Chapter 3 Betrayed Bonds

Irene’s POINT OF VIEW

Eugene lowered his head when he heard my words, and the sight of him in that moment cut deeper than anything else. He looked so defeated, like he was trying to carry a weight too heavy to bear. But all I could feel was the raw sting of betrayal. I couldn’t believe this was the man I had been waiting for all this time, my mate, my soulmate. The one I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with.

"The battle was intense," Eugene said, his jaw tightening with frustration as he spoke. "You wouldn’t understand, since you weren’t there. I was lonely, and you weren’t there."

My heart twisted, but the fury bubbling inside me was sharper than the pain. "So, the first thing that crossed your mind was to find another woman to fuck?!" My voice cracked with the weight of my anger, and I could feel it, boiling in my chest, pushing me to say things I knew would hurt him. His excuses felt so empty, so weak. He was essentially telling me that he couldn’t keep it together for a few months, so he sought out another woman.

"Irene!" Eugene raised his voice too, but I could hear how weak and ineffective his words were. "You don’t understand how I feel! You weren’t the one fighting those lycans! You don’t know what it’s like to be so close to death!"

A tear slipped down my cheek, and it only deepened the ache in my heart. His words were cold, not filled with remorse or regret, just justifications. He wasn’t even apologizing for what he had done. He was trying to make me understand his pain, as if his loneliness was a reason good enough to break the vows we had made to each other. But what about my pain?

"I’ve been waiting for you," I said, my voice shaking as I wiped the tears roughly from my cheeks. "Trying to learn how to be a perfect luna for you when you came back. I wanted to make you proud of me."

The weight of it all was crashing down on me, but I forced myself to go on, my voice stronger with each word. "I was lonely too. I wanted you by my side. Every day, every night. I prayed for your safe return, so we could be together again. Not once did I ever think I could find another man to fill the emptiness of your absence."

Eugene gritted his teeth, his gaze fixed on me, but there was no comfort in his eyes, only pain. The sight of me, crying, broken, filled him with so much anguish that it almost felt like a physical blow. The mate bond pulsed between us, a constant reminder of how deeply connected we were. I could feel his regret, his guilt, but it was buried beneath layers of defensiveness, excuses, and self-preservation. He could feel my suffering too, it flowed through his veins like poison, and I could see that it was eating him alive. But still, he hadn’t said the one thing I needed to hear.

"It’s different, Irene," he shook his head, his voice defensive. "You don’t understand. Our situations are different."

His words only fueled the fire inside me. It was as if he was trying to draw a line between us, trying to make it seem like I couldn’t possibly understand the pain he was in. But he still hadn’t apologized for what he’d done.

I gritted my teeth, fighting to hold back the storm that threatened to consume me. "You didn’t even apologize for what you’ve done, Eugene. And here I am, thinking that, at the very least, you feel a little bit sorry for me."

Eugene looked at me like I had slapped him. His expression shifted to one of surprise, as if the thought had never even crossed his mind. He was so focused on defending himself, on making me understand his pain, that he hadn’t stopped to consider how badly he had hurt me.

"Irene," he stammered, his voice softening for the first time, but there was no conviction behind it. "I... I am sorry."

His apology felt hollow, like a cheap word thrown out in desperation, a last-ditch attempt to salvage something, anything, from this mess. My heart ached, but not because I felt any relief from his words.

"You don’t feel sorry, Eugene," I whispered, my voice trembling with disbelief. "You don’t regret it. Your words sound empty."

His eyes widened, but instead of stepping back, he took a step closer, his hands reaching for mine. He grabbed them tightly, his grip desperate, his eyes pleading with me, but all I could feel was the weight of his betrayal.

"Irene, we can find a way out of this... we can still be together," he said, as if that was enough.

The words were a lifeline, but they didn’t feel like they were meant for me, they felt like they were meant to pull him out of the hole he had dug for himself. I stared at him, struggling to keep my emotions in check. How could he say those words, how could he even think that everything could go back to how it was?

