Page 12 of Valentine's with the Cartel

"Yes well," Mara cut in rudely, "Enough of this soppy nonsense. The deed is done and the alliance is sealed. What now?" Her voice was hard and calculating as she eyed us.

I almost laughed out loud at her brazen question; I thought she had more sensitivity than that.

I smiled coldly down at her even as my hand slid possessively across the small of Anan's back, rubbing soothing circles there to keep him grounded against me.

"Why don't we adjourn to a more... private setting to celebrate?" I suggested smoothly. "There are certain rituals and intimacies that can only be performed in the bedchamber."

Mara visibly recoiled at my blatant innuendo, no doubt remembering all too vividly what those 'rituals' entailed from her own marriage bed. To be honest, I was surprised she was married once.

I watched with great satisfaction as a delicate green tinge colored her porcelain cheeks.

"See that you don't mark the boy up too badly," she warned in an acid tone, arms still entwined. "He's meant to be a pretty plaything for guests as much as anything."

I bared my teeth at her in a savage grin, all pretenses of civility dropping away like a mask. "I wouldn't dream of touching a hair on his head," I growled, pulling Anan protectively against my side with a sharp glance thrown Mara's way that made even her falter slightly. "He is mine and mine alone to spoil as I see fit."

Chapter 7

Anan

I slammed the door behind me so hard that the hinges rattled precariously. But I didn't care; my anger was too intense, too all-consuming to give any thought to potential damage. Plus, nobody would care, anyway.

The bedchamber I found myself in was sumptuously decorated with rich mahogany furniture and plush velvet drapes pulled back from the large arched windows that looked out over the estate grounds below. It should have been a welcoming sight but all I could focus on was the fury seething inside me as I paced before the empty fireplace, my mind replaying the events of the ceremony in vivid detail.

Sometimes, it was a curse that my mind was so good at remembering things.

Had Rafael really thought it would be acceptable to parade me into that room like some conquered prize? To treat me so cavalierly in front of everyone there, laughing and joking about 'sampling' his lovely omega groom's delectable flavor as if I were nothing more than a side dish to be devoured at whim?

And the worst part was that I had actually let him! I had clung to him like some infatuated schoolgirl, reveling in the heat of his gaze upon me even as I blushed and squirmed at the blatant innuendo he used to describe our private activities for all to hear.

I should have been stronger. Should never have let him do the things he did to me. That was my mistake.

It wasn't like anyone expected anything else from me, of course. They assumed that Rafael would have complete control over every aspect of my life, including the most intimate details. And I had played right into their hands by acting like some submissive little wimp who couldn't even stand up for himself against such brazen manipulation.

I could almost still hear their amused titters echoing in my mind's eye as I recalled the knowing smirks and barely concealed snickers that had circled the room while Rafael held me against his body. They were all thinking the same thing: 'look at the little omega slut, too desperate for attention that he'll let his alpha treat him like property right there in front of everyone.'

And to make matters worse, I had no idea where Rafael was right now, off doing God-knows-what and leaving me stewing here all alone. He hadn't bothered to give any explanations about what would happen after the ceremony or where he would be.

I slammed my fist down on the dresser beside me, a strangled groan escaping from my throat as I fought to contain the tempest of emotions raging inside me. This wasn't supposed to have happened this way—me reduced to a simpering mess who couldn't even muster up the willpower to object when being openly disrespected in front of an entire roomful of people.

I collapsed back onto the plush bed, burying my face in my hands as the hot sting of shame and humiliation burned behindmy eyelids. I wanted to scream, to break something, anything to vent even a fraction of the turmoil twisting me up inside.

But instead, I lay there motionless, staring sightlessly at nothing as I waited for the numbness to overtake me again—the same blessed emptiness that had carried me through so many difficult moments before. It was all I knew how to do when everything else felt too painful to bear.

Eventually, exhaustion began to weigh down on me, my limbs leaden and my mind hazy with exhaustion and suppressed tears. Rolling onto my side, I curled into a fetal position in the middle of the mattress, clutching a pillow tight against my chest as if it could somehow shield me from the cruelty of the world.

With sleep beginning to drag me inexorably down into its welcome oblivion, my last coherent thought was one of bleak resignation-

I was then startled by a sudden intrusion, bolting upright in bed with a gasp as my head whipped towards the door. But all the shock and fury evaporated into nothingness the instant I saw Rafael sauntering into the room as casually as if he owned it. Which of course he did. Why did I keep having such stupid thoughts?

"Well don't you look like a pretty little mess," Rafael purred as he came to a halt at the foot of the bed, drinking in the sight of me tangled up in the sheets with undisguised appreciation. "And here I thought we were going for 'happily married' vibes today." Of course he had to say that, the motherfucker.

I stared at him in stunned silence for a long moment, too flabbergasted by his audacity to formulate an immediate response. And could anyone even blame me for having such a reaction? No, nobody could.

Then the full force of his comment sank in and indignation flared hotly within me.

"You arrogant bastard!" I sputtered, surging out of the bed with my fists clenched tightly at my sides. "How dare you march back in here like nothing's happened and act like we're just playing some silly game! You completely humiliated me in front of all those people!"

Rafael arched one brow as he watched me stalk toward him, his smirk only widening in the face of my fury. It made me want to scream, and if I didn't know people would hear me, I'd do it.

---