Talia stepped forward, her smirk slicing through the air like a blade. “Bark whatever you want to bark. But just to tell you, you’re nothing but a burden to him, Sera. Always whining, always seeking attention.”
The pack gasped at her audacity, but no one dared to intervene. The room was heavy with unspoken judgment.
Anger bubbled inside me, but before I could respond, Talia’s hand flew up against my cheek. The sharp sting radiated across my skin as gasps rippled through the room.
My ears rang, the humiliation settling deep in my chest. The pack—my pack—had just witnessed the Alpha’s mate slapped, disgraced in the very place I was meant to feel secure.
I straightened, ignoring the burning sensation on my cheek and the tears threatening to spill. My voice was low but sharp, each word laced with barely contained fury. “You dare to strike me, huh?”
Talia’s smirk didn’t falter. “Someone had to knock some sense into you.”
I took a step closer to her, my wolf howling just beneath the surface, desperate to be unleashed. “You’re lucky I have enough control not to end this here and now. But make no mistake, Talia—mate or not, family or not—you ever touch me again, and I’ll show you exactly why I’m the Alpha’s mate and not you.”
I could see the annoyance written on Talia's face.
Lucian moved between us, his expression one of anger—not at Talia, but at me. “That’s enough, Seraphina. You’ve embarrassed yourself and this pack enough for one night.”
The pack’s murmurs grew louder, their judgment cutting into me like shards of glass. I turned to him, my mate, my supposed partner, and stared into the eyes of a man who no longer saw me as his equal.
“I’ve embarrassed myself?” I said, my voice trembling. “You’ve humiliated me, Lucian. You’ve let her humiliate me. In front of everyone.”
He crossed his arms, his jaw set in that infuriatingly dismissive way. “Just apologize, and we’ll end this. Stop making everything a spectacle.”
I took a shaky breath, my hands curling into fists at my sides. “You want me to apologize? Fine.” I turned to Talia, my voice dripping with venom. “I’m sorry, Talia. Sorry that you’ll never be anything more than a pathetic shadow, clinging to someone else’s mate to feel important.”