Chapter 5: Man Watching Me

Azerbel’s Point of View

Skylar's words helped.

Just a little.

It felt...

comforting.

To know someone understood.

She gave me a soft smile.

Relieved.

"I've been telling her the same thing, Luna Lorraine," she said lightly.

But I heard it.

The sadness hidden beneath her voice.

I lowered my gaze.

I couldn't refuse.

Not Luna Lorraine.

Never her.

She had always been kind.

Warm.

Patient.

Like a real mother.

The mother I never had.

"Look at this," Luna Lorraine said gently.

She lifted the dress.

"It's perfect for you, Azerbel."

Her eyes shone with pride.

"It's even the same color as your name," she added with a smile. "I chose it just for you."

My chest tightened.

The dress was beautiful.

Soft.

Elegant.

But it wasn't the dress that hurt.

It was her.

Her kindness.

Her love.

For a moment...

an old dream came back to me.

Simple.

Quiet.

A life with Guerero.

A family.

Luna Lorraine as my real mother.

A place where I finally belonged.

But that dream...

was gone.

Shattered.

Destroyed along with everything else.

A bitter thought slipped into my mind.

Soon...

she would give that love to someone else.

Ruby.

The name burned inside me.

I hated it.

I hated her.

But more than that...

I hated him.

Guerero.

For breaking everything.

For choosing someone else.

For making me wonder if I had never been enough.

How could he do that?

How could he destroy us...

and still expect me to understand?

"Come here," Luna Lorraine said softly.

"Try it on."

Her voice pulled me back.

I looked at her.

Really looked at her.

There was no lie in her eyes.

No pity.

Only love.

Only concern.

She wasn't the one who hurt me.

She never had.

She was only trying to help.

Trying to keep me from falling apart.

Even now.

I swallowed hard.

Then reached for the dress.

My hands felt heavy.

Everything felt heavy.

But I nodded.

I would go.

Just this once.

Even if it hurt.

Even if I had to pretend.

I would go.

That night...

I stepped into the party.

And the moment I walked inside,

something felt wrong.

The air was thick.

Heavy.

Like a secret was waiting for me.

Like everyone knew something...

except me.

It suddenly felt hard to breathe.

This was supposed to be a celebration.

A welcome party for the lycan pack.

The same pack that had once fought against us.

The same people...

who had taken lives.

People I knew.

Warriors who never came home.

My chest tightened.

I looked around.

Everyone was smiling.

Laughing.

Drinking.

Like nothing had happened.

Like no one had died.

Like everything was normal.

But it wasn't.

Not for me.

The music filled the room.

Loud.

Bright.

Overwhelming.

The tables were crowded.

The hall glowed with golden lights.

People talked excitedly about the peace treaty.

About the future.

About the lycans.

And for some reason...

the uneasy feeling in my chest only grew stronger.

Like tonight wasn't going to be an ordinary night at all.

Food.

Wine.

Laughter.

Voices.

But none of it reached me.

Everything felt far away.

Like I was watching someone else's life.

Like I didn't belong here anymore.

I felt nothing.

Nothing except the pain buried inside me.

Deep.

Sharp.

Endless.

No music could drown it.

No laughter could soften it.

Even surrounded by people...

I felt completely alone.

And beneath all of it...

the anger was still there.

Quiet.

Hidden.

Waiting.

The party looked alive.

But to me...

it felt like something was about to break.

"You look beautiful."

Skylar's voice pulled me back.

She smiled at me.

Warm.

Hopeful.

She had just finished fixing my makeup.

Her hands were gentle.

Careful.

Trying to bring life back to my face.

I knew she meant it.

But I didn't feel beautiful.

Not tonight.

Not like this.

People had always called me pretty.

Beautiful.

Sometimes even stunning.

And the dress...

it fit perfectly.

Soft.

Elegant.

Like Luna Lorraine had made it just for me.

But none of it mattered.

Because my eyes...

they told the truth.

The sadness.

The hurt.

The emptiness.

No makeup could hide that.

No dress could fix it.

I didn't look beautiful.

I looked broken.

"Don't make that face," Skylar said softly.

She cupped my cheeks and lifted them a little.

Trying to make me smile.

"You've been sad for a week."

Her voice became firmer.

"Show him what he lost."

My chest tightened.

"Don't be the one hurting," she continued. "He should be."

Her eyes softened.

"It's his loss, Azerbel. Not yours."

Her words were kind.

Strong.

But they still hurt.

Because no matter what she said...

the pain stayed.

Fresh.

Sharp.

Real.

I forced a small smile.

Just for her.

But it never reached my eyes.

And deep inside...

I already knew.

Tonight wasn't going to end well.

Skylar didn't say anything.

She didn't point out that my smile was fake.

And somehow...

that made pretending easier.

So I followed her.

Step by step.

Out of my room.

Out of the place I'd been hiding.

Back into a world I wasn't ready to face.

The whispers had already started.

I felt them before I heard them.

Eyes followed me.

Watching.

Judging.

Wondering.

They noticed I disappeared.

Locked myself away.

And now...

they wanted answers.

Answers I didn't have.

I hated it.

Every glance.

Every whisper.

Every question they were too scared to ask.

"Don't worry," Skylar said softly.

