Ten years after I became the Alpha of the Ironclaw Pack, my mate Ethan’s mistress showed up at my doorstep. She stood there looking incredibly innocent, wide-eyed and fragile. “I know this is wrong,” she whispered, looking down. “But Ethan told me I’m the one he truly loves. I know rejecting you as his mate will hurt you, so I’ll make sure he gives you a generous financial settlement.” She actually bent her knees and bowed to me in apology. I found the whole thing hilarious. I looked at her and asked, “Do you honestly not know that between Ethan and me, he’s the one being kept as a pet?” **1** “Did Ethan ever tell you that the villa you’re living in and the car you’re driving both belong to me?” Selene’s lips parted, but no sound came out. The reckless courage she had summoned for “true love” vanished instantly, replaced by sheer panic and disbelief. “I guess he didn’t,” I said, casually stirring my coffee. “If I break the mate bond with Ethan, everything he owns—everything he gave you—will be taken back by me. Do you still think your love is so grand?” When Ethan walked into the house, his little human girl was blushing with deep embarrassment. He immediately rushed forward, pulling her behind his back, shielding her. He glared at me with a defensiveness that felt entirely foreign. I raised an eyebrow. “What is the meaning of this, Ethan?” He gripped Selene’s hand tightly and said, “She’s a human. She doesn’t know anything about our world. She’s not like you, Victoria. Don’t make things hard for her.” *Not like me?* Because she was weak and needed protection? And I was the ruthless ruler of the pack, an Alpha who fought and bled? My hand holding the coffee cup trembled slightly. Forcing down the rising disgust in my chest, I tilted my head to look at him. “And what if I choose to make things hard for her?” His eyes flicked to the table behind me. I followed his gaze. Sitting on the table was a glass jar filled with colorful, hand-folded paper stars. As the Alpha heiress groomed by the Ironclaw Pack, I had never lacked suitors. My strength and capability meant I didn’t even need an alliance marriage to secure my rule over the pack. In my twenties, I was wild. I dated plenty of ordinary werewolves. Ethan was just one of them. But he was different from the others who only wanted my power or money. He was obsessed with securing my affection. Every time I finished dealing with brutal pack business, he would have a bowl of hot, nutritious soup waiting for me. One year, I was ambushed by a rival pack and severely wounded. He had braved the danger alone to drag me back to safety. Looking at the scars on his body, I had asked him, “Why are you so good to me?” After all, I hadn’t given him much back then. He had smiled gently. “Because I love you, Victoria. I want you to be well. It would be even better if you could love me back just a little.” Touched by his seemingly pure devotion, I chased away all the other wolves around me and marked him. Even though he wasn’t my fated mate. On the day we bonded, he gave me that jar of poorly folded paper stars. “I don’t have much to offer,” he had said, looking into my eyes. “But I folded these stars one by one. Each one represents my heart. Now that you’ve chosen me, you can’t break my heart. Every time you make me sad, I’ll take one star out. When the jar is empty, I’ll leave you and never come back.” Looking back, it was incredibly pathetic. A werewolf’s most useless, childish toy, and yet I had treasured it for years. But back then, I had never been cared for like that. My mother died when I was young, and I barely remembered her. My father, the former Alpha, raised me with only one rule: be strong, or die. He never asked if I was tired. He never asked if it hurt. He certainly never made me soup when I was bleeding. So when Ethan showed up with that hot soup, it was the first time I felt what it was like to be cherished. For that tiny bit of warmth, I had let myself be fooled for a decade. I thought he was sweet and innocent back then. To protect his feelings, I had promised him I would never make him sad. And so, even after all these years, that glass jar had remained completely full. Not a single star was missing. Until now. Ethan walked over, reached into the jar, and grabbed a massive handful of stars. The once-stuffed jar was suddenly a third empty. The shock in my eyes must have been obvious, because he smirked, thinking his little threat had worked. “You broke my heart today, Victoria,” Ethan said coldly. “Think about what you’ve done.” **2** After they left, I sat on the sofa, staring at the jar of stars. The cheap colored paper had faded over the years, looking dull and dusty. A few had unraveled at the edges, revealing the hollow emptiness inside. Just like Ethan’s “pure heart.” Actually, his heart had always been this hollow. I had just refused to see it. An Alpha, controlled by a few paper stars for ten years—the entire werewolf world would laugh their heads off if they found out. Before Ethan walked out, he had sneered, “Don’t take out your frustrations on a younger, prettier girl just because you’re getting old.” I chuckled softly. Ethan’s betrayal hadn’t happened overnight. We hadn’t been intimate in a long time. I was thirty-two, an Alpha in her absolute prime. But every time Ethan pulled away with a tired look, I assumed he was just exhausted from helping with pack administration. I never forced him. Turns out, he was just saving his energy for someone else. That human girl was indeed young. I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror. Thirty-two, yet my skin was flawless, radiating the power and timeless beauty of a high-ranking Alpha. I looked no older than twenty-five, but with a fierce authority that no basic wolf could match. Ethan really had garbage taste. I ran a hand through my dark, wavy hair, pulled out my phone, and called Jasmine, the Alpha of the Redwood Pack. “That young wolf you mentioned last time… bring him to me.” Jasmine’s laugh echoed through the speaker. “And here I thought you were going to play the loyal, devoted mate forever! Honey, everyone in our circle has a few toys on the side. You’re the only idiot who kept her hands clean for that basic mate of yours.” I used to believe loyalty was the bare minimum in a partnership. No matter what my friends said, I had never looked at another man since I marked Ethan. “What made you finally wake up?” Jasmine asked. “I just realized he’s incredibly boring. I’m done wasting my time.” “One isn’t going to be enough