Apologize and Divorce

********VIVIAN'S POV********

Never in a million years did I think I would hear such a vicious threat from the man I loved. His long fingers kept their crushing grip on my jawbone, pressing deep into my skin until I thought the bone would snap. The physical pain radiating through my skull paled in comparison to the utter shattering of my heart. I stared directly at Dari, searching his familiar face for any ounce of the mate I once knew. I had sacrificed my blood, sweat, and pride for three long years to be his perfect Luna. I stood by his side, fought for his pack, and poured my soul into our bond. Yet, here he was, staring down at me with zero remorse. He blindly placed his trust in Camilla, a manipulative woman who had only returned a mere two days ago after a seven-year absence. How could he throw three years of devotion away for someone who just walked back into his life? Was it just her dainty, fragile looks?

*You're much prettier than that bitch,* Tessa snarled in my mind, pacing restlessly in my subconscious. I wanted to agree, but Dari kept choosing Camilla. He kept choosing her over his own mate.

"Dari..." I pleaded, trying to soften my tone, hoping against hope to reach his wolf.

He merely shoved my face aside with a harsh groan of disgust. "Vivian, be good and apologize to Milla," he demanded, treating me like a disobedient child throwing a tantrum.

I stubbornly shook my head. I refused to apologize to that sly dog for a crime I did not commit. "I won't apologize," I said, keeping my head lowered. The pack members surrounding us murmured and whispered, their judging eyes burning holes into my back. I stopped caring about their opinions. They had already branded me guilty without a trial.

"Dari, believe me this once, I didn't push her..." I started to say, desperate to make him see reason.

Before I could finish my sentence, his temper exploded. With wind-like, terrifying speed, his hand shot forward. His thick fingers wrapped directly around my neck. He clamped down hard, choking the life out of me.

"Vivian, you will kneel and apologize to Milla right here, right now!" his booming Alpha voice reverberated through the expansive living room, rattling the glass windows and shaking me to my core.

The air trapped in my lungs burned like liquid fire. My vision darkened at the edges as his relentless grip cut off my oxygen, black spots dancing in my sight. Did he hate me this much? What twisted spell had Camilla cast over him to turn my protective mate into a monster? I frantically gasped for air, my hands shooting up to grab his thick, muscular wrists. Tears poured uncontrollably down my face, wetting his knuckles, but he showed no mercy.

"Da... Dari..." I wheezed, clawing at his arms, silently begging for a single breath. He did not loosen his grip. My knees began to buckle under the intense pressure.

Silas finally rushed forward. He grabbed Dari by the shoulders, shoving his body between us. "Dari, stop, you're choking her!" Silas yelled, physically dragging the enraged Alpha off me.

I collapsed onto the hardwood floor, clutching my bruised neck, hacking and gasping for precious oxygen. Through my blurred, tear-filled vision, I looked up. Camilla caught my eye from her spot on the sofa. She tilted her head, a smug, victorious wink playing on her lips. She made sure only I could see her drop the pitiful victim act.

*I will tear her throat out!* Tessa roared, driven by uncontrollable fury, throwing herself against the walls of my mind.

"Vivian, apologize quickly!" Silas urged, standing near Dari to keep him at bay.

I ignored him. I lay on the floor, breathless and weak, my chest heaving as I fought to regulate my breathing.

"You think your stubbornness will get you anywhere?!" Dari snarled, running a frustrated hand through his dark hair. His heavy boots thudded against the floorboards as he marched right back to me. He grabbed my arm and forcefully yanked me upward. My shoulder screamed in protest as he dragged me to stand right in front of the weeping, hypocritical witch.

"Kneel," Dari commanded ruthlessly.

The order hung heavy in the tense room. First, he demanded an apology, and now he wanted me on my knees? I spat through gritted teeth, "I will apologize, but I will never kneel before her."

Dari chuckled, a cold, emotionless sound that sent shivers down my spine. "You will do both, and you have no choice."

Before I could brace myself, he swung his heavy boot and brutally kicked the back of my knees with crushing force. My legs gave out instantly, unable to support my weight. I crashed onto the hard floor, my kneecaps slamming against the polished wood with a sickening thud. I sobbed openly at the sheer, unadulterated cruelty of my own mate. The man meant to protect me from the world was the one breaking me down in front of our entire pack, destroying my pride piece by piece.

"Now apologize!" Dari yelled. He pushed me with a ruthless physical nudge, his heavy hand striking my shoulder.

Pain coursed through my entire body. I squeezed my eyes shut, swallowing my shattered dignity. "Camilla, I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Louder!" Dari barked, shoving me again. I almost fell face-first onto the rug.

"Camilla, I'm sorry for pushing you down the stairs!" I yelled out, fresh tears streaming down my face. The profound humiliation etched itself deeply into my very soul. I made a silent, burning vow right then and there. I would never forgive them. I would remember this agony, and I would get my revenge.

"That's more like it," Dari muttered softly, his anger instantly vanishing as he turned his attention back to Camilla.

Once the permanent damage was done, Camilla flawlessly played the pitiful victim. She wiped her fake tears and reached out, wrapping her soft hands around my arms to help me up. "Please get up, Vivian. You're the Luna of this pack. I'm not worthy for you to kneel before me."

*That cunning dog!* Tessa snapped, pacing in a frantic frenzy. *When he kicked us to the floor, why didn't she say a word?!*

I seethed at her Oscar-worthy act. Why act like a saint now?

"It's all my fault for pissing you off that day," Camilla whimpered, keeping her eyes glued to the floor, her voice dripping with fake humility. "I never meant to say those hurtful words. I deserve that push."

The witch was still putting the blame on me for a crime I never committed!

Ignoring my intense physical and emotional agony, Dari stepped forward. He wrapped his strong arms around Camilla, tenderly pulling her dainty frame against his broad chest to comfort her. "It's not your fault, Milla," he whispered softly, shooting a dark, hateful glare at me over her shoulder.

I kept my gaze fixed on the floor. My foolish, battered heart clung to one final, desperate shred of hope. I needed to know if this forced apology was enough. Maybe he would realize his brutal mistake. Maybe he would ask me to stay now that I submitted to his harsh demands.

"Now that I apologized, can I get the divorce?" I asked, my voice hollow and trembling.

Dari chuckled, lacking any hesitation. He casually replied, "Yes, of course."

Multiple jagged knives stabbed right through my chest. The last string holding my world together snapped. I had asked that question to see if he would at least offer me a place by his side. But he had truly made up his mind. He wanted me gone. He threw our sacred bond away without a second thought.

"Ok then," I muttered. I raised my head, gathering every ounce of my hidden Alpha strength. I made my final stand. I looked directly into his pitch-black eyes. These were the very same eyes I had once lost myself in, the eyes that captured my heart on the first day we met. Right now, those eyes glared daggers at me. The love was gone, replaced by pure disdain. I stood tall, squaring my shoulders.

My voice rang out clear and unwavering.

"I, Vivian Ashford, stand before you, Darius Montgomery, with a heavy heart. I hereby reject you as my mate. The bond we once shared has grown fragile, and my soul yearns for a different path. May you find solace in the love of another, and may we both find the happiness we seek."

The official rejection vow hung heavily in the air, shifting the power dynamic in the room and setting my departure in stone.