Mating Ceremony Gone Wrong

"You've always wanted what belong to Liora." Diane folded her arms. "First your father's attention. Now her mate."

I stared at her. For a heartbeat, I couldn't even breathe. Father's attention? A bitter laugh almost escaped me. When had I ever had Father's attention to steal?

The words crowded against my tongue, but I swallowed them back. No explanation would survive in this room.

Not anymore. "I never—"

Father rose from his seat. "You've done enough."

The legs of his chair scraped across the marble floor, the harsh sound ripping through the hall. And as if the insults and humiliation weren't enough, he added, "I welcomed you into this celebration after your disgraceful divorce because I believed you could behave with dignity for one evening."

Silence wrapped around me. Not because I had nothing to say but because nothing I said had ever mattered. His gaze traveled slowly over me, lingering on my torn gown, the blood staining my knees and the wine splashed across my dress.

"You have disappointed me again."

Again.

That single word settled over my shoulders like another punishment. My hand drifted to my swollen cheek. The sting lingered beneath my skin. "I didn't ask Xavier to speak to me that day. I was shoved at the hidden and farthest shadows that would make it impossible to even talk to anyone."

My father sneered. "Yet he did."

Liora slipped closer, wrapping herself against Father's arm. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "I found him outside. Father, he was so cold."

She lowered her head, sniffling softly. "He wouldn't answer me. He kept walking away even when he knew today was our mating ceremony. If she was truly innocent, why would Xavier act like that on the day special to both of us?"

Then she looked straight at me. "I don't know what she said to him. She must have seduced him, talking bad about me. Dad, she wants me to be divorced like her. She doesn't even care about the pack."

The words settled neatly into the room. This was a story that everyone seemed eager to believe. It was the perfect fit for someone like me. Someone who was jealous and calculating because Liora was the perfect Luna image.

My gaze drifted across the hall, searching. I wasn't really searching for someone to defend me anymore but then, I wanted just one face that looked uncertain. Just one face that questioned the lies against me since Liora was born.

One face.

I found none. Instead, my eyes landed on Alec. He was the last person I ever wanted to have hopes on. He lounged against his chair with an elbow resting lazily on the table. Beside him sat Selene, the corners of her lips curled into a satisfied smile. She wasn't even trying to hide how much she enjoyed watching me fall apart.

Alec's eyes met mine before a mocking scowl crossed his face.

His voice reached me with practiced ease.

"You've always struggled with rejection, Aria. Perhaps you mistook simple kindness for something more. Why would you even think Alpha Xavier would pick up my discarded toy?"

The mark on my cheek burned hotter as my fingers curled until my nails bit into my palms. One step. That's all it would take to wipe that smug look off his face.

Vin didn't stop or encourage me in my mind plot. She simply remained silent. Leaving the choice entirely to me. I glanced at him, a smirk sitting prettily on my face.

"I was the one that divorced you, Alec." My voice came out steadier than I expected. "You are my discarded toy. Don't be too smug."

His jaw tightened.

For the first time all evening, satisfaction flickered through me. It was small, brief and gone almost immediately.

I watched as he tilted his head, his eyes darkening. But he was the least of my problems. His gaze shifted briefly toward Selene before returning to me. "You accused me of betrayal because I chose someone else. Now you've convinced yourself another Alpha belongs to you."

Laughter circled the room once more. It spread from table to table until it echoed beneath the high ceiling.

My fingers trembled, not from fear. Not even from anger but from the exhausting effort of pretending none of it hurt. Vin remained curled inside me.

She didn't howl. She didn't growl.

She simply lay there beneath the crushing weight pressing against us both. Mrs. Brooks appeared beside me carrying a clean napkin.

Without a word, she reached toward my bleeding cheek.

My chest tightened.

Someone...

Finally...

Someone had looked at my wounds instead of my mistakes. But before the cloth could touch my skin, Diane caught Mrs. Brooks' wrist. "Leave her."

Mrs. Brooks lowered her eyes immediately. "Yes, Luna."

She stepped back. The tiny spark of comfort inside me died before it could even warm my chest. Father looked toward the guards standing beside the doors. "Escort Aria upstairs."

"I haven't done anything." The words escaped before I could stop them.

They sounded smaller and weaker than I intended.

Father scowled. "You've done enough."

Two guards stepped forward. Their boots echoed against the marble. Neither looked at me or questioned Father's order.

My chair scraped softly as I stood with pain shooting through my scraped knees, but I refused to wince. I would never do that again. Not in front of them.

The wolves nearest the aisle silently moved aside, creating a path toward the grand staircase as if I carried some contagious disgrace. Each step felt heavier than the last. I kept my eyes fixed ahead.

If I looked back or If I searched the crowd one more time, I knew exactly what I'd find. I was going to find nothing. No one willing to believe me.

The whispers chased me anyway.

"Poor Liora."

"No Alpha would choose that fat bitch over sweet Liora."

"She should have stayed hidden."

Every word landed like another stone tied around my ankles. By the time I reached the foot of the stairs, I wasn't sure whether the weight crushing my chest came from humiliation.

Or from finally realizing I had no home left inside the Hawthorne family.

Then—

"Wait!"

The voice didn't belong to anyone in the Hawthorne family. Heavy footsteps pounded across the entrance hall.

Every head turned.

The great doors burst inward with such force that one slammed against the stone wall. A Blackwood warrior staggered inside. Blood soaked one sleeve of his uniform. His breathing came in ragged pulls as he searched the crowded hall.

For a brief second, his eyes landed on Liora.

Then they lifted to Alpha Hawthorne.

"My Alpha..."

His chest heaved violently before the words finally burst free.

"Alpha Xavier has collapsed."