Chapter 14: Cast Out

Irene’s Point of View

“Eugene was here this morning,” Arnold said.

Just like that.

Casual.

Like it meant nothing.

He pulled on his tunic, then his pants, not even bothered that I was watching.

Of course he wasn’t.

He was an alpha.

Shameless.

If my head wasn’t still spinning, I might have noticed more.

But right now,

nothing mattered except that one sentence.

Eugene.

Here.

This morning.

My thoughts scrambled.

“What was he doing here?” I asked quickly.

The questions rushed out.

“What did you tell him? Does he know I’m here? Why did he come?”

My chest tightened again.

Too fast.

Too many thoughts.

“Calm down,” Arnold said, turning to face me.

I probably looked like I was about to jump at him.

“He came to look for you.”

My breath caught.

For me?

My eyes widened before I could stop it.

Arnold noticed.

Of course he did.

A slow grin spread across his face.

He enjoyed that.

Way too much.

“Of course I told him you’re here,” he added.

For a second,

my mind went blank.

Then,

“What?!” I snapped.

The word came out louder than I meant.

Arnold shrugged.

Completely relaxed.

“I don’t like lying,” he said. “I’m an alpha. I should set a good example.”

My fingers curled into the pillow beside me.

I grabbed it,

ready to throw.

Ready to hit him with something.

Anything.

But I stopped.

Just before I did it.

Because I remembered.

He wasn’t just annoying.

He was dangerous.

And I was already in enough trouble after last night.

I dropped the pillow back onto the bed.

My jaw tightened.

“What did you do that for?!” I demanded.

Anger rose faster than anything else.

Even faster than the pain from earlier.

It was strange.

The more I stood in front of Arnold,

the less I thought about Eugene.

But not in a good way.

Because this man,

brought out something in me I didn’t like.

Something sharp.

Uncontrolled.

Arnold crossed his arms.

Watching me.

Amused.

Like I was entertainment.

“Why not?” he said. “It’s the truth.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“I told him I took care of you. That he didn’t need to stay. You’d go back on your own when you woke up.”

My breath hitched.

Frustration built fast.

Too fast.

I ran my fingers through my hair.

Pulling slightly.

Trying to steady myself.

I couldn’t deal with him.

Not like this.

“You’re making my life harder…” I muttered.

But he wasn’t done.

“Oh,” he added lightly, “and I told him you were sleeping in my room.”

My head snapped up.

“What?”

My voice rose before I could stop it.

“No. No, what did you say?”

He didn’t even hesitate.

“Unconscious,” he added.

Calm.

Careless.

Like he didn’t just destroy everything in one sentence.

My heart dropped.

Hard.

“No…” I whispered.

Then louder,

“No way.”

Because suddenly,

this wasn’t just embarrassing.

It was dangerous.

And I had a feeling…

Arnold knew exactly what he was doing.

“What’s the problem?”

Arnold tilted his head, like he truly didn’t understand.

“Is it such a big deal if you sleep in my room?”

For a second, I couldn’t tell,

was he serious…

or was he playing with me?

“Alpha Arnold!” The words burst out of me.

Half anger.

Half panic.

“I have a mate!”

“You mean that waste of breath?” he asked.

Calm.

Too calm.

There was nothing innocent in his tone.

I closed my eyes.

Breathed in.

Slow.

Careful.

I forced myself to remember what Luna Lorraine had taught me.

Control.

Composure.

Don’t react too quickly.

When I opened my eyes again, my voice was steadier.

“Alpha Arnold, you can’t do this,” I said. “No matter what’s happening between me and my mate… we are still bound. There’s been no rejection.”

I swallowed.

“For me to sleep in your bed… it’s unacceptable.”

“But that’s exactly what happened,” he said.

Simple.

Unbothered.

“You slept in my bed all night. You vomited on me this morning. And now you’re yelling at me.”

He stepped closer.

Then sat at the edge of the bed.

“I’ve never felt this humiliated in such a short time,” he added.

I froze.

The way he said it,

made everything sound worse.

So much worse.

“Alpha Arnold…” My voice softened without meaning to.

“I’m going to lose my reputation because of this…”

“How?” he asked.

Sharp.

Direct.

“How can I ruin your reputation when I did nothing wrong?”

He leaned back slightly, watching me.

Then his gaze darkened.

“More importantly… if you’re that miserable with him, why don’t you just reject him?”

The question hit harder than I expected.

“I don’t understand you werewolves,” he continued. “You cling to that bond like it’s everything.”

“It is everything,” I said.

Too quickly.

Too firmly.

He wouldn’t understand.

He couldn’t.

Not this.

“Then why are you still suffering like this?” he asked quietly.

I had no answer.

Not one I could say out loud.

I shifted, trying to stand,

but his hand closed around my wrist.

Firm.

Unmoving.

My breath caught.

“What?!” I snapped before I could stop myself.

The word came out too sharp.

Too fast.

I blinked, then quickly softened my tone.

“What do you want… Alpha Arnold?”

He didn’t answer.

He just looked at me,

and then he laughed.

Low.

Amused.

Like he already knew something

I hadn’t realized yet.

“You’re feisty. You know that?”

Arnold’s smile deepened, amused.

“Let go,” I said.

