Chapter 2

Selene's POV

The next night, I didn't attend the pack meeting.

I locked myself in my room, clutching Leo's little teddy bear. The bear still smelled like him—my only comfort now.

Then—

BANG!

The door burst open. Two hulking guards stormed in and grabbed my arms.

"Get OFF me!" I fought back desperately, but my body was weak from days without eating.

"Drag her to the square!" An elder's voice echoed from the hallway.

They hauled me to the central bonfire square. Icy wind slapped my face. Hundreds of pack members surrounded us.

No more respect in their eyes—only disgust and contempt.

On the platform, Carl held Thomas. The child had bruises around his neck and scratch marks on his cheeks. The moment he saw me, he started shaking. Elena stood beside them, eyes red from crying, glaring at me.

"Selene!" Elena rushed forward, screaming. "How could you do that to Thomas! He's just a child!"

"I never—"

"Don't you DARE play dumb!" Elena's voice went shrill. "Thomas told me everything! You snuck into his room! Dragged him out of bed! You tried to STRANGLE him!"

"I DIDN'T!" I shouted back. "I've been in my room all day! I never even saw this kid!"

"LIAR!" Elena pointed at Thomas's wounds. "Look at these scratches! Your nails did this! If I hadn't gotten back in time, Thomas would be DEAD!"

Thomas curled up in Carl's arms: "It was... it was that lady. She said Leo dying was my fault. She said she'd make me go be with Leo..."

He sobbed: "Her hands were so strong. I called for Mommy... and Mommy saved me..."

"You fucking BITCH!" Carl shot to his feet. "Thomas is five years old! You tried to kill a CHILD!"

SLAP!

His hand cracked across my face. I hit the ground hard, mouth filling with blood.

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" I screamed. "You're gonna believe a five-year-old over me?"

The elder stepped forward, holding a blood-stained necklace. "We found this in Thomas's room. Your necklace. Still has your scent."

I stared in shock. It was definitely mine—my mother's heirloom that I kept in my jewelry box.

"That's impossible... my necklace was in my room..."

Then I remembered.

A few days ago, after Leo's funeral, I'd noticed things in my room looked disturbed. Moved around. But I'd been too destroyed by grief to care.

I whipped around to look at Elena. She was dabbing her eyes, flashing me the faintest smile.

It was HER! She'd planned this whole thing!

"Carl!" I crawled toward him. "Elena's FRAMING me! She hurt Thomas herself!"

"Daddy..." Thomas shook when he saw me coming. "I'm scared. I don't want to stay here..."

Elena quickly took Thomas from Carl's arms, tears streaming: "Selene, I know you're hurting from losing Leo, but you can't accuse me... and you can't take it out on an innocent child... Thomas jumps at every sound now. He's so young..."

"SHUT UP!" I roared. "You lying BITCH! You did this to your own kid!"

"ENOUGH!" Carl kicked me away, face twisted with disgust. "Elena would NEVER hurt her own son. Your jealousy made you fucking INSANE!"

The pack erupted:

"She's evil! Going after a child!"

"She doesn't deserve to be Luna!"

"Throw her out!"

Their hatred hit me like fists. Twelve years ago, when I married Carl as the Silver Moon Alpha's daughter, these same people had bowed to me.

But I'd been naive, thinking Carl actually loved me.

He'd only wanted my father's army and territory. When my father died, Carl absorbed the Silver Moon pack and kicked out all my father's loyal followers.

Now I was useless.

"Since you've sunk this low," Carl announced coldly, "I'm stripping Selene of her Luna title—"

"You have NO RIGHT!" I struggled to my feet, screaming. "Carl, remember how you became Alpha! Without my father's support, without Silver Moon's army, you were NOTHING!"

Carl's face darkened.

"That was long ago."

"Long ago?" I laughed bitterly. "What did you say when you knelt before my father begging to marry me? 'I swear on my life to protect Selene, to never let her be harmed'—is THAT your oath?"

The square went silent.

Carl stared at me. Something flickered in his eyes. But quickly, his face went cold again.

"Times changed, Selene. Your father's dead. Silver Moon's gone. Now you're just an empty title."

He paused, voice turning cruel:

"From today, Selene loses her Luna status. Lock her in the ice dungeon. One hundred lashes a day."

"Until she confesses!"