Chapter 4: Night I Met Him

Azerbel’s Point of View

For a second, Guerero lowered his head.

He looked... broken.

Like something inside him was crushing him.

Like he was carrying a weight too heavy to bear.

But I couldn't feel sorry for him.

Not after this.

All I felt was pain.

Sharp.

Burning.

This was him?

This was the man I waited for?

My mate.

My future.

The man I thought I would spend my whole life with.

"The battle was intense," Guerero said quietly.

His jaw tightened.

His voice was rough.

"You wouldn't understand. You weren't there."

He paused.

Then he looked away.

"I was lonely."

The words hit me.

"And you weren't there."

My chest tightened.

But anger came faster than the pain.

Hot.

Wild.

"So your first thought was to find another woman?" I shot back.

My voice shook, but I didn't care.

"You couldn't even wait a few months?"

The words were harsh.

But his excuses were worse.

They sounded empty.

Weak.

Like he was trying to cover something ugly.

"Azerbel!" Guerero raised his voice.

But there was no strength behind it.

"You don't understand how I feel!"

His eyes flashed with frustration.

"You weren't the one fighting those lycans! You don't know what it's like to almost die!"

A tear slid down my cheek.

Slow.

Cold.

But his words hurt far more than the tear.

There was no regret.

No guilt.

Only reasons.

Only excuses.

As if his pain mattered more than mine.

As if his suffering was enough to destroy everything we had.

But what about me?

What about my pain?

"I've been waiting for you," I whispered.

My voice cracked.

I wiped my tears away roughly.

"I tried so hard to become the perfect Luna for you."

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"I wanted you to be proud of me."

My chest ached, but I forced myself to keep going.

"I was lonely too," I whispered.

"Every day. Every night."

My hands curled into fists at my sides.

"I prayed for you. I waited for you."

My voice grew stronger.

"Not once did I think about another man."

Not once.

Guerero's jaw tightened.

He looked at me.

But there was no comfort in his eyes.

Only something heavy.

Dark.

The bond between us stirred.

I could feel him.

His guilt.

His regret.

They were there.

But buried.

Hidden beneath excuses.

Beneath pride.

Beneath fear.

He could feel my pain too.

I knew he could.

It flowed through the bond, slow and bitter.

And still...

he said nothing.

Nothing that mattered.

"It's different, Azerbel," he said at last.

He shook his head.

"Our situations aren't the same."

The words hung between us.

And somehow, they hurt more than everything else.

Something inside me cracked again.

Different?

That was his answer?

"You didn't even apologize," I said softly.

My voice trembled.

"And I thought..."

I took a shaky breath.

"At least you felt sorry for me."

The words came out slower this time.

Heavier.

Guerero froze.

Like I had slapped him.

His eyes widened.

Confusion flickered across his face.

As if the thought had never crossed his mind.

As if he had been so busy defending himself...

he forgot something simple.

To say sorry.

And somehow, that hurt more than the betrayal itself.

"Azerbel..."

His voice softened.

For the first time.

"I... I'm sorry."

The words fell between us.

Quiet.

Fragile.

But they didn't reach me.

They didn't heal anything.

It felt like he only said them because he'd run out of excuses.

My chest tightened.

Not from relief.

From something colder.

"You don't mean it," I whispered.

My voice shook, but I didn't look away.

"You don't regret it."

I held his gaze.

"Your words mean nothing."

His eyes widened again.

But instead of stepping back...

he stepped closer.

His hands reached for mine.

He held them tightly.

Too tightly.

Like he was afraid I would disappear.

"Azerbel... we can fix this," he said quickly.

"We can still be together."

Fix this?

The words felt wrong.

Cold.

Ugly.

Like this was a broken vase he could glue back together...

not a heart he had shattered.

I stared at him.

My thoughts moved slowly.

Sharp.

How could he say that?

How could he believe anything could go back to the way it was?

Nothing was the same.

Nothing would ever be the same.

My eyes narrowed.

Something inside me went cold.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

My voice trembled, but I refused to look away.

Guerero hesitated.

His expression changed.

Guilt.

Fear.

Desperation.

All of it flashed across his face.

"We can still be together..." he repeated.

But this time...

it sounded worse.

Empty.

Like even he didn't believe his own words.

And somehow, that hurt even more.

I pulled my hands away.

Hard.

My chest rose and fell rapidly.

Anger rushed through me.

Hot.

Sharp.

"If you think I'll accept this..."

