Chapter 12

Chapter 12

VIOLA’S POV

The Council chamber was nothing like I expected. Cold stone walls stretched high above us, and seven Alphas sat behind an elevated table like judges. Their eyes bore into me as I walked in with Damian by my side.

My prosthetic arm felt heavier than usual. I kept my chin up anyway.

Kian stood on the opposite side of the chamber with his lawyer. When our eyes met, he smiled. Not a warm smile. The kind that made my stomach twist.

"We are here to address the petition filed by Alpha Kian regarding the validity of Violet Chen's pack transfer," the Head Alpha announced. His voice echoed off the walls. "Alpha Kian, present your case."

Kian stepped forward, and suddenly his whole demeanor changed. His shoulders dropped slightly. His voice softened.

"Honored Council members, I come before you today with a heavy heart." He pressed his hand to his chest. "My mate—Violet—was in an extremely vulnerable state when my brother convinced her to leave our pack."

I felt Damian tense beside me, but he stayed quiet.

"She had just suffered a traumatic injury," Kian continued, gesturing toward my prosthetic arm. "She was emotionally devastated. In pain. At her absolute lowest point. And Damian took advantage of that vulnerability to steal her away from me."

Some of the Council members leaned forward with interest.

"I admit I made mistakes," Kian said, his voice cracking slightly. "I wasn't there for her the way I should have been. But I was deceived by someone I trusted. I was manipulated into hurting the one person who mattered most to me."

He looked directly at me now, and I saw tears actually forming in his eyes. "Violet, I'm so sorry. Please. Come home."

For a split second, I almost felt something. Almost.

Then I remembered his hands dragging me by the ear. His voice telling me I deserved every shard of glass. The sound of him leaving with Vivian while I bled on the floor.

"Alpha Damian," the Head Alpha said. "Your response?"

Damian stood, and his presence filled the room in a way Kian's performance couldn't match.

"Kian speaks of vulnerability and manipulation. Let me show you the real truth." He nodded to his Beta, who began distributing documents to the Council members.

"These are medical records from the night Violet lost her arm," Damian explained calmly. "They detail severe tendon damage, glass lacerations, and spinal injuries sustained from a fall down the stairs. A fall that occurred while Violet was having a life-threatening allergic reaction."

One of the female Alphas looked up sharply. "Where was her mate during this allergic reaction?"

"With another woman," Damian said simply. "Leaving Violet alone to die."

"That's not…" Kian started, but the Head Alpha raised his hand for silence.

"These records also show that Violet was prescribed a rare medication called Moonroot Extract," Damian continued. "The only supply available in the territory. Without it, she would lose function of her arm permanently."

He paused, letting that sink in.

"That medication was destroyed. Crushed by hand in front of Violet by Kian's chosen secondary mate, Vivian. Kian watched it happen and called Violet dramatic for being upset about it."

The room went completely silent.

"I have witness statements from pack members, hospital staff, and healers." Damian's voice was cold now. "All confirming a pattern of neglect, abuse, and endangerment. Kian didn't lose his mate because I manipulated her. He destroyed her, and I simply offered her a way out."

"These are lies!" Kian shouted. "My brother has always been jealous of me! He's twisting everything to make me look…"

"Is this your mate's handwriting?" The Head Alpha held up my journal, which Damian must have retrieved somehow.

Kian's face went pale.

"This journal documents one hundred separate incidents where you chose another woman over your mate," the Head Alpha continued. "Missed birthdays. Abandoned surgeries. Holidays spent alone while you vacationed with your mistress."

"I object to this evidence," Kian's lawyer said quickly. "Private journals cannot be…"

"I'll testify," I said.

Everyone turned to look at me.

My hands were shaking, but I stepped forward anyway. "I'll speak for myself."

Damian gave me an encouraging nod.

"The journal is mine," I said, my voice stronger than I felt. "Every entry is true. I kept count because I kept hoping it would stop. That eventually I'd matter enough for him to choose me just once."

"Violet, please…" Kian started.

"I'm not finished," I cut him off, and his eyes widened in shock. "You're right that I was at my lowest point when I left. But it wasn't because I was vulnerable or confused. It was because I finally realized I deserved better than being second choice for the rest of my life."

"You weren't second choice," Kian said desperately. "I loved you. I still love you. Everything I did, I did because Vivian manipulated me. She deceived both of us. Please, baby, just come home and we can…"

"Stop calling me that," I said coldly.

The Council members exchanged glances.

"I don't believe you were deceived," I continued. "I felt you through our mindlink on our wedding day. You weren't confused. You knew exactly what you were doing when you chose to sleep with her instead of marrying me."

Gasps echoed through the chamber.

"I felt every moment of it," I said, my voice breaking slightly. "Every touch. Every betrayal. And you looked me in the eye afterward and told me I was crazy for being upset."

"That's not…" Kian's mask was cracking now. "You're twisting things. Making me out to be some monster when I'm the victim here!"

"The victim?" I almost laughed. "I lost my arm because of you."

"You lost your arm because you were clumsy and dramatic!" Kian shouted, his true nature finally showing. "None of this would have happened if you'd just acted like a proper mate instead of being so jealous and insecure!"

The female Alpha stood up. "That's enough."

But Kian wasn't done. He turned to me with a sneer. "You kept a journal? You kept score like some pathetic, desperate…" He laughed, but it sounded wrong. "If you were so miserable, why didn't you just leave sooner? Oh wait—you had nowhere to go."

Even some of the Council members looked uncomfortable now.

"You were nothing when I found you," Kian spat. "A nobody from a dead pack. I gave you a home. A position. A purpose. And this is how you repay me? By running to my brother the second things get difficult?"

"I believe we've heard enough," the Head Alpha said firmly. "The Council will deliberate."

But I wasn't finished either.

"I choose Damian," I said clearly. "Not because I'm vulnerable or manipulated. Not because I'm running away. I choose him freely because he treats me like I matter. The pack transfer was legitimate, and I want it to stand."

The Council members nodded to each other and whispered for only a moment.

"The Council rules in favor of Alpha Damian," the Head Alpha announced. "Violet's pack transfer is valid and binding. This petition is denied."

Kian's face went from shock to rage in seconds.

"This is bullshit!" he roared. "You're all against me because…"

"Remove yourself from this chamber before we hold you in contempt," the Head Alpha warned.

Kian stared at me for a long moment. Then at Damian. Something dark and dangerous crossed his face.

He laughed again, but this time it sent chills down my spine.

"You know what? Keep her," he said to Damian. "Enjoy my leftovers, brother. I'm sure she'll be just as disappointing for you as she was for me."

He turned to leave, but paused at the doorway.

"This isn't over," he said quietly, looking back at both of us. "Not by a long shot."

Then he smiled, cold and calculated.

"They wouldn't know what hit them," he muttered, just loud enough for us to hear.

And then he was gone.

I should have felt relief. Victory. But all I felt was a creeping sense of dread spreading through my chest.

Something terrible was coming.

I just didn't know what.