My Alpha's Heart Belongs Elsewhere

Chapter 1

Lianna

A week before the wedding ceremony, I found a small velvet box on my bed. My heart fluttered with a smile when I opened it. Inside was a gold ring engraved with the cursive "Lia". It was the name Axl, my mate, and future Alpha of Greyland Pack, called me after our first meeting.

Axl and I had been inseparable after finding out that we were mates. We couldn't wait for the mating ceremony to be eternally bonded. I closed my eyes, put the ring on my finger, and imagined Axl placing it while reciting his vows. My heart soared with joy, and I giggled, but my ringing phone interrupted my imagination.

It was Axl. I immediately picked up, expecting to hear something sweet. Instead, his voice was slurred, and heavy.

"Lia... you gotta... Come get me. The run... We went too far."

My stomach sank. Axl was drunk again. Tonight, he had his bachelor's party. He celebrated it with his closest friends, all males. The tradition was to run wild as a final run of singlehood. But it looked like they had drunk more than run.

Irritated, I hurriedly grabbed my jacket and car keys. This was not the first time . But I couldn't get angry because we were close to getting mated and living together.

When I arrived at the forest clearing where they had been running, I rushed to find Axl. But I froze when I spotted him. Axl was standing not with his closest friends but beside the only woman at the party. They were so close to each other and holding hands.

Then, I heard him murmur with a soft and affectionate voice into her ears, "Lia, I knew you'd come. You had never stopped caring for me."

I blinked with confusion. Lia? Wasn't I Lia? My heart started racing when the moonlight struck the woman's fingers. She was wearing a gold ring exactly like mine.

"Axl?" My voice trembled as I walked toward him. “What is this?”

He barely looked at me. He looked like he didn't hear me at all. Axl was lost and fixated on the woman beside him. Then, his eyes darted from me and the other woman.

"Lia... why... Why are there two of you?" Axl asked, looking confused.

The imposter smiled with her eyes gleaming with amusement. But she smirked like a devil enjoying what was happening.

"Axl, you're drunk," she said softly with slight mockery as she turned to me. “Looks like you brought the wrong Lia to the party.”

My heart tightened, my mind reeling as I stared at her. Who was she? Why was she acting like he belonged to her?

"Lianna..." a friend interrupted as he approached me. He looked nervous and unsure. "Axl just drunk. He doesn't even know what he is doing. I think you should take him home."

“Who is she?” I asked, my voice barely whispering while still looking at the woman smiling and flirting with Axl.

The woman rolled her eyes and chuckled, making my blood boil.

"Oh, don't worry, Lianna," she said with a wide smile. "I'm pretty sure I was born and named Lia. I'm the real Lia. Aren't I, Axl?"

Axl swayed, blinking at her and then at me. He smiled while saying, "Yeah. You... You're my Lia."

My heart broke into a thousand pieces. My hands trembled as I looked at the ring I received two hours ago. I thought it was a symbol of his love for me, but now it meant nothing.

“What is going on, Axl? Explain, now!" I demanded it with a shaky voice.

But before he could respond, the woman removed the ring on her finger. She tossed it at me with a smirk.

"Here! It doesn't matter if I handed it to you. He'll just give it back to me anyway," she said.

My hands shook as I caught the ring. I looked at Axl, praying he would say something that would make sense to all of this. But instead, his eyes furrowed and darkened.

"Give it back! It's hers! It's for my Lia!" Axl growled like an animal protecting its cubs.

I felt like an imposter. It punched me into my gut, and I stepped back. My heart tightened, and I almost couldn't breathe.

"Axl... what are you saying?" I asked, almost pleading with him to make me feel alright.

Axl moved forward, reaching toward me. He was slow and swaying but looked so dangerously furious. He grabbed my wrist and gripped it so hard it hurt.

"Give her the ring! Don't make me say it twice!" Axl yelled.

Tears blurred my vision as the realization that he was no longer the man I loved hit me. I slowly unclenched my fist and let the ring fall. Axl hurriedly picked it up and dropped to one knee in front of the other Lia.

"Lia, will you be mine?" He said softly, full of love.

My world shattered at the sight of Axl proposing to another woman. I couldn't take it anymore, so I ran. Simultaneously, Axl fell face-first and hit his head on the ground with a loud thud. He passed out before the other woman could even answer. Everybody gasped with worry and tried to help him to stand. But he was so wasted that he snored and couldn't wake up.

"Lianna! Lianna!" His friend called at me as I ran towards my car.

I didn't look back, ignoring his call. I didn't care what happened to Axl. All I wanted now was to be away from all of them. I needed to breathe, to think, and to cry.

