Chapter 2: The Cheater

Aura’s POV

What?!

Marriage. Anything.  I wasn't sure which part shocked me more.

My cheeks burned crimson.

“I... I’m sorry, I already have a fiancé. We’re getting married soon,” I said.

Wait. Did I just apologize?

Strange. Why did I feel the need to say sorry?

He nodded, as if he already knew.

His expression didn’t change — no disappointment, no surprise.

His emerald eyes remained fixed on mine. “Alright then, I’ll grant you one wish. It can be anything, anytime, as long as it’s something I have,” he told me.

“That’s very generous,” I told him, but deep down, I didn’t take his offer too seriously. Judging by his clothes, he didn’t seem like someone who was in the position to grant wishes. He hardly looked wealthy. 

I figured it was just a platitude, his offer. I gently pried his hand off my wrist.

He laid back. “My wolf,” he said, wincing as I secured the bandage. “I can’t feel him. Have I lost my wolf?”

His demeanor was brisk, straight-forward and blunt. I gave him a sympathetic smile.

“I don’t think so,” I said. “Your injuries are very severe. Your wolf is probably just unconscious. Once you’ve recovered, your wolf will come back.”

He nodded, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. I taped down the bandage.

“All done,” I smiled brightly.

“Thank you,” he replied. Then he stood up to leave.

“Wait,” I said quickly. “Where are you going? You can’t leave, not in your condition. Your injuries are too serious to just go wandering around.”

“Then what do you suggest?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

My house was too small to accommodate him. We simply didn’t have enough bedrooms. I paused, thinking. And that’s when I remembered my parents’ house. It had been vacant ever since their passing. But I visited it and kept it clean. It was the perfect place for this strange man to stay while he recovered.

“Come with me,” I told him. “I know somewhere you can stay until you regain your strength.”

We walked along the street in silence. The crescent moon was high overhead, casting just enough light for us to see. I glanced at him occasionally, wondering who he was. I didn’t ask though. He didn’t strike me as the type of man who wanted to discuss anything personal.

My parents’ house wasn’t far, and before long we arrived.

“This house belonged to my parents,” I told him, unlocking the front door. “You’ll be comfortable here.”

He staggered over to the couch. He said nothing as he sat down.  

“You can stay as long as you need to,” I told him, fetching some blankets from the closet. “And I’m Aura, by the way. Aura Bailey.”

He took the blankets from my hands.

“Atlas Sandon,” he said in a dry tone.

I repeated his name in my head. It sounded vaguely familiar, although I couldn’t place where I might have heard it before. I shrugged. Maybe I hadn’t.

I waited until he was settled in and told him I’d be back tomorrow to check on him.

“Please rest,” I said at the door. He gave me a curt nod but said nothing else.

Outside, I began to make my way home, thinking about the strange events that had just conspired. I knew his name, but nothing else. The night air was brisk, so I crossed my arms over my chest to keep myself warm. 

About half way home though, I was surprised to see Sorren. He was walking quickly up ahead, his back turned to me.

‘Odd,’ I thought to myself. Sorren had told me he was busy tonight, working at the packhouse on pack duties. That wasn’t unusual for Sorren, since he was the Alpha of our pack, the Crestfallen Pack.

But the packhouse wasn’t even close to here. I squinted in the moonlight. Perhaps I was mistaken? Maybe it wasn’t Sorren?

It was though. Sorren and I had grown up together, and I could recognize his figure anywhere. My parents had adored Sorren. They’d both been warriors and their biggest fear was that something would happen to them one day, leaving me to fend for myself. Their fears had come true and they’d died in a pack war, but before their deaths, they’d entrusted me to Sorren. They hoped he’d married me one day.

Sorren had honored his promise to my parents. He’d proposed a few months ago. The engagement wasn’t public yet though.

Sorren didn’t see me in the dark street. He scurried along and I decided to follow him.  Where was he going at this late hour? I was confused when he stopped in front of a house.

 A girl emerged. She smiled lasciviously at him.

And then…

…she pulled him in for a kiss.

What!?

I struggled to process what I was seeing! Sorren was…he was cheating on me? I didn’t recognize the girl, but Sorren kissed her back, passionately.

Oh, he was cheating all right. Fueled by anger, I marched right up to them.

“Sorren,” I snapped, my face aghast. “What are you doing?”

“Who are you?” the girl quipped, clearly annoyed that I’d interrupted their kiss.

“I’m his fiancé!” I told her.

“Fiance?” Her eyes grew wide. “You didn’t tell me you had a fiancé!”

“I can explain,” Sorren said, his eyes flitting back and forth between us.

“There’s no need. I don’t hook up with liars! Even though you’re the Alpha!” Then she raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face. “Don’t EVER come here again!” she hollered, slamming the door loudly behind her.

“I don’t believe this,” I searched his face with my eyes. How could Sorren do this to me? Right before our wedding?  Was this why he’d never publicly announced our engagement? So the other she-wolves wouldn’t know he was engaged and he could cheat on me?

Sorren didn’t seem too bothered by getting caught, though. His face was indignant.

“You’re overreacting,” he scoffed at me.

“Excuse me?” I hissed. Overreacting? Was he for real? He was cheating on me and he didn’t even seem to care?

“It’s just a fling, Aura,” he said, his tone dismissive. “All men do it. And it’s not like we’re mates. I agreed to marry you and make you Luna. I’m offering you wealth and power. Isn’t that enough? Don’t make such a big about this.”

“Seriously?” I sneered. “You’re using our lack of a mate bond to excuse your behaviour? That’s ridiculous!” I refuted.

Everyone knew that mate bonds were incredibly rare. There were maybe a handful in the past two hundred years. Werewolves fell in love freely these days. Our lack of a mate bond was no excuse! Betrayal was betrayal, plain and simple.  

“This is as much your fault as it is mine,” Sorren said, annoyance in his voice. “I’m a man. I have needs. You won’t sleep with me so what was I supposed to do?”

“I want to wait until we’re married. You should respect my wishes.”

Sorren shrugged. “If you had satisfied me, I wouldn’t have to look elsewhere,” he quipped.          

“I don’t believe this!” I said, my voice rising. “You’re trying to blame this on me?”

“Like I said,” he snapped back. “I’m a man. What did you think would happen?”

“I THOUGHT,” I seethed, “that you would honor your commitment to me and wait until we were married. You have no loyalty? No morals?”

“You’re not going to make me feel bad about this. I haven’t done anything wrong. We’re not married yet.”

“You CHEATED on me!” I said. This was unbelievable. He didn’t care about me. I saw that clearly now. He was trying to justify his behaviour when he should have been apologizing.

“I don’t consider it cheating,” he replied.

“I…you…this…” I stuttered. I was so angry I couldn’t even string together a proper sentence.

I looked into his eyes, hoping to see a glimmer of remorse. But his face was smug.

“I can’t do this,” I took a deep, calming breath. He was a liar and a cheat. I couldn’t marry a man I didn’t trust. Sorren wasn’t the man I thought he was. I felt my world come crashing down. “I don’t want to marry you. Not anymore.”

“What are you saying?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I’m saying,” I told him, my voice confident, “that I’m breaking off the engagement. Go ahead and sleep with whoever you want. I’m done.”