The door creaked open, and the dim light from the hallway spilled into the room as I stepped inside. The scent of pine and lavender immediately hit me—a nauseating combination that made my stomach churn.

My wolf stirred uneasily, her claws scraping at the edges of my mind. The perfume clinging to him was Grace’s, unmistakable and infuriating.

“Busy day at work? You’re home late,” Darius said, his voice calm and casual, as if nothing had happened.

My hands clenched into fists, nails biting into my palms. Work? Did he mean the job I’d put aside for our mating ceremony? The same ceremony he canceled without warning, then flaunted his betrayal for the world to see? My heart pounded, anger and disbelief simmering beneath my skin. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to lash out, but I forced myself to stay composed.

At this point, I didn't know if I could keep the promise I made to my mother.

I slipped off my shoes, trying to steady my breathing. My voice was icy as I asked, “Why are you here?”

He strode toward me, his movements as smooth and confident as ever. But now, those graceful steps felt predatory, like a wolf closing in on vulnerable prey. “I had a business dinner nearby,” he said nonchalantly. “Thought I’d stop by to check on you.”

Check on me? The laugh that bubbled in my throat was bitter and humorless. My mind raced, replaying the images I’d seen earlier. The headlines, the photos, the voice recording—all of it undeniable evidence of his betrayal. Yet here he was, standing before me as if nothing had changed.

My vision blurred with unshed tears, but I blinked them away, refusing to let him see my weakness.

When he got closer, the scent of Grace grew stronger, entwined with his own. My wolf growled, a low rumble that echoed in my chest. She wanted to act, to tear him apart for his lies.

My instincts screamed at me to put distance between us, and I obeyed, taking a step back as he reached for me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked lightly, his tone infuriatingly unaware or deliberately ignorant of the storm brewing within me.

“Nothing,” I replied stiffly. My voice betrayed none of the chaos inside. “Well, you’ve seen me alive and breathing. You can go now.”

His confident smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly masked it with a soft chuckle. “Nia, I’m sorry about canceling the mating ceremony. I got wind of some news about potential rogue attacks. I didn’t want to put you in harm’s way.”

Lies. His words tasted like ash, leaving a bitter residue in my mouth. I clenched my jaw, swallowing the urge to scream. My wolf’s agitation intensified, her fury boiling over at his blatant deceit. How could he stand there and spew such nonsense when I’d seen the truth with my own eyes?

The image of him on stage with her burned in my mind. The way they kissed, the way he held her, like she was the center of his universe. The audience had applauded, blissfully unaware of the destruction he’d left in his wake.

I laughed bitterly, the sound sharp and cutting. “Rogues?” I repeated. My voice trembled with suppressed rage. “You canceled the ceremony because of rogues?”

Darius’s brows furrowed, confusion flickering across his face. “Yes,” he said cautiously. “I didn’t want to take any risks with your safety.”

“My safety?” I echoed, my voice rising. “Don’t insult my intelligence, Darius. If you truly cared about my safety, you wouldn’t have…” I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. The memory was too raw, too painful.

He stepped closer, his expression softening. “Nia, what’s really bothering you? You’re upset about more than just the ceremony. Did someone say something to you?”

I stared at him, incredulous. Was he truly that dense, or was this another act? My chest tightened, the weight of everything threatening to crush me. A single tear escaped, sliding down my cheek before I could stop it.

Darius’s eyes widened. He reached out, his hand brushing against my face to wipe the tear away. “Nia,” he said softly, his voice tinged with panic. “Why are you crying? Tell me who hurt you. I’ll take care of them.”

The irony of his words stung like a slap. I stepped back, evading his touch. My voice was barely above a whisper, but it carried the weight of my anguish. “What if the person who hurt me was you?”

For a moment, he froze. The mask slipped, and I saw a flicker of guilt in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his usual facade of calm control. “Nia, you know I would never…”

My memories of our childhood couldn’t help but surface.

When we were still young, I was one of the pack bullies, but more of the good pack bullies. I hated seeing other people being bullied, so in turn, I bullied the bullies, giving them a taste of their own medicine.

It had always been that way until I met Daruis.

Daruis had seen me bullying a bully once and had confronted me about it and we fought. I ended up getting the most injuries, to which I was taken to the pack doctor, who had to call our parents.

Our families had berated us, to which the misunderstanding we had between us was cleared.

He became my protector and shield, and we always went about doing mischievous things.

He had always been my backer, until Grade 12, when we saved a weak girl from one of the school bullies.

The weak girl was none other than Selene Darkmoor.

Selene had always been weak, to be precise, she was always ill. Every little thing could send her into the hospital.

I had to be careful around her, to avoid impairing her health, but Daruis showed her the most care that it started becoming grating to my eyes, especially since I had fallen in love with Daruis.

I didn’t want to think much about it, since I trusted that Darius wouldn’t leave me for a frail girl. Maybe I had been overconfident.

Slowly, the bond between Darius and me got weak, and I hated it.

My friends warned me but I didn’t take it to heart, but to be cautious, I decided to ask Selene about it, to which when I went to her class, I noticed that she wasn’t around, so I could only wait for her on her seat.

That was when I saw her diary, where she described Daruis as her knight in shining armor and the likes and that she had fallen for him, but that was not the same for Daruis.

According to the diary she had written, it was that she asked Darius out and he rejected her, telling her that he likes me.

