Mated to My Intended's Enemy Chapter 16 Get out. Now

Victoria

The tension in the boutique was palpable as Leo stood beside , his presence commanding imdiate respect—and fear. I watched as the manager’s expression shifted from arrogant dismissal to wide-eyed terror. The transformation was almost comical.

"What seems to be the problem here?" Leo asked, his voice deceptively soft. His hand rested possessively on my lower back, warm and steady.

The manager quickly recovered from his shock, straightening his suit jacket as he attempted to regain control of the situation. "Alpha Moretti, sir, this... woman was causing a disturbance in our establishnt. She was deliberately antagonizing my mate and threatening our business."

I bit my lip to stifle a laugh, choosing to remain silent as the manager continued spinning his tale.

"She demanded special treatnt and beca aggressive when my mate simply suggested a more appropriate size for her fra." He gestured toward with barely concealed disdain. "When we politely suggested she might be more comfortable shopping elsewhere, she beca belligerent."

The manager seed encouraged by Leo’s silence, growing bolder. "We maintain certain standards for our clientele, as I’m sure you understand, Alpha. We couldn’t have known she was... acquainted with you."

lissa nodded emphatically beside her mate. "She’s clearly not familiar with proper etiquette in establishnts such as ours."

Through all of this, I maintained my silence, eting Leo’s gaze when he finally looked at . Sothing dangerous flickered in his eyes before he turned back to the pair.

To everyone’s surprise, Leo completely ignored the manager’s accusations. Instead, he turned to , his arm sliding around my waist in a gesture that was unmistakably intimate.

"Did you find sothing you like, sweetheart?" he asked, his voice warm with affection that made my heart flutter traitorously in my chest.

I couldn’t resist playing along, leaning into his embrace. "I did, actually. Unfortunately, the dress I want happens to be in a store run by people I don’t particularly care for."

I gestured toward the erald gown I’d been eyeing. "That one caught my eye."

The color drained from both the manager’s and lissa’s faces as they watched our interaction. The realization of their massive error was dawning on them in real ti, and I couldn’t deny the satisfaction it gave .

"An excellent choice," Leo murmured, his thumb tracing small circles on my hip that sent shivers up my spine.

He turned his attention back to the now-trembling pair. "Let make sothing absolutely clear," he said, his voice dropping to that dangerous alpha timbre that seed to vibrate through the entire room. "This woman you’ve been insulting is Victoria Howlthorne, my chosen Luna."

The word ’mate’ sent a jolt through that I tried desperately to hide.

"Alpha, we had no idea—" the manager began.

"Silence," Leo commanded, and the word seed to physically strike the manager. "You claim to be my cousin? Interesting. I wasn’t aware I had family working in this mall."

"It’s—it’s a distant relation, sir," the manager stamred, sweat beading on his forehead.

"How convenient," Leo replied coldly. "Well, ’cousin,’ consider yourself and your mate terminated from this position, effective imdiately."

lissa gasped, clutching her mate’s arm. "You can’t do that!"

Leo’s eyes flashed dangerously. "This is my property. My mall. My pack territory. I can and will do as I see fit."

He stepped closer to the manager, lowering his voice. "If you speak one more disparaging word about my Luna, I’ll ensure you permanently lose the ability to speak at all. Am I understood?"

The alpha power behind his words was so strong that I felt it despite not being the target. The manager visibly shrank, nodding frantically.

"I—I apologize, Luna," he choked out, bowing his head toward . Then, in a stunning display of cowardice, he rounded on lissa. "This is all your fault! You and your stupid attitude toward custors!"

lissa’s face crumpled in shock. "Mark, what are you saying?"

"I’m saying you’ve cost us everything!" he snarled. "I reject our bond. I reject you as my mate!"

The words seed to physically strike lissa. She doubled over with a cry of pain that made my stomach clench, her hand clutching at her chest as though sothing was being ripped from her.

"You can’t an that," she gasped, tears streaming down her face. "We’re bonded! You’re my mate!"

"Not anymore," Mark spat. "I sever our bond. I want nothing to do with you."

I watched in horror as lissa collapsed to her knees, the pain of the mate rejection causing her actual physical agony. Despite her earlier behavior toward , my heart clenched at the sight. No one deserved that kind of pain.

"Stop it!" I snapped at Mark, my voice carrying more authority than I knew I possessed. "You’re hurting her!"

Mark sneered at . "With all due respect, you don’t have the authority to interfere in wolf matters. Mate rejection is my right."

"I am Victoria Howlthorne, Luna of the Shadow Pack. "I said, stepping forward. "And I’m telling you that your behavior is a disgrace to our kind."

The words flowed from with a confidence I didn’t know I possessed. "You’re blaming your mate for your own moral failures. It was your responsibility as her mate to guide her, to set the example. Instead, you encouraged her prejudice and cruelty because it served your ego."

I pointed to the door. "You’re both banished from Shadow Pack territory until you’ve learned respect and humility. Get out."

Mark’s face contorted with rage, but when he opened his mouth to argue, Leo stepped forward.

"You heard your Luna," Leo said softly. "Get out. Now."

Two security guards appeared as if summoned by Leo’s thoughts alone, escorting the disgraced pair from the boutique.

As the drama concluded, I beca aware of the stunned audience of shoppers and employees watching us. My newfound confidence wavered, but Leo’s arm slid around again, steadying .

"You handled that beautifully," he murmured in my ear, his breath warm against my skin. "Like a true Luna."

I looked up at him, searching his face. "I didn’t plan to do that."

"Leadership isn’t planned, little wolf. It’s instinctual." His eyes glowed with pride that made my heart race. He pulled out his phone, typing a quick ssage. "Tiny will arrange for new managent imdiately. In the anti..."

A nervous saleswoman approached us, holding the erald dress I’d been admiring. "Would you like to try this on, Luna? I’ve brought it in a size eight, as you requested."

I smiled gratefully at her. "Yes, thank you."

She led to a spacious fitting room with plush seating and full-length mirrors on three walls. As she hung the dress on a hook, she bowed slightly. "Please let know if you need any assistance, Luna."

After she left, I took a deep breath, still processing the intensity of what had just happened. I reached for the hem of my sweater, ready to change, when the door clicked open behind .

I whirled around to find Leo slipping into the fitting room, quietly closing and locking the door behind him.

"What are you doing?" I whispered, suddenly very aware of how small the space felt with his large fra filling it.

"Helping," he replied, his eyes darkening as they trailed over my body. "You might need assistance with the zipper."

He moved behind , and I felt his fingers trace slowly down my spine, leaving goosebumps in their wake. My breath caught in my throat as he leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.

"I ant what I said out there," he murmured. "You were magnificent, Victoria. Born to be Luna."