Nova McCall hadn't meant to stop. She was just passing by Scott's room when she heard it-Allison's laugh. Soft. Breathless. Familiar. The door had been ajar-just enough for her to hear Allison's soft laugh. It had pulled her in like a thread tugging at her soul.
Confused, Nova slowed her steps and glanced toward the slightly open door. One look was all it took.
Her breath caught, throat tight with disbelief. Her heart plummeted.
Time stretched thin as Nova stared, the betrayal burning itself into her memory.
She hadn't expected to see them.
Tangled in bedsheets. Breathless. Close.
Scott's head was tilted back a huge smile on his face. Allison's hair was a messy halo around flushed cheeks, her hand resting against his bare chest. Time stopped.
She didn't hesitate. She shoved the door open, slamming it against the wall with a sharp crack.
The room was still.
Allison froze, Scott's eyes wide in horror.
Scott moved to cover himself, and Allison scrambled for the sheet.
Nova didn't move.
Her breath left her like a punch to the gut, slow and painful. Her chest tightened, her vision blurred. She couldn't tell if it was rage or heartbreak-or-both-that made her claws itch beneath her skin.
"Nova," Allison whispered, reaching for the blanket to shield herself.
"Nova, I-" Scott began, but Nova held up a hand, her voice sharp and hollow.
"Don't."
She stepped back, her mouth trembling, eyes locked on Allison.
"You told me you loved me," she said, her voice barely audible. "You said I was your home."
Allison's eyes filled with tears. "I do. I didn't mean-"
"You didn't mean to hurt me?" Nova snapped, her voice rising. "Then why did you choose him?"
Scott flinched.
Nova's voice broke on the next words. "He's my brother."
She looked at Scott then-heartbroken, eyes blazing with betrayal and rage. "He was my brother."
The past tense burned between them, severing a bond that had once felt unbreakable.
She turned, the ache in her chest blooming into something unbearable. She heard Allison's soft sob, but it didn't stop her.
Nothing could.
She walked away without another word, the silence between them louder than any scream.
FLASHBACK - CUDDLES AND COMFORT
The quiet hum of rain tapping on Allison's window was soothing. Allison lay curled up around Nova, fingers gently playing with strands of her dark hair.
Nova sighed contentedly. "Can we stay like this forever?"
Allison kissed her softly, smiling into her hair. "Forever sounds perfect."
FLASHBACK - FEELING WHOLE
Under the vast expanse of stars, they lay side-by-side on a blanket in the preserve. Allison squeezed Nova's hand gently, turning to face her.
"I've never felt this complete," Allison whispered. "Not until you."
Nova smiled softly, eyes shining. "You're everything to me."
FLASHBACK - INTIMACY AND TRUST
The soft flicker of candles lit the edges of Allison's room. The door was locked. The world was gone.
Nova lay beneath Allison, her breathing quick, skin flushed as Allison hovered above her, eyes filled with adoration and intent. Allison kissed her slowly, deeply, her hands firm and confident as they guided Nova's trembling ones to her waist.
Nova gasped softly, her body arching up to meet Allison's touch. She felt safe beneath her-held, cherished. Allison's lips traced a path down her neck, igniting sparks with every press.
Allison whispered against her skin, "Let me take care of you. I'll always be here, Nova. I'll never break your trust."
Nova nodded, her voice catching. "I'm yours."
Their bodies moved in perfect rhythm, Allison leading with a mix of tenderness and hunger, Nova responding with quiet, breathless whimpers, fingers digging into the sheets. Every touch was deliberate, every kiss meant something.
When they finally collapsed into each other, Nova clung to Allison, breathing in sync, her heart full and open.
"Always," Nova murmured into the curve of Allison's neck, letting herself be held.
FLASHBACK - STANDING STRONG
Allison stood defiantly in her family's living room, facing her parents' stern faces.
"You can't keep us apart," Allison declared, her voice steady despite her nerves.
Chris Argent's expression hardened. "She's dangerous, Allison."
"No," Allison countered sharply. "She's everything. She's safe. She's mine. And nothing you do can change that."
ALLISON'S APOLOGY
Allison caught up with Nova a day later outside the high school, eyes red from crying, her voice shaking with guilt.
"Nova, please," she said, blocking her path. "What you saw-it was a mistake. I didn't plan it. I didn't mean for it to happen."
