Chapter 11

Valen’s POV

There was one night where I confirmed my fears. That was the particular night that I caught her red handed. How could I forget? I had always subtly felt like Gina was lying against Veyra so she could just break us up. But it was that night that confirmed to me that Gina has always been telling the truth. I would never forget that night- that night during the full moon festival

I'd been suspicious for weeks, thanks to Gina's observations, but this small part of me refused to believe that my girlfriend was cheating on me. I was almost falling into depression.

Every time I saw Veyra, my heart would break. I didn’t even like her to kiss me any longer. There was a time where I would die for her to kiss me. After the day of our first kiss, I felt butterflies in my stomach for several days. Now I didn’t even want her to kiss because every time she kissed me, I felt dirty. Her lips disgusted me. Anytime they touched mine, I felt like a public toilet because I assumed that she had kissed every other boy with those lips of hers. I never imagined that a day would come where I would hate kissing her. Every time she said she loved me, it felt like a lie.

"Valen, why do you not just end things with her. You look like a ghost and like you have not been sleeping well” Gina had approached me a day before

“ I just need to be sure that she is cheating on me…” I had replied, looking at a distance as if I am looking into a void. “I want something substantial. Something that I cannot deny. I want to even catch her in the act if possible”

Of course, anybody in my situation would not sleep well. At night I wake up and look at the ceiling wondering if my girlfriend is in somebody else’s arms. I had grown to love Veyra so much. Anytime I thought of the future, I thought of her in it as my Luna. We were meant to conquer kingdoms, break barriers, and rule the world together- me as the alpha, her as the Luna. We even already talked about how many children we would give birth to and what their names would be. We talked about how we would establish a whole lot of packs together and name them after our children. We talked about how great we would become. I have forgotten what sleep feels like. I mean, How could I sleep when my future was crumbling in front of me? When my heart was breaking to pieces?

"Don’t worry, Gina, I know you care about me, but I would be fine.," I say just to get her off me. I know that she wants me to be happy, fine and eventually find out the truth, but sometimes I just do not want to hear the bad news she has with her

"Stop lying to me, you are not fine" Gina had placed a gentle hand on my shoulder soft sleep. "I have always been here for you ever since you found out that Veyra has been cheating on you. So I expect that you know that you can talk to me about anything."

I had nothing to tell her. I just wanted to be alone, but I didn’t want to sound rude to her so I just give her a reply, “Don’t worry, I am fine”

It was a full moon night. And as usual, there was a celebration in the pack, but I'd left early, claiming I had a headache. The celebration was in full swing when I made my excuse to my father.

"I have a headache and I want to leave…” I had said to my dad admits, the noise in the air and the women throwing themselves at him

“Come on, Valen, don’t leave the best part is yet to come!” he tries to persuade me

"Just tired, Dad. I think I'm sick”

He had nodded, “Fine, fine if you insist! Just get some rest and call the doctors to check you”

“Okay, dad”

I was not feeling sick. I was just suspicious. A few minutes ago, Gina had pulled me aside to tell me something. "Valen, wait," she had said

"What is it?" I talk to her as she interrupts what I was doing

"I saw her earlier. Veyra. She was talking to someone and she followed him in that direction,” she pointed ahead of us. “ I don’t think I know that man ,” she whispers, “ but I have a bad feeling about what they went to. You need to go and check if you can find them”

“What do you mean by a man you could not recognize?”

"It is as simple as I said it ,” she shrugs

I felt dizzy immediately after she said this. “Are you sure?”

"I'm sorry, Valen. I wish I wasn't You want to tell you all this." Her eyes were filled with sympathy. "But I just… cannot rest when I see that you are being treated unfairly… you know…”

Gina is still speaking, but I am already walking towards the direction that she pointed at

Veyra had told me earlier that she was going to the pantry to get more cakes for the celebration, so I decided to look for her there first. I walk to the pantry, I pray to the moon goddess that she is there. I didn’t want to experience something that will traumatize me for the rest of my life. I didn’t want to break up with Veyra. The thoughts got to me that I almost did not realize when my hands started shaking as I walked. I tried to look casual, and I greeted everyone that greeted me when they passed me , but deep down my world was potentially falling apart. Veyra had saved me once and I never wanted to let her go. If I found out that she had been disliyal tp me, I had a potential of committing suicide. At point, I showed my eyes as I walk- everything seemed to be so overwhelming at that point

When I got to the pantry, it was warm-as if a few activities had just happened in that place, but it was deserted. Nobody was there. Veyra was not there.

I stood there for a moment, breathing. I think of all of the possibilities that she is with another man. But my wolf tells me to calm down and be reasonable

I argued with Dada so much that night that we had a very big fight and he stopped talking to me for a while because he said I was too stubborn and I just liked thinking negatively.

Dada never believed Gina I’ve always been saying. He always said that Gina was manipulating us, but I never listened to him. I never listened because there was always proof that she would present to me. What about the pictures? What of all the mannerisms I notice from Veyra? I am not a fool !

“Have you for one second thought that maybe she'd already gotten what she needed and gone back?” Dada argued that night. “Valen you are just being Paranoid!” he had said simply. “Gina is just manipulating you…” Dada didn’t want me to believe this thing that seems impossible. “We have known Veyra all our lives, she gave herself and her wolfen ability fous. She would not do such a thing to you.”

But I was adamant . I needed to know the truth. I needed to make sure that I was not being paranoid.

I went to her house next, practically running through the streets, ignoring how my legs were aching. I ignored everything that Dada was saying to me. It was as if I was being controlled by my will to find out the truth.

"Valen? What are you doing here? Isn't Veyra at the celebration with you?” Alex was stepping out to come and join celebration when I barged into him

"She... she said she was coming home to get something," I lied

Alex shook his head. "She didn’t come here. Maybe she is at the celebration. Did you check the pantry?"

“I did,” I replied

“And?” he asked curiously

“She was not there…”

“Then go back to the pack square, she must be there”

“What if something bad has happened to her?” I tried to pretend to care so that he does not suspect anything off about me.

He chuckles at my fake concern. “There are guards everywhere and all the borders are secured. Nothing can happen to her because I have made sure of that. Everybody is safe and no rogue can break in. Just go back to the grounds, she must be there. Find Gina too, most of the times when you find Gina, you have found her”

I mumbled some excuse and left, my worst fears beginning to eat me up alive. If she wasn't at the pantry, and she wasn't at home, then where was she?

I began searching the pack. My heart was beating so fast because I was scared.

Dada even told me to stop searching because he too was scared about what we were going to see, but I had to know if I was being paranoid or Veyra was actually a monster that Gina said she was

I continue searching and searching, and that is why I heard it…

That is when I heard sounds- like two people making out