Chapter 212 Mate-Stealing Bitch

Chapter 212 Mate-Stealing Bitch
Airina's POV

I froze in place, watching Damian with his lips pressed against my half-blood sister's mouth, kissing her passionately as if they were the only two people in the crowded ballroom. His hands cradled her face with such tenderness, such intimate care, that I couldn't even summon the strength to scream.

My entire body turned to stone. I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't process the betrayal unfolding before my eyes.

None of this matters anymore.

Their kiss seemed to last an eternity, my heart shattering with each passing second. When they finally broke apart, they remained locked in each other's gaze.

"Are you ready?" Lya asked him, her voice soft but carrying through the suddenly silent room.

Damian nodded, taking her hand gently in his as they turned toward the stage.

The sight of their joined hands finally shattered my paralysis. Rage erupted from somewhere deep inside me, clawing its way up my throat and exploding into the air.

"Damian! What are you doing? Stop!!" I lunged forward, managing to grab his arm before he could take another step. "She's my sister, not your mate!" My voice cracked with desperation and fury.

He turned slowly, and the transformation in his expression made my blood run cold. Where there had been love and tenderness while looking at Lya, there was now only disgust and hatred as he stared at me. The contrast was so stark, so absolute, that I instinctively took a half-step back.

"Lya is my mate," Damian stated, his voice cold and final. "My fated mate. My only mate. Our parents made you and me believe we were destined, but they were wrong. They've been manipulating us all along."

"No!" I screamed, panic rising like bile in my throat. My hands trembled violently as I reached for him again. "That's not true! You're my mate! We've always known that! Everyone knows that!"

The corner of Damian's mouth lifted in a cruel smirk. Without breaking eye contact, he slowly pulled down the collar of his shirt, revealing a mating mark that perfectly matched the one I had glimpsed earlier on Lya's neck.

"You mate-stealing bitch!!!!" I screamed as I lunged toward Lya, my fingers curled into claws, ready to tear her traitorous face apart. My wolf Nancy howled for blood within me, desperate to attack.

"Not another step until I tell you otherwise," Damian commanded in a strange, powerful voice I'd never heard before.

My feet suddenly refused to move, as if they'd been cemented to the floor. I strained against the invisible force holding me in place, my muscles screaming with effort, but I couldn't advance a single inch toward Lya.

How was he doing this? Had he somehow become Alpha without anyone telling me? I glanced wildly around the room, searching for my mother, for my father, for anyone who might help me understand what was happening.

"Listen carefully, Airina," Damian continued. "Even if our parents had been right about us, even if you were my fated mate, I wouldn't want you. After everything you've done, after all the wolves you've hurt, you don't deserve to be mated to a ranked wolf, and you certainly don't deserve to be Luna of this pack. But you'll get what you deserve soon enough."

With that final pronouncement, he turned away dismissively, continuing to lead Lya toward the stage at the front of the ballroom.

I remained frozen in place, humiliation burning hotter than my rage. Nearly five hundred wolves had just witnessed my rejection. Five hundred pairs of eyes had watched Damian choose my half-blood sister over me. Five hundred pairs of ears had heard him publicly denounce me.

My cheeks burned with shame. My hands trembled uncontrollably.

I needed to find my mother immediately. She would know what to do. She'd mentioned a backup plan in case Damian betrayed me. She must have foreseen this possibility. And I needed to plan my revenge against Lya. No one steals my mate and gets away with it. No one humiliates me before the entire pack without consequences.

As the invisible force holding me finally released, I started pushing through the crowd toward the exit. After about ten steps, I felt a firm hand grip my shoulder. I turned, ready to snarl at whoever dared to touch me, only to find Noah, my brother, standing there.

Without thinking, I threw myself into his arms and wept. My body shook with raw, undiluted emotion as I clung to him.

"Oh, Noah. Thank the Moon Goddess you're here!!!" I sobbed against his chest, my tears soaking his dress shirt. "Did you see what Damian and Lya just did to me? Everyone saw... everyone heard... What's happening, Noah? Please!!! Tell me what's happening?!?!"

"Yes, I saw," he replied, his expression a complex mixture of sympathy, pain, and something else I couldn't quite identify.

"This has been a long time coming, Airina," he said softly, turning me gently but firmly to face the stage where Damian and Lya now stood side by side, looking regal and united.

Damian leaned into the microphone. "Good evening, everyone. Before we begin tonight's agenda, let's give a round of applause to all the staff who worked hard to make tonight so special."

Most of the room, including Noah, broke into applause. I stood bewildered, my mind struggling to process this strange turn of events. Why thank the staff? And what "agenda" was Damian talking about? The only agenda tonight was supposed to be celebrating my return and my engagement to him.

"Now, let's move to the next phase of tonight's celebration," Damian continued. "I'd like to first invite some very special wolves to come forward."

The curtain behind Damian and Lya slowly rose, revealing a large, tiered box-like area with about six seats on each of three levels. My heart pounded against my ribs. This definitely wasn't part of the plan for tonight's party. What was happening?

"Let's start with the members of the Supernatural Council," Damian announced.

Seven distinguished wolves made their way to the stage amid respectful applause and took their seats in the top tier of the seating area.

"Victoria, Sebastian, and Airina Morrison, please come to the stage," Damian called next.

I remained frozen, my feet suddenly unwilling to move, this time from my own terror rather than any command.

Lya leaned into the microphone. "Victoria, Sebastian, and Airina Morrison, come to the stage now. You may take your seats in the jury box."

To my horror, my feet began moving of their own accord, carrying me toward the stage despite my desperate desire to run in the opposite direction.

"Alpha Richard and Luna Isabella Sterling," Damian continued once I'd reached the stage. "And Sophia Black, along with Jason Matthews, Alice Cooper, Michael Reynolds, Theo Parker, Frank Wilson, and Eleanor Roberts."

I looked over at my mother, who appeared just as bewildered and concerned as I felt. A cold dread settled in my stomach.

What's happening? I asked her through our mind-link.

I don't know, she replied, her mental voice tense with worry. But don't worry. Whatever this is, they won't succeed. I secured Owen on our side yesterday. We'll be fine.