Chapter 2

　　The laughter didn't stop ringing in my ears.

　　Even after Gavin's words had silenced the ceremony, after the Elder's shouts failed to calm the chaos, after my chest split open with the tearing of the bond… the sound of them laughing still clung to me like smoke.

　　Cruel.

　　By the time the torches dimmed and the crowd broke apart, I could barely feel my legs. My body swayed. I stood like a ghost, staring at the ground, my white ceremonial dress stained with dust and streaked with grass where I had fallen.

　　The delicate embroidery that was meant to honor the Goddess now looked like a joke against the dirt.

　　My wolf whimpered inside me, weak and broken, her cries echoing my own pain. She was supposed to be my strength, my other half. But tonight she was as shattered as I was, every shred of pride scattered at my feet.

　　"Enough," my father's voice cut through the noise, colder than the mountain wind that swept down from the peaks.

　　I flinched. Slowly, I lifted my head.

　　Alpha Elias stood tall at the edge of the dais, his broad shoulders rigid, his face carved in harsh lines.

　　His dark eyes glimmered like obsidian under torchlight. Not once had he moved to defend me. Not once had he even looked at me like his daughter tonight. Only disappointment radiated from him, burning hotter than any hatred from the crowd.

　　"Father…"

　　"You are no daughter of mine," he said flatly. "From this day forward, the Moonfang Pack will not carry your weakness."

　　The words crushed what little air was left in my lungs. They didn't just exile me. They erased me.

　　My mother gasped softly beside him, her hand clutching her chest as if she could hold her breaking heart inside.

　　Her lips trembled, but she didn't speak. She never did when he made decisions. Her silence was worse than his fury. She had chosen him over me, and that truth hollowed me out.

　　The Elder's voice rose, heavy with authority. "By decree of the Alpha, Selene is to be cast out. She has failed the Goddess, failed her mate, and failed her pack."

　　The crowd erupted in fresh whispers, vicious as snapping jaws.

　　"Pathetic."

　　"She brought this on herself."

　　"No wolf without strength deserves a mate."

　　Some jeered openly. Others smirked with cruel satisfaction. Vanessa leaned against Gavin like she had already won, her lips curled in triumph, her smugness glowing under the firelight.

　　Gavin didn't even look at me anymore… his arm was already around her, his head bent low as if whispering promises that were supposed to have been mine.

　　"No, please…" I choked, stepping forward. "Don't do this. I have nowhere to…"

　　Hands grabbed me before I could finish. Rough, unyielding hands that smelled of sweat.

　　Warriors at my father's command seized my arms, dragging me toward the edge of the clearing. Their grip was bruising, their steps relentless.

　　The torches blurred as my tears filled my vision, smearing the night into streaks of gold and black.

　　I fought, weakly, pathetically, my strength leaking away with every breath. "Stop! Please!" My feet scraped against the earth, leaving broken trails in the dirt. My voice cracked into sobs, but no one listened.

　　The warriors didn't falter. They hauled me through the winding paths, past the carved stones that marked our borders, past the scent-marked trails where safety ended.

　　The familiar scent of pine and moss gave way.

　　My heart slammed against my ribs as the trees grew taller, thicker, swallowing the moonlight.

　　The air itself seemed to change, carrying a metallic tang that made my wolf cower.

　　The Forbidden Woods.

　　Every wolf pup grew up with the stories. The place where the Moon Goddess turned her face away.

　　Where shadows lived, and creatures worse than rogues prowled. Where even the bravest warriors entered only to vanish, leaving behind screams in the night.

　　My knees buckled as they shoved me forward, the ground jarring my bones. "No! Please, not here!"

　　One of them sneered down at me, his teeth flashing in cruel amusement. "Better the woods than staining our pack another day."

　　The other spat on the ground, his eyes full of contempt. "The Beta's son was right. You are nothing."

　　I stumbled, crashing to my knees as they turned back without a second glance. Their silhouettes melted into the torchlight, leaving me swallowed by suffocating dark.

