding his touch. "It's fine. Go back to your work. The pack comes first." Ethan froze. Annoyance flashed across his face, but he suppressed it and pulled a small jewelry box from behind his back. "Look, Olivia was worried you’d be upset, so she wanted to give you this to make peace. It's a piece from her own collection that she rarely wears. See if you like it." He opened the box to reveal a lotus-shaped necklace. Most of the tiny diamonds on the petals were already missing. I took one look and snapped the box shut. "I don't want it." Just an hour ago, Olivia had posted a picture of a brand-new, glittering gemstone necklace on the pack's private SnapChat stories. Her caption read: *Traded a piece of junk from my closet for a gorgeous new necklace! Alpha Ethan is the best!* Being rejected by me repeatedly finally snapped Ethan's patience. "Emily, my patience has limits! Do you really have to be this petty with a young girl?" "Olivia is a pack administrator now. She’s busy every day, yet she still took the time to worry about your feelings. Why can’t you learn from her and stop making me lose my temper?" The "young girl" Ethan spoke of was only two years younger than me. But in his eyes, Olivia was an innocent, talented, and hardworking young werewolf. And I was just a nagging, useless human Luna who did nothing but lounge around the manor all day. The memory of the woman who had used her entire family's fortune to save his pack's finances had long since faded from his mind.If this were the past, I would have argued with him to prove my worth. But now, I didn't even have the energy to speak to him. I just wanted to go to sleep. I gave him a dismissive nod. "I get it. She’s a valuable asset to the pack. She deserves the reward." "And I'm not picking on her. I just don't like wearing necklaces." Ethan stared at me, trying to read my expression. Seeing that I genuinely didn't look angry, he seemed surprised. It took him a moment to speak. "Good. I'm exhausted from dealing with pack matters. I don't want to come home to fights. I'm glad you're finally being reasonable." He paused, looking at me with a strange expression. "You didn't actually think something was going on between Olivia and me this afternoon, did you? Is that why you're acting like this?" I remained silent, which he took as confirmation. His face instantly hardened with impatience. He tugged at his tie, his voice dripping with irritation. "How many times do I have to tell you? Olivia and I are strictly professional. When are you going to stop this drama? You're constantly suspicious. Aren't you tired of this? Because I am!" His words made my mind drift back. I remembered when we first started dating. Ethan had held my hand on the balcony of the pack manor, pointing to the territory below, telling me we would build our future here together. Back then, the pack was just getting stable. He was busy, but he always made time to have breakfast with me. He would drive to pick me up when I worked late, and we would spend weekends watching the sunrise in the forest. I really thought we would make it. But somewhere along the way, everything changed. He started complaining that I asked too many questions, that I was too involved, that my presence in his office was "distracting." I blamed it on his heavy workload, so I learned to be quiet. I stopped asking questions. I pretended to be asleep when he came home late. But my silence didn't make him appreciate me. It only made him push the boundaries further. It started with Olivia staying in his office past midnight. Then, it was him standing next to her instead of me at the pack gala. While everyone whispered about whether the Alpha had found a new Luna, I was still making excuses for him. I kept telling myself he wasn't always like this. I was desperately trying to survive on the crumbs of his past love. But this afternoon in the study, the illusion finally shattered. It made me realize that the Ethan I loved had died three years ago. Now, walking away was my only option.I sighed, feeling an overwhelming exhaustion wash over me. "You don't need to explain. I understand perfectly." Before Ethan could say another word, I walked past him into the kitchen. I hadn't eaten since noon, and my stomach was burning with hunger. I pulled some leftover beef stew from the fridge, heated it up, and sat down to eat by myself. Ethan stood there, frowning as he watched me. "Is that what you're eating?" "Forget it. Today is our anniversary. I don't want to fight with you. Put that away. I'll cook us a proper meal." I was starving and didn't want to wait an hour for him to start from scratch. "This is fine. You don't have to—" Before I could finish, Ethan reached out to grab the bowl from my hands. "I said, don't eat that garbage!" Instinctively, I pulled back to protect my food. In the scuffle, the boiling hot stew splashed over the back of my hand. A blistering pain flared up instantly, and tears welled in my eyes. Ethan panicked. "I didn't mean to. Let’s get you to the Healer right now." He grabbed my wrist, trying to pull me toward the door. I was about to tell him I could go by myself when his phone rang. The screen lit up with the name "Olivia." "Alpha... I think there's something outside my window... I heard noises in the woods. Could it be rogues? I'm so scared!" Hearing Olivia's trembling voice, Ethan went rigid with tension. "Stay in your room. Lock the doors and windows. I'm on my way." Ethan looked back at me, torn. I gently pulled my hand from his grip. "Go. There have been reports of rogue sightings near the border. Her cottage is right next to the outer boundary. It's dangerous. As the Alpha, it's your duty to protect your pack members." Ethan let out a sigh of relief, clearly glad to be let off the hook. "I'm glad you understand. Go see the Healer. I'll check on Olivia and meet you there." I walked alone to the medical wing in the east wing of the manor. Since the Healer lived on the estate, they were available 24/7. No appointment needed. By the time my burns were treated and bandaged, it was already past midnight. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my bandaged hand, then at the empty, quiet room. I pulled out my phone and texted Ethan, asking when he would be back. His reply came instantly. "Almost there." So, I sat by the window and waited. Half an hour passed. An hour passed. Still, there was no sign of him. My stomach started to cramp from hunger again. I had to curl up on the chair just to dull the pain. I opened my phone again, intending to ask where he was, but my finger slipped, and I clicked on the pack's private SnapChat story. Olivia had posted an update forty minutes ago. The photo was dark, but you could clearly make out the sharp silhouette of a man's jawline sleeping beside her bed. Her caption: *Alpha was worried about my safety, so he stayed to guard my room tonight. How did I get so lucky to have such an amazing Alpha?* I let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. I was such a fool. How could I keep putting my faith in a man who had broken his promises a thousand times? I tapped the screen, liked her post, and left a comment: "The Alpha and his devoted pack member. A match made in heaven." When I refreshed the page a minute later, the post was deleted. Then came a direct message from Olivia: "I'm so sorry, Luna Emily! I forgot to hide my story from you." "Alpha is only staying here because of the rogue threat. Nothing happened between us, please don't be mad at him." I had dealt with this pathetic game for years. She probably expected me to do what I always did—call Ethan, scream at him, and demand he come back to the main house immediately. But this time, I simply blocked her number, turned off my phone, and went to bed. Whether they slept together or not didn't matter to me anymore.