Bound by Betrayal , His regret

Lyra's POV

"I can take your coat, miss." A steward steps forward as the elevator doors slide open. His uniform is black and gold, just like everything else in this glittering hotel. I slip off my coat and hand it to him with a polite smile. He eyes me for a moment-longer than necessary. "You're with the hospital?" he asks, offering me a crystal flute of wine. I hesitate. "Yes. An intern." "An Omega intern?" he adds, tone light but curious. I smile tightly. I wasn't wearing anything fancy-just my usual oil blend. But tonight, something felt... off. The scent clung too thick. Too strong. Almost like someone else had worn it recently. My fingers tighten slightly on the glass. "Is that a problem?" He blinks, surprised. Then he chuckles and bows slightly. "Not at all. Just... you don't look like the quiet type tonight." I don't answer. Because tonight, I'm not. The ballroom doors open behind him, and music swells like a heartbeat. I step through, the wine glass cold in my hand, my pulse anything but. Inside, the world is drowning in gold. Chandeliers hang like frozen stars. Tables are set with silver forks I probably can't afford. Every guest shines. Shimmering gowns. Polished shoes. Power. Money. Bloodlines. All of it thick in the air like perfume. And me? I'm just a girl in a soft blue dress with borrowed heels and a heart that won't stop pounding. I walk deeper into the ballroom, careful not to trip on the long hem of my dress. The soft blue satin swishes around my ankles like water. I wore it once before-for a graduation ceremony I never got to attend. A live orchestra plays in the corner, the strings weaving through the chatter and clinking glasses. I spot clusters of doctors near the buffet. Alphas near the stage. And in the middle of it all, the press-hovering like flies over perfume. Everywhere I look, people are laughing, smiling, clinking glasses. Like this is just another party. Like none of them remember that Omegas like me weren't even invited last year. But this year... this year I earned my place. I'm here because I worked harder than anyone. Because I stayed up through night shifts when everyone else left. Because patients trusted me. Because even the Alpha board noticed. I'm here because I was finally seen. A sharp voice pulls me from my thoughts. "Lyra? Is that you?" I turn-and there she is. Selene. My best friend. She's wearing silver tonight, her dress clinging like liquid metal. Her lips are red. Her eyes sparkle. She looks like every inch of her was chosen by someone else styled for cameras, not for comfort. "Gods," she says, stepping close to me " you look gorgeous " "You too," I say, though my voice comes out thinner than I'd like. She leans in for a hug Did you switch shampoos, Selene?" I asked "Hm? Oh I borrowed yours. Hope that's okay." her voice dropping. " Her fingers tighten on my arm Did you hear? There's going to be an announcement," she said, eyes gleaming. I nodded, still unsure what to make of her mood. "Everyone's talking about it." "Mmhmm." Her fingers tugged playfully at a strand of my hair. "Is that the new perfume I gave you last week?" She asked I blinked. "What perfume?" "Oh," she laughed. "Guess I used more of it than you did." My smile thinned. That wasn't perfume. That was my signature oil blend-one I mixed myself. Lavender, pine, a hint of bergamot. Custom to me. Wolves couldn't fake their scent. Not easily. "I thought you left that on my sink?" I asked. "Maybe," she said, and turned away before I could press further. "Stay close to the stage. You won't want to miss it." "Stay close to the stage," she says with a little wink. "You won't want to miss it." Then she disappears into the crowd like smoke. My wine tastes bitter when I sip it. I make my way toward the edge of the dance floor, scanning for familiar faces. I find a few of the other interns near the back-Mira, Jordan, and Tomi-laughing too loudly and already two drinks in. Mira waves me over. "You look gorgeous, girl!" she shouts. "Like, serious goddess energy." I smile, but it doesn't quite reach my eyes. "Thanks. You too." "Can you believe we're actually here?" Tomi says, eyes wide. "Like, this is the real deal. Alphas. Doctors. Investors. The Luna's supposed to be announced tonight!" "Maybe it's Selene," Mira whispers. "She's been seen with Leon a lot lately." My stomach turns. Leon. I haven't seen him yet. I've been trying not to look. But my eyes move anyway. And then I see him. Standing near the grand staircase, dressed in a black suit with gold trim. His posture is perfect. His jaw sharp. He looks like power. Like everything I'll never be. But his eyes... His eyes scan the room like he's looking for someone. And for one, impossible moment-he finds me. Our gazes lock across the ballroom. The noise fades. I forget how to breathe. His brow furrows slightly. Confused. Curious. Then, slowly, his head tilts. Like he sees something in me he didn't expect. Like maybe... maybe he remembers. My chest tightens. The glass in my hand trembles. Then someone touches his arm-a tall man in a suit. Leon turns away. The moment ends. I exhale shakily. My heart is racing. What was that? Did he feel it too? No. Don't be stupid, Lyra. He's the Alpha. You're just... The lights dim. A hush falls across the crowd. Spotlights shift toward the stage, where the Alpha's father-Alpha Dorian-steps into view. He looks every bit the ruler of a dynasty. Tall, gray-haired, and stern. His voice is deep, commanding, smooth like old whiskey. "Ladies and gentlemen," he says, spreading his arms. "Welcome to the Annual Crescent Medical Gala. Tonight, we celebrate progress, healing, and the unity of pack and purpose." Polite applause. "Tonight is also a night of legacy," he continues. "Of the old making way for the new. As such, I am proud to announce not only a new wing of the hospital-but a new chapter for our family." The crowd leans in. Whispers ripple through the room. Leon steps up beside his father. My breath catches. He stands straight, but something about him feels... tense. My