　　Alone.

　　Banished.

　　Unwanted.

　　The silence of the woods pressed in, broken only by the faint rustle of unseen things moving in the undergrowth.

　　My wolf whimpered again, faint and broken. I tried to push to my feet, but the world tilted, my vision flickering.

　　My body still ached from the tearing of the bond. Every breath felt like knives slicing through my ribs. I pressed a hand against my chest, as if I could hold the pieces of my heart together, and staggered deeper into the woods.

　　Branches snapped beneath my feet. The night air was colder here. Shadows stretched longer, swallowing the moonlight whole. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but where? Back to a pack that didn't want me? Forward, into death?

　　The first growl came from my left.

　　I froze, my pulse thudding painfully in my ears. My gaze darted to the side, and there… between the trees… eyes glowed faintly yellow, narrowing on me like a predator sighting prey.

　　A rogue.

　　I stumbled back, the bark of a tree scraping my palm, but another growl answered from the right. Then another behind me. Shadows shifted, bodies circling.

　　Wolves… leaner than pack wolves, their fur matted, their ribs sharp under filthy pelts. Their hunger rolled off them in waves, thick and choking.

　　My throat tightened. My wolf stirred weakly, a flicker of instinct trying to rise, but she was too wounded from the rejection to bring me strength.

　　I couldn't shift.

　　"Please…" I whispered, backing against a tree, my fingers digging into the bark until splinters stabbed my skin. "Stay away…"

　　The first rogue lunged.

　　I barely rolled aside, its jaws snapping where my shoulder had been. Pain tore across my arm as teeth grazed flesh.

　　Blood spilled down my skin, soaking the white fabric of my dress. I screamed, stumbling away, only to crash straight into another set of fangs.

　　Claws raked across my side, tearing through fabric and flesh alike. My dress ripped, my skin burned. My legs gave out, sending me sprawling onto the forest floor, the damp earth cold against my cheek.

　　They circled closer, their growls overlapping into a chorus of hunger. Their eyes gleamed with savage anticipation.

　　My breaths came sharp and fast, ragged sobs between gasps, my vision dimming at the edges.

　　So this was it. Banished, broken, and devoured like nothing.

　　I thought of my mother's eyes, full of tears she hadn't shed. Of Gavin's sneer as he turned away, choosing another. Of my father's voice, cold and final as he stripped me of everything.

　　And for the first time, I wondered if maybe they had been right all along. Maybe I was nothing.

　　One rogue crouched low, saliva dripping from its jaws, ready to strike. Its glowing eyes locked on my throat.

　　My body wouldn't move. My wolf barely whimpered. I could only wait.

　　But then… a ripple in the air. A shift, subtle but undeniable.

　　The rogues froze, snarls breaking into uneasy whines.

　　From the shadows between the trees, a presence stirred.

　　The rogue's ears flattened. They backed away, their glowing eyes flicking toward the dark as though some greater predator had entered.

　　I tried to lift my head, my vision fading. My blood dripped onto the leaves, the metallic scent thick in the air. And then I saw him.

　　A figure stepped into the faint sliver of moonlight. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Cloaked in black that blended into the shadows, with silver eyes. His face was expressionless, his aura wrapping the woods in a suffocating stillness.

　　The rogues moved back, whining now, their hunger turned to fear. One by one, they vanished into the trees as though they knew better than to challenge him.

　　I blinked, blood blurring my vision, but he didn't vanish. He only grew closer.

　　He moved toward me, each step deliberate, boots silent on the earth. His eyes flicked over me… not with pity, but he was curious like a predator studying prey it didn't quite recognize.

　　"Pathetic little wolf," his voice was low, smooth as velvet, yet filled with danger. "What are you doing, bleeding in my woods?"

　　I tried to speak, but only a broken sound escaped. My lips tasted of blood, my chest heaving in shallow bursts.

　　The edges of my vision darkened, the world pulling me under. And before I could answer, the darkness claimed me.

　　The last thing I felt was his presence sinking into me