6. Broken, Humiliated. No One Would Believe Me!

Divina

Every single eye turned toward me.

My throat tightened.

Bernard stood a few feet away, dressed in dark clothes that made him look every bit like the future Beta everyone admired. Tall, strong, handsome, and respected. A monster wrapped in beautiful skin.

His gaze locked onto mine, and a slow smirk touched his lips for only a second before disappearing.

That single look made my blood run cold.

“She tried to seduce me.”

The words slammed into me so hard I forgot how to breathe. My fingers loosened around the switch of the blender.

My eyes widened. Shaking my head, I pleaded with him to stop the lies.

He didn’t just say that. He couldn’t.

“She came to my room,” Bernard continued, voice thick with fake disgust. “She threw herself at me. Begged me to touch her.”

Gasps erupted around the kitchen.

My body locked. I could barely process what I was hearing. The shamelessness of his lie. The sheer evil behind it.

My voice came out weak, not filled with the strength I needed it to have in order to defend myself.

“No…”

He ignored me completely. “When I rejected her, she attacked me.” His jaw tightened as if the memory disgusted him. “She even slapped me across my cheek.”

Whispers exploded like wildfire.

“What?"

“She did that?”

“To Bernard?”

“The audacity.”

I shook my head so hard my vision blurred. “No!” I cried, finding my voice at last. “That’s not what happened.”

Bernard looked at me with wounded disbelief so convincing it made me sick.

“You’re still lying?” he asked quietly.

Lying? I wasn’t the one lying.

My chest burned. He was calling me a liar.

I stepped forward despite the pain in my legs. “You forced yourself on me!” My voice broke. “You locked the door. You—you wanted to rape me.”

The slap came so fast I didn’t see it coming. Mother.

Her palm crashed across my face with enough force to throw me sideways. Pain exploded through my cheek.

The kitchen fell silent again.

I slowly lifted my head, tasting blood in my mouth.

Mother stood before me, shaking with rage. Her eyes held no warmth, no softness, not even a single touch of love. Only hatred stared back at me.

“How dare you?” she hissed.

Tears burned my eyes, and it wasn’t because of the slap. It was from the betrayal. She didn’t even hesitate, not for a second. At least even the smallest part of her should’ve wondered if Bernard might be lying. Or she could’ve asked for my own side of the story. She even saw me in that room earlier: weak, my clothes torn. Was that not enough reason for her to believe me?

She had already chosen what to believe. Just as she always did.

Bernard, Shea, everyone but me.

“You shameless slut,” Mother spat. “I should have known this was what you were doing when you disappeared all day.”

I stared at her. My chest hurt physically and emotionally.

She kept going. “You killed your father and brought misfortune to this family. Now you want to spread your filth to my son?”

My son.

Her choice of words stabbed deeper than she realized. Or maybe she realized how perfectly it did.

Shea stepped forward then, folding her arms as if she were some innocent observer forced to witness disgrace.

Disgust curled on her beautiful face.

“Divina,” she said, shaking her head in fake disappointment, “I knew you were pathetic, but this?” She sized me up and down.

“Trying to seduce Bernard? Have you become that desperate?”

Laughter rang in my ears. They all took turns laughing, and soon whispers filled the room. Whispers so cruel and sharp it was enough to slice my skin.

“She’s disgusting.”

“No wonder no wolf wants her.”

“She doesn’t even have a wolf.”

“Wait, who would mate with trash like that?”

Another set of laughter.

Trash. Worthless. A disgrace. The words blended into one familiar nightmare. I had heard them for months unending. Ever since father died, everyone decided I was cursed, and not long afterwards, I became the easiest target in the pack.

But tonight… hurt differently.

Because Bernard had taken something sacred—my truth—and twisted it until even I felt dirty.

I looked around the kitchen. Not one face held sympathy. Even the servants who sometimes pitied me lowered their eyes. No one wanted to stand against Bernard.

Why would they?

He was the future Beta, and I, a nobody.

Bernard walked toward me slowly. Like a predator and I, his prey. That was what this was.

He leaned close enough for only me to hear.

“This is what happens when you say no to me.”

My whole body trembled.

Then he stepped back and raised his voice.

