Isadora's POV
I watched Azura storm off down the hallway. Her footsteps faded into the quiet night, leaving me standing there alone. The pack house felt heavy and old under the dim torchlight. The shadows on the cold stone walls looked like the faces of the long-dead, laughing at me.
She left me there like I was trash. But I wasn't trash. I lifted my chin and forced a smug grin onto my face, even if it felt fake. Her words didn't mean anything, she was just a girl who didn't belong here, no matter how that fight ended.
But deep down, it hurt. It wasn't her weak insults that did it; it was Rhydor's silence. He hadn't come to see me even once after the trial. He only asked my parents how I was doing, as if I were some stranger and not the woman who had been by his side for years.
Was it because of her? The thought popped up, and I shoved it away instantly. Azura was worthless, a complete fuck-up. She'd be gone soon. That rankless slut, chosen or not, she didn't fit this life.
I did.
I turned and walked toward Rhydor's room. This was my path. I'd walked it a hundred times, and it felt right.
The door opened easily as always, I didn't even bother to knock. His sweet scent hit me hard the second I stepped inside. Leather, smoke, and that thick Alpha scent that made my heart race and my pussy throb.
He was standing by the window, the moonlight hitting his half-off armor. His muscles were tight and hard like thick ropes.
I got close to him, my fingers brushing his arm before sliding up to his chest. His skin was so hot under that thin cloth. My body wanted him so bad I could feel the ache between my legs.
"You don't need to pretend with me, Rhydor," I whispered, leaning my head against his shoulder. "I know exactly what you need."
He stayed completely still for a moment, just staring out into the dark. Then, slowly, he grabbed my hand. He didn't jerk it away; he just moved it off his chest. It was a soft movement, but it felt like a wall being built between us.
"Not tonight," he said. His voice was low, but it wasn't mean. It was just... quiet.
I froze at first and then let out a laugh, but it sounded jagged. "Not tonight? Since when did you start caring about what night it is?"
Rhydor finally turned to face me. His eyes were soft, filled with a kind of sweetness that made my stomach turn. He reached out, his thumb gently grazing my cheek. "Go home, Isadora. Please. Just go home for tonight."
I snapped, and I jerked my face away from his touch as if he'd burned me.
"Go home?" My voice rose, getting sharper with every word. "I just stood in that arena for you! I got humiliated in front of the whole pack because of that rankless bitch whom I'm sure cheated! And you couldn't even walk across the packhouse to see me when I was hurting? You just sent a stupid message to my father like I'm some soldier you barely know!"
Rhydor sighed, and he actually looked sad for me. "Isadora, you need to rest. You took a hard hit. I didn't want to crowd you."
"That's a total lie!" I stepped right into his space, my chest heaving with every breath. "Ugh, the point is that you're treating me like a complete stranger, Rhydor. Is it… is it because she won, huh? Is that it?"
I let out a sharp, nasty laugh. "Just because that nobody showed off some lucky moves and knocked me out, suddenly you're too good for me? You're really tossing me aside for a girl who can't even shift? Seriously?"
"It's not about who won the fight," he said, his voice smooth and calm. He tried to take my hand again, but I slapped it away. "I'm just tired, Isadora. I have a lot on my mind. Please, go home and get some sleep."
"I won't just 'go home'!" I shoved his chest, but he didn't even move. It was like trying to push a mountain.
"I'm the one who should be your Luna. Me. Not some mistake the Moon Goddess picked out of the dirt. You used to fuck me until I couldn't breathe, and now you won't even touch me? What changed?"
"Nothing changed," he said softly, looking at me with those kind eyes that felt like a slap. "I just don't want this tonight. Please, Isadora. Try to understand."
That kindness hurt more than a punch to the face. If he had yelled back, I could have handled it. If he had gotten angry, I would have known he still felt something for me. But this pity? This sweet, gentle rejection? It made me feel like I was dying inside.
"Whatever." I swallowed the hard lump in my throat and nodded, forcing a fake smile that felt like it was going to crack my face in half.
"Fine. Have it your way, Rhydor. But don't you dare come crawling back to me once you realize how boring a girl like her actually is."
I let my eyes roam over my own curves, then gestured at myself with a sharp, bitter laugh. "Trust me... you're going to miss all of this. Big time."
I turned and walked out before my voice could break. He used to crave me. Now? It was her fault. The thought burned in my chest like a wildfire. Azura. She was taking my man without even trying.
Outside the gates, the night air bit at my skin, but my blood was still boiling.
Home? No way. An empty bed sounded like hell. I needed to feel powerful again. I needed to feel like someone actually wanted me, even if I had to pay for it.
If he won't fuck me, someone else will.
I didn't go home. I couldn't. The thought of lying in my empty bed while Rhydor sat in that house thinking about her made my blood feel like boiling oil. I hid in the shadows and made my way down to the low district.
I headed for a secret lodge, a place built for rich wolves who have needs they can't talk about. It wasn't some dirty hole in the wall. It was clean and private. The walls were thick enough to hide any moan or scream.
Here, gold buys you pleasure without the mess of feelings. It was nothing like Azura's "clean girl" life. Here, there was no love.
Just raw fuck power.