Todos los capítulos de Betrayed before the Altar: Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 20

Chapter 12VIOLA’S POVThe 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 tens

Chapter 14VIOLET’S POVThe morning sun streamed through my window, and for the first time in weeks, I woke up without dread in my chest.Today was my ceremony day.I stretched and walked to the wardrobe where my dress hung in its protective covering. The seamstress had outdone herself—white silk with silver embroidery that caught the light like moonbeams.I unzipped the covering carefully, eager to see it one more time before the ceremony.My heart stopped.A large dark stain spread across the front of the dress, right over the chest area. It looked like wine or some kind of oil. The delicate fabric was completely ruined."No, no, no," I whispered, my hands shaking as I touched the stain. It was still slightly damp.This couldn't be happening. Not today. Not again.I sank to the floor, tears streaming down my face. This was exactly like my first ceremony—something going wrong, something ruining everything. Was I cursed? Would I ever actually complete a mating ceremony?A knock on the

Chapter 16Kian's POVI stared at Jesse's investigation report again, the papers scattered across my desk. We'd been planning Damian's downfall for weeks now—Vivian and I, scheming late into the night about how to destroy his perfect little world. But something about these bank records wouldn't stop bothering me.Large withdrawals. Encrypted messages. Contacts I didn't recognize.My wolf stirred uneasily in my chest.I picked up my phone and called her."Miss me already?" Vivian's voice was playful when she answered."We need to talk. Now."The playfulness vanished. "What's wrong?""Come to my office."She arrived within minutes, closing the door behind her. "Kian, what is it? You're scaring me."I held up the folder. "Jesse found something during his investigation. Withdrawal records from pack accounts. Your name is all over them."Her face paled. "You had Jesse investigate me?""I had Jesse investigate everything related to Damian's pack. Your name came up." I stood, moving around t

Chapter 18Damian's POV"Get your hands off her." My voice came out as a growl.Julius stepped back immediately, his hands raised. "Damian, this isn't what it looks like.""Really?" I moved into the room, my wolf pushing at the surface. "Because it looks like my Beta has his hands all over my mate."Violet sat up quickly, pulling her shirt down to cover her back. "Damian, please listen…""How long has this been going on?"The words tasted bitter in my mouth. My first mate had been tortured and killed. I'd sworn I'd never let anyone hurt me like that again. And now this."Nothing is going on!" Julius's voice was sharp with frustration. "She was having back pain from lying down too long. I was helping her with muscle tension. That's all."I wanted to believe him. My chest felt like it was caving in."Back pain." The laugh that came out of me sounded broken. "And you had to be the one to help her? Where was the healer? Where was anyone else?""The healer stepped out for supplies," Violet

Chapter 20I walked down to the holding cells as soon as the sun rose. Julius sat on the narrow bench, his head in his hands. When he heard my footsteps, he looked up."Alpha.""I'm sorry." The words felt inadequate. "The security footage proved you were innocent. The servant lied. You were set up."Julius stood slowly, his jaw tight. "You believed I would betray you. That I would touch your mate.""I know. And I was wrong." I unlocked the cell door myself. "I let someone manipulate me into doubting you. That's on me."He stepped out, rubbing his wrists where the silver cuffs had been. "Who did this?""That's what I'm trying to figure out." I gestured for him to follow me. "But I need your help."We walked in silence until we reached my office. Once inside, Julius finally spoke."The day after the ceremony, something weird happened." He leaned against the wall. "I always charge my phone on my left nightstand. Always. But when I got back from helping with cleanup, I found it on the rig