“This matter should be brought before Alpha Darius and the rest of the pack. If we let this slide, other servant women would take inspiration from this Omega and try to do worse than she did just to trap innocent nobles that doesn't want anything to do with them.”

Mother nodded immediately, followed by others.

“Yes,” they chorused.

She grabbed my arm viciously.

Pain shot through me. Shea seized my other arm.

I tried to struggle. “Let me go! Please.”

But Mother’s nails dug deeper. "You’ll answer before the Alpha tonight."

Pain exploded inside me. No. Please, not there. In front of everyone during the full moon celebration where wolves from different packs around the globe must’ve gathered.

“Please!”

But my pleas meant nothing. They dragged me out of the kitchen, into the corridors and into the night. Barefoot, broken, humiliated.

Each step sent pain through my body, but they never slowed.

By the time we reached the celebration grounds, music filled the air.

The full moon hung high above me. Large, silver, beautiful, and cruel.

Pack members danced around giant bonfires as they waited for the moon to turn red. Children ran laughing, couples stood close. Unmated wolves waited for destiny.

Tonight was supposed to be sacred. It was supposed to be the night mates found each other and fate revealed itself. It was supposed to be a blissful one.

Instead, here I was being dragged into it like a criminal.

The moment people noticed us, the celebration began to die. Music and conversations stopped. Heads turned, and silence was restored.

It was short-lived. Soon, whispers filled the air around me. Hundreds of eyes landed on me, staring at me. I wanted the earth to swallow me whole.

At the front sat Alpha Darius on an elevated seat, radiating power and authority. Beside him stood his son, Rowan Blackwood, the future Alpha. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and intimidating in ways you can’t imagine. His presence alone commanded attention.

Since I’ve known him, women have always wanted him. Shea especially.

Men respected him or tried to. Some whispered behind his back of how foolish and wasteful he was. Saying he was even worse than his father in every way possible.

I had spent years making sure never to look at him too long because men like Rowan never saw girls like me. Not that I wanted him to.

Mother shoved me forward. I crashed to my knees, and pain exploded through my legs.

Alpha Darius frowned. “What is this?”

Bernard stepped forward. His voice was calm and controlled like he was ready to spill his perfectly rehearsed words.

“My Alpha… this Omega attempted to force herself on me this morning.”

Gasps filled the gathering. I shut my eyes. This was really happening. This nightmare was real.

I stayed on my knees, my palms pressed against the cold soil as hundreds of eyes burned into me.

It felt like the entire pack was staring through my skin, peeling away every layer until nothing remained except shame.

I wanted to disappear. Or wake up from this horrifying nightmare. But the ache in my bruised body was all too real.

The dirt beneath my fingers felt real, the whispers too.

Alpha Darius sat tall on his throne-like seat, his sharp gaze fixed on me with visible disgust. Age had done nothing to weaken his intimidating presence. Even seated, he radiated authority.

Alpha Darius’s voice cut through the silence. “Is this true?”

The question wasn’t directed at Bernard alone. It was directed at me.

My throat tightened. I forced myself to speak. “No, Alpha.”

The words came out hoarse, small, and pathetic.

I swallowed and tried again, louder this time. “He’s lying, my Alpha.”

Murmurs spread instantly.

Bernard let out a humorless laugh, shaking his head as if disappointed by me. He turned to the crowd.

“She’s still denying it.”

He took a step forward, turning back to the Alpha. His voice settled into a smooth and convincing tone.

“She came to my room in the early hours of the morning while everyone was busy preparing for the full moon celebration. She threw herself at me and begged me to take her.”

The crowd erupted into disgusted gasps, doing nothing to stop my chest from constricting from the lies Bernard was spouting.

“When I refused,” he continued, his voice now dripping with false outrage, “she became aggressive. She slapped me and threatened to accuse me of molesting her, my Alpha.”

He turned to the crowd, jaw tight.

“Why should I lie with a worthless person like her when I should be faithful to my mate?”

People concurred, shaking their heads. Some cursed at me cruelly.

Someone shouted from the back, “What can a wolfless Omega bring to the table besides being a burden, especially at war? You’re not fit for our Beta or anyone at all.”

People came forward and spat on me, like I was some abomination.

The contempt in their eyes made tears gush out of me in pain and anguish. But who would’ve thought this was supposed to be the least of my suffering and humiliation tonight? The worst was yet to come. The night was still young.

