Chapter 1: He Came Back With Her

Irene’s Point of View

My mate was finally coming home.

So why did my chest feel so tight?

I stood at the entrance of the Hellfire Pack, trying to steady my breath.

Luna Lorraine was beside me. Alpha Dave stood close on her other side.

Behind us, families filled the space.

No one spoke loudly.

No one laughed.

The air felt heavy.

Full of hope… and something else I couldn’t name.

Everyone was waiting for the same thing.

For their loved ones to return alive.

“I see them!”

Luna Lorraine’s voice broke as she grabbed my hand.

I turned to her.

Her eyes were already full of tears, shining with relief.

And just like that, mine followed.

My vision blurred.

My heart pounded too fast, too hard.

I was happy.

I should have been nothing but happy.

But something inside me… wouldn’t settle.

Luna Lorraine squeezed my hand, grounding me.

Keeping me from falling apart.

For months, I had waited.

Wondered.

Prayed.

I begged the Moon Goddess to bring Eugene back to me.

And now…

He was here.

We were about to see each other again.

I swallowed hard, my throat tight.

Yes.

I was his mate.

The one chosen for him.

The one who waited when no one else could.

Today wasn’t just about the warriors coming home.

It was my day too.

The day I would stand beside him…

as the next Luna.

“I see them too, Mom,” I whispered.

My voice came out soft, almost fragile.

I held her hand tighter.

We stood there together, caught in the same storm of emotion.

Relief.

Joy.

And something warm spreading slowly in my chest…

Like I finally belonged.

I used to have nothing.

No family.

No home.

Just silence.

But Luna Lorraine changed that.

The first time she told me to call her “Mom”…

something deep inside me broke, and healed at the same time.

For the first time in my life,

I had someone.

Something real.

And then I met Eugene.

Everything changed.

The moment our eyes met…

we both knew.

We were meant to be.

“There! It’s Eugene!”

My voice trembled as I pointed ahead.

The sun burned behind the returning warriors, casting long shadows across the ground.

And there he was.

At the front.

Leading them.

Strong.

Alive.

Real.

My breath caught.

My chest tightened even more.

I wanted to run to him.

To throw myself into his arms.

To hold him…

and never let go.

But as I stared at him, something deep in my chest twisted again,

and this time… it didn’t feel like happiness.

One year.

A full year without him.

It felt longer than that.

Like time had stretched just to test me.

He left too soon after we met.

Before we even had the chance to be real.

After that…

All we had were letters.

Words on paper.

Carefully written.

Carefully read.

That was all I held on to.

Each letter kept me going.

Each one told me the same thing…

He was still mine.

It wasn’t easy.

Some nights felt too long.

Too quiet.

But I believed in us.

At least…

that was what I kept telling myself.

Now he was here.

Right in front of me.

So close…

closer than he had been in a year.

My heart beat faster.

Too fast.

Something felt off.

A small, sharp feeling in my chest.

But I pushed it down.

All I wanted was him.

To see his face.

To hear his voice again.

To feel his arms around me.

But I didn’t move.

I couldn’t.

Everyone was watching.

This wasn’t just a reunion.

I was the future Luna.

I had to act right.

Stay calm.

Stay composed.

No matter how much I wanted to run to him.

The warriors moved closer.

Step by step.

Closer.

Closer.

Then,

Eugene got off his horse.

My breath caught.

This was it.

But…

He didn’t look at me.

Not even once.

He walked right past me.

Like I wasn’t there.

Straight to Alpha Dave.

“My mission is complete,” he said.

His voice was steady. Calm. Controlled.

“I’m proud of you,” Alpha Dave replied, pulling him into a tight hug.

Cheers exploded around us.

The crowd broke.

Families rushed forward.

Crying.

Laughing.

Holding each other like they would never let go again.

“Mother!”

Eugene’s voice cut through the noise.

Luna Lorraine let go of my hand.

She ran to him without hesitation.

Tears streamed down her face as she wrapped her arms around him.

“I missed you… I missed you so much…”

Her voice shook as she said it again and again.

I stood where I was.

Frozen.

Watching them.

Waiting.

Just… waiting.

For him to turn.

To look at me.

To see me.

But he didn’t.

Not once.

