Chapter 27: 27: Stomp On My Pride
[TW: Attempted Sexual Assault]
"You must be joking," I croaked out. My eyes were wide, lips parted, and face pale as I stared up at them. Tears had already run down my cheeks, leaving a trail on the skin of my face.
They thought that I had managed to shove the ring up there? That wouldn’t even be possible, even if I had the speed of werewolves. They had their eyes on me the entire time. There was never a window for me to attempt such a thing, even if I was shameless enough to do it.
Surely Cassian wasn’t stupid enough to actually think I hid the ring between my legs?
"Alpha?" one of the warriors asked. Even he hesitated, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as he looked at Cassian for confirmation.
"Did you not hear what I just said, or are you guys deaf?" Cassian barked. He met me straight in the eyes, glaring me down with all the hatred and vehemence left in his body. "Hold her open and check every crevice of her body."
The men in the chapel roared with cheers. In just a few short minutes, this place of worship had turned rotten with their sin. Some had even stood to their feet just to get a better look, while several she-wolves tugged their mates and younger children outside so that their eyes wouldn’t be further sullied by this inappropriate affair.
"Cassian, let’s be reasonable," Soren tried to say, stepping forward. "How was she supposed to stuff a ring up her―" He stopped short, pinching his lips tightly together as though choked up by the thought of it.
He spoke softly, his eyes darting back and forth between the crowd and me. Cassian did not even bat an eyelid, much less turn to look at his brother.
"Every desperate wolf will have its way," Cassian coldly said.
Soren could only sigh and shake his head, turning away as he stepped back and out of my sight.
With his command, the warriors could not stall any further. They flanked me down, one of the men holding both my upper arms so that I could not flail about, while the other came to my front so that they could grab hold of my legs.
"Stay away from me!" I yelled, kicking and screaming, all while trying not to expose too much of myself to them and the rest of the pack.
However, I was still weak― the days of starvation, the lack of sleep, and all the manhandling from before created huge odds stacked against me. It did not take these two grown men much effort to hold me down, positioning me on my back while they tried to pry my knees apart.
"Just confess, Briar!" Violet said. She clutched onto Rowan’s sleeve, her eyelashes fluttering as tears gathered in her eyes. In the eyes of men, she probably looked like an innocent lamb who was forced to witness the horrors of this evil world. "Once you tell them where you hid the ring, you can get dressed, and the wedding can continue. Why are you making this harder for yourself?"
I gritted my teeth, groaning as I tried to resist as best as I could. I didn’t have the time or energy to bicker with Violet, not when my distraction was exactly what she wanted. She knew I would never confess― how could I? Even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to cough up the ring.
Thankfully, as though the Moon Goddess herself could no longer watch this clownery continue further, a voice broke through the commotion and attracted everyone’s attention.
"I found the ring!"
The two warriors immediately stopped. The moment their grips slackened, I crawled up, returning to the position I was previously in― hunched over, with my arms covering my chest. My body was still shivering.
It wasn’t as though the room was cold, but it felt as though I had been plunged in an ice bath. I couldn’t stop quaking. I didn’t even realize I was crying until I tasted salt on my lips, courtesy of my tears.
I wanted to run and hide away, but I couldn’t muster any strength in my legs. The best I could do was crawl into a corner and make myself as small and hidden as possible.
"Here," Soren said, exhaling loudly. He held the ring out for Cassian and Rowan to see before turning to look at Violet. "Is this it?"
Cassian looked annoyed, while Rowan’s expression did not change one bit. He simply nodded, his actions natural as ever, as though there was nothing in this world that could faze him.
"How wonderful!" Violet exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
She made a grab for it, but Soren moved his hand slightly out of her reach. To mask the awkwardness, Violet pretended not to notice and giggled.
"Thank the Goddess we found the ring after all." She cast me a glance, her expression speaking more than words ever could. "Where did you find it?"
"It was chucked in the pot at the back of the stage," Soren said, pointedly looking at Violet. He moved a little, his body blocking me from the crowd’s view even if just a little. That finally broke Violet’s eye contact, and she had no choice but to turn her eyes to Soren instead. "I wonder how it got there."
"It must’ve accidentally tumbled there right before the wedding started," Violet said with a laugh. "There’s a little more grooms than usual, after all. I guess the stage is a little small. We should’ve planned better."
Cassian cleared his throat. "It must’ve been your roughhousing, Soren. Maybe you bumped into Rowan, and it tumbled out of his pocket," he said.
Soren could only laugh a little, albeit it didn’t seem all too genuine, not that I cared.
The crowd all laughed good-naturedly, as though their explanation made perfect sense. On the other hand, I had been completely forgotten. None of them so much as spared me a glance, and the three Alphas returned to their place on stage to continue the wedding.
The officiant returned, and everyone got back into their seats. Softly, the music began to play once more, and everyone watched the wedding as though nothing strange had happened in between.
I bit my bottom lip, refusing to let slip a single sound. However, more importantly, I had to bite down hard to prevent myself from crying. It didn’t take long before I drew blood, the metallic tang mixing with the salt from my tears.
My life in Shadowclaw had never been sunshine and rainbows, but even then, I had never experienced this sort of humiliation throughout all my years serving as an omega servant for the pack. My family may loathe me, but at the very least, they treated me as though I were dead most of the time, all the way up until my parents passed away a year ago.
Not this. Not a jester for the court to laugh at, or someone they could stomp on for fun before forgetting entirely about.
Seeing my own elder brother and fated mates — people who were supposed to protect me either by fate or blood’s design — side with an outsider made my stomach churn in horror as realization struck me yet again. I was brutally reminded that I was absolutely alone. No one was going to come save me.
Not now, not ever.
The moment I felt the semblance of strength back in my legs, I climbed up as fast as I could. I dashed off the stage and disappeared through a door. The corridors were thankfully empty, and I made sure to run as far as I could before I dared to stop to catch my breath.
The dress had been torn to tatters, and the path I had taken had been completely devoid of any loose piece of fabric that could be used to cover myself up. Not even a tablecloth could be seen. It was almost as though Violet had planned everything, even down to this.
I needed to return to my room, but before I could, it would be best to find something to cover myself up with. After all, most of the pack may be attending the wedding, but there would always be roaming warriors still stationed to protect the pack lands. I had embarrassed myself enough. I didn’t need to be seen like this further.
Maybe I could use the curtains. I wasn’t sure if I had the strength to rip them down, but surely it couldn’t be too hard. I had cleaned them before, and it wouldn’t take too much time to dismantle them.
Just as I was about to grab onto the curtains, footsteps echoed down the corridor. Without thinking twice, I wrapped the fabric around me, not caring that it was still attached to the windows.
Three men appeared out of nowhere, their cheeks flushed red as they laughed and talked, their voices echoing down the corridor. When their eyes landed on me, I could practically see them light up with glee, as though Yuletide had come early.
"Well, well, well," one of them said. "Look who we have here, boys! The pack whore on the first day of her job."
Another grinned sleazily, baring his yellowing teeth for the world to see. "Lucky, aren’t we, to catch her on her first shift."
