บท 2: Chapter 2

"Oh Lord have mercy!" Althea exclaimed, her face contorting with shock as she turned her head to the side.

In the dimly lit room, a woman with flowing blonde hair knelt on the bed, her hands clutching the sheets tightly. Beads of perspiration glistened on her forehead, her blonde locks falling like a veil around her face. The soft glow of a solitary lantern on the dressing table cast an ethereal light, intensifying the aura of the moment.

Althea's eyes widened as she tried to avert her gaze, but the scene before her seemed to burn into her mind's eye. The air felt heavy, charged with a palpable tension as the man behind the woman moved with rhythmic precision. Every thrust and movement seemed to ripple through the room, the quiet sounds of their union mingling with the hushed whispers of passion.

The subtleties of desire and vulnerability danced in the shadows, leaving an indelible impression upon her consciousness.

"Oh... Caleb," she heard the woman whisper through trembling lips, and Althea's gaze followed her line of sight to the face of the man who stood behind her.

It was him, Caleb, her Mr. Perfect, the man she had envisioned spending the rest of her life with. The weight of the realization bore down on Althea, causing her to take an instinctive step back. Her lips pressed together tightly, her eyes momentarily devoid of emotion as her heart shattered into countless fragments.

"Oh... Caleb," the woman moaned once more, her voice filled with desire. As she opened her eyes, they locked onto Althea standing by the door. A mixture of surprise, guilt, and uncertainty flashed across her face, rendering her momentarily speechless.

Althea stood frozen in the doorway, her mind racing to make sense of the scene unfolding before her. Conflicting emotions battled within her as she grappled with the profound sense of betrayal. The room seemed to grow colder, the air heavier, as silence enveloped them all.

Caught in a web of raw emotions, Althea finally found her voice. "Caleb... how...how could you?" she managed to stammer, her voice trembling with a mixture of hurt and confusion. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over.

The room held an intense stillness as Althea and the woman exchanged a wordless gaze, both grappling with the weight of the situation. Time stood suspended, their worlds colliding and unraveling in that single moment of shattered trust.

Her big dark eyes widened with shock and their eyes locked as they shared an intense gaze.

One was of fear, shock and shame and the other, just blank.

But this moment was fleeting.

In the midst of the initial shock, the woman succumbed to pleasure. Her body arched, and her eyes closed tightly. Tears streamed down her delicate cheeks as a loud moan escaped her lips, filling the room. Meanwhile, Caleb continued, consumed by his own pleasure, oblivious to her and her words.

Althea swallowed hard, making her way out of the room at a slow pace. With a gentle click, she closed the door behind her.

She had witnessed enough.

Navigating through the darkness in her flowing gown, she inadvertently bumped into a small table in the sitting room, causing a bottle to crash onto the floor.

The smell of perfume filled the air. She looked back at her door, knowing that the noise would have now alerted Caleb that someone was in his house.

And she wasn't wrong as Caleb rushed out a few moments later, grabbing her arm.

"Wait, love"

"Get your disgusting hands off me" Althea said, pushing his sweaty body away from her.

"Listen Althea, I am so sorry. I did not know what came over me. It was the woman who seduced me"

Althea scoffed, violently removing her arms from his. "Of course she was. And you were a perfect saint"

"My love…"

"Your love?" Althea laughed. "Your love? Did you think about this love when you found a hole to put your shovel in?"

Caleb was speechless.

"That's what I thought. Stay away from me Caleb. Stay away"

Althea left the house with tears streaming down her face. She could see it. Her life crashing down before her eyes. Everything all planned was gone. Her life was completely and utterly destroyed within just a single moment.

She had spent two years of her life with Caleb, being with him ever since she was 18 and she had been sure that he loved her and only her.

All her life, she had thought they would have the perfect marriage. The perfect children. The perfect life.

How could he do this to her?

In that fleeting moment, as she hurried through the shadowed surroundings, her elegant gown became ensnared in the clutches of a merciless adversary. Time seemed to slow as she lost her footing, her body crashing backwards with a bone-jarring impact into a treacherous abyss of mud and filth. The shockwaves of pain surged through her, stealing the breath from her lungs, while her delicate form lay sprawled in a puddle that mirrored her shattered spirit.

She fought against the overwhelming urge to rise, the agony etching itself into every fiber of her being. Raindrops began to fall relentlessly, merging with her tears as they cascaded down her dirt-streaked face, mingling with the anguish etched in her eyes.

How could he, the one she trusted with her heart, plunge her into this abyss of betrayal?