She squeezed my hand.

Warm.

Steady.

"There are too many people tonight."

She smiled.

"We won't run into them."

Them.

Guerero.

Ruby.

Just hearing their names in my head made my stomach twist.

I looked away.

Because the truth was...

I wasn't afraid of seeing Ruby.

I was afraid of seeing him.

Afraid that one look at Guerero...

would remind me that despite everything,

I still loved the man who destroyed me.

Just thinking about him...

hurt.

I swallowed the pain.

Pushed it deeper.

Buried it where no one could see.

I couldn't fall apart here.

Not tonight.

Not in front of everyone.

We stepped into the garden.

The noise from the party faded behind us.

The air was cooler.

Quieter.

But it didn't help.

Nothing did.

Because this wasn't just about tonight.

Not just about a party.

It was about the truth.

The one I kept running from.

The one that kept finding me anyway.

The night was beautiful.

Stars scattered across the sky.

Soft lights glowed around the garden.

Warm.

Peaceful.

Calm.

But it all felt fake.

The lycans were everywhere.

Walking.

Talking.

Watching.

A quiet reminder of war.

Of blood.

Of the people we lost.

Some guests kept their distance.

Some whispered behind their hands.

Some stared openly.

No one truly trusted them.

And I could feel it.

The tension.

The unease.

Like something dangerous was hiding beneath the surface.

Waiting.

Ready to break.

It was my first time seeing real lycans.

And they were exactly how I'd imagined.

Strong.

Powerful.

Intimidating.

The men were tall.

Broad-shouldered.

Built like warriors born for battle.

The women...

just as strong.

Just as fierce.

They didn't stand behind anyone.

They stood beside them.

"I can't believe how tall they are," Skylar whispered.

Her eyes followed one as he walked past.

He towered over us.

We barely reached his shoulder.

I glanced at him.

Then quickly looked away.

My mind wasn't here.

Not really.

It was somewhere else.

Waiting for something to go wrong.

Still trapped inside memories I couldn't escape.

No matter how hard I tried.

We moved deeper into the crowd.

The noise rushed back all at once.

Voices.

Laughter.

Music.

Too loud.

Too fast.

It pressed against me.

Against my ears.

My chest.

My thoughts.

Everything felt overwhelming.

And deep inside...

something shifted.

A strange feeling.

A warning.

Like tonight...

wasn't going to end quietly.

"I'm tired," I said softly.

The crowd suddenly felt smaller.

Closer.

My head began to ache.

And again...

I felt it.

Eyes on me.

Watching.

Judging.

Wondering.

"I want to sit down," I added. "You can stay."

Skylar looked at me.

She hesitated.

Then slowly nodded.

"Okay..."

Her smile didn't reach her eyes.

She didn't want to leave me.

I could tell.

"Are you sure?" she asked gently.

I forced a smile.

It felt wrong.

"Go," I told her.

"You'll miss everything."

She made a face at me.

Trying to make me laugh.

It almost worked.

Almost.

Then she turned and walked away.

Slowly at first.

Until the crowd swallowed her whole.

And just like that...

my smile disappeared.

The heaviness returned.

The loneliness.

The emptiness.

I wrapped my arms around myself and headed toward a small drinks stall at the edge of the garden.

It was quiet there.

Almost empty.

Only two people stood nearby.

I lowered my gaze as I approached.

I just wanted a moment alone.

A few minutes to breathe.

But the uneasy feeling in my chest suddenly grew stronger.

And for the first time that night...

I had the terrifying feeling that someone was watching me.

Good.

Less people.

Less noise.

Less pressure.

I sat down.

Finally.

And for the first time that night...

I could breathe.

"Oh, Azerbel!"

An old man behind the stall greeted me warmly.

His smile was easy.

Normal.

Too normal.

Too calm.

Compared to the storm inside me.

He chatted about small things.

The party.

The weather.

The lycans.

I barely listened.

My mind was somewhere else.

"Do you have something sweet?" I asked.

My voice sounded dry.

Almost unfamiliar.

"Of course."

He poured a drink into a glass.

Bright red.

Sweet.

I took it.

"Thank you."

The glass felt cold in my hands.

Smooth.

Steady.

Unlike me.

My thoughts drifted again.

Far away.

I stared into the crowd.

Thinking.

Not thinking.

Trying to feel nothing.

I didn't know how much time passed.

A minute.

Maybe five.

Then,

I felt it.

A gaze.

Heavy.

Unmoving.

Fixed on me.

My fingers tightened around the glass.

Slowly...

I lifted my eyes.

Someone was watching me.

From across the stall.

I froze.

My heart skipped.

I shifted slightly.

But I didn't look directly at him.

Not yet.

Something about it felt...

different.

Not curiosity.

Not admiration.

Not the way other men looked at me.

This was sharper.

Heavier.

Like he was studying me.

Like he already knew something I didn't.

A chill ran down my spine.

Wrong.

Or maybe...

dangerous.

The noise of the party faded.

The laughter.

The music.

The conversations.

Everything disappeared.

Because for the first time that night...

my pain wasn't the only thing I felt.

Something else had entered my world.

Something powerful.

Something terrifying.

And somehow...

before I even saw his face,

I knew,

my life was about to change forever.