Violet's POV"The girl belongs to Alpha Mark! He claimed her first, he is the first born, and our decision is final!" The council announced. I stood still, my face devoid of any visible emotions. I had expected this, and I was sure Alpha Mateo knew this would be the outcome of this trial as well."Hear that, Mateo?! She's mine!" Alpha Mark bellowed loudly, his voice thundering across the entire chamber. For someone who had considered me to be trash, he looked awfully excited that I was being handed over to him.Mateo on the other hand stood still, clearly fighting back the urge to slap the joy out of his brother's face. He turned to me, but I turned my face away from his gaze. Entertaining him any further would only land me in trouble. Now that it was official that I belonged to Mark, it was crucial that I didn't pursue any sort of relationship with Mateo, Mark wouldn't allow any of it, and I would end up being the one who got punished."Have the maids begin preparations immediately! We will be getting married once the moon is out!" Mark barked orders at the nearby guards. They lowered their head in obedience and scurried out of the room without hesitation. My heart plummeted at his words. Married? So soon? My fingers trembled at my sides, but I forced them to stay still. I refused to give Mark the satisfaction of seeing me break."You promised to bury her mother first!" Mateo whispered angrily, approaching Mark with a deadly glare in his eyes."I made no promises, besides this is more important. She wasn't royalty, there's no need to fret about a dead sewer rat. Send her to the crematorium and let them handle the rest."I froze at his words, the emotions I had been bottling up now trying to implode inside of me. How could this be happening? Why was this happening? He was the reason she was dead, and now he wants to dispose of my own mother like she was nothing?"You sick psychopath!" I yelled out, unable to restrain myself any longer. The entire room fell silent in an instant, and all eyes turned towards me, including those of the council members who were stunned to their marrows."How dare you?! How dare you—""Enough, Violet!"It was Mateo who spoke. His voice thundered above mine, drowning all the insults I spat at Mark, and distracting the majority from my foul words. He was visibly enraged, and it seemed like he might walk up to me and slap the brakes out of me for insulting his brother."You should know your place, an Omega has no right to speak in the council room, talk less of disrespecting the Alpha!"I opened my mouth to retaliate, my chest heaving with fury. "You're just going to let him—""Another word, and I'll have your tongue cut out myself," Mateo growled, his voice cold and brooked no room for defiance. We locked eyes for a second, and it became clear that he wasn't playing around with me. He was dead serious! For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.The words struck harder than any slap. I stumbled back, my lips parting in silent disbelief. I had expected Mark to humiliate me. I had thought that those words would come from the council members, not once had I thought that Mateo would act this way towards me.But I should have known, I was nothing more than a property to these people. All they wanted was to use me for their own selfish gain, and now that I was no longer in his grasp, he had immediately turned on me.I had barely begun to process the pain of Mateo's betrayal when Mark's palm crashed against my cheek, sending me careening to the cold marble floor with a sharp gasp. A murmur rippled through the council chamber, but no one moved to help. No one dared, not even Mateo. He just stood there, his eyes cold and unresponsive."You will never raise your voice at me again," Mark snarled, towering over me with a hand still raised. "You're mine now, Violet. You belong to me now, and I'll teach you to respect your husband."Tears burned behind my eyes, but I clenched my jaw and forced them back. Not here. Not in front of them.I looked up at Mateo, hoping and praying for something. A flicker of regret. A sliver of kindness. But his expression never changed. I had thought that I would be able to cope as long as I had someone who supported me here. But now it was more than obvious that I was on my own, and that no messiah was coming to save me anytime soon.