Her emotions surged, a tumultuous maelstrom threatening to drown her in its depths. Yet, there was no cathartic release—only a soul-crushing numbness that gnawed at her core. She longed for the searing flames of anger or the wrenching embrace of sorrow—anything that would validate the shards of her broken heart.

But all that remained was a desolate void, an agonizing emptiness that echoed through her every breath, a poignant reminder of the depths of her pain.

The audacity! How could he dare inflict such wounds upon her fragile heart? His sweet whispers of promise, laced with deceit, once caressed her ears with false sincerity. He showered her with compliments, making her believe she was a rare gem, a person of unmatched beauty and worth. He shielded her from the tormenting taunts of ignorant villagers who deemed her different, labeling her as weird.

Were all those words mere illusions? Twisted fragments of truth skillfully woven into a web of deception?

A surge of anguish coursed through her veins, awakening the dormant beast within. The primal nature of her inner wolf stirred, urging her to unleash her pain, to shift and unleash a mournful howl to the indifferent moon. She had held onto the belief that Caleb was her destined mate, the one who would complete her in every way. But now, that cherished dream seemed like a distant illusion, cruelly snatched away.

Betrayal clawed at her core, mingling with the raw ache of abandonment. The bond she thought was unbreakable had shattered, leaving behind shards of shattered trust. The pain echoed through her every fiber, tearing at her soul like a relentless tempest.

Minutes later, she eventually got up from the ground. She didn't listen to the heatings of her wolf telling her to shift and run through the woods, she just walked home with a downcasted gaze.

People stared at her but none said anything. Some just scrunch their nose up in disgust as she walked by. Thinking that maybe she had gone to do her weird doings again.

She got home not long after, her parents were seated at the dining table. Her mother knitted and her father ate.

They were discussing but immediately they noticed her presence, they all became quiet.

Her mother, Margaret - a plump, short woman, with big blue eyes and black low cut hair- eyed her with disgust.

She pinched her upturned nose together and shook her head. "You look hideous, child. What happened to you?" She asked, not a bit of worry in her eyes.

Althea's voice quivered as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "I... I just caught Caleb cheating on me."

Her mother halted her knitting, her gaze piercing Althea with a mix of concern and disdain. "Cheating? Well, what did you expect? You've always been naïve, thinking you're worthy of someone's loyalty."

Althea's heart sank, the weight of her mother's harsh words crushing her spirit. The brief glimmer of hope for understanding was shattered, replaced by a cruel reminder of her mother's lack of support and belittlement.

" Well, you were never worth him anyways."

Althea nodded. "Yeah I know," She wiped her tears with the back of her hands.

"Do you have anything to say to me, Father?" Althea's gaze shifted towards Kingsley, her father, a middle-aged man seated beside her mother. His fading brown buttoned shirt concealed a protruding pot belly, and a few gray strands peeked through his cropped hair. He was slightly overweight but towered over Margaret by a few inches.

The man shrugged indifferently and met Althea's gaze with a mix of disappointment and resentment. "The boy always complained about you not giving in to his wills. If you had just complied, maybe I would have a good son-in-law by now. But, as usual, you messed up, like you always do."

Althea's heart sank at her father's callous words, a knife slicing through any remnants of hope. The weight of his blame bore down on her, reinforcing her feelings of inadequacy. Her parents, true to form, offered no support, no love—only a relentless barrage of criticism and misplaced expectations. It was evident that they would never validate her choices or prioritize her happiness.

Althea wasn't surprised by that either. Classic parents. No support. No love. Just basically them being a bunch of dummies. They didn't care if she even jumped into a well. Father would probably have supported Caleb anyways, he loved the boy. Thinking Caleb is a good boy. Even if he does bad things, it's good.

"Goodnight then."

With that, she left for her room. As she moved away from them, she heard them starting to talk again in hush whispers.

When she got into her room, she didn't take a bath though, she just laid down on her bed. The moment she closed her eyes, she could still see him. Him pounding into the body of that lady.

It made her question herself.

How long had they been meeting each other?

How long had they been doing this behind her back?

How long have they seen her as a foolish person?

With those thoughts in mind she slowly drifted off to wonderland.

As Althea woke up the next morning, she found herself still covered in the remnants of the previous night's grime. Her body felt sticky, the stench of wet mud filling the air around her. When she sat up, the sheets clung stubbornly to her back, an unwelcome reminder of the mess she had endured.

Struggling to clear her groggy mind, she blinked, and her eyes widened in disbelief. There, before her, was Caleb slowly approaching her. It felt like a distorted dream, a hallucination born from the chaos of the previous night.

Convinced that this couldn't be real, Althea's confusion turned to instinctual self-defense. In a state of shock and disbelief, she impulsively reached out and slapped Caleb across the face, hoping to wake herself from this surreal nightmare.

