She Ripped Out My Alpha Spark

The Battle of Crimson Creek was a massacre. My senior packmate, the woman I had loved for centuries, searched through ten thousand corpses before finding me at the edge of death.

I foolishly believed she had finally been moved by my years of devotion.

Instead, she took advantage of my shattered state and reached into my chest, brutally ripping out my Alpha Spark.

Xaviera looked down at me with cold, piercing eyes. "You were born with the divine bloodline. Ripping this out is just a temporary setback for you; you can always regrow a Spark. But Caden has struggled for a thousand years to reach this level."

"Once we return to the pack, I will help you recover. Do not be ungrateful."

It turned out this had been her plan all along.

I watched with my own eyes as she fused my life's essence into Caden's body.

Eight hundred years. It took me eight hundred years to finally admit that I could never warm her frozen heart.

1.

"Elias, here is your medicine."

My pack-sister dropped the bowl onto the nightstand with a look of pure disgust. The hot liquid splashed onto my scarred arm, stinging my skin, but she didn't even blink.

Ever since we returned from the Crimson Creek disaster, the younger wolves who used to beg me for combat training had changed. Now, they treated me with nothing but cold glares and insults.

I weakly called out to her as she turned to leave.

"Please... tell Xaviera I need to speak with her."

The girl let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

"Lady Xaviera is at the Lunar Spring helping Caden heal. She has no time for a failure like you! I don't know how you have the nerve to ask for her. The battle was lost because of you! Saving your life was already an act of too much mercy!"

She slammed the door, her words echoing like thunder in my mind.

Xaviera was at the Lunar Spring with Caden. Everyone in the Silver Moon Pack knew that when a man and a woman entered those waters together, they were performing a dual-soul bond.

The defeat at Crimson Creek happened because Caden fell for the Shadow King's traps.

Yet, to protect Caden, she had shifted every ounce of blame onto my shoulders.

The pain in my chest flared, making it impossible to breathe.

Despite her harsh words, the pack-sister must have delivered the message. Xaviera arrived at my chambers, but she wasn't alone. She was supporting Caden.

My eyes turned red with fury.

"Xaviera! That is our bed! How can you let him lie there?"

She ignored my protest, her brow furrowed in annoyance. She gently helped Caden lie down on the silk sheets, her voice turning incredibly soft.

"Rest here tonight. This wing is closest to the Lunar Spring. It will be easier for me to take you there for your treatment tomorrow."

I had rarely seen her smile with such warmth.

Yet Caden received that warmth every single second.

Caden gripped her hand weakly. "Will you stay with me tonight? Since the battle... I've been having nightmares. I'm scared."

"I'll stay. I won't leave your side."

She pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. But the moment she turned to face me, her expression turned into a mask of ice.

"Quiet. If you wake him up, I will magically bind your tongue."

I stared at her, my eyes hollow. My anger was slowly being replaced by a bitter, self-mocking realization.

This was my room. But since my return, I had been relegated to a servant's cot in the corner while he took my bed.

She hovered over Caden, who had only lost some spiritual energy, yet she left meDwho had lost his very soul-coreDto rot.

"Xaviera, the defeat wasn't my fault. Tell the Elders the truth. I won't be the scapegoat for Caden's cowardice."

Xaviera's eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to a deadly chill.

"Caden has been looked down upon since he was a pup because he lacked a strong bloodline. He was bullied for years. If the pack finds out he made a mistake, how will they treat him?"

"You've been his mentor since he joined. Do you have no empathy at all?"

I began to shake, my heart feeling as though it were being shredded by a dull blade.

"So I'm the one who has to endure the hatred of our siblings?"

She spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"This is your burden to bear."

The agony in my chest forced a violent cough out of me.

Xaviera covered her nose and waved her sleeve in disgust. She flicked her wrist, casting a silencing spell on me.

"I told you. Stop making noise. You're disturbing Caden."

