Soraya's POV
"You fucking liar!" I spat. Struggling even as the arms that grabbed me forced their nails into my skin to keep me in place.
Cassidy's lies hug in the air, murmurs from the crowd digging through.
I knew between the both of us who they believed more, but that didn't stop me from glaring at Cassidy.
"Take those words back! You are lying!"
Cassidy shrunk back, looking even more pitiful. "Why are you trying to deny it? You clearly told me your goal was to steal the alpha's position for your family so you can control the pack."
"That's not true!" I shrieked, desperately hoping someone from the crowd would believe me.
I looked around, tears blurring my sight as I cast a pleading gaze at my father's friends, but they all threw their heads to the side.
"Please." I begged, but my cries fell on deaf ears.
"Enough!" A council member shouted, standing to his feet, but I wasn't about to give up.
I knew the moment I kept quiet they were going to use it against me.
So I said on. "She's lying. Cassidy and everyone here knows my family is innocent."
The council member's face hardened. He moved towards me, and before I could react, he slapped me hard across the face.
The sound cut through this air, silencing everyone.
My head whipped to the side, pain shooting across my face.
"You dare accuse someone in my presence? Who do you think you are?!" He roared, his voice deep with authority that shook my bones. "Don't think we giving you the right to stand here makes you qualified to speak back. You are only here to listen while we judge you. Am I clear?"
I shook, my wolf being forced to submission by him.
"Yes elder." I whispered, feeling a tear slip past.
"Good." He nodded, moving back to his seat. "One more mistake from you and I'll make sure you truly regret it."
The air was quiet for a while, no one daring to talk, until I saw Jamal move from the corner of my eyes.
Colour drained from my face completely, a bad premonition creeping in along with another quiet stab of betrayal.
My knees weakened, and I fell to the ground without effort.
I looked at Jamal, silently pleading with my eyes but he looked past me. Like I didn't exist.
My heart shattered even more, but what sent it aflame was when he spoke.
"I only wanted to say that Cassidy has never lied." He announced, his voice loud, seeking every inkling of doubt that had creeped in, killing it. "Everything she said is the truth and as your alpha I can claim that her stories are true. I can even tell you that she had tried attacking Cassidy!"
A collection of gasps ripped through the crowd.
I shook my head in disbelief, tears pouring out like they were released from a broken faucet.
Was this the man I had loved for years?
The same man whose torch had burned me countless times while I stubbornly held on?
Nevertheless, Jamal continued on. Ruthlessly. "It's true. Cassidy had told me long ago about Soraya 's acts, but I had ignored them. Only recently did Soraya learn of Cassidy telling me so she tried attacking her."
Another round of shocked gasps filled the air, multiple eyes of disgust and hate digging into my skin.
"To protect Cassidy, I had no choice but to lock Soraya up. I am sorry if I did this without the council's knowledge." He said, bowing towards the council.
His lies were so seamless, so neat that I felt myself even believing this version.
The crowd grew wild seeing Jamal apologize. It fueled them with more hate towards me.
"Don't apologize Alpha Jamal. It's all her fault!"
"Yes! You were only doing what's best to protect the pack!"
"I knew that girl and her family were evil, but nobody believed me. Imagine harming your own cousin for exposing your evil deeds."
Jamal slowly rose, looking on with a smile like a hero.
The crowd hurried to drown me in their spit, but my gaze never left Jamal's.
Not an ounce of our past love was in his eyes.
So it was just me being delusional I realized.
Perhaps he too heard the mocking realisation, Jamal suddenly sneered, the action so ugly it made his handsome face look terrible.
"I Jamal Murray rejects Soraya Vickslow as my fated mate."
No warning, no preparation, just deep rejection that had me screaming and curling from the pain.
Silence fell in the hall, and all that were heard were my screams of pure agony.
"Would someone please shut her up?!" A council member said, irritated and j received a brutal kick to my rib.
That did it.
I curled in pain, the physical assault causing my throat to crack midscream.
I coughed, but the pain in my heart never stopped tearing at my body.
Jamal watched unbothered. Cold. Like I wasn't the same girl he had sworn love to.
He proudly lifted Cassidy's hands in the air, parading the ring that sat in between her fingers.
The crowd cheered with excitement and murmured a proud grin on Jamal's and Cassidy's faces.
"Despite the bad drama happening, I would like to proudly announce to the pack my true mate. Cassidy Royale."
Cassidy beamed even more, before she smugly shifted her hair over her shoulders revealing a mating mark.
Gasps of congratulations echoed instantly, but I felt my whole world collapse.
That was a true mates bond. So Cassidy was his mate and they had both been playing me along.
I looked at Jamal quietly, the betrayal and hurt written all over my face.
Unlike before, Jamal didn't ignore my gaze. For the first time since today, he met it, locking eyes with me.
"I want everyone to know something, including you Soraya." He began, his voice loud and heavy enough to silence everyone.
An inkling of hope peeked in my chest. Could it be that he was finally having an ounce of guilt?
Jamal's eyes narrowed as he spoke very carefully. "I never had any feelings for you. The only reason I went out with you in the first place was to avenge my father's death. It was planned, and I did it because your father was responsible for the death of my parents."