Chapter 2 Shattered Promises

Amelia's POV

I edged closer to the garden alcove, careful to stay hidden in the shadows. The silver wrapping of my gift caught a sliver of moonlight as I peeked through the gap in the hedge. My heart pounded with anticipation; I'd missed him so much during my three weeks in Europe.

What I saw froze me in place. A man was on the stone bench, his muscular back gleaming with sweat in the moonlight. A woman straddled him, her head thrown back in ecstasy as she rocked against him. His hands gripped her hips, guiding her movements as she rode him with increasing urgency.

"Fuck... you feel... so good," he growled between ragged breaths, his voice husky with desire—a tone that sounded disturbingly familiar.

"Don't stop... please..." she gasped, her fingers digging into his shoulders. "Right there..."

Suddenly, voices approached from the nearby path. Both figures froze mid-motion.

"Are you ready for the Luna Festival this weekend? All members of Shadow Heights must participate!" a female student said as the group passed by. "It is said that Alexander and his mysterious fiancee will also attend this grand event."

The woman on the man's lap pressed her finger to his lips, her eyes dancing with excitement at their near discovery. She leaned forward, deliberately shifting her hips in a subtle grinding motion that made him bite his lip to suppress a groan.

"Yeah, big ceremony at Pack House," another student replied. "The whole pack's talking about it. Guess being the most powerful Alpha means you don't get to choose your own mate."

The man's hands slid up to cup the woman's breasts beneath her half-unbuttoned blouse, thumbs circling her nipples as they maintained eye contact. The danger of being caught seemed to heighten their arousal.

"His brother Daniel got the better deal," a third voice added. "At least he gets to date whoever he wants instead of an arranged mating."

The footsteps faded. The woman giggled softly. "Hear that? You've got the better deal," she whispered, resuming her movements with renewed vigor. "God... you're so... mmm..."

"Shhh... someone might... hear us..." he breathed against her neck, thrusting upward to meet her. His hand tangled in her hair to pull her down for a hungry kiss.

"I don't... care..." she moaned softly. "Let them... hear..."

I should have turned away, but shock paralyzed me. As she arched her back, moonlight illuminated her face perfectly. My heart stuttered. Vanessa. My high school friend who'd helped with my research before Europe.

This can't be happening. Not Vanessa.

After several intense moments, they both shuddered in release. The man pulled her closer as they caught their breath, and she nuzzled against his neck with familiar intimacy.

"That was amazing," she purred. "But I'm not done with you yet."

His chuckle made my stomach twist with dread. There was something about that laugh—deep and slightly raspy—that made my skin crawl with recognition.

"Daniel..." Vanessa moaned as his hands roamed her body possessively. "You know exactly how to touch me."

Daniel.

The name hit me like a physical blow. The man's face was still partially hidden, but as he turned to kiss her again, moonlight caught his profile perfectly. The straight nose, sharp jawline, the way his hair fell across his forehead—features I'd memorized over the past year.

No. It can't be. My Daniel wouldn't...

But there was no denying it now. My boyfriend of one year, the man I'd trusted with my heart, my body, my future—was with another woman. With my friend.

"Don't forget you promised to see Amelia tonight," Vanessa said casually. "She just got back from Europe, don't be too late or she'll get suspicious."

Daniel—my Daniel—chuckled dismissively. "Don't worry about that bookworm. She's too dull to question anything. Just another Omega who thinks she's special."

Vanessa laughed, the sound like broken glass. "She actually believes an Omega nobody like her could be the only one in a Westbrook Alpha's life."

The silver-wrapped gift slipped from my trembling fingers, landing with a soft thud on the grass. The impact loosened the carefully tied ribbon, causing the wrapping to partially open and reveal the edge of the hand-carved wolf figurine.

"Daniel?" His name escaped my lips as a broken whisper.

They whipped around, faces frozen in shock. Daniel's eyes widened in panic, then narrowed in calculation.

Time stopped.

He shoved Vanessa off his lap, scrambling to adjust his clothing. "Amelia! This isn't what you think..."

I stared at Vanessa, my vision blurring with tears. "How could you?" My voice cracked with betrayal. "We were friends, Vanessa. I trusted you."

Vanessa adjusted her blouse, her expression shifting between guilt and defiance. "Amelia, I... I'm sorry you found out like this, but—"

"But what?" I cut her off, my voice rising. "You waited until I left for Europe to steal my boyfriend? Was that your plan all along?"

Daniel stepped between us. "Baby, this isn't Vanessa's fault. It just happened—"

"Don't you dare defend her," I hissed, tears streaming down my face. "How long has this been going on? Were you both laughing behind my back the whole time?"

Vanessa's eyes hardened. "You don't understand, Amelia. It's not personal. It's just... he's a Westbrook. Did you honestly think someone like you could keep him?"

Her words struck like physical blows. The girl who'd helped me through high school, who'd shared secrets and dreams with me, was now looking at me with cold calculation.

Daniel's posture shifted, the panic in his eyes replaced by something colder. "She's right, you know," he said, zipping his pants with unhurried precision. "It's time you heard the truth."

"What truth?" I choked out, each breath painful in my constricted chest.

"That you were never special. Just useful." He shrugged. "Your notes got me through Advanced Biology. Your tutoring kept me on the team. That's all."

I bent down to pick up my fallen gift, the silver paper now crumpled and torn, exposing more of the wooden wolf I'd spent weeks searching for. With trembling hands and tear-blurred vision, I flung it at his chest with every ounce of my betrayal.

He caught it easily, his lips curling into a sneer. "And Amelia? Keep your mouth shut about what you saw tonight." His voice hardened. "There may be gossip and rumors about me, but no one directly challenges an Alpha's reputation. Remember your place."

I turned to leave, but his hand clamped around my wrist with bruising force. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Let go of me," I whispered, wiping tears with my free hand.

His grip tightened painfully. "Listen carefully. Until I publicly release you, no male would dare touch what's mine. You understand?" His voice dropped to a threatening growl. "You're my property until I decide otherwise. My plaything. You're destined to be my doll until I'm finished with you."

Something inside me fractured then shattered completely. Heat surged through my veins as primal rage consumed me. My skin burned, vision blurring at the edges as the familiar sensation of transformation began.

"Let... me... go..." My voice deepened, no longer sounding human.

Daniel's eyes widened at the golden glow of my irises. He released my wrist, stepping back. "Control yourself! You can't shift here!"

Too late. The change tore through me—bones breaking and reforming, fur erupting across my skin. Through my pain, I saw a trace of panic flash across Vanessa's face, accompanied by a clear sense of guilt.

Where I had stood moments before, a deep brown wolf now snarled. I threw my head back and released a howl carrying all my anguish into the night.

With one last look at their faces—Daniel's alarmed, Vanessa's guilty—I turned and sprinted into the darkness, paws pounding against the campus paths as alarms began to blare behind me.

Tomorrow would be my eighteenth birthday. Instead of celebrating, I'd lost everything—my boyfriend, my closest friend, my dignity, my future.

As the lights of Shadow Heights faded behind me, one bitter thought remained: I'd never really had any of it to begin with.