As I met her cold gaze, the copper taste of blood filled my mouth. It burst past my lips, staining the floor.

There was no pity in her eyes. Only revulsion.

"Disgusting. Clean that up yourself."

A faint cough came from the bed, and she immediately rushed to Caden's side, her face full of worry.

"Are you okay? I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Her voice was a melody of love, but it sounded like a funeral dirge to my ears.

I closed my eyes, unable to sleep as the moon shifted across the sky.

Xaviera, this time, I am truly letting you go.

2.

I spent the morning writing a letter to my parents. I told them I was coming home to the Blackwood Lineage.

Then, I sought out Elder Magnus at the back of the mountain.

The Elder poured me a cup of herbal tea. He didn't try to stop me.

"You never truly belonged to the Silver Moon Pack, Elias. I support your choice. Leave in three days, after the Grand Assembly is over."

"I will."

On my way back to my quarters, I walked through a gauntlet of sneers and whispers.

The hatred that belonged to Caden was now mine, all because of Xaviera's favoritism.

I realized then how exhausting it was to love someone. You end up having to bleed for the person they actually love.

Eight hundred years was a long time. Long enough to finally kill my hope.

I used to be able to summon my silver blade and fly across these peaks. Now, without my Alpha Spark, I couldn't even call my sword to my hand.

The memory of Xaviera ripping the core out of me played on a loop in my mind.

When I was just a boy, I had been hunted by rogue vampires during a mountain trek with my parents.

Xaviera had appeared like a vengeful angel in green silk, her blade flashing as she saved me.

She had stroked my hair and asked if I was hurt.

Before we parted, I grabbed her sleeve. "Who are you? Where can I find you?"

"Silver Moon. I am Xaviera."

That image of her back as she walked away was branded into my soul. I trained until my hands bled just to earn a spot in her pack.

When I first arrived, Elder Magnus saw how I looked at her. He laughed and warned me.

"Your senior is a cold one, boy. Winning her heart will cost you everything."

He wasn't wrong.

Xaviera was aloof and arrogant. She barely looked at me.

To get even a glimpse of her attention, I became the strongest. I won every tournament. I became the youngest Alpha-ranked warrior in the history of the pack.

The day my Spark fully matured, the whole pack cheered. Xaviera finally looked at me.

I worked even harder. I baked her favorite treats, repaired her roof, and handled every tedious task she hated.

During a war with the Shadow Realm, I threw myself into the fray to save her when she was cornered.

She fell ill after that, and I was the one who knelt before healers to beg for medicine, staying by her bed for weeks.

From that day on, her gaze changed from distance to... pity.

It took four hundred years for her to agree to be with me.

It wasn't love. It was just pity for my pathetic, one-sided devotion.

Even when we shared a bed, she remained distant.

"I don't feel the spark, Elias. I don't think I'm capable of loving anyone."

I didn't care. While she slept, I would gently hold her hand and whisper to the shadows.

"I'm not greedy. Just being by your side is enough."

Slowly, her attitude toward me softened.

Just as I started to believe my persistence was paying off, Caden appeared.

And the fantasy shattered.

Xaviera fell for him. The woman who was once a frozen statue began to fuss over this newcomer's every scratch.

I remember confronting her with tears in my eyes. "You said you'd never love anyone!"

She looked guilty, but she didn't deny it.

She had always told me she only respected those stronger than her.

That's why it hurt so much. Caden was weak. I had worked for four centuries for a single smile, and Caden got everything by doing nothing at all.

Four hundred years to get close to her. Four more to learn to hate her.

3.

Caden was sitting in my usual meditation spot when I walked in. He flashed me a smile full of pure malice.

"Thanks for the Spark, Elias. It helped me reach a level I never thought possible."

His tone shifted into an arrogant gloat.

"Of course, I really have to thank Xaviera. Her favoritism is truly a blessing."

I let out a dry, mocking chuckle.

"Stealing something doesn't make it yours. If the pack finds out you're the reason our brothers died at Crimson Creek, how do you think they'll treat you?"

