DIVORCED and MARRIED to Ex- Uncle

unbelievable

7. Athena

"What do you mean, Uncle Lorenzo?" Javier spat, his voice dripping with sarcasm and surprise as he leapt from the podium, striding toward us with rapid, angry steps.

I wondered why he cared what Lorenzo said seeing that he was with another woman already and he never even cared to look for me after I left. Why did he care now?

I instinctively moved closer to Lorenzo, whose arm wrapped protectively around me. The warmth of his touch sent a ripple of safety through me, but the fury radiating off Javier kept my heart pounding. But I couldn't show my fear to Javier. I had to fake it till I made it. Lorenzo being beside me made it all easier.

Javier’s eyes flickered with raw hostility, and when they locked onto mine, it was like staring into the eyes of a predator about to pounce on me.

“What’s wrong with you, Athena? What game are you playing, showing off like this in front of my guests? Just because I didn't want you as my Luna now you seduce my uncle?” Javier asked with a scrunched brow as if I was something filthy.

His voice was sharp and cold, his chest rising and falling with barely restrained rage. His hands balled into fists at his sides, and for a brief moment, I felt a surge of satisfaction. I had never seen Javier this unhinged before.

But beneath that satisfaction was a trembling fear I couldn’t shake. His glare could cut through steel. If looks could kill, I would have already been six feet under.

Before I could respond, a soft voice cut through the tension. “Honey?”

I glanced up to see Laura descending the grand staircase, her eyes set on me with thinly veiled disdain. Her hands gripped the hem of her overly revealing blue dress. A blue dress, for an occasion like this?

I nearly laughed, but my smile faltered when I noticed how she held onto Javier's arm when she reached where we were, clinging to him like a trophy. Her once curvy figure seemed to have lost its shape—perhaps from too much indulgence?

She sauntered closer, batting her eyes at Lorenzo. “Is this the famous uncle who’s been hiding in the UK all these years?” Her voice oozed fake sweetness as she latched onto Javier’s arm tighter.

Lorenzo’s eyes darkened instantly. “Who’s your uncle?” He growled, his voice cold as steel.

Ah, that satisfaction again.

Laura’s gaze dropped to the floor, the mask of confidence slipping from her face. Take that b***h!

Embarrassment hung thick in the air, and the crowd began to stir, eyes fixated on the spectacle unfolding before them. Alphas and Lunas from every pack in the room had stopped what they were doing, watching with rapt attention. Even the pups stood frozen in place.

The only sound breaking the silence was the low, haunting music playing faintly in the background.

“My apologies, M-Mr. Massino,” Laura stammered, her voice trembling as she lifted her eyes hesitantly toward Lorenzo. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just wanted to greet you…”

I glanced at Lorenzo, stunned by the cold, calculating glare he gave her. It was as though he could tear both her and Javier apart with a single motion. The way his fists clenched, knuckles turning white, showed he wasn’t far from doing just that.

“You’re the one who took Athena’s place, aren’t you?” Lorenzo's words cut like a whip, and I quickly dropped my gaze to the floor, trying to fight back the tears welling in my eyes at that reminder.

Six years of my life. How was I supposed to forget that or even get over it?

“N-no, I… I… I didn't… I wouldn’t—” Laura’s voice faltered as she turned to Javier, her face pleading for support.

Javier’s expression remained bitter, his lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at me with cold, unrelenting hatred. “Honey, I didn’t take her place, right?” Laura’s voice shook, but Javier only nodded, keeping his gaze fixed on me.

He seemed to have so much he wanted to say to me but didn't know where to start or he feared what Lorenzo would do.

I gripped Lorenzo’s arm tighter, my heart shattering as Javier’s indifference pierced deeper than any insult. No matter how much I had resolved to leave him behind, the mate bond still lingered, weak but present. It was a painful reminder of what once was.

“She just didn’t know how to rule,” Laura continued, her voice gaining a hint of confidence. “How could an omega possibly—”

“Shut up!” Lorenzo barked, his rage finally spilling over. The force of his voice made Laura flinch, her fake composure crumbling as tears started streaming down her face.

She crumbled to the ground as Lorenzo's Alpha pheromones hit her. Weird enough, I wasn't affected. In fact, I felt safe in that grip.

She was a skilled actress, pretending to be the innocent victim when all she had ever done was worm her way into power that was never hers.

“You can’t and should never speak to Laura that way!” Javier finally snapped, stepping forward, his voice laced with anger. “She’s right, you know. Athena is—” He turned his cold eyes on me again, and I swallowed hard, already bracing for the venomous words he was about to spew.

“Athena is nothing but a scam,” he growled, his eyes flashing fiery gold as he stared at my hand entwined with Lorenzo’s.

“In fact,” he continued, taking a menacing step toward me, “she should be punished for abandoning her duties as Luna, for leaving the pack without notice!” His hand shot out, grabbing me roughly by the wrist and yanking me toward him.

I winced, the sharp pain shooting up my arm as his grip tightened. I swear I felt something snap on my wrist and I almost screamed with pain but I held on. I couldn't give him that satisfaction.

“What kind of Luna are you?” He hissed, his words sinking into me like blades. The physical pain of his hold was nothing compared to the agony his words inflicted on my heart.

Suddenly, Lorenzo’s voice cut through the air, colder and more dangerous than before. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

There was a moment of silence. Javier tensed beside me, his hand still gripping my wrist, but I could feel him faltering. Lorenzo’s presence alone was enough to make even the most fearless tremble.

“Athena is mine!” Lorenzo’s words were like a thunderclap, and in one swift motion, he stepped between us, pushing Javier back with such force that Javier staggered, almost losing his balance but there was a painful grimace in his eyes.

Before I knew what was happening, Lorenzo had pulled me to his side, shielding me from Javier’s furious gaze. My heart raced, not from fear, but from the intensity of the moment.

I had spent six long years with Javier, enduring his neglect and cruelty, but never once had he protected me like this. And though I knew Lorenzo’s intentions weren’t entirely pure, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude for his strength.

“She’s my wife. My f*****g Luna and the earlier you get that through your thick skin, the better for you,” Lorenzo declared, his voice leaving no room for argument. “You say she neglected her duties? Show me the people you sent out to look for her? I can see that you were so worried that you married another woman barely a month after she left," Lorenzo added and the quiet crowd started murmuring again.

Javier’s face twisted into an ugly sneer. He clapped his hands slowly, mockingly. “I never thought our innocent Athena could jump from the nephew’s bed to the uncle’s. How utterly pathetic.”

His words were like a slap to the face, and a chorus of murmurs rose from the crowd around us yet again, this time, more intense.

“Is that the former Luna?”

“She’s been sleeping with both Massino men? Unbelievable…”

“I always knew she wasn’t fit for the role. No wonder he replaced her with Lady Laura.”

The whispers grew louder, a sea of judgmental eyes pressing down on me from every direction. The humiliation was suffocating. My breath caught in my throat, my chest tightening as I struggled to keep my composure.

“Have you been hiding your true self all this time, Athena?” Javier sneered, stepping closer, his voice dripping with cruelty. “Have you always been this desperate? This… pathetic?”

The strength I had been holding onto shattered, and before I could stop them, the tears I had been fighting all night spilled down my cheeks. The weight of his words, the humiliation of the crowd’s stares—it was too much.

Maybe he was right. Maybe I really was just a desperate w***e.

Who was I, after all? The woman who had betrayed herself, caught between relatives and shamelessly opened my legs for all of them!

I shattered at that moment. I was nothing.