Chapter 3 3

Tessa's POV

Ian's gaze locked onto mine, but there was no warmth, no recognition of the bond we had once shared. Instead, there was a flicker of something darker, something I couldn't quite place-fear, maybe, or guilt. The Alpha mask he had so carefully crafted over the years was slipping. The man I had once called my mate was standing before me, and yet, he felt like a stranger.

The weight of everything I had lost pressed down on me. The life we could've had, the future he had stolen from me, it all seemed so distant now, a mere shadow of the reality I had once believed in. I had loved him with everything I had, and he had crushed me. The betrayal still burned in my chest, raw and unforgiving.

"I... Tessa." Ian's voice cracked, an unspoken apology hanging in the air between us, but it meant nothing. His remorse didn't erase the pain.

"You don't get to say my name like that," I replied, my voice sharp. "You lost that privilege the moment you betrayed me."

He flinched, the subtle movement enough to let me know I had struck a nerve. The anger inside me flared, but I tamped it down, knowing I needed control. I would make him see what his actions had cost him.

My eyes narrowed, and I took a step closer to him, my body tense, every fiber of my being focused on him. "Tell me, Ian," I continued, my voice low and dangerous, "what did Rita offer you that I couldn't? What made you betray me for her? For my sister?"

The question hung in the air, the words sharp like knives. Ian's expression shifted, something flickering behind his eyes-guilt, regret, confusion. But there was no sorrow in his eyes for what he had done to me. There was no understanding of the devastation he had caused. He had never truly understood.

"I-" He stumbled over his words, but I didn't let him finish.

"You don't get to explain yourself," I cut him off, my tone laced with venom. "Nothing you say can make this better. Nothing."

I could feel the strength of the bond we had once shared, the tether between us, but it felt faint, like a memory fading with each passing moment. The love I had once felt for him was fading, replaced with the cold weight of betrayal and a hunger for justice. He had torn apart everything we could have been, everything I had trusted, and in return, I would tear down everything he had built.

"Please," Ian said, his voice soft now, the mask of the Alpha slipping further. "Tessa, I never meant for this to happen. It wasn't supposed to be like this."

His words hit me like a slap, the false sorrow stinging more than I could have imagined. He wasn't sorry for me. He wasn't sorry for how I had suffered. He was sorry for himself, sorry that he was being forced to face the consequences of his actions.

I took another step forward, my eyes never leaving his. "You never meant for this to happen?" I laughed bitterly, the sound harsh in the quiet night. "No, Ian, you made your choice. You chose Rita. You chose to betray me. And you'll pay for that choice."

My words felt like poison in the air, and yet, they didn't feel like enough. I had died once, and in that death, I had been granted a chance at vengeance. The Moon Goddess had answered my plea, had given me a second chance at life. I couldn't waste it on weak words and empty threats. I needed action.

Ian reached out, as if to touch me, but I stepped back, putting distance between us. My heart was heavy, but there was a new strength inside me, one that told me not to fall into his traps. I wouldn't let him manipulate me again.

"I didn't want to hurt you," Ian said, his voice cracking. "You have to believe me."

I shook my head, my lips pressed into a thin line. "I don't have to believe anything you say. You hurt me. You destroyed everything."

The silence between us grew thick, suffocating. The wind rustled through the trees, carrying the scent of the forest, but it did nothing to calm the storm raging inside me. The sight of him, standing there with that pitiful look in his eyes, only made the fire inside me burn hotter.

"You should've never betrayed me, Ian. You should've never chosen her." The words burned my throat, but I didn't hold them back. "Now, you'll face the consequences. You'll regret every moment of it."

I turned away from him, unwilling to see the sorrow in his eyes any longer. The ache in my chest, the emptiness where love had once lived, threatened to swallow me whole. But I couldn't let it. Not now. Not when I had come this far.

"Where are you going?" Ian's voice cracked, desperation creeping into his tone.

"I'm done with you," I replied without looking back. "I have nothing left to say to you."

I began walking away, each step taking me further from the man I had once called my mate. The man who had been the center of my world, and now, was nothing but a shadow.

The sound of Ian's footsteps echoed behind me, but I didn't turn around. I could feel the weight of his gaze on my back, but it no longer mattered. Nothing he said or did could change what had happened. He had lost me, and I wasn't going back.

"Wait!" Ian's voice rang out, desperation clear in his tone. "Tessa, please. Don't leave me like this. I-I need you. I can't do this without you."

The words struck me like a blow, and for a moment, I faltered. The old part of me-the part that had loved him-wanted to look back, wanted to take him in my arms and forgive him. But that part of me was dead. The Tessa he had known was gone, replaced by someone stronger, someone determined to seek justice.

I kept walking, my footsteps steady and sure. "You should've thought of that before you betrayed me, Ian."

The forest seemed to close in around me as I walked deeper into its depths, the path growing darker with each step. The moonlight filtered through the trees, casting long shadows on the ground.

I could hear the distant sound of a river, the same river I had crossed earlier. It was a symbol of the divide between the past and the present, between who I had been and who I was becoming. The woman I had been-weak, trusting, naive-was gone. In her place was a woman who would never let herself be betrayed again.

I stopped at the river's edge, staring into the water. The reflection staring back at me was no longer the same. My eyes were darker, filled with an intensity I hadn't known before. I could see the power growing within me, could feel it building, waiting to be unleashed.

I wasn't sure what I was anymore. The lines between who I had been and who I was becoming were blurring, but I knew one thing for certain-I would never allow myself to be broken again.

I had been given a second chance, and I would make it count. Ian had made his choice, and now it was my turn to choose. My vengeance would be swift and sure. There would be no mercy for those who had wronged me.

A rustle in the bushes behind me caught my attention, and I turned around, my heart racing. The figure that emerged from the shadows wasn't Ian. It wasn't anyone I recognized at first. But then, as the moonlight hit his face, I saw the familiar features-the sharp jawline, the piercing blue eyes.

It was him. The man who had been following me since the moment I had stepped into this world. The man who seemed to know more about me than I did.

"Who are you?" I demanded, my voice icy. "Why are you following me?"

The man stepped forward, his movements slow and deliberate, the confidence in his posture unmistakable. He was powerful-too powerful to be a mere stranger.

"I'm here to offer you a deal," he said, his voice smooth and measured. "And I suggest you listen."

I studied him for a moment, the flicker of suspicion in my mind growing stronger. What could he possibly want from me? And what kind of deal was he offering?

"I'm not interested in anything you have to say," I replied, my stance defensive.

The man smiled, a sharp, calculating smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You will be. You'll see soon enough."