Chapter 4 His Regret

DAHLIA

The grand hall shimmered under the full moonlight pouring through the tall glass windows. Laughter, music, and the faint scent of wine filled the air yet to me, it all felt like noise. Meaningless noise.

“She must be new to the pack,” one of the elders whispered to another. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful maiden.”

Their words floated to my ears, and for a moment, I almost smiled. If only they knew. I walked past them, shoulders squared, head held high, the soft rustle of my crimson gown following me like a whisper of power.

From across the hall, my gaze found him.

Kael.

Sitting on the Alpha’s throne, looking every bit the ruler he always dreamed of being — proud, cold and untouchable. And beside him, dressed in silver silk that shimmered like frost, was Sienna. My replacement.

I didn’t expect it to hurt. Not after everything I’d been through. Not after five long years of healing. But when his arm brushed hers, when she leaned closer and smiled at something he said, I felt it… a sharp, traitorous sting in my chest.

I turned away before the memories could claw too deep.

The bar stood at the edge of the ballroom, tucked beneath the balcony that overlooked the dance floor. I headed straight for it. I needed something strong enough to quiet the chaos inside me.

“Whiskey,” I told the bartender, my voice steady.

He nodded, sliding a glass toward me. I lifted it, watching the golden liquid swirl before taking a slow sip. It burned in the best way.

One by one, pack members drifted closer — betas, warriors, sons of elders — all of them asking for a dance. Their eyes sparkled with interest, but I refused them all.

“I don’t dance,” I said, offering a polite smile.

In truth, I couldn’t bear to stand on that floor again. Not where I’d once been humiliated in front of everyone.

Instead, I watched. Watched as they laughed and danced under the glow of the chandeliers. Watched as the wolves who once spat insults at me now whispered in awe, unable to recognize the omega they’d cast aside.

Perfect.

Let them wonder.

Once this ceremony was over, I’d be gone. Back to the human world where I had built a life of peace, far from this madness.

I was halfway through my drink when a voice behind me sent an unexpected chill down my spine.

“You must be new to the pack,” he said, his tone smooth and deep, threaded with curiosity. “May I know your name, beautiful?”

I froze. I knew that voice — even after all these years, I could never forget it.

Slowly, I turned.

Kael stood a few feet away, towering and confident, his sharp eyes fixed on me with a look I’d never seen directed at me before — admiration.

For a second, my breath caught. He didn’t recognize me.

A bitter laugh echoed in my mind. The man who once called me ugly now looked at me as though I were a prize.

“Why would you want to know?” I asked calmly, crossing my legs and resting an elbow on the counter. My eyes never left his.

He smirked, stepping closer. “I’m the Alpha. It’s my duty to know my pack members… or visitors.”

“I’m neither,” I said, looking away, pretending to be bored.

“Then perhaps that makes you even more intriguing,” he replied, voice dropping lower. “I’m allowed a mistress or two. And I think you might just become my favorite.”

The audacity in his tone almost made me laugh.

My gaze flicked toward the throne. Sienna stood there, pretending to chat with an elder, but her eyes kept darting back to us — her jealousy bleeding through every forced smile. She didn’t even know who I was, and yet her wolf sensed the threat.

“What about your Luna?” I asked softly, swirling the whiskey in my glass.

He followed my gaze, then gave a lazy shrug. “She knows her place.”

“Does she?” I murmured. “And what about the one who came before her?”

That wiped the smirk off his face. His jaw tightened, and his expression hardened.

“Former Lunas don’t matter,” he said flatly. “Dahlia doesn’t matter.”

The sound of my own name on his lips hit like a slap.

“She ran away years ago,” he continued, his voice dripping with disdain. “A weak, ugly fool who couldn’t handle her own reflection. I don’t care where she went, or if she’s still alive.”

I swallowed hard, the heat in my chest spreading like wildfire.

“She doesn’t matter,” he repeated. “She was the most pathetic thing I ever saw and she expected me to mark her.”

My fingers clenched around the glass. The sharp edge of the crystal bit into my skin, but I didn’t loosen my grip.

“Wow, Kael,” I said quietly, meeting his gaze. “You really don’t care if she’s dead?”

He smiled faintly, completely certain. “Not at all. It’s you who matters now.”

For a moment, silence stretched between us. The music faded in my ears. All I could hear was the pounding of my heart — anger, hurt, disbelief and everything I thought I’d buried came crashing back.

He didn’t even know. He was standing here, flirting with the woman he’d destroyed.

I rose slowly, heels clicking against the marble floor. He followed my movement, his eyes glinting with interest.

I leaned closer, close enough for him to smell the faint scent of roses that clung to me — the same scent that once filled his bed, his arms, his world.

“If you really don’t care whether she’s dead or alive,” I said softly, my lips curving into a cold smile, “then why are you standing in front of her right now, begging pathetically for her to be your mistress?”

His eyes widened, shock flashing across his face but I didn’t stay to watch it fully register.

I turned, leaving my half-empty glass on the counter. The hem of my crimson gown brushed against the floor as I walked away, each step steady, powerful, final.

Behind me, I could feel his gaze burning into my back, the weight of realization crashing over him like a storm.

And for the first time in five years, I felt no pain. Only power.