Chapter 51
Chapter 14
Julian’s POV
I hadn’t taken more than two steps toward the door before Claire’s voice ripped through the room, sharp and jagged.
“Friend?” she laughed, a high, brittle sound. “You say you only saw me as a friend?
Ha! Even you don’t believe that, Julian Blake p>
I froze, fists clenching at my sides.
“Tell me,” she spat, stepping closer, her eyes flashing with a wild glint.
“Who runs across Pack territories just to watch a sunrise with a ‘friend p>
Who abandons their Mate again and again to answer a ‘friend’s‘ call?
Who holds a ‘friend‘ while their real Mate lies bleeding and broken?
Who gives away a sacred Wolf Totem, meant for a life bond, like it’s nothing p>
Each word slammed into me like a blow.
My wolf thrashed violently inside me, howling at the raw truth laid bare.
Claire’s voice rose higher, cutting through the space between us.
“Face it!” she cried.
“Even if I hadn’t done anything-
Selene still would have left you!
All I did was make the inevitable happen faster p>
I could feel the blood draining from my face, my breathing growing ragged.
The walls seemed to close in.
The weight of every mistake, every betrayal, every missed call–
It crushed me.
Something inside me finally snapped.
Before I could think, before I could restrain myself, my hand lashed out.
Crack
The sound of the slap echoed brutally through the villa.
Claire’s head snapped to the side, her cheek blooming red with the impact.
For a heartbeat, there was silence.
Heavy.
Suffocating
Claire turned back to face me, her lip trembling, her eyes swimming with tears-
but for the first time, there was no fake sweetness left.
Only raw, furious defiance.
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“So what if I came back for you first?” she hissed, her voice shaking.
“You didn’t push me away.
You didn’t say no p>
Her words curled around me like poison.
“You think you’re so clean, Julian?
You think you can wash your hands of me?
Tell me who kisses their ‘friend p>
My wolf snarled low inside me, writhing in shame and disgust.
I wanted to deny it.
1 opened my mouth-
But nothing came out.
Because deep down,
I knew she was right.
I wasn’t innocent.
Not even close.
The bond was severed not just by betrayal, but by my weakness, my failure to protect the one who mattered.
I took a step back, swallowing down the bile that rose in my throat.
My voice came out hoarse, but final,
“Claire,” I said, torcing the words past the rawness in my throat,
“let this farce end here p>
I turned
I didn’t look back
Indn’t listen to the sobs breaking behind me as I crossed the threshold
I stepped into the cool night air, letting the heavy door swing shut behind me.
Only when I was far from the villa did I allow myself to breathe.
But the air felt ligler
Nothing would
The heavy scent of alcohol, burnt wood, and wolf musk thickened the air inside the Pack Syndicate Lounge
1 slumped deep into the leather couch in the center of the private hall, clutching a crystal glass tightly between my fingers.
The liquid inside, a harsh spirit brewed for Alpha wolves, burned its way down any throat like fire.
But no matter how much I drank, the pain inside me refused to dull
I lifted the glass again and emptied it in a single swallow, my head tilting back as the ceiling lights swam above me
Around me, laughter and conversation buzzed like insects I could not swat away
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Some of my Pack brothers, wolves I had known for years, crowded near, their voices too loud, their smiles too careless.
“Julian, come on, man, ” someone said, clapping me roughly on the shoulder. “It’s just a us p>
Bond Severance. Happens to the best of
Another chimed in, raising his drink with a grin. “Plenty of she–wolves would kill for a shot at becoming your Luna.
You can have anyone you want p>
The words battered at my ears, meaningless and cruel.
They didn’t understand.
They couldn’t.
I didn’t want anyone else.
I wanted Selene.
Only Selene.
Another wolf nudged my arm and added, laughing, “You had Claire Lancaster wrapped around your finger, didn’t you?
Just pick her and be done with it! Show your ex what she gave up p>
Their laughter rose around me, a cacophony that clawed at my already frayed nerves.
I wanted to rip their mouths off their faces for daring to say her name so lightly.
I wanted to howl until the whole Pack knew what I had lost.
I didn’t want Claire.
I didn’t want any of them.
Without Selene, no one mattered.
No one ever would.
I downed another glass, the alcohol hitting harder now, sending waves of heat and nausea crashing through me.
Through the haze, images of Selene blurred in my mind-
her shy smiles, her stubborn glares, her fierce loyalty, her gentle hands.
I loved her.
Gods, I had loved her so much.
And I had destroyed her.
I had lied to her, again and again.
I had abandoned her when she needed me the most.
I had chosen regret, nostalgia, and cowardice over the best thing that had ever happened to me.
My wolf whined low inside my mind, curling into a tight, broken ball.
In the spinning room, I thought I saw her.
Selene.
She stood across from me, dressed in soft white, her hair tumbling down her shoulders.
Her eyes were kind and sad, filled with a tenderness I no longer deserved. Chapter 14
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“Is it you, little wolf?” I croaked, my voice breaking on the words.
She smiled gently and stretched out her hand toward me.
“It’s me, Julian,” she said, her voice as warm as summer rain. “I’ve come to take you home p>
Home.
Yes.
Home was wherever she was.
I staggered to my feet, reaching for her.
But the floor shifted violently under me.
My left foot tangled with my right, and I crashed forward, shattering a table and sending my empty glass spinning away.
Laughter and shouting erupted around me.
Rough hands grabbed my arms, lifting me, dragging me toward the exit.
In the chaos, someone called out above the noise,
“Claire, we’re sending Julian with you! He’s all yours tonight p>
I heard a soft, sweet voice respond, smooth as poisoned honey.
“Don’t worry,” Claire said. “I’ll take care of him p>
Strong arms shoved me into the back seat of a waiting car.
The door slammed shut beside me with a hollow thud.
I lay slumped against the seat, my body too heavy to move.
I felt delicate hands fussing over me, adjusting my jacket, smoothing my hair.
But the scent was wrong.
It wasn’t Selene.
It would never be Selene,
A low growl rumbled from my chest as warm breath brushed my ear.
“Julian, ” Claire whispered, her tone dripping with false tenderness.
I flinched violently, the sound of her voice jarring me from my delusion.
“No,” I muttered thickly, pressing my forehead against her shoulder in a desperate attempt to conjure a familiar comfort.
“Call me properly… Little wolf… you used to call me Alpha… not Julian. ”
Claire stiffened for a fraction of a second, but then she stroked my hair like one might soothe a restless pup.
“Of course, ” she said, her voice syrupy. “When we get home, I’ll call you anything you want p>
Satisfied by the empty promise, I let myself drift into unconsciousness,
even though somewhere deep inside,
my wolf whimpered in warning.
It knew.