Chapter 4: Night I Met Him

For a moment, Guerero lowered his head.

He looked broken.

But Azerbel couldn't feel sorry for him.

Not after what he had done.

"The battle was intense," Guerero said quietly. "You wouldn't understand. You weren't there."

His jaw tightened.

"I was lonely. And you weren't there."

Azerbel stared at him.

Anger came faster than the pain.

"So your first thought was to find another woman?"

Her voice shook, but she didn't care.

"You couldn't even wait for me?"

"Azerbel!"

Guerero raised his voice, but there was more frustration than anger behind it.

"You don't understand how I felt. You weren't the one fighting those lycans. You don't know what it's like to almost die."

A tear slipped down Azerbel's cheek.

She quickly wiped it away.

"You're right. I wasn't there."

Her voice cracked.

"But I was waiting for you."

Guerero went quiet.

Azerbel took a shaky breath.

"I spent that year trying to become the Luna you could be proud of. I prayed for you every night. I wondered if you were safe, if you were hurt, if you were even coming home."

Her hands curled into fists.

"I was lonely too, Guerero. Every day. Every night."

She looked directly into his eyes.

"But not once did I think about another man."

Guerero's jaw tightened.

Through their mate bond, Azerbel could feel his guilt and regret.

He could feel her pain too.

She knew he could.

Still, he said nothing that made any of it better.

Finally, he shook his head.

"It's different, Azerbel."

She frowned.

"Our situations aren't the same."

Different?

After everything she had just told him, that was his answer?

Azerbel looked at the man she had loved for so long.

Then something painfully simple occurred to her.

"You haven't even apologized."

Guerero froze.

Azerbel's voice became quieter.

"I thought that even if you didn't love me anymore, at least you'd be sorry for hurting me."

His expression changed.

For the first time since they started arguing, the anger disappeared from his face.

"Azerbel..."

He hesitated.

"I'm sorry."

She had waited to hear those words.

Now that they had finally come, she felt nothing.

No relief.

No comfort.

Nothing.

Because he hadn't apologized until she reminded him to.

Azerbel slowly shook her head.

"You don't mean it."

"I do."

"No."

She held his gaze.

"You're sorry because I'm hurt. You're not sorry you did it."

Guerero's eyes widened.

He stepped closer and reached for her hands.

"Azerbel, we can fix this."

She stared at him.

"We can still be together."

For a second, Azerbel wondered if she had heard him correctly.

Together?

Ruby was carrying his child.

He had just announced that he would take Ruby as his chosen mate.

And somehow, he still believed he and Azerbel could remain together?

"What do you mean?"

Guerero hesitated.

Guilt and desperation crossed his face.

"We can still be together," he repeated.

This time, even he didn't sound certain.

Azerbel pulled her hands away.

"If you think I'll accept this, then you don't know me at all."

Guerero went still.

Azerbel didn't wait for another excuse.

She turned and walked away.

Then her steps became faster.

She needed distance from him.

From Ruby.

From the celebration.

From the future she had spent a year believing was waiting for her.

Music still echoed through the pack house. People laughed and celebrated the warriors' return.

Azerbel heard all of it.

She felt none of it.

Even the mate bond hurt.

It was still there, connecting her to Guerero when all she wanted was to stop feeling him.

For one painful moment, she thought about rejecting him.

Two words could begin the process of ending their bond.

But she couldn't do it.

Not yet.

Her mind knew what Guerero had done.

Her heart hadn't caught up.

So Azerbel kept walking.

---

A week passed.

Azerbel spent most of it inside her room with the curtains closed.

She didn't want to see anyone.

Especially Guerero.

He came more than once.

Each time, he knocked on her door and called her name.

"Azerbel, please."

She never answered.

Eventually, his footsteps would disappear down the hallway.

Only a few people knew exactly what had happened. Luna Lorraine, Alpha Dave, and Azerbel's closest friends knew the truth.

The rest of the pack only knew something had changed between their future Alpha and his mate.

People whispered.

Azerbel didn't care.

She barely cared about anything.

"Azerbel, you can't stay in this room forever."

Skylar sat beside her on the bed.

They had known each other since the orphanage. They had grown up together, and Skylar knew Azerbel well enough not to pretend everything was fine.

"Come outside with me," Skylar said. "Even for a little while."

Azerbel shook her head.

"I don't want to."

"You might feel better."

"I don't want to feel better, Skylar."

The answer came out before Azerbel could think about it.

Skylar went quiet.

Azerbel closed her eyes.

"I just..."

Her throat tightened.

"I just want to disappear for a while."

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

This time, she didn't wipe them away.

She was tired of pretending.

Tired of being strong.

Tired of waking up and remembering that Guerero had come home with another woman carrying his child.

Skylar moved closer.

"Don't say that."

"I'm tired."

"I know."

Skylar gently touched her shoulder.

"But hiding in here won't change what he did."

Azerbel opened her eyes.

Skylar gave her a small smile.

"Come to the party tonight."

Azerbel almost laughed.

"A party?"

"It's for the warriors and the lycan pack."

That caught Azerbel's attention.

"The lycans?"

Skylar nodded.

The peace treaty.

Azerbel had almost forgotten.

After the fighting, the packs were trying to build peace. The visiting lycans would remain in Hellfire for a week, and their Alpha was attending the gathering tonight.

In fact, all five Alphas involved had already arrived.

The rest of the world was moving forward.

Only Azerbel seemed trapped in the same painful moment.

"I don't want to see Guerero."

"You don't have to spend the night looking at him."

Skylar gave her a pointed look.

"Let him see that you're still alive."

Azerbel looked down at herself.

Her hair was messy. She had barely left her bed. She couldn't remember the last time she had cared about how she looked.

"I don't care what he sees."

"Then don't do it for him."

Azerbel looked at her.

"Do it for yourself."

Before Azerbel could answer, someone knocked softly on the door.

Skylar stood and opened it.

Luna Lorraine was outside.

"Azerbel..."

Lorraine entered carefully.

Their relationship hadn't been the same since the night Azerbel learned the truth.

Azerbel still loved her.

That was what made the betrayal hurt so much.

Lorraine was carrying a dress.

"I wanted to show you what I chose for tonight."

Azerbel looked away.

"I'm not going."

"I think you should."

"Why?"

Lorraine hesitated before sitting near her.

"Because you deserve to leave this room."

Azerbel said nothing.

"You deserve to be there, Azerbel. What Guerero did shouldn't take everything away from you."

Azerbel's chest tightened.

For the first time in days, she looked directly at Lorraine.

There were still things between them that hadn't been forgiven.

Questions Azerbel hadn't asked.

Pain they hadn't discussed.

But Lorraine was right about one thing.

Guerero had already taken enough from her.

Her trust.

Her future with him.

The happiness she had felt while waiting for his return.

Did Azerbel really want to give him the rest?

She looked at the dress in Lorraine's hands.

Then at Skylar.

Skylar raised her eyebrows.

"One night," she said.

Azerbel hesitated.

She didn't feel strong.

She didn't feel ready.

But perhaps she didn't need to.

Maybe she only needed to get out of bed.

Azerbel slowly pushed the blanket away.

Skylar's face brightened.

"Does that mean yes?"

Azerbel stood.

"One night."

Skylar immediately smiled.

Lorraine's eyes filled with relief.

Azerbel looked toward the window.

Somewhere outside, the Hellfire Pack was preparing to welcome the visiting lycans and their Alpha.

Only a week ago, Azerbel had believed her entire future would begin when Guerero came home.

Instead, that future had ended.

Tonight, for the first time since his return, she would stop hiding from what came next.