No Longer the Alpha’s Guardian Chapter 02

No Longer the Alpha’s Guardian Chapter 02

That night, Elijah didn’t come back to the pack house.

But I knew exactly where he was.

At a sales office, buying Kelly a villa. Making a show of it like he wanted the whole world to know.

Credit card alerts kept popping on my phone. Villa. Yacht. Limited-edition bags. Jewelry.

To keep his little kept woman happy, Elijah threw money away.

I didn’t confront him. Didn’t ask questions. I just took screenshots and saved them.

After scrolling through Kelly’s Instagram, I started packing.

Back when we mated, we agreed: if we ever broke the bond, we’d split everything in this house fifty-fifty.

So I marked my half. I even scheduled movers for the day the bond would be severed.

The next morning at the office, Elijah wasn’t there.

But the dissolution papers were already on my desk.

I laughed.

He worked fast.

I picked up a pen and signed without hesitation.

I called the lawyer to take the papers away, then went to the break room for water.

Mia, a colleague who liked me, leaned in. “Audrey, it’s Valentine’s Day. What’s Alpha Elijah getting you?”

My hand froze over the water dispenser.

Valentine’s Day. Right.

Every year, I spent it with Elijah. He knew I cared about the little things, so no matter how broke we were, he put in the effort.

Year one, he made a photo album by hand—every moment of us falling in love.

Year two, he spent a month at a glassblowing studio to make me a vase. One of a kind.

…

Last year, he gave me a whole rose field. Planted every bush himself. Picked my favorite variety.

This year?

“We’ve been married forever. I don’t even care about gifts anymore.”

I almost said we were breaking the bond, but I swallowed it.

The second I finished, someone outside screamed.

“Oh my God! That’s the most romantic Valentine’s gift ever! Alpha really knows how to play!”

“Luna Audrey is so lucky!”

“Luna Audrey, come see! Alpha got you a Valentine’s gift!”

Mia’s eyes went wide. “See? He loves you. Go look.”

She pushed me toward the crowd.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a giant hot air balloon floated in the sky.

Happy Valentine’s Day! in huge letters.

Everyone thought it was from Elijah to me.

Only Kelly stood to the side, whispering, “Actually, my boyfriend gave me that.”

Someone overheard and sneered. “Your boyfriend? Kelly, don’t flatter yourself.”

“Right. Nobody’s even heard you’re dating, and now you’ve got a rich boyfriend? I don’t buy it.”

“That’s obviously from Alpha to Luna Audrey. Stop trying to take credit.”

Kelly’s face crumpled like she might cry.

“It’s true! And my boyfriend and I are going to seal the bond soon.”

I frowned. Elijah sure moved fast. We hadn’t even officially broken our bond yet.

“Oh my God, it’s true! Look at the small print!”

The balloon drifted closer, and finally someone read the tiny line at the bottom.

Kelly, marry me!

Silence.

Everyone looked at everyone else. No one dared to speak.

Finally someone tried to smooth it over. “Well, Kelly’s boyfriend might be okay, but he’s no match for Alpha. Last year Alpha gave Luna Audrey a whole rose field. This year will be even better.”

A coworker who hated Kelly’s tight clothes smirked. “Kelly, who’s your boyfriend anyway? Does he even exist? Or did you buy that balloon yourself?”

“No! My boyfriend really gave it to me. He’ll be here any minute.”

The elevator doors opened.

Elijah stepped out, holding a bouquet of roses.

Everyone thought the roses were for me. They started cheering.

“Luna Audrey! Alpha’s here! Go!”

“Those are so beautiful. Wish someone would give me roses.”

I didn’t move.

The next second, Elijah handed the white roses to Kelly.

She’d been waiting for them.

“Kelly, Happy Valentine’s Day.”

All the smiles froze.