And slowly… something cold crept into my chest.

The world around me started to fade.

The cheers.

The laughter.

The joy.

I couldn’t hear any of it anymore.

Only the sound of my own heartbeat.

Too loud.

Too fast.

I told myself this was it.

It was over now.

No more waiting.

No more letters.

No more long, empty nights.

But standing there…

Watching him hold everyone else,

I wasn’t so sure anymore.

Eugene was here.

My mate.

We were finally going to start our life together.

…or so I thought.

When it was my turn, I stepped forward.

My arms opened on their own.

Ready to hold him.

Ready to feel him again after a year of waiting.

But,

Eugene stepped back.

Like I was a stranger.

Like he didn’t know me at all.

He turned his face away.

My heart stopped.

My arms slowly fell to my sides.

For a moment, I forgot how to move.

How to breathe.

This wasn’t real.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

I bit my lip hard, forcing the pain down.

I wouldn’t cry.

Not here.

Not in front of everyone.

He gave me a small nod.

Cold.

Distant.

Like I meant nothing.

The pain hit my chest all at once.

Sharp.

Heavy.

Why…?

Why was he acting like this?

“I… I’m so happy to see you,” I said.

My voice came out soft.

Barely there.

I stepped back quickly and moved beside Luna Lorraine.

I didn’t want anyone to see my face.

Didn’t want them to see how much it hurt.

“I’m happy to be back,” Eugene replied.

His tone was flat.

Empty.

His words cut, but it was his eyes that hurt more.

They met mine for a second.

Just one second.

And in that brief moment…

I saw something flicker.

Pain.

Guilt.

Or maybe… regret.

Then it was gone.

He looked away like I was nothing.

My chest tightened again.

Then,

He reached behind him.

And took someone’s hand.

My breath caught.

There was a woman standing just behind him.

I hadn’t noticed her before.

All I saw was him.

But now…

I couldn’t look away.

Long red hair fell over her shoulders.

Soft. Smooth.

Her blue eyes were bright and sharp.

She was beautiful.

Too beautiful.

My stomach twisted.

Something cold spread through me, slow and deep.

Eugene pulled her closer.

Their hands were still linked.

Tight.

Like they didn’t want to let go.

Something inside me cracked.

“Father. Mother. This is the woman I mentioned in my letter,” Eugene said.

He still didn’t look at me.

Not once.

A woman?

My mind went blank.

A letter?

What letter?

I searched my memory, desperate.

Every word.

Every page he had ever sent me.

But there was nothing.

No mention.

No hint.

He never told me about her.

Not even once.

“Who… is she?”

The question slipped out before I could stop it.

My voice trembled.

Luna Lorraine’s hand tightened around mine.

And somehow… that made everything feel worse.

Her grip was gentle.

But firm.

I looked at Luna Lorraine.

She gave me a soft, sad smile.

The kind that said…

she already knew.

“Let’s go back to the pack house first,” she said quietly.

“We’ll talk later. Eugene must be tired.”

Her voice was warm.

Usually, it would calm me.

But not this time.

Not anymore.

I nodded, even though my chest felt heavier with every breath.

I had no choice.

Each step forward felt wrong.

Like I was walking away from something I didn’t understand.

Before we left…

I turned back.

Just once.

Eugene was still there.

His head was lowered.

His face… filled with shame.

Alpha Dave stood in front of him, his expression sharp.

Angry.

Very angry.

The pride he showed earlier… was gone.

“What is going on…?” I whispered.

My thoughts tangled together, refusing to make sense.

Why was he holding her hand?

Why wouldn’t he look at me?

Why did it feel like everything had just… broken?

“Mother… who is that woman?” I asked again.

My voice trembled.

But Luna Lorraine didn’t answer.

She only held my hand tighter and led me away.

Back to the pack house.

There was supposed to be a celebration tonight.

A welcome party for the warriors who made it back.

But tomorrow…

There would be a funeral.

For the ones who never returned.

And somehow…

it felt like I had lost something too.

“We will talk about this later,” Luna Lorraine said again.

But this time, her voice was heavier.

Too heavy.

Something was wrong.

I could feel it deep inside me.

Something was being hidden.

Something important.

And it was slowly breaking me.