Betrayal- Part 1

    “Yo, you up for hanging out tonight?”

     Koro let out a sigh at Caleb's text, leaning back against the head of the car seat as he ran a hand over his tired eyes. It had been such a long day and all he wanted to do was get inside, take a hot shower, and crash into bed. Work had called him in due to a scheduling mishap, and of course, today had been the day that required heavy lifting. His back and knees were killing him from moving things around and he was pretty sure he'd pulled something in his shoulder.

     “Good old werewolf healing doesn't do shit for aches and pains... But at least we got out early. I just hope Terry doesn't assign us anything crazy tomorrow...” he muttered, leaning his head against the window of the car door. Between both of his jobs, he was going to get himself injured or killed, but he needed the money. His russet eyes found their way up the many windows of the apartment building he was parked in front of, settling on one on the third floor.

     'Light's on... Guess she's still up.' the werewolf thought, a small smile twitching at the corners of his mouth at the idea of seeing his girlfriend. Coming home to Selene after a hard day always made him feel worlds better. With a slight grumble, he recalled how everyone around him had been telling him their relationship seemed to be going downhill lately. Selene had been acting a bit distant, turning down his offers to spend time together or go out most nights, claiming to be too tired from work or just not in the mood. He could understand that, being exhausted from his own jobs. He had to admit, he missed her, but he didn't mind waiting for her to come around. Maybe she just needed space.

     'I can respect that.' Koro thought with a slight nod. 'That's what you do when you love someone.' Of course, doubts always plagued him, and he wondered if he should bring up her apathetic behavior at some point, but he was sure she was just going through some sort of rough patch.

    'But she never wants to talk about it when I ask if she's okay... I mean, she knows she can trust me, right?' the brunette let out a sigh, uncertainty starting to cloud his mind as he finally opened the car door and pushed himself to his feet with a groan. He glanced up at the window again, frowning slightly and shaking his head. 'No, just stop. Everything is fine.'

     Shutting the car door and getting his bag from the trunk, Koro started towards the apartment building's lobby, trying his best not to limp. Once inside, he went straight for the elevator, not even giving the staircase a passing glance, and hit the button for the third floor. The werewolf suddenly realized he'd never texted Caleb back and pulled out his phone, rereading the text and biting his lip.

     “Sorry, dude, I'm wiped from work...” he muttered to himself as he typed it out. “Maybe we can hang tomorrow before going to meet Terry?” He placed it back in his pocket and exited the elevator as it stopped at his floor, then let out a chuckle and rolled his eyes as his phone went off almost immediately. “Jesus, Caleb.”

    "Aight man, sounds good. If you change your mind, lemme know. And rest up, I hear we got something big going down tomorrow."

     Koro suppressed a groan as he read Caleb's reply and fished out his keys. He stopped in front of his apartment door and unlocked it, then went in and dropped his bag off to the side. Kicking the door shut, he set to texting back.

     “How big is big?” he typed with a frown, wondering what that crazy bastard Terry had lined up for them. The brunette went over to the fridge to grab a soda, and popped the can while waiting for his friend's reply. He never had to wait long with Caleb. Moments later, his phone vibrated again, and Koro opened the message as he took a sip of his drink.

    "Dunno. I heard something about a bust. Crashing some deal Chris' guys have set up. It's definitely big if Terry said he's coming with us."

     Koro's eyes widened a bit. Terry always had him and Caleb doing the dirty work. He was never up close and personal to the action. The werewolf let out a low whistle, setting his soda can down on the counter, and was about to send back a reply when Selene's laughter sounded from the bedroom and made him stop. He looked up, confusion clear on his face, and froze as he listened intently. His ears twitched as he picked up hushed whispers and he tilted his head, frowning at his inability to make out anything clearly.

     'I know for a fact it's not the TV and it's rare for her to be on the phone...' Koro pondered, putting his phone away, and quietly approached the hallway. He wasn't sure why he was being sneaky in his own home, but a feeling of dread had knotted itself up in his stomach. It only worsened when he heard a male's voice, low and deep, followed by more of Selene's high-pitched giggling.

     His heart was racing as he forced himself to walk forward towards the bedroom, and he gulped, mouth suddenly feeling dry as he wrapped his fingers around the doorknob.

    'She wouldn't... I know she wouldn't... Oh God...'

     With a deep breath, Koro swung the door open and instantly regretted doing so as his worst fears came true. Selene let out a gasp, horror swimming in her bright orange eyes as she met Koro's stare. She sat with her bare back facing him, a blanket draped over her lower half that thankfully covered up her actions with the man underneath her. Her long, chestnut hair fell over her freckled shoulders and swayed gracefully as she wrapped the covers around herself and got off him. The white-haired man averted his gaze, guilt and embarrassment apparent in his blue eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck. Koro wasn't sure if he'd caught them in the act but he certainly didn't want to know. He felt his jaw clench as he took a step backwards, unable to tear his eyes away from Selene's.

     “Koro, I... I thought you were working late...” was her pathetic excuse as said werewolf shook his head, pain and disappointment washing over his features. His stomach was queasy, as if he was on a boat being thrown around by rough waves. He felt so disgusted and betrayed, especially since the first words out of her mouth weren't even an apology, and he quickly turned tail and headed out into the living room.

     “Koro, wait!” Selene pleaded, slipping out of the bed with the blanket around her as she ran after him.

     “I-I... This isn't happening.” Koro muttered to himself, grabbing his duffel bag from work and emptying his things out. He saw Selene come up next to him out of the corner of his eye and gently pushed past her with the bag in his hand as he headed for the bedroom. Keeping his head down, he went straight to his drawers and started shoving clothes into the duffel, doing his best to ignore the other male in the room.

     “I'm sorry, dude, I-I didn't know she was seeing anyone...” he heard him utter. Koro barely registered his words and continued to pack instead of acknowledging him. “She said this was her place, I-” He stopped mid-sentence as Koro suddenly turned and glared at him before going back to the drawers. A few short moments later, he zipped the bag up and stormed out of the bedroom. Anger was starting to set in as he slung the bag over his shoulder and went over to the closet to grab a jacket off the hook. Selene stood by the couch, clutching the blanket tightly and watching him collect his things. He saw her open her mouth slightly, ready to say something to him, but she stopped as she met his russet gaze. Koro took a deep breath and stepped over to the door, his hand on the knob. He glanced down at the floor, a mix of emotions swirling in his mind as he tried to comprehend what he'd just witnessed. One question rose to the tip of his tongue.

     “How long?”

     Silence settled over the room, and after almost a minute, he finally raised his head to look at her again. She was biting her lip, eyes on the floor as she tried to find the words to say.

     “A couple of months... I-I was going to tell you... I didn't know how. I'm so sorry, Koro.”

     Koro pursed his lips, biting back a harsh reply and instead silently heading out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. He stopped in the hallway, realizing he was shaking, and took a moment to calm himself before walking towards the elevator. All the distance Selene had wedged between them made sense to him now. What was even worse was that everyone had been right. They had been going downhill. He himself had known that way deep down, but hadn't wanted to admit it. He never thought she'd do something like this though. The werewolf grit his teeth, nearly jamming the ground floor button inward as he hit it. With another deep breath, he leaned back against the wall and pulled his phone out, bringing up his conversation with Caleb.

     “Things have changed. I'll be over in a bit.”