I was never in love with Enzo, but the pain of betrayal hit me hard because we were mates. I couldn't help but wonder why everyone seemed to hate me. Mara and I were the same in that she was also an Omega rogue. So why was it so easy for him to accept her and disregard me? And the fact that Mara was going along with it only made things worse. "What's wrong with her? She's such a lazy bitch. She can't even run straight, let alone dream of beating Rosalie," one of the girls from the crowd taunted me, making everyone laugh at her remark. She was clearly a Rosalie supporter, always singing her praises, so I wasn't surprised when she made that comment. "Get up!" Atticus's stern voice pierced my eardrums. Even from a distance, I could hear the anger in his words. I managed to get back on my feet, and when I looked up again, Enzo and Mara had disappeared. I didn't have any desire to continue with the training at that point. "She's not interested, so why did she waste a spot?" Rosalie yelled, riling up the crowd against me. "Everyone managed to cross the line, even if they were late, except for you," Atticus scolded me as he walked over, but I paid little attention to him. My mind was still clouded by what I had witnessed. Mara had only been my friend, so what I had seen had not only broken my heart but also shattered my trust in her. My mind continued to wonder why Mara had chosen to be intimate with my mate out of all the people around her. "Cynthia! I'm talking to you." Atticus snapped his fingers in front of my face, demanding my attention. As I shook my head to snap back to reality, my vision remained blurry. "I'm sorry, I was---," I mumbled under my breath, looking down to conceal the tears. "Where is your focus?" He persisted in questioning me. "May I please go to the bathroom? I think I've hurt my knees," I requested instead of offering another apology, hoping for a brief reprieve. Silence followed my request, and I lifted my head to see Atticus studying me with concern. His gaze met mine, and he swallowed before forcing an angry expression. "She's asking for a break," the Rosalie supporter, Rila, declared. "That's not fair," Rosalie objected, standing up when she realized Atticus was considering my request. I desperately wanted to leave and confront Enzo and Mara myself, but they were causing a delay here. "It's okay. She can take a break to tend to her knees. But come back soon because you'll be doing extra rounds as a penalty," he said, but I could tell he noticed my confusion because even after he mentioned the punishment, I simply nodded with no emotional reaction. "Everyone, back on your feet," I heard him instructing the other trainees. That was a relief because for now, no one would be following me. Despite my urgent rush to the floor where I had seen them, I couldn't find any trace of Enzo and Mara. With each step I took, my heart sank at the possibilities. "Why, Mara?" I whispered to myself as I searched for them. The classroom where she was supposed to be was empty. They had left after they were finished. I was tired of feeling defeated by fate. My heart did a flip in my chest when I heard cries coming from another room. The whimpers were growing louder with each passing second. With my heart pounding, I reached for the door and pushed it open, only to be confronted with a horrifying sight. "Oh, my God!" I gasped, "Mara!" I whispered as I saw her in distress. She was a wreck. She sat on the floor with her face buried in her hands, her body trembling miserably. I was confused about what happened that resulted in her being in such a state. The view I saw didn’t look forceful. She was actually participating in holding his hand on her boob from over the shirt while he fucked her from the back. “I saw you with him,” I said, expecting a genuine shock. “I am so---rry!” She didn’t appear surprised, but rather distressed. “Why? You were my friend. You knew this would cause me pain, and I am in---- training,” I complained, but the way she kept crying was weird. “He----,” she stuttered, hiccupping from crying too much. "What happened?" I had a pretty good idea of who she was talking about since I'd just seen her with him, but I wanted to give her a chance to explain. "En--zo! He is---," She attempted to speak through the hiccups, but every time she said his name, she broke down. I knelt down with her to concentrate on her gestures. "Cynthia! He's blackmailing me into doing things with him." Once she finished, a loud gasp escaped my lips in shock. I hadn't expected that to be the reason I had seen her with him. "He--he--has videotaped me in the locker room. And now he has that video, and he's threatening to leak it." Once she finished speaking, she broke down again and flung herself into my arms. I didn't hesitate and hugged her tightly. "I will make him pay for this," I vowed, pushing her away to go tell the principal. But she held onto my hand and forced me to sit back down. "Don't stop me," I argued with her, but she wouldn't let go of my hand. She was clutching that secret as if her life depended on it. I just couldn't comprehend how someone could treat another person so cruelly. "Cynthia! He said if I told anyone, he would---," The fear in her eyes filled me with sympathy. She was a kind and innocent girl. I realized I had been wrong to jump to conclusions and assume she had betrayed me. "He'll pay for this," I muttered under my breath, determined not to let him blackmail her any further.