"Oh… I didn't know I had to report my whereabouts to the likes of you," Alpha Lucien muttered coldly.
His voice was calm, but the icy undertone beneath it sent a shiver through the air. His eyes drifted to Valessia's face and his rage deepened the moment he saw the bruises swelling across her cheek.
He clenched his right hand into a tight fist, struggling to restrain himself from tearing the vicious woman apart on the spot.
"That's not what I meant, Alpha," Madam Fiona said quickly, her voice trembling. "I-I must've misspoken… out of anxiety."
Her tone was a shadow of what it had been moments ago when she stood tall, ridiculing Valessia in front of everyone.
Lucien's eyes narrowed. "What sin did you say she committed again?"
His cold black gaze pinned her in place, like a hawk circling wounded prey.
"It's… nothing to trouble you with, Alpha. Just a family matter. A scandal that'll be handled internally~"
"I'm fairly certain half the people in this court heard your voice loud and clear," Lucien said, cutting her off. "If I'm not mistaken, the warriors were already making their way here to drag you out for disturbing the peace of the sacred court."
He turned slightly, glaring at the bystanders, who quickly began to scatter, avoiding eye contact as they cleared away from the center of the chaos.
"Now," Lucien continued, settling his glare back on Fiona. "Do you still believe this is just a family matter?"
Madam Fiona hesitated, her lips parting but no words coming out.
She couldn't tell him the truth. Not now.
She had already decided on the perfect punishment for Valessia, harsh, humiliating and final. All she needed was to gather the rest of the family to sign off on it, and the ordeal would be over. But if Lucien got involved... that plan would fall apart instantly.
"What are you waiting for?" Alpha Lucien pressed, his voice sharper and colder, his patience wearing thin.
The woman beside Fiona nudged her arm, trying to push her into speaking, but Fiona remained still, lips tightly sealed.
"She's a shameless slut!" Kaya barked suddenly, stepping forward. "She secretly married that scumbag while carrying my late cousin's pup in her belly!"
She jabbed an accusing finger toward Varek.
"If I were you, I'd watch what you say," Virema warned sharply, eyes narrowing.
But Kaya ignored the warning.
"That's the truth!" she snapped, chin raised in defiance. "And I'm sure anyone who hears the whole story will agree with me."
Varek stepped forward then, calm but dangerous. "Insulting the Luna of Duskborne Creed Pack to her face is a punishable offense," he said, his voice dark. "One that could land you in prison. I hope you've got a lawyer lined up."
"Luna?" Madam Fiona scoffed. "Aren't you the one she married? So what Luna are you blabbering about~"
Madam Fiona suddenly gasped, choking on her own breath mid-sentence.
Her eyes flicked from Varek to Lucien, then to Valessia standing between them.
She frowned, her gaze slowly dropping to Lucien's left hand. Her breath hitched. A ring.
Then she glanced at Valessia's hand. The same ring.
Identical.
Her legs wobbled slightly. Her voice caught in her throat.
"That's… impossible," she whispered, staring at Lucien as though seeing him for the first time. "No. No, that can't be…"
The reality hit her hard Valessia hadn't married Varek.
She had married Alpha Lucien, the head of the Duskborne Creed Pack.
"This is a joke, right?" she asked, turning toward Virema, her face pale with disbelief. "Virema… she's not really married to the Alpha… right?"
"She might be married to him for now. But it won't be for long."
Arlena's voice cut through the air as she stormed forward again, rage crackling in her steps.
She reached for Valessia, but Varek moved fast, blocking her path with his body.
Arlena didn't speak. She simply stared at Valessia, long, hard, deadly.
Her glare said everything: You're not worthy. You don't stand a chance against me.
"We'll see each other again…sooner than you think," Arlena hissed. "And if I were you, I'd run. I'd go into hiding. Because what's coming for you… is unlike anything you've ever seen."
She spun sharply and marched away, her white heels clicking furiously across the stone floor as she descended the staircase.
Lucien's gaze remained fixed on the two stunned women still standing in front of him.
"For making Luna Valessia a public ridicule, your punishment will not be light," he said coldly.
He turned to Varek, ready to issue orders when a sharp groan broke through the silence beside him.
"Ahh…" Valessia gasped, her face tightening in pain. Her right hand flew to her stomach.
"Are you alright, Val?" Virema asked urgently, rushing to her side.
"Are you in pain?" Lucien's voice softened as he turned to face her, his hard edges melting the moment he looked into her pale face.
"I'm just… exhausted," Valessia whispered. "I want to go home."
"Then let's get you home," Lucien murmured, his hand brushing her back with quiet protectiveness.
He turned without looking back. "Varek… you know what to do with those two."
"Yes, Alpha," Varek replied, stepping forward with quiet resolve.
Moments later, a sleek black Mercedes Wrangler rolled away from the sacred court. Valessia sat in the backseat beside Lucien, leaning against the padded leather interior. Virema and the driver occupied the front.
Her body ached. Her mind spun.
But one thought refused to leave her alone.
'Virema only learned about the wedding today. She was the only person I told. So how did Madam Fiona know…? How did she find out the exact hall?.'
Valessia stared out the window in silence as the city blurred past, unease curling deep in her gut.