I shook my head.

"Then you don't know me at all."

My words cut through the silence.

Cold.

Final.

Guerero went still.

But I didn't wait for him to say anything else.

I turned around.

And ran.

Away from him.

Away from everything.

My steps were quick and uneven.

My breathing came in painful bursts.

I didn't know if I was running from him...

or from the truth I couldn't accept.

It felt like I couldn't breathe.

Music echoed through the halls outside.

Loud.

Bright.

Happy.

Wrong.

People were laughing.

Celebrating.

Welcoming their heroes home.

But for me...

everything felt empty.

Like something inside me had died.

Like I had lost something I would never get back.

The bond between us hurt.

Deep.

Like it was tearing apart from the inside.

For a moment, I thought about rejecting him.

Ending everything.

Breaking the bond forever.

But I couldn't.

Not yet.

Because my stupid heart...

was still holding on.

Even while it was breaking.

Days passed.

One.

Two.

Three.

Then a week.

I stayed inside my room.

The curtains remained closed.

The world stayed outside.

I didn't want to see anyone.

Especially not him.

Every time Guerero came...

he knocked.

Called my name.

Waited outside my door.

But I stayed silent.

I never opened it.

I couldn't face him.

Not after what he'd done.

Only a few people knew the truth.

Luna Lorraine.

Alpha Dave.

And my closest friends.

The rest of the pack...

they only noticed the distance.

The silence.

The way everything between us had changed.

They whispered.

They wondered.

But no one knew...

how badly he'd broken me.

How broken I really was.

"Azerbel... don't be sad anymore."

Skylar's voice was soft.

Gentle.

She sat beside me on the bed, close enough that I could feel her warmth.

Familiar.

She had always been there.

Since the orphanage.

Since the very beginning.

We grew up together.

And now...

she was hurting for me too.

"Let's go out," she said quietly.

"You'll feel better."

She nudged my shoulder and forced a small smile.

Trying to pull me back.

But I heard it.

The sadness in her voice.

And it made my chest ache even more.

Because even she knew...

I wasn't okay.

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

My voice was tired.

Weak.

Like even speaking took too much effort.

"I just..."

I closed my eyes.

"I just want to disappear."

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Quiet.

But true.

Tears filled my eyes again.

I blinked quickly.

But they kept falling.

This time...

I let them.

I didn't care anymore.

My hair hung around my face.

Messy.

Lifeless.

Just like me.

I knew how I looked.

I knew I had stopped trying.

But I had nothing left to give.

The woman I used to be...

felt like someone else.

Gone.

Strong.

Proud.

Hopeful.

All of that...

felt dead.

Not because Guerero came back.

But because of what he did.

Because of how easily he broke me.

"Don't say that," Skylar whispered.

Her voice trembled.

"Let's just go out. Just for a little while."

She hesitated.

Then added,

"There's a party tonight."

"For the warriors... and the lycan pack."

A party.

The word felt strange.

Empty.

I didn't care.

Not about the party.

Not about the warriors.

Not about the lycans.

Nothing mattered anymore.

But...

something she said lingered in my mind.

The lycan pack.

They would stay for a week.

Their Alpha was coming.

A peace treaty.

All five Alphas had already arrived.

The world was moving forward.

Even while mine had fallen apart.

I sat there quietly.

Trying not to think.

Trying not to feel.

Then,

A knock on the door.

Soft.

Careful.

Skylar stood and opened it.

"Azerbel..."

Luna Lorraine's gentle voice filled the room.

Warm.

Too warm.

Too kind.

"I want to show you your dress for tonight," she said softly.

Her eyes filled with sadness when she saw me.

"I think it will help if you come."

She stepped closer.

"You deserve to be there."

"You deserve to be happy too."

Happy.

The word hurt.

I didn't want to go.

Didn't want to pretend.

Didn't want to smile.

Didn't want to act like I was okay.

Because I wasn't.

Not even close.

But Luna Lorraine looked at me as if I could still be saved.

As if I wasn't already broken.

I lowered my gaze.

My chest felt heavy.

Like whatever I chose next...

would change everything.

Hide forever.

Or stand up one last time.

I didn't know.

Not anymore.

I sat there.

Caught between both.

Between running...

and facing the ruins of the life I thought I would have.

And suddenly, a strange fear settled inside me.

Because tonight...

I would meet the Lycan Alpha.

And for reasons I couldn't explain...

my heart was telling me,

after tonight,

nothing would ever be the same again.