After One Night with the Alpha (Brad and Elle) novel Chapter 3

**TITLE: The Billionaire Who Claimed My Heart and Who Broke Fate for Me**
**Chapter 3**

**Elle’s POV**

“Mrs. Miller…” I began, attempting to maintain a semblance of composure despite the tumultuous emotions swirling within me.

“Elle.” Her voice sliced through the connection, sharp and frigid as a winter’s breath.

My heart plummeted into the depths of my stomach.

“Jason has been chosen by the Turing family. Do you grasp the significance of that?” She didn’t allow me a moment to respond. “A werewolf family has selected him to work directly under their protection. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

I leaned heavily against the elevator wall, my legs suddenly feeling like jelly, as if they might give way beneath me at any moment.

“That’s… wonderful for him,” I managed to utter, my voice trembling with the weight of my heartbreak. “I’m truly happy for Jason.”

“Are you?” Her tone dripped with skepticism. “Because this is precisely what our family has been striving for. Surely, you didn’t believe that someone from the human community—especially from the edge district—could be a suitable long-term match for my son?”

The elevator doors slid open, but my feet felt glued to the floor. A couple waiting to enter shot me impatient glances, prompting me to stumble out into the lobby. I sought refuge in a quiet corner, hiding near a decorative plant that stood sentinel in the bustling space.

“Mrs. Miller, Jason and I have been together for two years. We’ve discussed our future,” I asserted, desperation creeping into my voice.

She laughed, a short, derisive sound that echoed in my ears. “Future? What kind of future could you possibly provide him? Working in that pathetic little human division at Rayne Group? We both know that a human will never rise through the ranks in that division. No, Elle. Jason deserves so much more.”

I bit down on my lip with enough force to taste the metallic tang of blood. “I should hear this from Jason himself.”

“There’s more you need to know,” she continued, disregarding my plea. “There’s a girl involved. Her father wields considerable influence in that city. She’s taken quite an interest in Jason.”

My free hand clenched into a fist, fury and hurt intertwining. “So you’re calling to tell me that Jason is leaving me for a girl he barely knows?”

“I’m calling out of courtesy,” her voice turned steely. “To suggest you make this easier on everyone. Take the initiative to end things yourself. Don’t force Jason to do it. He’s always been too soft-hearted for his own good.”

Tears threatened to spill over, blurring my vision once again. After everything we had endured together—the late-night study sessions, the emotional support through family troubles, the dreams we had built for our future—was it all crumbling because a werewolf family had extended their protection to him?

And after the encounter with Brad Rayne, what right did I have to feel betrayed? I was damaged goods now. If anyone from the human community discovered I had been involved with a werewolf—an Alpha, no less—I would be shunned. No human man would ever want me again.

“I understand,” I whispered, my voice cracking under the weight of my despair. “I’ll do as you ask.”

“Good. That’s very… sensible of you.” There was a hint of satisfaction in her tone, as if my submission pleased her. “Jason will arrange for his belongings to be collected later. Goodbye, Elle.”

The call ended abruptly, leaving me standing alone in the hotel lobby, surrounded by laughter and chatter as people went about their lives, blissfully unaware of the devastation that had just shattered mine into countless fragments.

Somehow, I made my way back to my apartment, though the journey was a blur, a haze of grief and disbelief. The moment I closed the door behind me, my legs betrayed me, and I sank down to the floor, silent tears streaming down my cheeks.

Two years of love. Two years of shared dreams. All gone in the blink of an eye, swallowed by the night.

“He wouldn’t come down here anyway,” I muttered to myself as I blotted at the coffee stain, despair creeping in. “Someone like him would never set foot in the human section.”

As evening approached, I found myself alone in our department, the last one left amidst mountains of unfinished work. Everyone else had gone home, leaving me to drown in my own misery. My vision blurred as I stared at the screen, the words swimming before my eyes like a hazy mirage. When I dropped a file for the third time, I finally admitted defeat.

Summoning what little courage I had left, I made my way to the supervisor’s office. His door stood ajar, and he looked up with annoyance when I knocked.

“What is it?” he asked, his distaste palpable.

“I would like to request a two-day sick leave,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He scrutinized me, taking in my coffee-stained blouse and tear-streaked face. “You’re a mess. It’s unprofessional to come to work looking like this. You’re representing Rayne Group.”

I swallowed hard, the knot in my throat tightening. “I’m sorry, sir.”

“Fine. But this will affect your performance review,” he replied dismissively, turning back to his computer as if I were already forgotten.

I left the building in a daze, the world outside blurring into a chaotic mix of colors and sounds. Werewolves walked with an air of confidence, their laughter echoing through the streets, while humans scurried past with downcast eyes, each lost in their own struggles. Two separate worlds coexisted, yet felt so far apart.

I dragged my weary body to the bus station and boarded the long-distance bus bound for the human community at the edge of Moonshade Bay. The journey felt interminable, the bus rattling and swaying as we traversed from the pristine werewolf neighborhoods through the mixed zones, finally arriving at the dilapidated outskirts where my family lived.

With each passing mile, my heart ached as the landscape transformed into something increasingly rundown. All I longed for was to see my mother, the only source of comfort I had left in this fractured world.