Forbidden Bond : World Apart

Diane's POV .

I clutched the bouquet of roses tightly to my chest, my heart pounding with elation as I approached the porch.

Jaden was the Beta son while my parents were among the pack hunters, so compared to him, we were worlds apart. I still wonder how he asked me to be his girlfriend out of all the other better options of girls in school. It felt like a dream, one I never wanted to wake up from. We had been dating for five months-five months of late-night calls, stolen kisses between classes, and whispered promises about our future. He was the man I saw myself with forever, the one I imagined standing beside me at the altar someday. We weren't fated mates, but we had both vowed to live together as one and reject whoever appeared as our mate.

But one thing was still missing. That was our first sex. I have decided to give it to him tonight though.

I wasn't nervous; it felt right. Jaden had proven himself over and over again-his patience, his kindness, the way he looked at me, like I was his entire world. I'd never felt this safe, never felt this certain with anyone else.

My phone buzzed in my handbag, and I snatched it up, smiling hard as I saw it was a text from Jaden.

"I am bored and lonely here. I really miss you," his text read.

A wide grin appeared on my face as I reread the message, excitement bubbling in my chest. I couldn't help but laugh softly in satisfaction.

He thought I was in London for the summer holiday just as I told him, but I had lied about my vacation plans, just so this visit would be a complete surprise to him.

I reached the porch and punched in the door code which I already knew of by heart, the familiar beep signaling the door unlocked.

Everywhere was silent at first, but as I stepped inside, faint laughter drifted down from upstairs-a woman's laughter. My breath hitched, and for a split second, I stood paralyzed, staring up and wondering if my ears were deceiving me.

He told me he was alone at home and wished I was here to spend time with him. So who has that female voice?

My legs felt heavy as I climbed the stairs, each step slow and careful.

"Maybe we misheard. Maybe it was just the TV." My wolf, Lana, tried to clear my fear but just then, my gaze landed on a trail of clothes leading down the hallway-a blouse, a bra, panties... and Jaden's shirt, as if they had started off outside before entering his room.

"No... Jaden can't be cheating on me," I whispered to myself, my voice shaking, and I could feel my wolf curled up in a sullen state. My chest ached, and my breath came in gasps as I drew closer to the door.

I reached the bedroom door and my sweaty hand hovered around the knob, to open the door, but my hand paused as I heard Jaden's voice ring out, playful and full of desire.

"I really miss you....Baby, you don't know what I'd do to have you with me every second of my life."

And then, I heard the lady ask.

"What about Diane? The both of you have been dating for months." The voice made me shudder and my jaw dropped. I gasped as I recognized who had that voice.

It was that of Selene, my best friend. My closest since my second year in college. My heart tightened harder as I waited to hear Jaden's reply.

After a few seconds, he blurted. "Don't tell me you really think I loved Diane. She's not my type. It was just a dare game. My friends wanted to know how far I could go with her and that's why I had to do all this." He scoffed, irritation laced in his voice.

Selene heaved a loud sigh. "Okay, I feel relieved to hear this. It all felt so real, and I was becoming so jealous of you both." I heard her say and the sound of their kisses followed, making my stomach churn.

I couldn't breathe as I felt like my entire world was crashing down around me. My knees wobbled, and the bouquet slipped from my hands, the roses hitting the floor softly. I wanted to run, but my feet wouldn't move, so I stood there, numbed, the agony in my heart piercing deeper as their conversation and deep kiss continued without any of them aware I was listening to everything. They had no idea I was right outside the door.

"So when are you breaking up with her? I'm tired of pretending," Selene murmured, and my hands pressed over my mouth, stifling a sob that threatened to fall out. This can't be real.

Why is she doing this to me?

"As soon as school starts. I can't wait to dump her." Jaden's voice dripped with disdain, and I felt the last shred of hope inside me shatter to pieces.

Without hesitation, I pushed the door open and barged in furiously.

Their heads snapped toward me, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

While Selene frantically pulled the duvet over her naked body, avoiding my gaze shamefully, Jaden looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Diane," he called my name in a gentle voice, standing up from bed immediately. "Come on, this isn't what it looks like. I can explain." He said, trying to hold me, but I backed away.

Lana growled in my mind. "He's about to lie. Don't let him twist this."

My chest tightened, tears burning my eyes. "I heard you, Jaden. The dare. Your friends betting on you over my body. You even said I wasn't your type and would break up once school starts. Was anything with you ever real?"

His little smile faltered, and he rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at Selene. "That was just stupid talk, Diane. It started as a joke with you, yeah, but it became real. I swear, I didn't mean to hurt you. I messed up, okay?" He sighed and paused. "You know you have been so caught up with a lot and I... I got lonely. Selene was just here, and things got out of hand." He stepped closer, his tone almost pleading. "You know I care about you, right?"

I stared, my heart twisting.

Then Selene's voice broke in, her green eyes glistening with tears. "Diane, I didn't want you to find out like this. I... I've liked him for years, okay? Before you even started dating. When he came to me, I thought... I thought he was choosing me." She glanced at Jaden, then back at me, her voice breaking. "I know I should've told you. I was scared to lose you."

"Scared?" I snapped, tears burning my eyes. "You were my sister, Selene. You pushed me to trust him!" I murmured, the flickering pain of her betrayal eating me deep. Selene parents were also hunters and friends to my parents. We had been close for so long, and we shared secrets and gossip a lot together, trusting each other so much.

"Selene...Why?" I added, my voice barely above whispers as memories of our friendship flooded in my head. I couldn't help but wonder where I went wrong to deserve this from her. I can remember how she encouraged me to trust Jaden, when she told me how overly happy she was that I would one day become part of the royal family. And now, she was here asking him to break up with me.

Selene tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, blinking rapidly as her eyes finally met mine with what I could only assume was guilt because I caught them. "Diane... I'm sorry." she breathed.

"You are not sorry! You are just a wicked soul who is disguised as my friend! When did you start sleeping with him behind my back?" I yelled with a broken voice.

Jaden heaved, and I also saw a flicker of guilt in his eyes before it vanished and he doubled down. "Diane, I think you're overreacting."

Really?

"What did you expect? You kept pushing me away, saying you wanted to wait till after school before we could do anything together. Selene was just... here for me. Can't you see I needed someone who actually showed they cared?" His voice was sharp but unsteady.

"What are you trying to justify?"

"You were always focus on your book and won't let me make love to you. It wasn't supposed to go this way but you made everything so harder than it needed to be." He hissed, avoiding my gaze.

My mouth opened, but no word could come out.

The room seemed to be closing on me and I wished I would wake up to see it was all a bad dream.

He was really blaming it on me.

"Goodbye." I murmured and couldn't stand there for another second as my heart grew heavy. I turned sharply and stomped out, kicking the bouquet of flowers that was still lying outside the door.

The only thing I heard next was the slam of the door and the sound of the key lock. It was as if they were impatiently waiting for me to leave so they would continue.

This really hurts.

Stumbling out of the building, I waved down a taxi, and hopped in.

"Where to?" The driver asked, and I couldn't think of going home.

"To the nearest bar," I muttered, wiping my tears away.

I have never been a fan of alcohol, nor have I gone to a club before, but today I will ease my pain with all that. Also fuck virginity because I would have fun and give that up in the club to any handsome man I get attracted to tonight. I don't care.