Tiffany, seeing the confrontation, rushed to Lily's side. "I don't know what is going on but you need to leave Lily alone."
"Or what, you filthy rat? What are you going to do about it?" Mandy replied, earning a hiss from Tiffany.
Kelly, who had been observing the interaction, swiftly intervened, her voice carrying a mixture of authority and compassion. "Mandy, this is neither the time nor the place. I will not tolerate the mistreatment of one of our own."
"You think you're so special, don't you, Lily? But you'll never be anything more than a mere Omega. Just like your mother."
"Mandy, your words reveal more about you than they do about me," Lily retorted. "It seems that it is you that is the homewrecking whore that I knew all along you were!" Her growl earned the attention of others, and whispers began.
"You need to think about what you say next, Mandy. You are about to escalate this into something that should not happen. Remember words are binding tonight," Kelly warned.
Mandy's face contorted with anger and disbelief, realizing that her attempt to bring Lily down had failed. Sensing the severity of the situation, she retreated, a temporary defeat in her ongoing efforts to undermine Lily. Kelly gave a quick nod to Lily and Tiffany before following Mandy.
"That woman just can't help herself," Tiffany hissed, rushing to Lily's side. Offering her drink, she continued, "I shouldn't have left you alone."
"It's fine. She wouldn't have done anything. She's all bark and no bite," Lily reassured her, accepting the drink with a grateful smile. "Unfortunately, I'm in no mood to dance now."
Tiffany nodded in understanding. "Well, that's perfect then. It's almost time for the run. We need to get to a dressing room and prepare."
"Matthew!" Brandy called out to Matthew.
'Leave him be. He is upset and we don't want to push him,' Mable, her wolf, warned her. 'Bardur has cut himself off from me.'
'We need to figure out what is going on with him. We don't want him doing anything to ruin Mother's plans,' Brandy responded.
Brandy followed Matthew, her steps quickening as she caught up to him in a secluded area away from the crowd. She could sense the tension radiating off him, and her concern grew with each passing moment.
"Matthew," she called out, her voice laced with worry, reaching out to touch his arm. But before her hand could make contact, he jerked away, his eyes filled with anger.
"Stop touching me," Matthew snapped, his voice sharp and filled with disdain. "You're not my mate, Brandy. Stop acting like you are."
Brandy's eyes widened, hurt and confusion clouding her features. "What are you talking about? We've been together for months. You agreed to announce our mating ceremony tonight. I care about you, Matthew. What's wrong? We can work it out."
Matthew scoffed, his anger intensifying. "It was a fling, Brandy. Just a fling. I never intended for it to be anything more. And now I'm stuck with you, thanks to your lies about being pregnant."
Tears welled up in Brandy's eyes as she took a step back, her voice trembling. "I didn't lie, Matthew. I thought I was pregnant, but it turned out to be a false alarm. I would never deceive you like that."
A bitter laugh escaped Matthew's lips as he shook his head in disbelief. "Stop, just stop. Do you even hear yourself?"
"I can give you what you want, Matthew," Brandy reasoned.
"You expect me to believe that? I know all about your affairs. You knew what this was when we started. You were never supposed to be my mate."
"That's not what you said before. You said, you promised you would reject Lily. You told me that," Brandy retorted as she blinked away the tears. "We can have a pup. We just have to keep trying."
"How did I not realize how pathetic you were? You've had everything given to you and yet, you've always been desperate for attention, trying to hold onto me while knowing that Lily was where my heart truly belonged," Matthew sneered. "I don't know what possessed me to even sleep with you." The first time they had slept together he could hardly remember and then, it became an uncontrollable itch that he needed to scratch. He needed to have her, but now her touch just made his skin crawl.
Brandy's heart shattered at his words. "Is that what this is about? Lily? You're choosing an Omega over me?"
Matthew's eyes hardened; his voice filled with hatred as he growled, "Don't you ever say her name again."
"You accepted her rejection. I understand you still feel pain from the mate bond, it will fade. It will..."
"It will NEVER fade! Bardur never accepted her rejection. We are still connected to her," Matthew snapped.
"Then, accept it. You can move on and be happy," Brandy said.
"Never. You will never understand what the mate bond is. Lily was pure, innocent. She had something you will never possess. You're nothing compared to her."
Brandy scoffed. Her façade finally dropped. It made sense why he wouldn't touch her anymore and how he seemed to be always in pain. "You're a fool then. You could be with me a proper daughter of an Alpha. You could be a new Alpha of your pack, but you are pining for an Omega that has already moved on from you."
"You mean nothing to me," Matthew snapped.
"It's not like you're a prize yourself. The only reason I wanted to be with you was because I wanted to be a Luna, but that doesn't even seem like that is happening," Brandy countered. "Thank Goddess you haven't marked me."
"You don't know what you're talking about," Matthew growled, his eyes blazing with anger.
"Of course, I do. Your brother is going to take control of the pack. You'll be the forgotten little f-up," Brandy jabbed, and Matthew slapped her. Brandy stumbled back, ready to scream at him, and Matthew slapped her again.
"You watch your mouth," Matthew growled. His eyes had shifted colors and his wolf, Bardur, was now in control.
"Just let me go. You don't want me, and I don't want to be your mate," Brandy pleaded.
"No. You have made me suffer and I am going to make you pay for it. You're going to never have happiness," Matthew snarled at her, causing her to pale in horror. He snatched her back to her feet, slamming her into the wall. "Since you want a pup so bad, why don't we do that right now? Let everyone see how much of a whore you are."