Married To The Billionaire Alpha King-Chapter 141 - any óf this

141

~Lira’s POV

I woke up with a heavy head. The kind of headache that feels like punishment. Maybe I deserved it. I had been drinking since yesterday afternoon, glass after glass, like it could drown the bitterness in me. It did not. It never does.

The curtains were still closed, and the room smelled like alcohol and cigarettes.

I sat up slowly, pressing a hand to my forehead.

"I should not have drunk that much," I whispered to myself, even though I knew I would probably do it again.

The room was quiet. Too quiet. I pushed myself off the bed, my legs shaking. My throat felt dry. The television remote was on the table. I picked it up without thinking and turned it on.

The screen lit up with noise and brightness. I blinked hard.

A headline appeared.

"LUNA ELARA’S FASHION SHOW TAKES OVER THE PACKS, RECORD-BREAKING SALES AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS SECURED."

My heart stopped.

Another headline.

"Alpha Darlon’s Luna shocks the fashion world. An empire is being born."

My chest tightened. I picked up my phone from the table and opened the news app. Pictures filled the screen. Elara in a glittering dress, her team behind her. Alphas and Lunas applauding. People bidding. Applause. Cameras flashing. Success dripping off the screen like it belonged to her and only her.

And then the number.

The total amount she made.

My mouth fell open.

"That... that much?" I whispered, shaking. "In one day? Just like that?"

The article listed collaborations. Designers. Packs. Investors. Even human-world connections.

I hissed. Actually hissed like something inside me was feral.

"That should be me," I whispered, voice trembling. "That should have been my stage. My cameras. My applause."

I threw my phone on the bed, pacing back and forth. The room felt too small. My skin felt too tight.

"If I never met her, if she never came back, if she never married him, everything would still be mine. All of it." I pressed my hand to my chest. "That spot was supposed to be mine."

My voice broke.

"She took everything. She took him. She took the title. She took the company. My company. If I leave Alpha Darlon... I will not let go of that company. It is mine. It was always meant to be mine."

I sat down again because my knees felt weak.

"I cannot just watch," I whispered, staring at nothing. "I cannot just sit here and clap for her. Not when that stage was supposed to have my name on it."

Silence pressed in on me like a weight.

"She has to go," I said softly. "For everything to return to how it was... she has to go."

The words scared me a little. I could feel my pulse in my throat. I rubbed my palms together, restless.

"One of us has to fall. It is her or me. It cannot be both."

I swallowed hard. My breathing quickened. I imagined showing up to one of her events. I imagined her looking up and seeing me. I imagined pushing everything over, breaking what she built the way she broke everything I had.

But then the thought grew darker.

"What if she did not get to stay alive long enough to enjoy her success?" I whispered. "What if she disappeared? What if something happened?"

I shook my head quickly, like I could knock the thought loose.

"No. I am just angry. I am drunk. I am thinking too much."

But the idea lingered anyway. Like smoke in the air. Like a shadow that refused to leave.

I put my hand over my mouth.

"I just want her gone," I said into my palm. "I want my life back. I want what she took from me."

I leaned back, eyes burning, tears threatening but never falling.

"How?" I whispered. "How do I get close to someone protected by an Alpha like him? How do I reach a Luna everyone is suddenly watching? How do I... how do I remove her?"

The room stayed silent, like even the walls were listening.

I shook my head again, harder this time.

"I do not know yet," I admitted. "And maybe it is crazy. Maybe I am losing myself. Maybe I am already lost."

I sat there, breathing in and out, staring at nothing.

"But I know one thing," I whispered. "This is not over."

I threw myself onto the bed, my phone clutched in my hand like it was the only thing keeping me tethered to the world. My fingers trembled as I dialed. Every ring felt like a countdown, like the seconds were mocking me.

Finally, the line clicked, and her voice came through, calm and careful.

"Hello, Lira. Is everything..."

I cut her off immediately, yelling so loud I felt my lungs burn. "What are you doing?! What the hell are you doing?!"

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other side. "Lira, calm down...."

"No! Don’t tell me to calm down! How long do you expect me to stay hiding?! How long do I have to watch while Elara takes everything I should have had! Do you understand me? Everything!"

My voice cracked, but I didn’t care. My hands were shaking so hard the phone almost slipped.

"You don’t need to shout..." My mother’s voice was quieter now, almost pleading.

"I don’t care! I am tired of waiting! I am tired of pretending! I am tired of everything being out of my control! How long am I supposed to hide while she, she’s living the life I was meant to have?!"

There was silence on the other end. I could hear her breathing, careful and slow.

"Lira..." she finally said, her voice tight. "You have to think. You cannot..."

I cut her off again. "Think? THINK? Every second, I think she wins! She gets stronger. She gets richer. People love her. She has Alpha Darlon wrapped around her finger, and she, she doesn’t even know what she’s done to me!"

I slammed the phone down onto the bed, but I lifted it again almost immediately, pressing it to my ear as if I let go, my thoughts would escape too.

"I want to know," I yelled, my chest heaving. "I want to know what you’re doing! How long do I have to sit here like a ghost while my life is stolen from me?!"

My mother sighed, and her voice softened, almost like she was trying to soothe a child. "Lira... you have to be careful. You know the risks. You’ve been gone for days, hiding for your own safety. It’s not easy..."

"I DON’T CARE ABOUT SAFETY!" I screamed. "Do you understand me?! I’m done hiding! I’m done watching her take my place, my company, my Alpha! How much longer are you going to keep me locked away while she, while she succeeds at everything I worked for?!"

I could hear her whispering now, something I couldn’t quite catch. But I didn’t care. My head was spinning, my stomach knotting, and my fingers gripped the phone like it was a lifeline.

"I should be the one standing on that stage!" I shouted. "I should be the one selling millions! I should be the one everyone cheers for! Not her! Not her! She doesn’t deserve any of this!"

The line went quiet again. I didn’t wait for a response. I was shaking so violently I could barely hold the phone. My thoughts were racing, dark and wild, like a storm I couldn’t control.