The only growls Aztec had ever directed my way were taunts when he was furious. Otherwise, his face remained an impassive mask, unreadable like stone, showing no hint of emotion. I used to be amazed that someone could bury so much of themselves beneath that perfect exterior. But now? Now, it was my everyday reality.
I didn’t care anymore.
I rose with the first light of dawn, as I always did, but today, there was no thought of waiting for him. I didn’t need him, and certainly didn’t need his hollow expectations. One meal was enough, just for me.
The penthouse felt suffocatingly quiet. No whispers of wolves on the prowl, no unsettling presences, just the thick silence that clung to the space like a fog.
I made myself a simple sandwich, pouring coffee into a lone mug. It was all mine—nothing more, nothing less.
But then, he entered the room. Aztec. His presence filled the space before he even fully stepped inside. He moved like a predator, slow and deliberate, always in control. His gaze swept the room, and for a moment, he froze. His eyes lingered on the empty seat where his breakfast used to be. It was just one small detail, but it was enough to show the mask he’d built was beginning to crack.
Before his lips could form the question, Mark entered the room, standing rigid, eyes downcast. The tension in the room shifted, but this time, it wasn’t the usual fear that hung in the air. It was something different. It was me.
“Alpha,” Mark said, his voice tight, “we’ve confirmed it. It was Yems’ pack that attacked Ms. Veronica yesterday.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. I didn’t want to hear it. I couldn’t.
Aztec turned to face Mark, his expression colder than the Arctic. “Yems,” he muttered, the name slipping from his lips like venom. His eyes locked onto me, sharp and piercing, as though I were a puzzle he hadn’t quite solved.
But that was the problem, wasn’t it? He didn’t know me. He didn’t know anything about what had happened to me.
“You knew they were Yems’ wolves?” Aztec’s voice was low, dangerous, the kind of tone a leader would use when something critical had slipped through his grasp.
I stood still, glaring at him with as much hatred as I could muster. “Why didn’t you know?” I snapped, cutting through the thick air between us. “You were too busy driving off with Britney while I was being attacked! So why are you acting like this investigation is some big revelation? You knew exactly what was happening.”
His expression faltered for just a second—an almost imperceptible shift. But it was enough. Enough for me to see the truth that had been hiding behind that cold mask. He wasn’t shocked. He wasn’t worried about me. He didn’t care. Not really.
I felt my heart turn to stone as I took a step closer, my voice rising with every word. “You left me, Aztec. You left me while they hurt me. And now you’re playing the concerned leader like it’s all some kind of game. Well, I’m not playing along anymore.”
“ You don’t raise your voice at me Veronica…How dare you? You talked back at me at the Pack’s headquarters and I let it slide” He warned like I was his subordinate.
“ Aztec, I know you don't love me and you are bad at pretense… Britney right? You love her” I shook my head. Realization hitting me hard.
His jaw tightened. His eyes burned with something darker now, something familiar. Something that I hated. He didn’t say anything. His silence was his answer. He didn’t care.
Aztec took a step toward me, his towering form casting a long shadow. But I didn’t flinch. I wouldn’t. Not anymore. Not after everything. “Where’s mine?” he asked, his voice unnervingly calm, though the fury beneath it sent a tremor down my spine.
The nerve of him. I wanted to scream, to throw something at him, but instead, I spoke through gritted teeth. “I thought you didn’t like black coffee.”
The words hung between us like a dare. His eyes flared with irritation, the storm behind them almost visible. His lips pressed together as if he were struggling to hold back something darker, something I didn’t want to see.
But I saw it. And I didn’t care anymore.
“Why don’t you go have your precious coffee with Britney?” I spat. The words tasted bitter on my tongue, but it was the truth. He didn’t care about me. All he cared about was her.
Aztec’s gaze darkened, and for a second, I saw his lips part, ready to unleash something—another insult, another dismissal. But I was done listening.
I grabbed my bag, my movements sharp, my resolve clear. I didn’t need to hear his empty apologies. I didn’t need to see him try to fix this with some half-hearted excuse. I was done.
He doesn't apologise to me and I knew not to expect one. He said that I didn't deserve it. That if someone should be worshipped that it was definitely not me, I should have listened but I thought he would change but for almost a decade, he didn't.
As I turned toward the door, I could feel his gaze burning into my back, but I didn’t turn around. Not this time. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
Before I could leave, I heard him speak again. His voice was too calm. Too controlled. “Let me take you to the Pack Headquarters.”
I stopped in my tracks. His voice sliced through the air like a whip.
“So that you can display more of this attitude as a Luna to the most feared Alpha…. You were a mistake. A big one Veronica” His words lace with Sarcasm.
“Really ” I said, my voice cold, my heart colder. “You can take her to the Pack Headquarters. I’m done with you.”
For a moment, there was silence. No more words. No more empty promises. Just the sound of my own heartbeat thudding in my chest.
And then, I walked out of the room, leaving him standing there, the weight of everything I’d just said hanging between us.
But he didn’t care. And I was slowly beginning not to too.
I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this disgusted, this angry. All the time I spent thinking I was special to him. All the time I spent lying to myself that I mattered. But now? Now I saw the truth. I was nothing to Aztec. Just a pawn in a game he played with her.
I knew he was lieing but I was delusional… waiting for someone who wouldn't show up to love me.
I didn’t know if I could ever look at him the same way again. And I didn’t care.
The door slammed behind me, and as I walked down the hall, all I could think about was how I was going to make him pay. Veronica wouldn't think like this, but not this new Veronica that's about to be birthed.
Revenge.
It wasn’t just a passing thought anymore. It was a promise. Aztec had underestimated me. He broke me.
I wasn’t going to be the wolf who was left behind anymore. I have heard of many tales of wolves who got their life back and I am about to be one.
And as for Britney? She would feel the consequences too. Because no one, not even Aztec, could get away with this. Not anymore.
This time?
I wasn’t afraid. I wasn’t broken. I was pissed.