then! Tonight, our usual spot. I’ll line up a few gorgeous options for you to choose from.” “Deal.” I hung up, called my personal stylist to give me a head-to-toe makeover, and headed out. In the VIP suite of the Moonlight Lounge, eight young, incredibly fit male wolves were lined up. Jasmine sat next to me, winking at them. “Well, what are you waiting for? Pour the Alpha of Ironclaw a drink. If she likes you, your future is set.” Within seconds, several young wolves surrounded me, offering drinks and sweet compliments. To be honest, it felt amazing. After a few drinks, I excused myself to use the restroom. Passing by the adjacent private room, I noticed the door was slightly ajar. Ethan’s voice drifted out. His friend, Mac, was asking him, “Bro, your mate is an Alpha. You haven’t been back to the packhouse in days. Aren’t you worried she’ll kick you out of the pack?” Ethan scoffed. “I don’t want to go back and smell her old-woman scent. If you like it, go sniff her yourself.” “Hell no,” Mac laughed. “Who wants an old woman? Especially a terrifying Alpha female. If you ask me, women should just stick to being submissive Omega breeders…” Another wolf chimed in. “But Ethan, she’s the only reason you have your current status…” “Shut up,” Mac interrupted. “Ethan has that old woman wrapped around his finger. Have you ever seen her look at another guy all these years?” Ethan was playing with a faded paper star in his hand, a smug grin on his face. “Relax. She’s terrified of me leaving her. She used to have tons of guys around her, but ever since I pulled that countdown trick with this jar of stars, she chased them all away.” “Man, you’re a genius,” Mac cheered. “A jar of trash paper, and you have an Alpha eating out of your hand.” Ethan pulled Selene closer, wrapping his arm around her. “She’s in her thirties now, basically washed up. If she keeps throwing tantrums, I’ll just disappear for a few days. Let’s see how fast she crawls back begging.” **3** Returning to my room, I immediately opened my mind-link with Mia. *Cut off Ethan’s credit cards and revoke his access to all pack resources.* *Yes, Alpha,* Mia replied instantly. She was already on her phone making the calls. Enjoying my pack’s wealth while trash-talking me behind my back? Not on my watch. Jasmine leaned in. “So, see anyone you like?” I looked up, scanning the line of young wolves, and pointed directly at the one in the center. “You stay. The rest of you can leave.” The moment I spoke, Mia pulled several thick envelopes of cash from her bag and handed them to the departing wolves. “Our Alpha prefers her private life to stay private.” They took the money, thrilled, and left immediately. “That’s Ryder,” Jasmine whispered with a smirk before slipping out of the room. “He’s twenty-two, a top warrior from my pack’s younger generation. Enjoy.” I gestured for Ryder to come closer. When he sat beside me, I reached out and ran my hand over his abs. Rock hard and warm. “Feed me,” I murmured. Ryder leaned in, a piece of fruit between his lips, his gaze intense and full of youthful, intoxicating confidence. Ethan was right about one thing. With younger, better options available, why on earth would I waste my time on a fading, ungrateful piece of trash? That night, Ryder kept me up until dawn. It was an experience thirty-two-year-old Ethan could never offer me anymore. He was old news. It was time for an upgrade. Before leaving, I left a black card and my personal number on the nightstand. “I’m very satisfied,” I said, running a finger down his jaw. “Keep in touch.” Ryder’s eyes lit up with excitement and submission. See? As long as I have power and wealth, I can have whoever I want. After a night of being thoroughly satisfied, my complexion was glowing the next morning. When I walked into the pack boardroom, even Mia noticed. “You look radiant today, Alpha.” Perhaps because of my excellent mood, dealing with the tedious pack business felt incredibly easy. **4** My good mood lasted all the way until I walked back into the packhouse that evening. Ethan was sitting on the living room sofa, his face contorted with rage. I thought he had found out about Ryder. Instead, he jumped up and yelled, “Why did you freeze my cards? Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was when I couldn’t pay for dinner with my friends last night?!” “And how is that my problem?” I asked, walking past him. “Victoria! Are you seriously doing this because of Selene? She is just like a little sister to me!” “Ethan, do you even believe your own lies?” “Don’t try to flip this on me!” he snarled. “Just because you love playing around doesn’t mean everyone is like you. You’re accusing me just so you have an excuse to go run wild, aren’t you?” I was amazed by his sheer shamelessness. If he had just admitted he was keeping a human mistress, I would have just thought of him as a useless leech. But trying to gaslight me and blame me for his own cheating? It was disgusting. He grabbed another massive handful of stars from the jar and threw them on the table. “You’re not young anymore, Victoria. No one will ever love you the way I do. You better watch your step.” Staring at the nearly empty jar, I smirked. “Suit yourself.” Seeing my total indifference, Ethan’s face flushed with anger. “You’ve really broken my heart today, Victoria. I’m not staying here. When you realize your mistake, you know how to find me.” I didn’t know where he got his confidence. Did he think I, like other wolves, suffered from mate-bond anxiety? Did he think my years of spoiling him meant he owned me? Had he forgotten that I am an Alpha? The only female Alpha ruling a major pack in this territory. I stepped aside, leaving the doorway wide open. “Please, be my guest.” Over the next few days, Ethan kept trying to play his little games. He demanded I buy a new car for his human mistress as an apology. When I ignored him, he came back and took more stars. He found a penthouse he wanted me to buy. When I refused to wire the money, he took more stars. Soon enough, only a couple of lonely paper stars remained at the bottom of the jar. I was actually curious. Once the stars were gone, would he really leave? Before I could find out, I received a Snapchat message from Ryder. *Are you going to the Cartier Gala tonight?* I asked Mia. Indeed, Cartier had sent an invitation. Usually, I skipped these luxury brand shows, but I hadn’t seen Ryder in a few days and missed his touch. I typed back: *I’ll be there.*
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