Hugo’s POV
Years ago:
The night before had been everything I hoped for with Bella. For the first ti in months, I felt like I might actually have a chance with her.
Even though I’d been disappointed when Derek and Parker made their intentions clear, part of remained hopeful. They’d told we were all in this together now, that it would be her choice who she wanted to be with. I hated the arrangent, but refusing ant losing her completely.
I couldn’t handle the thought of anyone else having feelings for her. When they’d read those journal entries aloud, hearing her thoughts about other guys nearly destroyed . What made it worse was her reaction when they told her about the invasion of privacy. She just shrugged it off like it didn’t matter.
That indifference stung. I wanted her to fight back, to show so fire, so backbone. Instead, she stood there ek and passive, which only made my chest tighten with frustration.
I’d been in love with her for years. I’d tried countless tis to show her how I felt, to earn her heart, but then those two waltzed in and complicated everything.
Running my hands through my hair, I rembered waking up that morning with determination coursing through my veins. I had a plan. I’d already ordered her birthday car, picked out a promise ring, and arranged for the most beautiful bouquet money could buy.
The plan was simple: sweep her off her feet, give her the most incredible day of her life, then make it clear to everyone that she belonged with .
For the first ti in ages, I felt like victory was within reach.
After everything she’d done to help through my darkest monts, after all the nights she’d stayed up talking through my trauma, I thought I’d finally earned my shot.
I followed through on everything. Got the car, gathered all the gifts, made all the arrangents. My phone had died sowhere along the way and I couldn’t find a charger, but I didn’t want to delay any longer.
I barely drove the new car, wanting her to be the first to really experience it. Still, I took it to her house, arriving in the afternoon when I figured Derek and Parker would be long gone.
As I stepped onto her front porch, the sound of laughter drifted through the windows. Bella’s laughter, bright and infectious.
My lips curved into a smile. It was rare to hear her laugh so freely in that house, considering how her family treated her.
When I stepped inside, I realized she was alone in the kitchen, phone pressed to her ear, giggling like a schoolgirl.
"Yeah, Hugo is such an idiot," she said, my na rolling off her tongue with casual amusent.
I leaned against the doorfra, arms crossed, watching her move around the kitchen. She looked stunning in that blue dress, hair still damp from a recent shower, probably making herself coffee while chatting with so friend.
I figured she was just being playful, maybe talking to soone new since I didn’t know her to have many friends outside our circle.
"Oh no, definitely not Hugo. I an, sure, he’s attractive enough, but the guy has way too much baggage. All those psychological issues and trauma problems. I can’t deal with soone that unstable."
The confident smile lted from my face like ice in sumr heat.
My arms dropped to my sides as I stepped back, pressing myself against the wall where she couldn’t see .
"The other guys are pretty great though," she continued.
"But Hugo? God, let tell you sothing. He’s got these dark secrets that would make your skin crawl. Rember what I told you about his past? How could I ever be with soone like that? Isn’t it just disgusting? I know it wasn’t technically his fault, but still, just thinking about it makes want to throw up. Like, seriously, what kind of alpha lets sothing like that happen to them?"
Each word felt like a physical blow to my chest.
The trauma I’d shared with her in my most vulnerable monts ca rushing back, the voices in my head growing deafening.
I’d made her promise never to tell anyone. She’d looked in the eyes and sworn she’d take my secrets to her grave.
"Ugh, I have no idea why I even bother with him. Don’t tell anyone though. We can gossip about it later, but when you’re around him, just pretend you don’t know anything. He doesn’t need to know what we really think. He’s too stupid to figure it out anyway. Honestly, I only hang around him because he’s always with Derek and Parker, and those are the guys I’m actually interested in."
She kept going, her laughter growing more cruel with each passing second.
"You’re absolutely right, he really is pathetic."
The hits just kept coming.
"Oh, and his mother? Total disaster. He’s constantly complaining about how controlling she is, blah blah blah. I tune it out mostly. All I know is that Hugo is a hard pass. Him and his whole ssed-up family are just too much drama. I don’t care if he was so kind of victim or whatever. He’s just a weak excuse for an alpha, that’s the bottom line."
I stood there frozen, trying to process which betrayal cut deeper: having my deepest trauma used as gossip material, or realizing that everything between us had been a lie.
She’d hidden her true feelings so perfectly. Behind that sweet, innocent face was soone who found my pain amusing.
There was no way I could stand there, listen to more of this torture, and then hand over gifts like so lovesick fool.
She didn’t say a single positive thing about . Every other sentence was about how amazing Derek and Parker were.
I’d seen enough. I turned and headed for the exit, my whole world crumbling with each step.
Then I collided with soone.
Camilla, her sister.
"Oh, Alpha Hugo, what brings you here?" she asked with that familiar pout.
I tried to brush past her, but my body betrayed . My knees buckled and I crashed onto the pavent, palms and knees scraping against the rough concrete.
My wolf was stirring, responding to the emotional trauma, rembering all the pressure and pain from before.
This wasn’t good.
"Alpha Hugo, are you hurt?"
Before I could object, Camilla was there, grabbing my hand and pulling upright.
"I’m fine."
I tried to shake her off, but her grip was surprisingly strong.
"Your wolf is trying to surface. You need to get to the woods and shift," she said firmly.
I shook my head, fighting against the instinct.
"Stop being stubborn. Co on."
She dragged toward the car.
"This is yours?" she asked, eyeing the pristine vehicle.
I nodded numbly.
"Keys."
She held out her hand, helped into the passenger seat, and drove toward the forest.
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