palms sweat. I don't know why. Alpha Dorian continues. "It is my pleasure to present to you... the future Luna of Crescent Hill." A door opens at the back of the stage. And out walks- Selene. Wearing a shimmering gown that glows silver under the lights. Hair curled. Lips painted. Every camera in the room flashes. My wine glass slips from my fingers. It doesn't shatter-it bounces, the wine soaking into the velvet carpet. But I barely register it. Because something worse has just hit me. The scent. My scent. It floods the ballroom in waves-lavender, pine, bergamot-me. My signature blend. The one I mixed. The one no one else ever wore. And Selene is wrapped in it like it belongs to her. No. No, no, no- My wolf howls inside me. Violent. Betrayed. Violently betrayed. That's how I know. This isn't some coincidence. This isn't shared shampoo. This is a direct theft. She mimicked my scent. She stole it. And the bond flaring through my chest? That fire in my ribs-that was meant for me. The bond surges in my chest, a violent twist of heat and pain. It flares like fire licking through my veins. No. No, no, no- "That's..." My voice is barely a whisper. "That's my scent." Nobody hears me. Except Selene. She turns her head slowly. Meets my gaze across the room. And she smiles. Not kind. Not proud. Triumphant. My legs stumble forward before I can stop them. I press a hand to my chest. It burns. The bond burns-like it's trying to find him, reach him, scream at him But it doesn't. Because he doesn't look at me. Leon holds Selene close. Whispers something in her ear. Smiles for the cameras. And the whole room cheers. I'm still standing there-alone, shaking, invisible. As if I never existed. As if I didn't save lives in this very hospital. As if I wasn't the one he was supposed to choose. As if the mate bond doesn't matter anymore. As if I'm the ghost. Not her. I should leave. I should turn around, walk out, and pretend I didn't see any of this. But I can't move. The mate bond is a living thing in my chest-twisting, searing, screaming. It shouldn't be possible. It should've snapped with me. Not her. He was mine. I take another shaky step forward. I need to speak. I need to scream. But the words die in my throat. The cameras flash again. Leon leans down and presses a soft kiss to Selene's temple. The air shifted. A velvet box was brought forward-handed from Alpha Dorian to his son. Leon opened it. Inside was a silver Luna pendant-shaped like a crescent moon wrapped in flame. The Thorne family's symbol. The symbol of status. Of claim. And without hesitation, he reached out and fastened it around Selene's neck. The cameras went wild. But I wasn't looking at the flash. I was staring at the chain now resting just above her collarbone-right where my scent used to live. "No," I whispered. Too quiet. I took a step forward. "No!" Louder this time. My voice cracked through the applause. Heads turned. My heart was pounding so hard I could barely think. "I'm sorry," I said, breathless, shaking. "But that's my scent." Silence. The orchestra faltered. People blinked, unsure they heard me right. "She stole it!" I shouted. "Selene-she used a scent blocker. Or a mimic. That's mine. She's wearing me." Mira gasped behind me. Leon looked stunned. Selene didn't. She turned. Smiled. Like it was all going exactly to plan. Then she took Leon's hand, and stepped closer to him-as if I'd just confessed to a crime. "She's confused," Selene said gently. "Leon... she needs help." People murmured. Someone whispered the word "unstable." Leon stepped forward. Just one step-but it felt like a wall rising between us. "Lyra," he said. His voice was calm, but cold. "You're causing a scene." "No-I'm telling the truth!" I cried. "You were never meant to choose her. You felt it once. I know you did." His jaw tightened. Then he looked at me with a kind of finality I'd never seen before. "You need to leave," he said. My breath left my lungs. "Leon, please-" I stepped forward again. But a security guard was already beside me, his hand hovering just above my arm. "Escort her out quietly," Leon said, turning his back to me. That. That was the moment. The rejection. Not whispered. Not personal. But public. Loud enough to silence the bond screaming inside me. He didn't believe me. He chose her. He gave her the pendant, the spotlight, the name. And I was the girl being walked out like a problem. My hands tremble. The edges of my vision darken. My heart is racing so fast it feels like it might crack open. I stumble toward the stage, bumping into someone's chair. A sharp gasp. A woman curses under her breath. Still, no one helps me. I grip the edge of a table to steady myself, knocking over a centerpiece. Flowers scatter across the floor. The pain spikes. Like fire through my ribcage. I cry out, a small, broken sound, barely louder than a whisper. Leon doesn't even flinch. He lifts Selene's hand and kisses the back of it. The crowd begins to chant softly-"Luna, Luna, Luna..." My fingers dig into my collarbone. It burns. Right over my heart. Right where the bond mark would've bloomed. If things were right. If the world made sense. But it doesn't. And now... now the fire inside me is eating itself alive. He can't feel it. He doesn't know. He thinks it's her. And she stole everything. My scent. My future. My mate. My entire life. The music swells again as Alpha Dorian announces the donation numbers. He speaks about medical progress and family strength, but it all turns to noise in my ears. The bond keeps twisting inside me, snapping between rage and heartbreak. It feels like grief. Like death. Only I'm the one still breathing. Someone brushes past me and mutters, "Careful, girl, you're in the way." I flinch like I've been slapped. I open my mouth-maybe to scream, maybe to beg-but no sound comes. I turn in a slow circle. Everything is too bright, too loud. And then- The floor gives out beneath me. Or maybe I fall. I'm not sure anymore. The last thing I see is Leon's face. He's smiling. And I am burning alive with a mate bond that was never meant to be hers.