Zander’s POV.
Flashback
The night I lost everything I thought I could trust is burned into my memory, a scar that will never fully heal. It started with the smallest suspicion, a seed of doubt that had been planted weeks before. Lyra, my fiancee, had been distant-her touches colder, her words more calculated. I had chalked it up to wedding nerves, the pressure of preparing for a future together. But then there were the whispers. The lingering gazes between her and Asher.
I ignored it at first. He was my best friend, my brother in all but blood. He’d been by my side through every trial, every battle, every celebration. And she was the woman I had chosen to spend my life with. The thought of betrayal wasn’t just painful-it was unthinkable.
But that night, something felt… wrong.
It was late, and I had returned home earlier than expected from a meeting with my Beta. The packhouse was quiet, the corridors dimly lit as I made my way to Lyra’s chambers. I wanted to surprise her, to spend a rare moment alone amidst the chaos of our lives. But as I approached her door, muffled voices reached my ears.
A man’s voice. Hers.
At first, I froze, my mind struggling to make sense of what I was hearing. But then the laughter came-low, intimate, unmistakable. My blood turned cold, a sharp, icy rage spreading through my chest as I pushed the door open without hesitation.
What I saw made my stomach churn.
There they were, tangled together in the bed I had shared with her countless times. Lyra’s golden hair spilled across the pillows, her body shamelessly draped over Asher’s. And Asher… he didn’t even flinch. He looked at me with the same smirk he always wore, as if this was some sort of twisted joke.
“Zander,” Lyra gasped, scrambling to cover herself with the sheets. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with panic. “This isn’t-”
“Don’t,” I snarled, my voice low and dangerous. “Don’t you dare try to explain this.”
She sat up, reaching for me with trembling hands. “Please,” she begged, tears spilling down her cheeks. “It was a mistake. I-I didn’t mean-”
I stepped closer, my fists clenched at my sides as I fought the urge to destroy everything in sight. “A mistake?” I repeated, my voice cold as ice. “You didn’t mean to sleep with him? You didn’t mean to betray me in the worst way possible?”
“It was a moment of weakness,” she sobbed, crawling toward me on the bed. “I love you, Zander. I swear I love you. Please, just give me a chance to make this right.”
Her words only fueled the fire raging inside me. I had loved her. I had trusted her. And she had torn that trust apart without a second thought.
When she reached for me again, desperation in her eyes, I snapped. My hand struck her cheek, the sound of the slap echoing in the room like a gunshot. She cried out, falling back onto the bed as she clutched her face. I didn’t feel guilt. I didn’t feel regret. All I felt was a cold, unrelenting fury.
“Don’t touch me,” I growled, my voice trembling with rage. “You’re nothing to me now. Less than nothing.”
Lyra sobbed, her tears drenching the sheets as she begged me to forgive her. “Please, Zander. I made a mistake. I’ll do anything-anything-to fix this. Don’t throw us away.”
I stepped back, my lip curling in disgust. “Throw us away? *You* threw us away the moment you let him touch you. You’re pathetic, Lyra. If I ever see your face again, I’ll ruin your life. Do you understand me? I’ll tear apart everything you have left.”
Her sobs grew louder, but I didn’t care. I turned my attention to Asher, who had been silently watching from the corner of the bed, his expression unreadable.
“You,” I spat, my voice dripping with venom. “You’re even more worthless than she is.”
Asher raised an eyebrow, his smirk returning. “Come on, Zander,” he said casually, as if this was nothing more than a minor disagreement. “It’s not like you loved her that much. You’ll find someone else.”
The audacity of his words made my vision go red. I stepped forward, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him against the wall. He grunted, his smirk finally faltering as he struggled against my grip.
“You think this is a joke?” I growled, my voice low and deadly. “You betrayed me, Asher. You were supposed to be my brother. My *brother!* And for what? A cheap she-wolf who can’t keep her legs closed?”
He grinned weakly, his voice strained. “She came to me, Zander. Not the other way around.”
I gripped his throat tighter, my teeth bared as I fought the urge to end him right then and there. It would have been so easy. A single snap of his neck, and he’d be gone. But as much as I wanted to kill him, I knew he wasn’t worth it.
“You’re not even worth my anger,” I said, shoving him away. He stumbled, coughing as he tried to catch his breath. “You’re nothing, Asher. Nothing. And if you ever come near me again, I won’t hesitate to finish this.”
I turned to leave, my body trembling with barely restrained fury. Lyra called after me, her voice raw and desperate, but I didn’t look back.
I walked out of that room and never spoke of what happened again. To the pack, I told them the engagement was over because we had grown apart. It was easier that way. Cleaner. But inside, I carried the weight of their betrayal like a wound that refused to heal.
Since that night, my trust in women had withered, shriveled into something unrecognizable. Love was weakness. Trust was a risk I couldn’t afford to take.
And Asher? He was dead to me.
For two years, I had managed to bury the memory, to keep it locked away where it couldn’t touch me. But now, with him standing in my garden, smiling at my Luna like nothing had happened, all the fury I had buried came rushing back.
He thought he could waltz into my life again, uninvited, and act like the past didn’t matter.
But he was wrong.
Asher would never be welcome here. Not now. Not ever.