Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

39 Chapter 39

39 Chapter 39

Valerie’s POV 1

The taste of blood still lingered in my mouth as I stumbled up the front steps of our shabby apartment complex, my designer dress torn and stained with dirt and my own blood. Every step sent fresh waves of pain shooting through my ribs where that freak Seraphina had

thrown me into the trophy case like I was nothing more than a ragdoll.

My hands shook as I fumbled with my keys, the metal slipping between my fingers that were slick with blood from the glass cuts. The hallway light flickered overhead, casting sickly yellow shadows that made everything look even more pathetic than usual.

“Fucking bitch,” I muttered under my breath, finally managing to unlock the door. “Fucking psycho omega freak.”

But the moment I stepped inside, I knew something was wrong. The apartment was trashed-not just Gabriel’s usual slovenly mess, but actually destroyed. Couch cushions were slashed open, stuffing scattered across the floor like snow. Our cheap particleboard

entertainment center had been kicked in, the television screen spider-webbed with cracks.

“What the hell-”

“Valerie!” My mother’s voice cracked like a whip from the kitchen doorway. Elizabeth emerged from the shadows, and for the first time in my life, she looked genuinely terrified. Her perfect blonde hair was disheveled, mascara streaked down her cheeks in dark rivulets, and

her hands were shaking as she clutched a dish towel like a lifeline.

“Mother?” I stared at the destruction around us, my brain struggling to process what I was seeing. “What happened here? Where’s-”

“Look at your face!” Elizabeth shrieked suddenly, her eyes focusing on the bloody scratches that decorated my cheek like war paint. “My

God, what did that little bitch do to you?”

I rushed to the bathroom mirror, and what I saw there made my blood turn to ice. Four parallel gashes ran from my temple to my jaw,

deep enough to scar, deep enough to ruin the perfect face I’d spent years perfecting. Blood had dried in ugly brown streaks, and I could

see that some of the cuts were still oozing.

“That psychotic whore!” I screamed, spinning around to face my mother. “Look what she did to me! LOOK AT MY FACE!”

“Harold came here. With friends. Big friends. They were not happy about your little failure.”

The bottom dropped out of my stomach. “Harold was here?”

“He wanted his money back,” Elizabeth said bitterly, gesturing at the destruction around us. “Fifty thousand dollars for a wife, he said.

Since you couldn’t deliver the merchandise, he felt entitled to compensation.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him the truth-that you’re a worthless disappointment who can’t even handle one pathetic omega!” Elizabeth’s voice rose to a shrick that made the broken windows rattle. “He took everything he could carry. Your father’s golf clubs, my jewelry, even the good china we got for our wedding” 1

“Where’s Dad?” I asked, though I already dreaded the answer.

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39 Chapter 39

face crumpled briefly before the hardness returned. “The stress

it through the

knees

my chest like

we owe for the medical

thousand and climbing,” Elizabeth said, her voice hollow. “The

county hospital if we can’t make

me fully, and I saw something in her eyes that I’d never seen before-desperation so pure it was

the fantasy bullshit you’ve been feeding

necklace you’re wearing-the one Gabriel gave you for our anniversary. How much

it cost?”

my throat, the one with the small diamond pendant that was probably

expensive thing I owned.

“Mother, no. This is-”

“How much, Valerie?”

“But Gabriel saved for months to buy it

breaking glass. “Special? Your father is dying, we’re about to

fucking necklace being special?”

I exploded, my carefully controlled facade finally

my rings? Everything Gabriel has

until I could smell the desperation rolling off her like sour sweat. “He’s a loser,

his own brother to

streaming down my cheeks and stinging

my finger! Which is more than I can say for you and your

slap came so fast I didn’t see it coming. Elizabeth’s palm connected with my injured cheek

deeper cuts split open again, sending fresh blood trickling down my

and save so you could have nice clothes and a good education. And this is how you repay me? By

father dies?”

FOR yourself!” I screamed, blood flying from my split lip. “You want to know what I really think? I think Dad is better off

came harder this time, but I was ready for it. I caught Elizabeth’s wrist and twisted, using every ounce of strength I had to

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39 Chapter 39

around and slam her against

ear. “I sure as hell am not selling my jewelry

free from my grip and spinning to face me. Her hair was disheveled, her makeup smeared, and there was actual

least I’m not stupid enough to throw good money after

DYING. And no amount of medical bills is going to change

shaking with fury.

blouse with as much dignity as she could muster and headed for the door. The door slammed behind

force to rattle

wiped the blood from my face one more time and headed for the bedroom.

open the bedroom door and immediately

for

the screen displaying some hardcore pornography that made my stomach

his self-gratification filled the small room like