Serephina's POV
I watched them approach me. My heart racing—not from fear, but from anticipation. This was it. My golden ticket out of here. Lira's smile was sweet as she drew closer, the wine glass tilting in her perfectly manicured hand.
Marina followed her like a loyal sidekick, her eyes gleaming with malicious excitement.
"Oh, Seraphina!" Lira called out, her voice dripping with fake appreciation. "You look absolutely stunning tonight!"
Here we go. Show time.
And then it happened, just as I'd predicted. Lira's hand "slipped," and the deep red wine cascaded down the front of my emerald dress, staining it like blood.
"Oh my God!" she gasped, pressing her hand to her chest in mock horror. "I'm so sorry! How clumsy of me!"
I looked down at my ruined dress, trying to suppress the smile threatening to break across my face. "It's... It's fine," I said quietly, playing my part.
But then Lira's mask slipped, and her lips curved into a cold, satisfied smile. "Actually, you know what? I'm not sorry at all."
Marina giggled beside her, clearly enjoying the show. "Oh, Lira, you're terrible! But honestly, she deserved it. Who told her to go around and steal other people's mates?"
Lira stepped closer, her eyes blazing with fury. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice? The way you were batting your eyelashes at Alpha Kane? How long has this little affair been going on, hmm?"
I blinked, genuinely confused. "Affair? What are you talking about?"
What was wrong with this woman? Was she blind?
"Don't play innocent with me!" she hissed, her voice rising. "He asked you to dance! You! The cursed little kitchen rat! So tell me, when did you start seducing him behind my back? When did it start? When did you sneak into his bed, you slut! Or is he your mate? Is that why you think you can waltz in here and steal him from me?"
"Please, as if Alpha Kane would choose damaged goods," Marina scoffed from the side.
"I warned you, didn't I?" Lira hissed, her face contorting with rage. "I told you to stay away from him! But you just couldn't listen, could you? You had to go and throw yourself at him like some desperate little whore!"
"Enough," I said quietly, but they didn't hear me.
"And now you think you can just seduce him with that pathetic face of yours!" she spat. "Well, let me tell you something, red moon princess. You're going straight to the dungeons for this. You'll rot there until you learn your place! And, I will make sure that you'll regret seducing and flirting with my man!"
As they continued to humiliate me, I should have felt sad, but honestly, I wasn't. I was going to leave this hell-hole in ten minutes, so I didn't mind. I continued to let them spew their venom until they were satisfied.
But just then, Lira's eyes narrowed as she looked at my dress. "Whores like you don't deserve such a beautiful dress," she spat.
Before I could react, she lunged forward and grabbed the sleeve of my dress—the delicate fabric that held the one-shoulder design together.
And then she ripped it.
Oh, hell no.
The sound of tearing fabric filled the air as the dress nearly slipped down my body. I grabbed it desperately, clutching the fabric to my chest to keep myself covered.
For a moment, I stood there in shock, my hands shaking as I held the ruined dress in place. By this point, I could feel several eyes looking in our direction.
They were watching me, no, they were actually enjoying the show. My humiliation was fun for them. And, suddenly, something inside me snapped. That was it.
The humiliation.
The constant abuse.
The years of being treated like dirt under their feet. I was done. I was so incredibly done. Since I was leaving, I might as well give them a parting gift...
I lifted my head slowly, and for the first time in years, I let my anger show. My eyes blazed as I looked at both of them, and I saw them take an involuntary step back. The temperature around us seemed to drop, and I could swear I felt power humming beneath my skin.
"You want to know the truth?" I said, my voice deadly quiet. "Alpha Kane didn't ask me to dance because he liked me. He asked me to dance because he was trying to get away from you, Lira. You were so clingy and annoying, he preferred to stand with the cursed one than listen to you for another second."
Lira's face turned pale.
Marina stepped forward. "How dare you—"
I cut her off with a look. "And you. Always standing behind her like a shadow. You think you're better than me just because you laugh at her jokes and copy her every move. But here's the thing—you're not her friend. You're her little pet. The moment she's done with you, she'll toss you away like trash."
Marina's face flushed red, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"Actually, let me share something interesting," I said, my voice taking on a conversational tone that somehow made my words even more devastating. "Last week, when you weren't around, Lira was telling some of the other girls how pathetic you are. How you follow her around like a dog, and how you have no personality of your own. She called you her 'useful little puppy' and said keeping you close makes her look better."
The gasp that escaped Marina was audible even in the large ballroom. Lira's face went pale again—clearly, this was true.
"Oh, and Marina? Remember that guy you had a crush on last month? Jason from the warriors' training? Lira slept with him. Not because she was interested, but because she was bored and thought it would be 'funny' to see your face when you found out."
Marina turned to Lira with tears in her eyes. "Is that true?"
Lira's silence was answer enough.
But, I wasn't done. Thinking about all the hurtful things these two had done to me over the past several years, I sneered, "At least I know what I am. I know I'm the outcast, the cursed one. But you two? You're so desperate to be important, to be loved, that you've turned into monsters. And the saddest part? You don't even realize how pathetic you both look.
"One more thing," I said to Lira. "Alpha Kane will never want you. Not because of me, not because of anyone else. But because you're exactly the kind of desperate, shallow person that someone like him would never want as a mate."
Lira stood frozen for a second. Then her whole body began to tremble. She looked like she was going to explode. Her hands clenched into fists, and her jaw tightened.
Rage filled her eyes—pure, wild anger as she processed the humiliation I had put her through. Marina stood frozen beside her, still in shock from the revelations about her so-called best friend.
But I didn't stick around to see what would happen next. I wasn't stupid—staying would only give them a chance to retaliate, and I had no intention of letting them ruin my perfect exit.
I walked quickly out of the ballroom. The moment I was out of sight, I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding and began humming softly to myself—a little tune of victory. I clutched the torn fabric of my dress with one hand while smoothing the rest of my dress with the other.
God, that had felt good. Really, really good.