The Alpha's Regret: Marked by Mistake, Bound by Triplets

They Offered Me to the Crippled Alpha.

A human girl, traded to a wolf who lost his legs in the war.

“He’s an Alpha! Bonding with him is a privilege for someone like you!”

My adoptive father, David Estrada, ripped my university acceptance letter to pieces, letting the fragments scatter at my feet like fallen leaves.

His fingers dug into my chin, forcing my gaze up to meet his icy, indifferent stare.

“Never forget who took you in, who fed you, who clothed you all these years. Now it’s time to repay that debt.”

“The Gonzalez family demanded a daughter from this house for the mating bond. Since Tamara refused, you will go in her stead.”

My body shook, hot tears blurring my vision.

“But Father… my university… I worked so hard…”

“University?” My adoptive mother, Margaret, scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain.

“An orphan like you? You could study for a century and never land a match this advantageous!”

“But they say he’s… he was crippled in the last pack war… they say he’s brutal…”

A stinging slap snapped my head to the side, the sound echoing in the silent room.

“Precisely,” David said, his tone devoid of warmth. “That’s why Tamara won’t have him. But you—you owe us. The bonding ceremony is tomorrow. The matter is settled.”

Just like that, my education, my aspirations, my entire future were stripped away.

I was packaged like a commodity and delivered to Liam Gonzalez, the Alpha of the Duskborn Pack.

He didn’t even bother to appear at our bonding ceremony.

For two long years, I lived in utter solitude—without so much as a photograph of him.

And today, he was finally returning.

But on my way to the airport to meet him, a stranger dragged me into a secluded VIP lounge and forced his mark upon me.

I never saw his face.

When the waves of pleasure crested for us both, I sank my teeth deep into the muscle of his shoulder.

He let out a low grunt but didn’t retreat.

His movements only became more relentless, more claiming.

I despised the traitorous pleasure that coiled deep within me where he filled me.

This wasn’t who I was. This couldn’t be happening.

I strained to see him, but my world was reduced to the feel of hard muscle under my palms and the taste of salt on my tongue where my teeth had broken skin.

He drove into me, again and again, until darkness swallowed me whole.

When consciousness returned, I was alone.

Only the potent, lingering scent of an Alpha hung in the air—mingled with the throbbing ache between my legs and the incomplete, burning mark on my neck.

My mind struggled to process the violation, but my body bore the evidence regardless.

Scattered tissues and my torn clothes littered the floor—a chaotic testament to a wild, involuntary mating.

I bit my lip until I tasted blood, my fists clutching the rumpled sheets, tears spilling over.

What had I done to deserve this?

No one had ever loved me. No one truly saw me.

I’d believed if I studied diligently enough, endured patiently enough, I could reshape my own destiny.

But my so-called family sold me.

All because my sister, Tamara Estrada, refused to be bonded to Liam, calling him a lame cripple.

Yet they couldn’t bear to forfeit the enormous payoff from the Gonzalez family, so they offered me up instead.

But I was a person, too.

From pulling me out of school to rushing me through engagement and bonding formalities, no one ever asked for my consent.

They shattered my dreams without a second thought.

I cried until my throat was raw. I raged until my spirit felt hollow.

In the end, I surrendered.

Perhaps bonding with Liam would be my escape. Maybe we could find a way to build something, a semblance of happiness.

For two years, I clung to that fragile thread of hope.

I was the model mate—patient, loyal, unobtrusive—while he convalesced overseas.

I told myself when he returned, we would begin our life together.

But on the very day of his homecoming, I had been violated… and marked.

A fresh sob tore from my throat.

Could I tell Liam the truth?

Would he believe that I went to the airport to meet him, only to be caught in a crowd, dragged into a dark lounge, and assaulted?

I doubted it. Liam and I were essentially strangers.

Just then, my phone buzzed violently, jolting me from the spiral of my thoughts.

It was the butler, Phillip.

“Luna Sophia, Alpha Gonzalez requires your presence at home.”

My heart plummeted, seized by a cold fist of panic.

“He’s back already?” I managed to ask, my voice thin.

“Yes, Luna. Alpha Gonzalez arrived home. He departed again when you weren’t present. He stated you must return to sign some documents. H-He is initiating a bond severance.”

My heart stuttered to a halt.

Liam wanted to sever the bond!

I knew he resented our arranged union.

He hadn’t attended our ceremony, and in two years, we’d never once met.

We didn’t even know each other’s faces.

Yet, he had never treated me with outright cruelty.

My needs were always met—food, shelter, anything I required. When I fell ill, he instructed the staff to care for me.

Despite the distance, I sensed a thread of consideration.

I had thought he merely despised the forced bond, not me personally.

I believed if I remained faithful, we could learn to care for one another, like mates in a devoted partnership, and share a lifetime.

I never imagined he would seek to sever our tie.

“Luna Sophia, please, take heart,” Phillip’s voice held a note of pity. “Alpha Gonzalez has left you the villa, two luxury vehicles, and a substantial sum of money.”

But how could my heart not break?

It felt as though my entire world had crumbled into dust.

My life was cursed.

Yet, I had no right to refuse the severance.

Not after the assault… I no longer felt worthy of him, especially bearing this forced, incomplete mark.

I sniffled, my voice hoarse. “I understand. I’ll return to sign the papers.”

Hanging up, I dressed through the pain, my body protesting every movement, and stumbled out of the airport lounge.

Moments after I left, a convoy of sleek black luxury cars glided to a halt at the terminal entrance.

A team of bodyguards clad in black swarmed out, securing the perimeter.

Liam’s Beta, Noah Patel, opened the rear door with deference.

Liam stepped out, his handmade leather shoes gleaming under the airport lights, his tailored suit and rare wristwatch speaking of immense power and success.

Towering and formidable, with sharply defined features and an aura of commanding intensity, he sent a ripple of unease through the bystanders.

People watched with wary awe, but Liam paid them no mind, his stride purposeful as he headed for the VIP lounge. His eyes scanned the area, searching.