Unfair
1429 Words
8. Athena
More tears poured down my cheeks, ruining the light makeup Raven had carefully applied on me.
How I regretted coming here. Maybe I shouldn’t have accepted Lorenzo’s offer.
By now, I could feel all eyes on me, causing my heart to pound harder than before. I could hear it drumming in my ears.
Their accusations hurt more because no one in this pack has ever listened to me or even showed me the respect I deserved. They all treated me the same way their alpha did. And now, they were all pouring accusations at me and not at the woman who had made me walk away.
"Well, once an Omega, always an Omega. So you ran to my uncle's bed for power when you realized I was done with you—"
Before Javier could finish, something happened that made me snap my head up from the floor.
Lorenzo pounced on him, landing a hard punch on his left cheek, making everyone in the room gasp in fear.
But he didn’t stop there. He kept punching his nephew again and again, and now the sound of bones breaking echoed in the silent hall.
It all happened so quickly that no one came to Javier's rescue.
Or maybe it was because everyone in the hall feared Lorenzo? Everyone was agape as they stared.
That made me want to smile amidst the tears. No one, absolutely no one, has ever stood up for me like this.
It was… sexy? Exhilarating?
Who didn’t know of the famous and ruthless Lorenzo Massino of the Moon Stone Pack?
Even though many, including myself, didn’t know his face—he was a mysterious man— we all knew and had heard of his ruthless, unforgiving nature.
I wanted to run, to escape from this place and never look back, but I couldn’t. I was sure everyone would blame me for what was happening and maybe, a little part of me wanted him to feel the pain even though physical.
"You see this woman here?" Lorenzo was beside me in the blink of an eye. "She is your aunt, and you will start respecting her like one. Is that clear?"
I jumped, my hands cold and sweaty, my gaze glued to the floor.
"Never! Over my dead body!" Javier growled, his voice filling the hall.
Slowly, I raised my face, surprised by the damage done to him. One side of his face was swollen and red, blood dripping from his forehead. He looked terrible.
I had the urge to laugh, but I held it back.
Turning to Laura, I saw the shame in her eyes. Her fists were clenched as she glared at me, as if she wanted to devour me.
"Mr. Massino, Athena..."
"Who are you to call Athena by her name?" Lorenzo hissed, wiping his bloodied hands on a handkerchief, his face still filled with rage.
"Apologies. I am a nobody in this pack, but I am a da—"
"I don’t deal with shameless whores like you. At least there are some whores who respect their titles." His sharp words hit Laura like a slap, and her expression made me want to burst into laughter despite the pain in my chest.
"And you, 'nephew'..." Lorenzo turned back to Javier, sarcasm dripping from the word "nephew" and his anger rippling through our fading bond, but I suppressed it. I knew Javier wasn’t angry because I was standing beside Lorenzo. He was angry because of what Lorenzo had said to Laura. "Stay away from her. She is mine now, and stay away from my damn business." I raised an eyebrow at his last statement, confused.
It didn’t seem to concern what was happening here. Or maybe I was overthinking again. Could there be some hidden bones between these two men?
"Alphas, Lunas, and pack members!" Lorenzo’s voice now commanded the attention of the entire hall.
"Athena is the Luna you will never have. By the time you realize that, it will already be too late. And from now on, you disrespect her and I will make sure you never live to do it again," I gasped, not daring to meet the eyes of anyone in the room, my heart racing like a wild horse.
Before anyone could react, Lorenzo grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the exit.
As we left the hall, I glanced back at the two figures standing in shock, realising how well they matched—one a manipulator, the other heartless. My gaze lingered on Laura, who pointed two fingers at her eyes, then directed them at me, indicating that she was closely watching me.
Swallowing hard, I allowed Lorenzo to lead me out of the packhouse and into his car.
"Are you okay?" His voice was soft, filled with concern, and it melted my heart even more.
What had I done to deserve a man like him? Not that he was mine anyway? I couldn't forget that all we had was a one year contract.
"I’m fine," I muttered, though I knew I was lying. Luckily, he didn’t know me well enough to catch on to my lie.
"You’re lying. I can tell." His words caught me off guard, and I swallowed hard. I didn’t expect him to notice so soon.
The only person who could always tell when I was lying was Raven. She knew everything about me. Strangely, even though I had been with Javier for six years, he knew almost nothing about me.
"I—I... maybe I am a whor—"
"Don’t finish that sentence." Lorenzo’s voice was firm, but I was already trembling as sobs wracked my body.
"It’s okay." He was beside me in an instant, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me against his chest. I let out a real sob this time.
For some reason, I felt more comfortable with him than I ever did with Javier. Even though this was just an act—a one-night stand that spiralled into a fake marriage—I couldn’t deny the connection. His protective nature made me feel safe, something Javier never could.
It had only been two days since we started spending time together, but it felt like I had known Lorenzo for years.
"You’re not a w***e, Athena."
"I—I am... why else did I take off my pants for you?"
"Because you love me. It was love at first sight." His words made me pull away from him, glaring through my tears as I suppressed the need to roll my eyes at him.
"Okay, I’m sorry, my contracted wife." He raised his hands in surrender, and I stopped glaring as I was mesmerized by his smile.
"Good." But why did it hurt when he called me that? Did I want more from him than just the act?
I pushed the thought aside and walked toward the car, wiping my eyes.
"My lady?" Lorenzo was already there, bowing as he opened the door for me, making me laugh despite my lingering anger.
I rolled my eyes and got in, setting my golden purse beside me. Glancing back toward the packhouse entrance, I saw Javier and the guards watching us, rage in his eyes as his chest heaved with fury.
He had followed us. And I knew why he was that angry, because I was having a great time with his uncle.
Well, the earlier he accepted that I was his aunt, the better for him. I wanted to giggle at that but instead, I swallowed hard then averted my gaze and looked at Laura, who was crying.
Why was she crying?
Wasn't she happy that I was never going to show up in front of Javier ever again? Wasn't she happy that she had him all to herself now?
Or was she embarrassed that her man was punched, no, beaten silly, in front of everyone?
"We are heading to my pack now," Lorenzo said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"What?" I asked, the shock clear in my voice.
"Yes, you are my Luna, and as Luna, you will begin your duties immediately."
"That wasn’t part of the deal," I protested, but he smiled, clearly enjoying this.
"It was. Here, look." He handed me the contract.
I read it for the umpteenth time, swallowing hard in embarrassment.
"Is everything clear now?" He asked, but I didn’t answer.
"This isn’t fair," I mumbled, and he smiled again.
"The sooner you realise nothing is fair in this world, the better, sweetheart." With that, he started the car.
- Writer