Caden's face contorted into a snarl.

"You wouldn't dare! Xaviera would destroy you!"

"Try me."

A flicker of panic crossed his eyes. He scrambled out of the room.

I knew exactly where he was going. He was going to cry to Xaviera so she could play the protector.

Finally alone, I sat down to try and meditate. Without my core, my body felt like a leaking vessel. Every breath felt like inhaling broken glass.

Xaviera walked in carrying a bowl of steaming liquid. "Drink this, Elias. I went to the Apothecary for these rare herbs. They'll help you regrow your Spark."

Her voice was soft, and for a second, my heart skipped a beat.

But I knew better now.

"I don't want it," I said coldly, keeping my eyes shut.

She sat on the edge of the cot and blew on a spoonful of the medicine.

"Be good. Let me feed you. Just drink it."

I opened my eyes and looked into hers. They seemed full of tenderness.

"I spent all morning hunting for these. Please."

I let her feed me the medicine. Then, she pulled a small piece of candy from her sleeve and pressed it to my lips.

"There's my brave boy. Now, Caden told me something worrying. He said you're planning to tell the pack about what happened at the Creek?"

"If you keep quiet, I'll come and feed you your medicine every day. Deal?"

The smile was the same, but I finally saw the calculation in her eyes.

It was always about Caden. She would swallow her pride and play the doting lover just to protect him.

The candy in my mouth suddenly tasted like ash. I pulled away.

"Xaviera, I won't do it."

The warmth vanished instantly. Her eyes flared with a terrifying rage.

"If you won't take the carrot, then you'll get the stick."

The Grand Assembly was held under the midday sun. Today would be my final day at Silver Moon.

The disciples gathered in the great hall, waiting for Elder Magnus. Xaviera sat in the high chair, overseeing the proceedings.

"The Crimson Creek battle was a heavy blow. However, we have a hero. Caden saved countless lives during the retreat."

The younger wolves cheered Caden's name, beckoning him forward.

Xaviera stood up and pulled Caden to the spot right next to herDthe spot that used to be mine. They looked like the perfect power couple.

She took his hand and made an announcement.

"Since our return, Caden's power has reached new heights. I propose that Elias steps down as the Lead Warrior. From today on, Caden will lead our combat training."

That title had been hard-won. Years ago, the Elder thought I was too young to lead.

Xaviera had knelt in the rain for two weeks to change his mind.

Back then, she said she wouldn't let my talent be wasted.

Now, she was personally stripping it away.

Caden looked back at me with a triumphant grin. He leaned in and whispered so only I could hear.

"Sorry, Elias. Xaviera is worried you'll talk. She decided it's better if everyone just hates you instead."

Xaviera walked toward me, her voice booming with cold authority.

"To prove he is worthy, Caden will duel Elias right here."

The crowd began to chant for a fight.

Xaviera had trapped me. If I refused, I was a coward. If I fought, I would be crushed because I had no Spark.

I looked at her and felt a twisted sense of pity. "I give him the position. There's no need to fight."

Xaviera raised a hand. "That's not enough."

With a wave of her hand, she used her pressure to force me onto the dueling platform. Caden landed gracefully opposite me, offering a fake, respectful bow.

"Forgive me, senior."

He came at me with my own power. He didn't just want to win; he wanted to kill.

I had no defense. I was thrown across the stone floor, my body broken and bleeding.

The disciples looked at me with pure disdain. "He got so many of our brothers killed! This is karma!"

Caden held his sword high. "I win!"

As the crowd roared, Xaviera smiled. "Then, the title of Lead Warrior goes toD"

"Stop," I croaked, pushing myself up with trembling arms. "Don't bother with the ceremony. I'm leaving the Silver Moon Pack. I will never set foot on this mountain again."

The hall went silent. Then, the heavy doors groaned open. Elder Magnus walked in, his face dark with fury.

"Enough of this nonsense!"

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