Violet's POV
I stared at the man before me with confusion written across my face. I knew exactly who he was, but I had no explanation for what was happening right now. How on earth could I be mated to Alpha Mark and his twin brother, Alpha Mateo? It didn't make any sense, but there was no denying the mate pull that existed between us.
Just like Mark, his twin brother was also Alpha. But unlike the former, Mateo was a lot more calm and reserved. He was the kingdom's delight, and the complete opposite of his twin brother.
Desperate to be saved from Mark, I climbed down from the bed and rushed towards Mateo without restraints while praying in my head that the rumors about him were true. If he was really the opposite of his brother, then there was no way he would let me suffer the cruel fate of marrying somebody as horrible as Mark.
"Please save me, take me out of here, I beg you." I cried, my tears soaking the hem of his clothes that I had now refused to let go off. I prayed in my heart that Alpha Mateo was like what the stories told. If there was even a chance that he could save me from this cruel fate, then I was going to do everything I could to have that chance.
There was silence between us, the look in his eyes one of concern and confusion as he stared at me. I didn't blame him, even I had failed to understand why I could feel a bond between us. But I really didn't care about that at the moment. I just wanted to be out of this place and back with my mother.
For a moment, it almost seemed like Mateo was going to help me. Or perhaps I was simply being deceived by his calm looks. It really didn't matter because Mark had stormed back into the room. Although he was already wild with rage, his anger only seemed to grow even further the moment he caught sight of me in Mateo's arms.
"You lousy, ungrateful sewer rat!" Mark lashed out aggressively as he stormed towards me. "How dare you run to him? Have you forgotten your place?"
I felt my heart drop to my stomach as his imposing figure approached me. Was this it? Would he really kill me? I wondered with every step he took forward. The moment he was within arms length, Mark raised his hand to strike me with all the force he could muster. Every muscle in my body froze, ready to take the impact of the strike, while I wondered if I would even survive it. I waited for the strike to connect, but it never did. Slowly, not without trepidation, I opened my eyes to see that Mateo had intercepted Mark and stopped him from hitting me.
"Don't you think that's going a little too far?" Mateo said, his voice was calm, but there was no denying the coldness in his eyes.
Mark stumbled back slightly, clearly surprised by his twin brother's actions. He probably never expected him to stand up for me, and I could tell he had only begun to wonder what Mateo was doing in my room in the first place.
"Move, Mateo. This problem is between me and my mate, and you have no right to interfere with that!" Mark raged, his condescending demeanor doing nothing to discourage Mateo who didn't move a muscle even after his brother's warnings.
Mateo took a second to glance back at me, confusion etched onto his face as he turned to face Mark. His brother had just called me his mate, but there was no denying the mate bond that we felt. I could tell he wanted to argue Mark's words, but was unsure if he would be making a mistake or not.
"Hitting her won't solve anything. She's just arrived here and is already terrified, I think it's best we don't add to her trauma—"
Mateo hadn't finished when Mark's fist connected with his chin. Stunned by the unexpected attack, the Alpha stumbled backwards, fighting to regain his balance. Mark was physically more imposing than his twin brother, and he was the ruthless one. I didn't want to base their strength on appearance alone, but my bet was on Mark to win the fight.
With Mateo out of the way, Mark grabbed me by the collar, his eyes bright with hatred as he slapped me hard across the face. "You spineless whore! Trying to get to my brother on your first night, is that it?! How about I tie you to the bedpost and fuck you while he watches!"
Holding me down with one arm, Mark tore my dress away from my body with the other. Then he pushed me to the bed, and me down by the head. I cried for help, kicking and fighting to break free, but that was not enough.
His grip only seemed to tighten around my neck as he shoved me down onto the bed. My screams tore through the room, desperate and frantic, but they only seemed to fuel his vile determination. His weight pressed against me, his breath hot with rage. I kicked and clawed, my chest heaving with panic, but it wasn't enough. I could feel his hot erection pressed against my bare ass cheek, and the realization that I might be defiled against my wishes dawned on me.
But then, in an instant, the pressure vanished. Mark's body was suddenly off me, and flying back until he hit the wall. Mateo had pulled him away before he could have his way with me. I collapsed to the floor, pulling my torn dress over my bare body while Mateo stood defensively in front of me. There was a darkness around him, an intense bloodlust that made me question if Mark was really the one who was known for being a savage.
"Don't you dare touch her again," Mateo growled, his voice a low, venomous snarl that I barely recognized as the calm, composed man I had clung to moments earlier.
Mark stumbled to his feet, spitting out blood from where Mateo had hit him. The shock on his face was evident, but it quickly twisted into disbelief and anger. "Have you lost your mind, Mateo?" he roared. "You're defending a stranger? A filthy nobody you've never even met before?"
Mateo waited for a moment, his cold gaze traveling from Mark to me and then back to Mark again. Taking in a deep breath, he finally aired the words he had fought hard to keep in. "She's my mate!"