As Althea's hazy vision cleared, she could discern Caleb's appearance, seemingly unscathed and exuding an air of composure. His chiseled features boasted high cheekbones, accentuating his striking good looks. His eyes, a mesmerizing hue of chestnut, held a mix of surprise and pain from the unexpected slap.

He was dressed immaculately, as if untouched by the chaos of the previous night. His attire consisted of a crisp, tailored shirt and well-fitted trousers, further emphasizing his polished demeanor.

Caleb winced, his hand instinctively rising to his stinging cheek. "Ow," he uttered, a tinge of disbelief in his voice.

Althea's initial remorse gave way to a surge of defiance. "Sorry? No, not sorry," she retorted, her voice filled with simmering anger. "You deserved that and a lot more. What are you doing in my room?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

She sat up slowly, resting her back against the wall, her face blank.

Caleb laughed anxiously, his hand instinctively running through his chestnut hair as he tried to pacify the tense atmosphere. "Easy there, darlin'," he began, his voice trembling slightly. "I didn't mean to startle you. I came here because... because I needed to talk to you."

Althea's eyes narrowed, her patience waning. She bristled at his attempt to soften the situation with endearing words. "Keep your 'darlin' to yourself," she snapped, her tone laced with irritation. "I asked a question: What are you doing here?"

A dangerous growl rumbled in Althea's throat, a warning to Caleb not to overstep her boundaries. Her stance grew more assertive as she awaited his response, her eyes filled with a fiery determination that dared him to provide an explanation worthy of her trust.

Caleb took a deep breath, his voice tinged with apprehension as he began to explain. "Look, Althea, your father let me in. He said he wanted us to talk things out, find some resolution."

Althea rolled her eyes, a mix of exasperation and resignation crossing her face. "Of course, that's so typical of my father," she muttered under her breath. "Always meddling, thinking he knows what's best for me."

Her gaze fixed on Caleb, her tone firm and resolute. "Well, I'm sorry, but I don't need his interference or your explanations. Get out. Get out now," she demanded, her voice carrying the weight of her frustration and determination to assert her independence.

Caleb's insistence persisted, his determination blinding him to Althea's boundaries. He took a step closer, his voice pleading, "Darling, please, just listen to me. I need you to understand."

Althea felt a surge of anger and frustration welling up within her, the primal instincts of her inner wolf beginning to take hold. In a moment of instinctive defense, she allowed her transformation to take over, her body halfway shifting into that of a powerful wolf. Her claws extended, she swiftly swiped at Caleb's arm, leaving behind angry gashes that began to bleed.

Caleb recoiled, his eyes wide with shock and pain. "You bitch!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling with a mixture of anger and hurt.

Althea's laughter rang out, her half-wolf form emanating an air of dominance. "Well, I am a female wolf," she retorted with a mischievous grin. "And just like dogs, it seems you can't keep your thing in your pants."

The realization of her own strength and the satisfaction of asserting herself against Caleb's betrayal filled her with a renewed sense of empowerment.

Caleb, clutching his bleeding arm, mustered the courage to speak, his voice strained with remorse. "Althea, please... it was a mistake. I never meant to cheat on you. I don't even know how it happened."

Althea's eyes narrowed as she stared at him, a mix of skepticism and anger evident in her gaze. "A mistake?" she scoffed. "Do you expect me to believe that? How do you accidentally cheat on someone?"

Caleb's voice wavered with a hint of desperation. "I can't explain it. I was weak, and I made a terrible choice. But I regret it deeply. You have to believe me."

Althea's wolfish features softened slightly, but her guard remained high. "Regret isn't enough, Caleb. Trust once broken is not easily repaired. How could you betray me like this?"

Caleb's face displayed genuine pain and remorse. "I know I messed up, Althea. I can't change what happened, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it right, to earn back your trust. Please, give me a chance to prove myself."

As Caleb began tried to look at her with sad eyes, Althea's voice cut through the air, laced with a mix of bitterness and defiance. "Prove yourself? Prove yourself to do what? For me to trust you again? Over my dead body."

Her words hung in the air, the weight of her pain and betrayal palpable. Althea couldn't help but add a snarky retort, unable to contain her resentment. "And by the way, cheater, good luck finding someone who will ever trust you again."

Caleb flinched at her biting words, his remorse deepening. He turned back briefly, his eyes meeting Althea's with a glimmer of sorrow. "I understand if you can't forgive me, Althea. But I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make it right."

Althea's expression hardened, her determination unwavering. "Rest assured, Caleb, you won't be spending the rest of your life trying to make it right with me. We're done. Now, leave."