I was done with this.

Done with the way he held me like I couldn’t leave on my own.

His grip didn’t loosen.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

Then he pulled me closer.

Effortless.

“Stay here. You won’t like it at the pack house right now.”

Something in his tone shifted.

Not teasing.

Not playful.

And that made me uneasy.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

My chest tightened.

The look in his eyes,

too bright.

Too knowing.

“What else did you say to Eugene?”

“Why are you jumping to conclusions?” he said, almost offended.

I didn’t believe him.

Not for a second.

“What did you tell him?” I pressed.

My patience was slipping.

Fast.

“I told you already,” Arnold replied. “Nothing more.”

He paused.

Then added, almost casually,

“But your so-called mate… didn’t take it well.”

My stomach dropped.

“What do you mean?”

The unease spread deeper.

I hated this.

The way he spoke in half-truths.

Like he was waiting for me to catch up.

Arnold didn’t answer right away.

Instead,

his hand moved.

Slow.

He touched my cheek.

I flinched.

Instinct.

I was about to pull away,

to tell him not to touch me,

but he spoke first.

“He wants you out of the pack,” Arnold said quietly.

The words landed,

heavy.

Cold.

“And now he’s telling everyone how shameful it is for his mate to spend the night with another man.”

His lips curved slightly.

“Funny, isn’t it?”

For a second,

I couldn’t breathe.

“You’re lying,” I said.

Too quickly.

Too desperate.

“There’s no way he would do that.”

My voice felt distant.

Unsteady.

“You must’ve told him something wrong.”

Arnold’s smile disappeared.

Just like that.

“Am I that awful in your eyes?” he asked.

His voice dropped.

Low.

Serious.

“I might joke. I might tease. But I don’t lie.”

His gaze locked onto mine.

Sharp.

Unyielding.

“What would I gain from ruining something that’s already broken?”

I didn’t answer.

Because deep down,

I knew.

He wasn’t lying.

And that made it worse.

I pulled my hand free.

Hard.

“I need to see for myself,” I said.

“I’m going back.”

“You don’t have a place there anymore,” Arnold said.

Not cruel.

Not mocking.

Just… certain.

“But go,” he added. “If that’s what you want.”

His grip loosened.

Finally.

I didn’t hesitate.

I turned and walked toward the door.

Fast.

I needed to see it.

With my own eyes.

I needed to know.

Even if it destroyed me again.

“Irene.”

His voice stopped me.

I froze.

Then turned back.

“What?”

He looked at me differently this time.

No teasing.

No amusement.

Just something steady.

“My offer still stands,” he said.

“You can come to my pack.”

The words hung between us,

quiet.

Dangerous.

Like a door opening

I wasn’t ready to walk through… yet.

His words didn’t comfort me.

Not even a little.

Still,

I forced a smile.

“Thank you,” I said.

Short.

Empty.

“I hope this is the last time we meet.”

I didn’t wait for a reply.

I turned,

and left.

I didn’t look back.

I didn’t see the way his eyes followed me.

I didn’t feel the shift in the air behind me.

I only walked.

Faster.

Like distance could protect me from whatever was waiting ahead.

I didn’t know then,

how wrong I was.

Because very soon…

I would have no one else to turn to.

And the one man I wanted to stay away from,

would be the only one who could help me.

The moment I reached my room,

I stopped.

Something was wrong.

The door was open.

Inside,

Skylar was crying.

“Irene…”

Her voice broke the moment she saw me.

Tears streamed down her face.

My chest tightened.

“What happened?” I asked.

My voice felt distant.

Like I already knew I wouldn’t like the answer.

“He came,” she said.

Her words rushed out.

“Eugene came here three hours ago.”

My breath caught.

“And he… he destroyed everything.”

I froze.

“What…?”

“He threw your things out,” she said, her voice shaking. “Clothes. Books. Everything.”

Each word hit harder than the last.

“And now…” she whispered, “he’s in the main hall. He’s asking Alpha Dave to banish you.”

The world tilted.

For a second,

I couldn’t feel my legs.

“Luna Lorraine and I tried to stop him,” Skylar continued. “But he was so angry… we couldn’t do anything.”

Her voice broke again.

“We just… stood there.”

“I’m sorry, Irene.”

I blinked slowly.

Forcing myself to breathe.

“It’s okay,” I said.

My lips moved.

But the words didn’t feel real.

“It’s not your fault.”

I even tried to smile.

For her.

But it felt wrong on my face.

Because if anyone should be sorry,

it was him.

Eugene.

And even now…

he hadn’t said it.

Not once.

Not properly.

Not in a way that meant anything.

He broke the bond.

Not me.

He chose someone else.

Not me.

He destroyed everything we had,

and still found a way to blame me.

A knock came from the door.

Sharp.

Official.

A warrior stepped inside.

His posture stiff.

“Miss Irene,” he said. “You’ve been summoned to the main hall.”

My heart dropped.

So this was it.

No more waiting.

No more guessing.

I straightened slowly.

Even if my hands were cold.

Even if my chest felt hollow.

“Alright,” I said.

My voice was steady.

Somehow.

But deep down,

I already knew.

Whatever was waiting for me there…

would decide everything.

And there would be no going back.