I narrowed my eyes, my gut telling me I wouldn’t like whatever came out of his mouth next. The weight of the situation pressed down on me, and I could already feel the painful reality of what he was about to say, like an unspoken truth hanging in the air.

"What do you mean?" My voice trembled as I searched his face for some kind of clarity, but I didn’t know if I wanted to find it.

Eugene’s expression was complicated, torn between guilt and desperation. "We can still be together..." he repeated, but the words felt empty, hollow. And that was enough for me.

I swatted his hands away, feeling a surge of anger and heartbreak rise within me. My face twisted with the raw emotion that bubbled up, and I glared at him. "If you think I will go down that path, you can't be any more wrong," I said, my voice cutting through the thick tension between us, my teeth gritted with the force of it.

Before Eugene could say anything else, I turned on my heel, running away from him, the weight of the situation crashing down on me with each step. My breath came in ragged bursts as I pushed through the pain, holding back the urge to scream. The sounds of the celebration, the loud music, the laughter from the warriors’ return, filtered through the walls, distant and foreign now. For them, it was a time of joy and reunion, but for me, it felt like a cruel reminder of everything I had lost.

Right now, all I could feel was the death of the bond I had once shared with my mate. It wasn’t just a breaking point; it felt like something inside me had been torn apart.

I wanted to reject Eugene. To push him away completely, to throw everything he had done in his face. But my heart wasn’t ready to let go, not yet. The pain was unbearable, and I had never felt anything like it before.

For the rest of the week, I locked myself away in my bedroom, refusing to face anyone. I couldn’t bring myself to look at Eugene, not after everything he had done. Every time he came to see me, I kept the door locked, unable to even find the words to tell him how much he had shattered me.

Only Luna Lorraine, Alpha Dave, and a few of my closest friends knew the truth about what had happened. The rest of the pack members were left wondering about the woman who had once been so close to Eugene, now distant and broken.

"Irene, don’t be sad anymore," Skylar said softly, her voice filled with concern. She had always been there for me, ever since the days in the orphanage. We had grown up together, and I knew her heart was aching for me just as much as mine was. "Let’s go out. You’ll feel better if you participate in the festivities." Skylar nudged my shoulder gently, trying to sound cheerful, but I could hear the sadness beneath her words.

"I don’t want to feel better, Skylar," I muttered, my voice barely audible. "I want to disappear."

Tears welled up in my eyes again, and I blinked them away, but it felt like I couldn’t stop them. My long hair hung limply around my face, and I could tell I hadn’t been taking care of myself. I didn’t have the energy to care about anything. The woman who had once stood tall, full of strength and pride, now felt like she was mourning the death of her own happiness. Not for the man who had returned, but for the man who had shattered her heart.

"Don’t be like that, Irene. Let’s just go for a walk, just for a bit. This evening, there’s a party to welcome the people from the lycan pack."

I didn’t want to go anywhere. I didn’t care about the party, or the lycan pack, or the others who were celebrating. But something in Skylar’s words lingered in my mind, like a whisper trying to pull me from the depths of despair. Yes, the lycan pack would be here for at least a week, and their leader was set to sign a peace treaty with the other five alphas. The other alphas had arrived yesterday, and now we were just waiting for the Lycan Alpha and his people to join them.

As I sat there in the silence, trying to escape my thoughts, there was a gentle knock on the door. Skylar opened it quickly, and Luna Lorraine’s soft voice filled the room.

"Irene," she said, her tone gentle and caring, as if she could somehow soothe the pain I was drowning in. "I want to show you the dress you’ll wear for the party tonight. I think it’ll help you feel better if you attend. You deserve to be there, to feel the joy around you."

I didn’t feel like attending anything. I didn’t want to pretend, didn’t want to wear a smile for everyone else’s sake. But there was something in Luna Lorraine’s voice, something so motherly and kind, that made it hard to say no. Could I really force myself to go, just to make them stop worrying? Could it help even a little, or would it feel like another layer of pretense I had to bury myself under?

I sat there in silence for a moment, torn between what I wanted and what I felt like I should do.