Goodbye Alpha, I'm Done

BELLA

I pulled into the driveway, and the first thing I noticed was my husband's vehicle. It was parked at an odd angle, the windows fogged up.

My heart dropped as I approached the car. The sounds of grunting started growing louder.

Trembling, I reached for the car door handle and pulled it open. There was my so-called "husband" and mate, Brad, tangled up with his ex-lover Lydia right in front of our home.

After years of being disrespected and humiliated by his infidelity, this was a new low, even for him.

Lydia's head was thrown back. She was panting with a satisfied smirk on her face. Brad, on the other hand, seemed emotionless, as if I didn't even exist.

As they finally disentangled themselves and stepped out of the car, Lydia's gaze landed on me.

"Sorry, Bella," she said, the sarcasm clear in her voice. "I've always wanted to try it in the car, and Brad was sweet enough to tick it off my list. He's amazing, as always. But you wouldn’t know that since he has never touched you, right?"

She tossed a crumpled tissue at my feet. "You should probably clean that up. We made quite a mess in there."

My cheeks burned with humiliation as I stared at the tissue.

Brad's cold voice cut through the thick silence. "And while you're at it, come inside and make us dinner. I'm starving."

Dinner? After what I just witnessed? The audacity of his request made my blood boil.

How dare he treat me like his personal maid after he had just disrespected me in the worst way possible?

Lydia giggled and I wondered what the hell was funny.

"Yeah, the useless wife can take care of the chores while we enjoy ourselves." she said.

Five years of marriage, and this was what it had been reduced to.

I wanted to scream, to throw the tissues back in their faces. But instead, I simply watched them walk away into the house.

Brad had been cheating on me for years with different women to satisfy his urges. By now, I was used to it.

But Lydia was different. He was actually in love with her. And that was something I could never have.

Being alone without a fated mate was preferable to being tied to someone who didn't love me.

My heart broke every time he had declared, "You would never be my fated mate and future Luna."

Throughout our marriage, he had said those words to me five whole times!

I should have accepted his rejection the first time, but I held on, foolishly hoping he was going to change his mind.

The elegant gown I was wearing now felt like a ridiculous, overpriced costume.

Brad and I were supposed to attend the pack's gala together that evening. But of course, he had totally stood me up!

I felt so stupid, standing there alone while everyone else at the party enjoyed the evening with their mates.

I had been looking forward to this event, hoping it would be a chance for us to reconnect.

But of course, he had let me down once again, choosing to be with Lydia instead.

I kicked the tissue on the floor angrily and slammed the door shut.

That was the final straw. I couldn't keep letting them walk all over me and being the laughingstock of the pack. Enough was enough.

I marched into the house and went straight to the kitchen. I wanted to make something absolutely delicious. After all, I was a pretty damn good cook, even if Brad had always taken that for granted.

I decided to whip up my famous lasagna, which happened to be his favorite. The aroma coming from the oven was heavenly, and I felt satisfied.

Carrying the plate to the living room, I found Brad and Lydia cuddled up on the sofa. They were watching some mindless television show.

"Dinner's ready," I announced in an even tone.

Lydia's head perked up at my words, and she flashed me a sickly smile. "Oh, Bella! Finally. We're absolutely starving."

She made no move to get up, snuggling deeper into Brad's embrace instead.

Brad glanced over at me, a hint of annoyance in his eyes. "Well, don't just sit there. Serve it up, would you?"

"Actually, I'm afraid there's not enough for the two of you. I only made it for myself."

I watched as their expressions shifted from confusion to outrage.

"What do you mean, there's not enough?" Brad growled, his gray eyes narrowing. "You better get your ass in that kitchen and make us something now."

Lydia chimed in, "Isn’t that what you’re good at? Cooking and cleaning?. Fix us something to eat, right now."

I shook my head defiantly. "I'm sorry, but I'm not your personal chef. If you two are hungry, you're more than welcome to go into the kitchen and cook something for yourselves."

Brad's face twisted with fury. In one swift motion, he reached out and knocked the plate from my hands.

The ceramic shattered as it hit the floor, scattering the food everywhere.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he roared, towering over me. "Since when did you become rebellious?"

Lydia cackled from the couch happily. "Oooh, you should have dumped it on her head, darling. Maybe that would've knocked some sense into her."

I flinched at her words, feeling the sting of tears in my eyes. But I refused to let them see my pain. Instead, I rose to my feet and met Brad's furious gaze head-on.

"Listen to me for once. I'm done being your doormat. This sham of a marriage is so over."

I paused, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves. "I, Bella Hale of the Shadow Wolves pack, hereby accept your rejection as my mate and Alpha!."