02~ I Had Never Been His

Avery's Point Of View

"Please welcome your future Luna, Sophia Smith."

The words slammed into me like a blade to the chest, twisting, turning, carving out my heart with each syllable. The hall erupted into cheers, the sound a distorted, mocking roar in my ears. My breath hitched, my lungs burning as if the air itself had been stolen from me. My knees buckled, my vision swimming as the world around me blurred into a nightmare of colors and sounds.

Sophia.

Not me.

It was never me.

The realization crashed over me, a tidal wave of betrayal so violent it stole the strength from my legs. I clung to the back of a chair, my fingers trembling, my knuckles white with the effort to stay upright. My chest ached, a searing, unbearable pain as if my heart were being ripped from my body.

Julian’s arms wrapped around her... Sophia, my sister, the golden princess, her smile radiant, her eyes gleaming with triumph. The pack cheered, their voices a cacophony of joy and celebration, each sound a dagger twisting deeper into my soul.

He’s been cheating on me. With my own sister.

The thought was a poison, spreading through my veins, paralyzing me. My stomach churned, bile rising in my throat as the truth settled over me like a shroud. Was this why he kept me a secret? Why he let me suffer at Sophia’s hands? How long had they been laughing behind my back, playing me for a fool?

Memories flashed through my mind like shattered glass... every stolen touch, every whispered promise, every time he’d held me close and called me princess. His hands in my hair, his lips against my forehead, his voice soft and tender as he promised me a future. All lies. Every single word, every single moment, a carefully constructed illusion to keep me hoping, to keep me obedient.

My breath came in ragged gasps, my chest heaving as if I were drowning. I could feel the tears burning my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of them.

Julian’s voice cut through the noise, his tone rich with pride, with love... for her. “Sophia has always been the one destined to stand by my side,” he declared, his voice carrying over the crowd. “From the moment I met her, I knew no one else could ever fit the role of Luna. She is strength, grace, everything this pack needs.”

My heart shattered.

Each word was a hammer blow, crushing the last remnants of hope inside me. I could feel the pieces of my soul scattering, irreparable. From the moment he met her. Had this been their plan all along? To make me believe, just once, that things were getting better for me? To let me taste happiness before ripping it away, leaving me broken and humiliated?

I remembered the way he’d looked at me earlier tonight, the way his eyes had slid past me as if I were nothing. The way he’d ignored me, as if I were invisible. Had he already known then? Had he already decided to destroy me?

My legs gave out.

I turned and ran.

The cold night air hit me like a slap, sharp and unrelenting. I stumbled out of the hall, my legs barely holding me upright, my heart pounding so violently I thought it might burst. Tears streamed down my face, hot and endless, blurring my vision as I fled into the darkness. I needed to get away... from the laughter, the cheers, the lies.

I wished I could vanish. Disappear into the night and never be found. But if I couldn’t disappear, then I’d drown in my tears. Let them wash me away.

Each step was agony, my chest so tight it felt like my ribs were caving in. How could I have been so naive? To think an Alpha... my Alpha, would ever choose the pack’s outcast over its golden princess. I was a fool. A pathetic, desperate fool.

But the memories came flooding back, unbidden and cruel.

"You’re the only one for me, Avery."

His voice, low and rough, whispered in the dead of night as we hid in the shadows of the pack’s borders. His hands had cradled my face, his thumbs brushing away my tears after another of Sophia’s tormenting sessions. "Wolf or no wolf, it’s you I want. You’re my mate. My Luna."

I had believed him.

I had clung to those words, to the way his eyes had burned with something fierce and possessive when he looked at me. The way he had pulled me close, his breath warm against my ear as he promised me a future. "Soon, princess. Soon, I’ll make it official. I’ll show them all what you mean to me."

But we were always hiding.

Sneaking glances in the dark, stolen touches when no one was looking. He had never held my hand in the open, never kissed me where others could see. I had told myself it was for my protection, that he was waiting for the right moment. But now, the truth was a blade twisting in my gut.

He was waiting for her.

I didn’t even have a wolf. What kind of Luna could I ever be?

The pain in my chest was unbearable, a physical ache that radiated through my entire body. I pressed a hand to my heart, as if I could somehow stop it from breaking apart. But it was too late. The damage was done.

Julian’s words echoed in my mind, a cruel, mocking taunt. "From the moment I met her."

Had he ever loved me?

Or had I just been a game to him, a way to pass the time until he could claim the Luna he truly wanted?

I remembered the way he had looked at me earlier tonight, the way his eyes had slid past me as if I were nothing. The way he had ignored me, as if I were invisible. Had he already known then? Had he already decided to destroy me?

I stumbled forward, my vision blurred by tears. The lake was my only refuge now, the one place where the world’s cruelty couldn’t reach me. But even as I thought it, I knew it wasn’t true. The pain would follow me there. It would always follow me.

Because I was nothing.

And I always would be.

The memories of his touches, his promises, his lies... they all burned now, searing through me like wildfire. I could still feel the ghost of his hands on my skin, the warmth of his breath against my neck as he whispered words of devotion. "You’re mine, Avery. Only mine."

But I had never been his.

Not really.

I had been a secret. A distraction. A way to bide his time until Sophia was ready to take her rightful place at his side.

And the worst part?

I had let him.

I had believed every lie, every hollow promise, because I was so desperate for someone... anyone, to love me. To see me. To choose me.

But no one ever had.

And no one ever would.