Another voice joined.

“She should be grateful if he even looked at her!”

“Worse is that, they are siblings,” another chipped in. “So she was aiming for forbidden intercourse with her own brother?"

My breathing became shallow. No one believed my side of the story. Not one person.

I looked desperately at Mother and Shea. Nothing in their eyes but contempt, hatred, and disgust.

Mother stepped forward dramatically. A few drops of tears rolled down her cheeks. She bowed her head to Alpha Darius before turning to look at me and then to the crowd.

“I tried my best to raise this girl the right way, but despite everything I did,” she sniffed, rubbing her nose as if trying to gain pity, and luckily it was working.

The whole pack shook their heads, whispering their sympathy and clicking their tongues.

“Despite everything I did, she still wants to drag the family’s name into the mud. I tolerated her existence after she killed my husband.”

Her words struck like knives in my heart. Even after all these years, that accusation never stopped.

Mother’s voice trembled, not from feigned pain but from rage.

“She has always brought disgrace upon us.” She wiped her tears forcefully as if coming to a harsh decision. “Tonight, my daughter has crossed the line.” She turned to me, eyes blazing. “I should’ve known she would eventually spread her filth. My Alpha, you can do to her what you deem fit.”

My lips parted. I couldn’t even speak, the pain in my chest had become unbearable. It wasn’t Bernard’s lies that broke me. It wasn’t the pack’s insults.

It was this. My mother. The woman I had known my whole life. Standing before the entire pack and condemning me without hesitation. Something inside me shattered.

Shea stepped beside her, looking beautiful as always in her silver party dress.

She sighed dramatically. “Honestly, I guess it was Father’s fault. He spoiled my sister so much that there’s no way either Mother or anyone could stop the spoiled, bratty nature she started to exhibit.”

Her voice was like poison wrapped in honey. “Up till now, my sister always thinks she deserves more than she actually does.” She looked down at me and smiled pitifully. “But this? I don’t know how to defend you, sister.”

I could see the hidden mockery in her eyes as she chose her words carefully.

The crowd murmured.

“The Omega has a wonderful family like this and she chose to be filth?”

I lowered my head. Hatred was starting to grow in my eyes.

For years, I endured, cried, begged silently for them to show a little bit of kindness towards me. And where has it gotten me?

Here. On my knees. Being judged by people who never cared.

Alpha Darius finally spoke. His voice carried absolute authority.

“A wolfless Omega who dares throw herself at the future Beta has no respect for rank or dignity.” His gaze hardened. “You have become a disgrace to the pack, Omega.”

The words hit harder than expected.

His voice turned colder.

“The mines need workers.”

My head snapped up, my heart stopped. “No,” I pleaded. “Alpha, anything but the mines.”

The pack mines were hell. Everyone knew it. Deep beneath the mountains, wolves worked until their bodies gave out. The cold, darkness, hunger, death. No one returned unchanged. Some never returned at all.

Panic rose inside me. I crawled forward.

“My Alpha, please—”

His hand rose, silencing me. “I have heard enough. You’ll be sent to the mines by dawn.”

My blood turned cold. Everything around me seemed to blur.

I could hear the crowd erupt with laughter and happiness, but it sounded distant. I felt like I was drowning in the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean. This couldn’t be happening. Not like this. Not because of a lie told against me.

Just as I was still thinking about the suffering ahead of me, something happened.

A scent hit me, and everything around me stopped. My body and lungs stopped working. The air around me changed. It was unlike anything I had ever smelled. Wild rain, pine, smoke. Something dangerously masculine. But I had no wolf, so how could I smell something this sharply? It was intoxicating.

It crashed into me with brutal force, making warmth explode in my chest.

My heartbeat became erratic, beating painfully fast.

My skin tingled as it felt like electricity raced through my veins.

Was it my wolf?

No, this wasn’t how wolves came about. So why did it feel like something stirred inside me? Something like a bond that snapped itself into place.

I slowly lifted my head. My eyes landed on the future Alpha.

And he was staring directly at me. Above him, the moon that had been silver turned red. Wolves around were sniffing around themselves. The mate bond was starting and I—

Rowan’s eyes widened. Shocked and in disbelief, then he roared—

“Mate.”