Alpha Leon's Regret

_Anya's POV_

I do not remember my parents. I do not remember where I was born or who carried me in her arms when I was a baby. The only story I know about myself is the story the Alpha told many years ago. He said that some guards on patrol had found me near the southern border of the Silvercrest pack. I was wrapped in a thin blanket and left near the trees. I was crying, cold and hungry.

No one in the pack had claimed me. No one had come forward saying they had lost a child. The elders had guessed that I was the daughter of rogues. That word had followed me since I was a baby; rogue, stray and unwanted.

The Alpha had looked at me and said that I was only an innocent child. I had done nothing wrong. Then he had asked if any family would take me in.

The Beta had stepped forward. Everyone had praised him for it. Everyone said that he had a good heart. Maybe he did. Or maybe he only liked looking noble in front of the whole pack because after he brought me home, the kindness ended.

His wife never wanted me. I knew that from the way she looked at me, as if I were dirt dragged into her clean house. Their daughter, Talia, was the center of their world. She had warm food, soft blankets, new dresses and gentle words. I got whatever she no longer wanted. Her old shoes. Her faded dresses. Her broken hair clips. The scraps left at the bottom of serving bowls.

As I grew older, the difference between us only became worse. Talia was their daughter and I was the orphan they had rescued.

I woke up early every morning to clean the house, wash clothes, cook and do all the work. Talia would wake up late, eat the food I cooked and then complain that it did not taste good. If anything went wrong in the house, it was always my fault.

Today was a very important day. Today was Talia's engagement ceremony with Leon, the Alpha's son.

Leon.

Even thinking about his name made my heart beat faster. I had liked Leon since I was a child. Back then, he had smiled at me once when I tripped in the training yard and dropped a basket of herbs. He had helped me pick them up. Just that. Just one small act of kindness. But when your life was filled with cold words, even a small kindness could feel like sunlight. I had kept that moment inside my heart for years.

But I was stupid because Leon was far above me. Someone like him would never look at a girl like me. I knew that very well. He would only marry someone strong and important. A girl like Talia, who had Beta blood.

Leon and Talia were the same age and they had been dating for a long time. Their