Without hesitation, Arlena stormed across the hall, her fury locked on the woman standing behind Lucien.
Varek moved fast, stepping in to block her before she got any closer to the newly wedded couple.
"Piss off," Arlena roared, her eyes flashing a dangerous shade of dark gold. She stared Varek down like a predator, her rage nearly tangible.
"Miss Arlena~" Varek began, but didn't get the chance to finish.
She grabbed him by the throat and, with supernatural force, hurled him across the hall. His body slammed into a marble pillar with a sickening thud.
"You don't make me repeat myself, Beta," she growled, marching forward without pause.
Valessia's instincts kicked in. One hand flew protectively over her lower belly as she stumbled a step back. Her heart pounded. She didn't want to challenge Arlena, what would be the point? The outcome was obvious, and she had too much to lose.
"Get a hold of yourself, Arlena. You're causing a mess here," Lucien growled, stepping forward to block her path.
"You don't get to tell me what to do, Alpha Lucien. Not after this betrayal," Arlena hissed, her eyes locked on Valessia like a dagger.
"And trust me, even if I turn this entire court into a pile of dust, it still wouldn't compare to the disaster you just caused," she snarled. She tried to shove past Lucien, but he held firm.
"Varek, escort your Luna out of the hall," Lucien ordered without looking back.
'Don't let her get away. She must not leave unscathed,' Arlena's wolf snarled in her mind, clawing for control.
"You wouldn't dare, Varek," Arlena snapped, her glare shifting sharply toward him as he approached the trembling Valessia, who stood frozen with both arms cradling her belly.
"How dare you defy my orders…"
"This is my pack, Arlena," Lucien cut in coldly, "and my orders come first… above yours. If you don't want to further disgrace yourself, I suggest you leave. Now."
His voice was cold. He pointed to the entrance, the weight of his authority making it clear there would be no negotiation.
"You're only going to make a fool of yourself. And when word of this reaches the pack... your reputation won't survive," he added, grabbing Arlena by the shoulder to stop her from lunging after Valessia as she exited.
"I'll be taking you home, Luna," Varek whispered softly, positioning himself between Valessia and the chaos behind them.
BANG.
A loud, cracking slap echoed just outside the hall. Valessia gasped, stumbling back from the force of it. Her cheek flared instantly with pain, a stinging heat that burned deeper by the second.
Her hand flew to the side of her face. She turned slowly, heart throbbing, to face her attacker.
"Ma... Madam Fiona?" she stammered, color draining from her face.
Fiona stood there in a skin-tight blue gown, her gold-streaked hair curled neatly behind her shoulders, but her expression was nothing short of monstrous. Her lips curled in contempt.
"From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew you were nothing but a cheap whore," the older woman spat, her voice sharp and cruel, made louder so all in the vicinity could hear. "And now you've proved me right, dragging shame upon this family name!"
Valessia flinched, her heart hammering. Heat rushed to her face, not just from the slap, but from the weight of every eye now thrown at her.
"If I were you, I'd watch your mouth~"
"Or what?" Madam Fiona cut in, turning to him with eyes brimming with hatred.
"Will you conspire with her and kill me too? Just like you murdered my husband's innocent cousin, who did nothing but show kindness to this wolfless thing?"
Every word struck Valessia like a blade. Her vision blurred with unshed tears. She bit the inside of her cheek hard to stop them. She wouldn't cry. Not here. Not in front of her.
"You know that's not true," Valessia said, her voice trembling but still audible. "None of it is true."
But Fiona's attack didn't stop.
"Was he the reason you felt confident you'd win the lawsuit?" she accused, nodding bitterly toward Varek.
"Is that why you dared to marry him with another man's pup growing in your womb before your late husband's mourning period even ended?"
A small crowd had begun to gather, their hushed whispers only fueling Fiona's cruelty.
'Just wait. By the time I'm done, she won't be able to lift her head again in this pack,' Madam Fiona sneered inwardly .
"Oh, wait," she said mockingly. "Don't tell me the pup was his all along?"
"That's enough!" Valessia snapped. Her voice cracked through the crowd, no longer fragile. "Say whatever you want about me, Madam Fiona. But don't you dare insult the honor of my unborn pup. I won't let that slide."
Her spine straightened. The coldness in her tone surprised even Varek.
"The nerve," hissed the younger woman beside Fiona, dressed in a black-and-white patterned dress. "You talk back to your elder aunt?"
She raised her hand to slap Valessia but Varek caught it mid-air.
His grip was tight, deliberately made to hurt.
"Let go of me, you scumbag!" she shrieked, trying to yank her hand away.
"You don't get to lay a finger on her," Varek growled. He shoved her hard. She stumbled and nearly fell, saved only by a bystander catching her at the last second.
"We'll see about that," Madam Fiona said coldly. Her fingers closed around Valessia's wrist like shackles. "Wait until she steps foot in the family house. Her punishment awaits."
"Get your filthy hands off my Luna," came a voice deep, cold, and unmistakable.
Everyone froze. Valessia's breath hitched.
She turned slightly eyes wide to see Lucien standing behind her, his towering form emitting a raw, dangerous power.
"Al... Alpha Lucien," Madam Fiona stammered, her morale crumbling. She dipped into a quick bow, visibly shaken. The rest of the crowd followed suit, heads bowed low in submission.
"W-what are you doing here?" she asked, trying and failing to hide the tremble in her hands.