Betrayed By Two Alphas:Bound By One Fate

Chapter 15

Lucian’s POV

What the f**k is this? She already has a new boyfriend? That quickly? My chest tightens as the thought claws through me. How the hell can she just move on like I never existed?

“Baby, we should check out another section, yeah?” the guy says, his voice smooth. Aurora smiles up at him—sweet, soft, the kind of smile that used to be mine. They walk away together, and she doesn’t even spare me a single glance. Not one. My stomach drops like I’ve been punched.

I stand there frozen, the store noise fading into static around me.

“Lucian, what are you thinking about?” Daisy’s voice cuts through, snapping me out of it.

“It’s nothing,” I mutter. “You done shopping?”

“I guess I’m done here. We should head back home.” She says it lightly, but I force a smile anyway. I pay for the items, my card sliding across the counter on autopilot, but my eyes keep dragging across the store, hunting for her. Just one more look. Anything. I don’t see her again.

I shouldn’t care. I should be relieved she’s moved on. It should make the guilt lighter, right? Instead, it just burns hotter.

The drive home is quiet except for Daisy’s occasional chatter. She’s one of the girls I call when the emptiness gets too loud, but tonight even her presence feels suffocating. I want to be alone with the wreckage in my head.

When we get inside, I shrug off my jacket. “You can take the other room. I want to be alone tonight.”

Daisy’s eyes widen, worry creasing her brow. “Don’t you like my company anymore?”

“That’s not it.” My voice comes out sharper than I meant. I drag a hand down my face. “Just… let me be.”

She nods, hesitant, and slips away. The second the door clicks shut behind her, I collapse onto the couch, head falling back against the cushions. I stare at the ceiling like it might give me answers. Why the f**k can’t I get Aurora out of my head? Every night since she left, she haunts me—those tears shimmering in her eyes, the way her voice cracked. I keep seeing it. I keep hearing it. I never should’ve agreed to any of this s**t.

A heavy sigh escapes me. I reach for the pack of cigarettes on the table, light one, and drag the smoke deep into my lungs, hoping it’ll dull the edges. It doesn’t. The door knob rattles. I glance over as it swings open.

Liam strolls in like he owns the place, that smug smirk already plastered on his face. “I thought you’d be balls-deep in that b***h right now, but here you are sulking all alone.”

I don’t answer. He drops onto the opposite couch.

“I got you your Cybertruck. It’s parked outside,” he adds.

I manage a faint, empty smile. “Thanks. You kept your promise.”

“You don’t seem excited.” He chuckles, clearly amused.

“Not really in the mood.” The words come out flat. He scoffs.

I lean forward, elbows on my knees, the cigarette burning between my fingers. The question slips out before I can stop it, raw and jagged. “Don’t you feel even a little guilty for what we did to her?”

Liam throws his head back and laughs—sharp, ugly, jagged. The sound grates against my skin.

“Guilty? Why the f**k would I feel guilty?” His eyes gleam with cruel satisfaction. “She deserved every bit of it. Besides, I didn’t even do that much. We broke her… and that’s all I wanted. Her completely shattered.”

He says it so easily, like it’s nothing. Like her pain was just a game we won. My jaw clenches until it hurts, the cigarette nearly snapping in my grip. Inside, something ugly twists—anger at him, at myself, at the hollow victory we claimed. But mostly, the sickening weight of knowing I helped destroy the one person who ever looked at me like I was worth something.

“Well, I guess it didn’t work,” I say.

Liam’s smug smile falters, twisting into confusion. “What the hell do you mean by that?”

I let out a bitter breath, the image of her still burning behind my eyes. “I saw her at the luxury store. She wasn’t alone. Some guy had his arm wrapped around her waist like he belonged there.” His eyes widen in shock, and I keep going, voice low. “She looked… happy. Not broken. Whatever you planned, it failed.”

Liam shoots up from the couch, his face darkening. “How is that even possible? Who the f**k is that man? She doesn’t know anyone in this city. No one.”

His voice cracks with raw annoyance as he paces, fists clenching at his sides. “No. No, she can’t be happy. I won’t let her be happy.”

“Liam, you’ve made your point already. You broke her heart. It’s time to let it go.”

“No!” He spins on me, eyes blazing. “I can’t let it go, Lucian. This is a f*****g mockery. Who the hell did she run to? All this time I’ve known her, she must’ve had other men lined up.”

“Liam, now you’re being ridiculous,” I snap, frustration boiling over. “She isn’t your wife anymore. She can live however she wants. I’m just surprised it happened faster than I expected.”

He shakes his head violently, refusing to hear it. “You don’t get it. Aurora is timid—she doesn’t just go around meeting people. Whoever that guy is, he’s been in her life way before. I know it.” His voice drops into something ugly and cold. “I can’t let her have a happy ending. Never.”

I stare at him, chest tightening. “Liam, can you hear yourself right now? You sound insane. Let it go. Let her go. At least we don’t have to feel guilty anymore—”

A jagged, bitter laugh rips out of him, cutting me off. “Guilty? I never felt any guilt knowing she was suffering. That’s exactly what she deserved.” His eyes narrow with pure venom. “And if she thinks she’s getting her happy ending now… news flash—she’s not. I’ll find out who that bastard is, I’ll rip apart whatever they have, and that’s a promise.”

He storms out, the door slamming hard enough to rattle the walls.

I push my hair back roughly, regret already sinking in. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. Liam’s hatred for Aurora has clearly eaten away whatever was left of his mind. But even as I think it, a dark part of me whispers the same question: who the hell is that man?

He gets to hold her when she’s vulnerable. He’ll get to hear her laugh, see that soft, lovely side of her—the one she used to show only me.

“f**k,” I curse under my breath. My chest suddenly aches again, sharp and vicious, like something is cracking open inside. The pain that started the day I broke her heart. It never really left. What the hell does this even mean?