Nova stared at her coldly. "You meant every time you kissed me. You meant every promise. That didn't stop you."
"I still love you," Allison whispered.
Nova's expression twisted, a bitter laugh escaping her. "Right. Is that what you said to Scott too?"
Allison flinched.
"Tell me something, Allison," Nova continued, voice rising. "Was that the first time he fucked you? Or were all those times you canceled plans with me just another excuse to be with him?"
Allison's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Nova's eyes gleamed with betrayal. "How long? Weeks? Months? Just tell me how long I was the joke in your little affair."
"I never meant to hurt you," Allison said again, weaker now.
Nova shook her head. "You didn't just hurt me. You ruined me."
She took a step closer, her voice low and sharp. "Tell me something, Allison. Did you ever actually love me? Or was I just convenient?"
Allison's mouth opened, but no words came.
"I should've listened to Derek," Nova continued bitterly. "Hell, I should've listened to Peter when he said you can never trust an Argent."
She exhaled shakily. "You were supposed to be my peace."
Allison paled, lips trembling, but Nova was already turning away.
She pushed past Allison, not looking back.
SCOTT'S EXCUSE
Scott approached her in the locker room, alone, foolishly hoping to explain. "Nova, I swear I didn't want to hurt you. I thought... I thought you and Allison were drifting apart."
Nova's head snapped up, her eyes blazing.
"Drifting?" she hissed. "So you just stepped in like a replacement? Like she wasn't my entire world?"
"I made a mistake-"
"You destroyed what little I had left," she growled.
"Why is it that every time something good happens to me, you find a way to ruin it?" "You weren't just my brother, Scott. I trusted you more than Derek. And you threw that away for a moment."
Scott reached for her shoulder. "Please, I-"
Nova didn't just shove him-she punched him.
Once.
Twice.
A third time.
Her fist connected with his jaw, then his ribs, then his stomach. Scott grunted and fell against the lockers, coughing, stunned.
She stood over him, her voice shaking with fury. "You don't get to talk to me. You don't get to touch me."
She turned and walked out, the echo of her footsteps as sharp as the pain still burning in her chest.
REVENGE IN SHADOWS
Nova didn't scream. She didn't cry. But she didn't forgive.
The next morning, the school was buzzing with whispers and scandal.
Photos appeared anonymously-grainy but clear. Scott and Allison entangled in his bed, timestamped the night of their betrayal.
Printed copies were stuffed in lockers. Projected briefly on the library smartboard before someone shut it down. An anonymous post hit every social feed:
"Scott McCall: Hero? More like a thief who takes what belongs to his sister. Always chasing the spotlight, even if it means stepping on the ones who trusted him most."
"Allison Argent: She says she stands for honor, but blood doesn't lie. Her aunt was a mass murderer who burned the Hale family alive. Her grandfather? Worse. And now Allison follows in their footsteps. If betrayal's in her blood... who knows what she's capable of?"
Nova didn't sign her name. She didn't have to.
Let them feel a fraction of what they did to her.
Scott arrived at school to stares and murmurs. He tried to shrug them off, but each whispered accusation hit like a lash. By lunch, his reputation was fractured.
Allison found the photos on her locker, hands trembling as she peeled one off. Her eyes darted across the hallway, searching for Nova. No one would meet her gaze. The shame clung to her skin like smoke.
They denied it at first-claimed it was fake, manipulated-but the timestamps didn't lie.
By the end of the day, Scott kept his head down.
And Allison cried in the girl's bathroom, her phone lighting up with message after message:
"How could you?"
"You really are an Argent."
Nova watched from a distance. Silent. Cold. Just a ghost of the girl they used to know.
NOW - BROKEN PROMISES
Nova ran deep into the Preserve, tears finally spilling free, hot and uncontrollable. Her breaths came in sharp, painful gasps as betrayal ripped through her.
Allison's excuses echoed in her mind, worthless and hollow. Scott's apologies tasted bitter, meaningless now.
Nova fell to her knees, grief overwhelming her. She felt raw, vulnerable, and shattered.
But beneath the heartbreak, something fierce stirred within her-a strength she hadn't known she possessed.
She rose, feeling the powerful surge of her Alpha status solidify in her veins.
Nova McCall had been broken.
But from those pieces rose Nova Hale, the True Alpha.