THE SHATTERED NIGHT
1457 Words
Aldrich Vargos had always believed there were only two things in this world he could rely on:
his power… and his mate. Power had never betrayed him.like people did.
And on the night the moon hung low over Veloria City, blood-red and mocking, Aldrich learned that even the woman whose soul was bound to his could shatter him in ways no enemy ever had.
Veloria City bowed to him. Its towers, its empires, its criminals, its crown. Aldrich Vargos wasn’t just a billionaire, he was the Alpha King, the man with a blood of wolves whispered about, the ruler whose shadow stretched wider than the law itself.
But none of that mattered when the scent hit him. Her scent. Mixed with another man's. It struck him the moment he crossed the threshold of the penthouse suite, an acid burn tearing down his throat, awakening the beast that lived beneath his skin. His senses sharpened, vision flickered, and a pulse like wildfire surged beneath his ribcage.
Aldrich froze. "No. it couldn’t be. Not her, not my Seraphina"
Seraphina was his mate and his wife. The only woman he had ever allowed close enough to wound him.
A growl tore silently through Aldrich Vargos’ chest as he stepped deeper into the dimly lit corridor of the private hotel he owned, his sanctuary, the one place in the entire kingdom-like city of Veloria where only he and Seraphina were ever permitted to enter. She was here tonight. His wife, is the only one weakness in a world where he cannot controlled unlike everything else.
Aldrich had come home early tonight. He should have texted her, before his arrival. But fate was cruel. And tonight, it ripped his world apart.
His steps were slow and predatory, each one echoing like thunder through the hallway. Before the truth reached him, the smell did.
Thick. Warm. heavy- sweat and Lust. And the faint, nauseating trace of another man’s cologne.
His wolf rumbled, claws scraping against his skin, demanding for release. His fingers twitched at his sides. Then he heard it.
A sound. A muffled moan. Not of pain, but for pleasure.
Aldrich’s vision started to blur at the edges, but his wolf instincts kicked in, sharpening his senses in a harsh way, making him acutely aware of every little detail. Another breathy moan. And he knew that it is Seraphina’s voice. But beneath her, it wasn’t her.
A man’s low chuckle followed. “Relax, Sera… he won’t be home yet.”
Aldrich froze. His veins turned to ice. Seraphina's voices is low where she is currently talking to someone, and this time it is like a knife that bleeds Aldrich heart.
“Still… if Aldrich finds out…”
“So what if he does?” the man murmured, voice dripping with arrogance. “You think he’ll kill me? The mighty Alpha King has bigger things to worry about than his neglected wife.”
Aldrich’s breath hitched. "Neglected?
The wolf roared. The bedsheets rustled. Skin on skin. A sharp gasp that belong to the stranger. Seraphina’s voice trembled in a whisper.“Don’t say that… it’s not like I want this to get out.”
“You came to me,” the man answered, tone smug. “You asked me to meet you here.”
Aldrich’s nails dug into his palms so hard blood beaded. And her next words shattered him.
“I-I know… I just needed someone. I needed to feel something again.”
The world stopped. Everything inside Aldrich cracked in silent.
The man chuckled darkly.“Then let me make you feel something, princess.”
“No. wait...” Seraphina whispered, her breath is uneven. “Not so… rough…”
“Come on, Sera. He doesn’t even touch you anymore.”
Aldrich’s heart seized. He wanted to tear the man’s throat out. He wanted to flip the entire world upside down. He wanted to break everything, especially the weakness inside himself that still wanted to protect Seraphina.
She let out another soft moan, weaker, breathier, like she was trying to stop herself but failing.
The man laughed. “Hear that? Your body knows who satisfies you.”
Aldrich saw red. The growl escaped this time...low, rumbling, shaking the walls. But the two inside didn’t hear it. They were too lost in the sin that choked the room.
Seraphina whispered again, voice strained. “This is wrong. He’ll feel it...Aldrich always feels everything.”