"How could Axl propose to another woman named Lia?" I muttered hoping to calm me down while I let out a loud cry.

Chapter 2

My hands gripped the steering wheel as I drove under pressure. My tears hadn't stopped as I tried to digest everything that happened. How could Axl propose to another woman named Lia?

Axl was drunk. That was the only explanation I could find. He didn't know what he was doing. He probably didn't even recognize me. It was a case of mistaken identity. But the way he looked at her, the gold ring on her finger, and the softness of his voice when he spoke to her wouldn't leave my mind.

I pulled into the driveway of the packhouse, vision still blurred. Axl was in the back seat and passed out. His friends begged me to take him home.

I got out of the car and dragged him into the house. I almost stumbled when I dropped him onto the couch.

"How long have you been with her?" I whispered while staring at him.

Just hours ago, I was sure Axl was the one for me. Now, I wasn't sure anymore.

Suddenly, Axl's phone vibrated. I hesitated at first to pick it up because I trusted him so much that I never checked his phone. But I wanted answers, so I picked up the phone and unlocked it. A message flashed on the screen, and it was from her.

The text message was simple but enough to shatter the hope that I had left. "Don't worry about tonight, love. I'll see you tomorrow."

I stared at the message, my hands shaking. Tomorrow we were supposed to choose my wedding dress. Axl promised to help me decide what to wear. Before I could wrap my head around the message, another one came. "Make sure you clean him up before you sleep."

My eyes widened. She knew I would be checking Axl's phone but wasn't bothered. She even advised what to do with him. Curiosity got the better of me, and I scrolled and read every conversation they had. They had been seeing each other behind my back for months. And she had been waiting for Axl to choose her.

A third message came. “He’ll never leave me. You’re just a distraction.” With that, I threw the phone. It bounced from the sofa before gently landing on the floor. So many questions formed in my head, making me doubt whether I should proceed with the wedding ceremony. Axl didn't even wake up by the sound. He slept like a dead man.

I couldn't sleep well, so when the phone rang the next day, I heard it.

"It still works," I whispered as I heard Axl answer with a raspy and low voice.

"I'm so sorry, Lia. Please don't cry. You know it breaks my heart hearing you cry. I know this must be hard for you. But rest assured that my heart belongs to you. It's just our wedding ceremony had already been set. I can't back out now. I don't want to shame my father because he is our Alpha. And I needed to take care of her. That is the least I could do to repay her for saving my life."

Memories flashed back when I saved Axl from drowning ten months ago. He was escaping from a rival attack but fell from a deep river. It was when we discovered that we were mates.

"So, this is what it's all about," I softly said in tears. I stood and decided to confront Axl of the truth. I would cancel the wedding ceremony if he said he didn't love me.

Axl was shocked when I came out and stood before him. He abruptly ended the call with Lia.

"Lianna, did I wake you up? I'm sorry, love. There was an emergency I needed to attend to," he lied.

"Who was Lia? Why were you with her? How long have you been seeing each other? Is she your mate? Did you plan to marry me and ditch me later?" I asked right away.

"Woah! Slow down! What's with all these questions? Look, I was so drunk last night. I barely remember what I had been doing. Lia was a friend that I hadn't seen for a long time. She just came back, so I invited her to our wedding. She used to work with models, so she will be there at the boutique to help us choose your wedding dress. I asked for her help. Now, relax, have breakfast, and I will see you later. I really need to go to take care of some emergency."

"I'm sure you did," I thought, but didn't say a word.

Axl rushed to take a shower and left. I was left deciding whether to go to that boutique or just run away and never look back. But I went to the boutique an hour late.

"Why were you late? Lia had chosen a dress, and I believe it really suits your body," Axl said, eyeing a long, plain chiffon dress.

"She will attend the mating ceremony as one of the bridesmaids. I remember one backed out."

I looked at Lia, who smiled with malice. She was wearing a dress with diamonds all around it. She planned to make me look like the ugly duckling during the mating ceremony. The dress she had chosen for me was nothing compared to the dress I selected for the other bridesmaids. It looked dull, lacking life, and hid all my beautiful features.

"Oh, okay," I said plainly.

"Aren't you going to try?" Axl asked in surprise.

"Nope. You said she worked with models, so I think she knew what's better than me. Now, excuse me, I needed to do something important," I replied, turning my back to them, and walked towards the door without looking back.

Before I started driving, I booked a flight to London tonight. I would be going home to pack my luggage. I decided that I would not show up during the wedding ceremony.