hapter 20
Violet’s POV
I stepped into the Council Hall with Asher, my heart pounding in my chest. Only senior members of this pack were allowed into
this sacred place. It was the first time I came here.
Members were already seated on the stand when we came in.
They stood up lowering their heads to their Alpha.
Then people noticed my existence. There were some low
mutterings coming from the stand.
“What’s she doing here…”
“She shouldn’t be allowed…”
“…this is crazy…”
I scanned the crowd and quickly noticed that all my families
were here: mom and dad, my 3 brothers, Kylie.
I hastily looked away from them, afraid that I would get
distracted by the look on their faces. Then I kept my eyes straight
ahead, head up, chest out and kept walking, looking confident.
Asher, Elena and Mia all had faith in me. There was no reason I
couldn’t do this.
Asher walked up to his throne and turned around.
All noises quieted down at once. All eyes were on him. The
expression on those member’s face told me that they worshiped
their Alpha.
“Many of you have heard about the incident recently.”
Asher spoke up, his deep voice echoing in the room.
“Our soldiers were brutally murdered. The rogues sent their
bodies back to provoke us. They called me a coward. Saying that I
was afraid of going to war with them.”
Angry hisses could be heard from the crowd. Some members
huffed, and the others made a threatening growl.
Asher continued with a sneer, “I will avenge Patrick and those
who were killed with the blood of our enemies. There will be a
difficult time ahead of us. But I will lead you through it!”
Thunderous applause broke out in the room. Even I couldn’t help
but join the clapping and cheering crowd. I looked at my lover,
my heart filled with proud and admiration.
He was a natural leader. All he had to do was stand there, and it
gave the soldiers endless courage and motivation.
Asher raised a hand, asking the crowd to quiet down, “And there
is another issue.”
My heart skipped a beat as he looked over to me, his gaze
softened.
“I had found my mate, my destined one, my future Luna,” he
announced proudly. “I will spend the rest of my life with her. Our
mate bond will enhance my power and help us thrive.”
There were a few scattered applauses. Most members were
whispering among themselves, eyeing me with frowns. There
were clear hostility and distrust in their eyes.
I brought myself to look back at them with confidence. I didn’t do
anything wrong. I shouldn’t feel guilty or afraid.
“So are you going to toss your ex–wife aside then? For the new
lover you found?” a sharp voice came from the crowd.
I looked for the source of that voice and found that it was Sarah,
Kylie’s best friend. She was now standing by the pale–looking
Kylie’s side and glaring at me.
“Kylie was married to you for 7 years! She was a good wife, a
dutiful Luna, and a loyal member!” she cried indignantly, “While
her sister was out there hiding from her duty as a member, Kylie
shouldered her responsibility! Such a good person doesn’t deserve
to be casted aside like this!”
Kylie buried her face into her palms, sobbing. Many members
around her were nodding in agreement.
“Then what do you think I should do then? Stay married to
Kylie?” Asher asked coldly.
“Of course-”
“Our marriage is slowly killing Kylie as we speak. If I stay
married to her, she probably won’t even make it to next month.
Am I supposed to do nothing and let her die just to prove my
loyalty to her?”
Sarah gulped with a reluctant look.
“It is a mistake that we made 7 years ago,” Asher said, his freezing
eyes scanning across my parent’s face. “Now I am given the
chance to correct it, and I shall take it. Leaving Kylie and
marrying my true mate is the only solution.”
He offered his hand to me. I plucked up the courage and took it.
“So I am here to announce that I will soon marry Kylie’s sister
Violet, my destined mate,” Asher said boomingly to the crowd.
There was an uproar of noise. The members looked both angry
and shocked. I saw a few people even bared their fangs at me,
growling their protest.
“But that doesn’t sound right!” a senior member spoke up
abruptly.
He looked at me with doubts his eyes.
“When Violet left the pack, Alpha Asher and Kylie were already
married, and she was well passed 18. Which means that she
knew she was Alpha’s mate at the time but still decided to run
away!”
The angry noises became even louder. Sarah cried out in a shrill
voice amidst the chaos:
“She left Kylie to shoulder the responsibility that originally
belonged to her! She must be the most unfaithful, cruel, and
irresponsible person I had ever seen! I don’t want her as my
Luna.”
I looked at all those furious faces with a chill running down my
spine.
The werewolves honored their matebond. But I broke it. They
admired loyal people, and I happened to be the exact opposite. I
could understand why they were all so angry. I definitely
deserved this for running away and keeping this from Asher.
In the middle of the crisis, I look for my mom and dad.
If they could step out and tell everyone the truth, maybe people
would cut me a slack. I would still be a traitor. But at least I was
forced for the sake of my family.
Yet no.
My parents stayed in silence.
They just quietly watched the pack members attacked me
without a signal intention to say anything.
They were only there for me when they needed me for
something. Yet when they were done with whatever they
wanted, they walked away. This was a problem caused by them.
But since it didn’t affect them, they chose to stand aside and let
me burn.
They abandoned me. Again.
I took in a shaky deep breath and looked away from my
shameless parents.
I had long passed the point of feeling sad and disappointed. Rage
was all I could feel.
Just when I was about to step forward and owned up to
everything I had done, Asher tightened his grip and pulled me
back.
“It is me,” he said calmly to his people.
NO! I screamed internally. But he squeezed my hand so tightly that I stifled that cry.
“I knew that Violet was my mate but still decided to marry Kylie. It is all my fault. I broke the tradition, and I am ready for the
consequence.”
He paused, waiting for the crowd’s reaction, and then continued:
“If anyone think that I am an incompetent Alpha, they can come out and challenge my position now.”
My brain went blank in shock.
What the fuck Asher! What did you just do?!
