Love Was Never the Deal

Chapter 2

Boom—

It was as if the air had been torn apart and slammed back into place.

Gasps rippled through the hall, followed by frantic, excited whispers—but all of it sounded distant, separated from me by an invisible wall.

All I could hear was my own uneven breathing… and the quiet c***k of something breaking deep inside my chest.

Henry finally turned his head, letting his gaze pass over me.

No apology.

No guilt.

Just a cool, polite detachment—maybe even a faint hint of relief that everything was finally out in the open.

The world went terrifyingly still.

My Henry…

And the woman on that stage…

Smiling. Holding hands. Wrapped in each other's arms in front of everyone.

And all I could do was watch.

Unable to move.

Unable to breathe.

Unable to believe.

On stage, Leah was leaning against Henry's shoulder, wearing a triumphant smile.

"Thank you, everyone."

Henry continued, his voice steady and full of quiet joy. "This is a bright future for both our packs. I'm honored to stand here with her—"

I couldn't listen anymore.

I didn't know how I left the hall, or how I managed to reach my room. My feet moved on their own, my body numb, even the air burning against my skin.

The moment I slammed the wooden door shut, the whole room seemed to collapse inward, thick with cold. I stumbled against the corner of the desk, my fingertips trembling so hard I couldn't even see the grain of the wood. A searing, frantic force twisted inside my chest—my wolf, clawing to break free.

"Tear them apart."

She roared in my mind, her voice like claws scraping stone, drenched in blood and fury.

"Tear that filthy pair to pieces. Make them pay."

"No." My teeth ground together, the word forced out between clenched jaws.

I didn't know if it was grief that made me weak… or some pathetic shred of hope I couldn't let go.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my chest rising and falling in jagged breaths as I tried to steady myself. But those images—the things I'd seen—clung to my mind like shards of glass, slicing deeper with every thought.

Just as I felt myself reaching the breaking point, a voice echoed through my mind.

"Meet me in the forest."

Henry's mindlink. Calm. Almost cold.

"We need to talk."

I froze.

Why would he reach out to me?

Could it be—

My heart clenched as a wild hope surged through me:

Maybe Henry had a reason. Maybe what I saw wasn't what it looked like. Maybe he could explain everything.

I grabbed my coat and practically stumbled out the door.

The wind slashed across my cheeks as I hurried toward the forest. My steps quickened, turning into a run.

The same thought repeated over and over:

Henry must have his reasons.

He must.

My wolf growled, but she no longer urged me to strike. She was confused now. Furious. Waiting for answers.

Moonlight spilled through the branches as I stepped into the familiar clearing.

Henry was already there.

He stood in the shadows, his back to me. The night wind tugged at his coat, outlining a silhouette I knew by heart.

My heartbeat stuttered.

"Henry," I whispered, taking a careful step forward. "Henry, what happened—"

He turned.

His expression was cold. Distant. As if he were looking at someone who meant nothing to him.

Then Henry said, "It's over between us."

And in that instant, it felt as though the entire world had been knocked violently off its course.

I froze, certain I'd misheard him.

"...What did you say?"

"You and me," he repeated, "it's over."

My mouth fell open, but nothing came out.

"Why?" I finally managed to choke.

Henry looked at me with a gaze so cold and contemptuous it felt like he was staring at a cracked, useless shard of glass.

"I don't need a Luna with a scar on her face."

He said it lightly, almost lazily—yet the words hit like a blade driven straight into my heart.

"It's an embarrassment to me."

I went still. My fingertips trembled. "You... you're doing this because of my scar?"

I raised a hand to my face, but my fingers met only the chill of my mask.

He didn't even bother to deny it. He just nodded, his eyes sliding over my face with open disgust.

"Do you think I'd parade a damaged mate in front of my pack? I need a perfect Alpha's mate—someone who commands respect. Not a... broken thing."

My throat tightened until it hurt, as if filled with salt.

I fought to keep my voice steady. "What about your promises? You said you'd protect me forever, you said—"

Henry let out a low chuckle.

It wasn't gentle. It wasn't remorseful.

It was cruel—dismissive, like tossing aside a pawn once it's served its purpose.

"Of course it was a lie," he said.

I went rigid, struck as if by lightning.

"Why do you think I kept you around?"

Henry stepped closer. There was no guilt in his eyes—only calculation. "Your healing ability proved useful. I needed power. I needed leverage to finish my father's ambitions."

"I needed a tool—someone who'd obey, who'd tend my wounds, who'd take the risks I didn't have to."

A shadow of mockery flickered across his face.

"And you were so obedient. So useful. From the very beginning."

"Useful?" I echoed, barely believing the word.

"Yes."

Henry shrugged, as casually as if he were commenting on the weather.

I could hear my heartbeat pounding wildly—

My wolf was screaming, snarling, ready to tear him apart.

But I… I couldn't even lift a finger.

"So you lied to me? This whole time?"

My voice sounded hoarse, foreign.

"What did you expect?" Henry said coolly. "Don't be naive. I never loved you."

I tried to step back, but my legs were numb.

I fought to hold onto the last thread of dignity—

When suddenly a woman's voice drifted out from behind him, smooth and poisonous, like a snake uncoiling in the dark:

"Are you still not done, Henry?"

I jerked my head up.

Moonlight slid across her face—Leah.

She cast me a glance like I was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe, then turned to Henry with a derisive snort.

"Your hesitation is going to make my father question your worthiness as Alpha."

Alpha. Leah's father?

My thoughts spun, my chest tightening hard.

"Leah, this has nothing to do with you," he shot back quickly. "I'll take care of itand lock her somewhere no one will ever find her. Your father won't have anything to worry about."

Cold washed through me, numbing everything. "You… you're crazy."

Leah lifted an eyebrow. "And if she suddenly disappears, won't your pack start asking questions? Won't her family come looking?"

"Her family?" Henry scoffed like it was a bad joke. "They'd celebrate if she never showed up again."

Something stabbed through my chest.

"They cast her out over a few scars," Henry went on, his voice icy enough to steal my breath. "They haven't checked on her in years. As far as they're concerned, she was never really their daughter."

I went still, my throat squeezing tight—

Then Leah suddenly tilted her head, eyes narrowing with dangerous amusement.

"Henry," she purred, "you don't… still have feelings for her, do you?"

Henry's shoulders tightened at once.

I froze too, my lashes trembling—whether with anger or something else, I couldn't even tell.

"Leah," Henry warned, voice dropping low.

"Then wouldn't it be simpler to kill her rather than lock her up?" Leah stepped closer, amusement curling at the edge of her voice.

Henry frowned. When he spoke, his tone was flat and cold, as if he were stating a trivial fact. "No. Her healing ability is rare. Keeping her alive… is more useful to the pack."

His words slid into my chest like an icy blade. He wasn't even trying to hide it anymore.

Leah held his gaze, silent, as though weighing every word.

She simply stared at Henry—watching, assessing—her expression shifting slowly.

The smile drained from her face. The softness evaporated.

"You know what I mean!" she said, her tone sharp as a knife, "Leona was attacked by rogues in the forest. And, tragically, she didn't survive. That's all!"

Henry's Adam's apple bobbed. He didn't deny her, didn't lash out—he simply stared at her, long and hard.

Seconds dragged on.

They felt like an eternity.

At last he closed his eyes. When they opened again, they held nothing but cold resolve.

"…I understand."