“No, he won’t,” the man murmured smugly. “Tonight, he’s miles away.”
Aldrich reached the door. The final sound that pushed him over the edge was her voice... broken, fragile, a whisper that wasn’t rejection.
“Please… don’t stop.”
Something inside him snapped. He didn’t kick the door to open, instead he turned the handle slowly. Like a god preparing to judge the sinners. The door swung open. And Aldrich’s world collapsed.
Seraphina was in the bed, sheets tangled around her legs, gown half-slipped off her shoulder, her hair a dark halo of disarray. Her lips were parted, swollen, her breathing uneven. The man was above her, shirtless, leaning close, his hand gripping her thigh. But he froze in the mid-movement, eyes widening at the sight of Aldrich.
The air exploded with silence.
Seraphina gasped. “Aldrich...” Her voice cracked with fear.
The man scrambled off her, tumbling back. “I...I didn’t know...!”
Aldrich didn’t hear him. His wolf lunged, fury ripping through his bloodstream. The lights flickered. The air thickened, trembling around his body like a brewing storm. Seraphina scrambled to cover herself, grabbing the sheets, tears already gathering in her eyes.
“Aldrich, please..just listen..”
He took one step forward. The man made the mistake of moving. Aldrich’s hand was around his throat in an instant.
He slammed him against the wall so hard dust rained down from the ceiling.
Seraphina screamed. “Aldrich! Don’t!”
His voice was a razor’s edge. “Give me one reason not to rip you apart.”
The man choked, kicking. “I...I didn’t touch her...not like you think...”
Aldrich squeezed harder. “Lie again,” he growled, “and I will break your spine.”
Seraphina rushed to them, tugging futilely at Aldrich’s arm. “He forced nothing,I went to him. I asked him to come. just let him go...please!”
Aldrich froze. His grip tightened involuntarily.
“You asked him?” His voice was hollow. “You brought him here?”
Her tears spilled. “I’m sorry... Aldrich, I’m sorry...”
He dropped the man abruptly. The coward collapsed to the floor, wheezing. Aldrich didn’t look at him. His eyes stayed locked on Seraphina, the woman who had been his everything. The woman whose betrayal carved open a wound deeper than any enemy he ever had.
“Get out,” Aldrich commanded without looking away from her.
The man didn’t hesitate, he scrambled for the door and fled, tripping over himself in terror. And when the door slammed. The silence fell the room. Only Aldrich’s shattered breathing and Seraphina’s trembling sobs remained.
She clutched the sheet to her chest. “Aldrich… I swear it wasn’t...”
“Don’t.” His voice was ice. “Don’t insult me further.”
She stepped toward him. “It isn’t what it looked like.”
He laughed coldly. “Oh? Should I believe the moans were fake?”
Her face crumpled. “I wasn’t.. I didn’t want.. I didn’t mean to..”
“You asked him to come,” Aldrich repeated, each word dripping venom. “Your voice. The things you said. I heard everything.”
She flinched. Her lips quivered. “Aldrich… I needed something...”
“Not. Another. Word.” His wolf clawed inside him, demanding to be let loose, demanding for blood, demanding vengeance. But instead Aldrich stepped back. If he touched her now, he wouldn’t know if he’d pull her close or tear everything apart. He walked to the door and opened it.
“Leave.” Seraphina shook her head, whispering brokenly, “Aldrich, please… I still love you.”
He closed his eyes. “Love?” His voice cracked. “You killed that tonight.”
Her sob was soft but devastating. She walked past him. She didn’t dare look back.
When the door shut, Aldrich’s knees buckled. He pressed his fist to the wall. Then punched straight through it. Blood dripped onto the marble. But he didn’t feel pain. Only the ghost of her moans, echoing in his skull.
Now the Alpha King of Veloria, the destroyer of empires, ruler of wolves, feared by all... collapsed onto the floor and let the weight of her betrayal crush him completely. Tonight, he wasn’t a king... He was a broken mate.
- Writer