I was beyond happy reading that part and didn’t bother to check the rest of the pages, since I was already infringing on her privacy. Maybe, if I had continued to read it, I wouldn’t have found myself in this web of lies and deceit that had been weaved around me by Daruis.

The next day, I heard that Selene had gone abroad.

I thought it must have been due to the rejection, and neither did I ever think that she was coming back.

Who knew that she would come back and sweep my man into her arms? Isn’t that ironic?

Unlike me, Selene had this bright, cheerful smile and her pale frame just seemed to bring out a certain charm around her. If one were to see her, the first word that would pop up is how innocent she looked.

She had this charm that could make no man say no to her, but I, on the other hand, was notoriously known as the man hunter in school.

I sat still for a moment, staring at my hands cradled in his. Darius’s touch, once a source of warmth and safety, now felt cold and foreign. His hands had been mine once, always holding me through storms and laughter.

But now, my thoughts churned with images of where they’d been, who they’d touched—Selene.

A knot of disgust twisted in my stomach, and my wolf stirred within me, her anger simmering just below the surface.

The thought of him with Selene, their moments of intimacy, made my wolf’s snarl reverberate in my mind. I wanted to scream, to lash out, to let my wolf take over and shred his betrayal to pieces.

My chest burned with emotions I couldn’t name, and before I could stop myself, I yanked my hand away from his as if his touch had scalded me.

Darius blinked, clearly surprised. “Nia,” he said, his voice tinged with confusion. “What’s wrong? I already said I was sorry. Why are you giving me this attitude?”

“Attitude?” The word tasted bitter on my tongue. My voice rose, fueled by a fire that had been smoldering for weeks. “Oh no, Darius. If I were giving you attitude, you’d already be on the ground.”

His face hardened, his brows furrowing as the warmth in his voice evaporated. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’m weak?”

I let out a bitter laugh that scraped against my throat. Shaking my head, I muttered, “Who knows?” My tone was sharp, mocking, and I could see the flicker of annoyance in his eyes.

Darius’s frown deepened, and his hands clenched at his sides. “I came here after a long day, Nia. I wanted to see you, and this is how you treat me? Is this the thanks I get?”

“Treat you?” I shot up from the couch, the movement abrupt and jarring. My chest heaved as I glared at him. “You think you deserve kindness from me? Thanks? After what you’ve done?”

His jaw tightened, and his gaze sharpened. “This is exactly why I spend time with Selene,” he snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut. “At least she knows how to be gentle.”

The words struck me like a physical blow. I froze, the air sucked from my lungs as the room tilted slightly. My chest tightened, and my wolf howled in fury, her growl echoing in my head. My mind raced to process what he had just said.

“Selene?” My voice trembled, the single word heavy with disbelief and pain. “You’re blaming me for your running to her?”

He didn’t meet my eyes, shrugging as he muttered, “You just don’t get it.” Reaching for his coat and laptop bag, he added, “I didn’t come here to fight, but you always make things harder.”

The indifference in his tone ignited something deep within me. My hands curled into fists, nails biting into my palms as I fought to keep my voice steady. “If that’s how you feel, then go. Run back to her. That’s what you’ve wanted all along, isn’t it?”

He paused at the door, his back to me. For a brief moment, I thought he might turn around, say something, anything that would make this pain less unbearable. But he didn’t. Instead, he walked out, the soft click of the door echoing in the silence.

The room felt suffocatingly quiet. My legs gave out, and I sank onto the couch, burying my face in my hands. Memories flooded my mind—Darius holding my hand during our first hunt, laughing as we raced through the woods, his whispered promises under moonlit skies. He had been my everything, my protector, my home.

And now, he was gone.

Tears burned my eyes, but I blinked them away, refusing to let them fall. My wolf whined softly, her sorrow intertwining with mine. She had always been fierce, unyielding, but even she couldn’t mend the gaping wound in my heart.

As I sat there, the faint chime of a phone broke through the silence. My eyes landed on the device resting on the coffee table—Darius’s phone. He must have left it behind in his hurry to leave.

“Great,” I muttered, my voice hollow. I didn’t intend to touch it. I didn’t want to invade his privacy, even after everything. But as the screen lit up with a notification, curiosity clawed at me.

The message was from a contact labeled “My Queen.” My stomach twisted, and my wolf’s growl rumbled in the back of my mind. I didn’t need to guess who it was. I knew. Selene.

My fingers hovered over the phone, hesitating. A part of me screamed to leave it alone, to walk away and hold on to the last shred of dignity I had. But another part, the part consumed by anger and betrayal, urged me to look.

The message wasn’t just text. It was a picture. My breath hitched as I swiped at the screen, trying passwords I’d memorized from years of being by his side. His, mine, ours. None worked.

Frustration mounted, and my hands trembled as I tried the last option I’d sworn I’d never use. Selene’s birthday. The numbers burned into my memory from years of watching her shadow our lives.

The phone unlocked.

I let out a bitter laugh, the sound hollow and broken. Of course, it worked. Of course, she was the one he trusted with his secrets.

I opened the message, the image downloading with agonizing slowness. Each second felt like a lifetime, my chest tightening with every breath. When it finally loaded, the picture was a hospital report.

The words leaped out at me, cruel and undeniable: Pregnancy Test. Positive.