CHAPTER TEN

"What are you doing here?" Dean growls at me.

"It's nice to see you too," I say.

"I asked you a question," he growls. "You walked away from your pack," he says, "leaving everyone you know behind. And now you think you can just walk back in?"

I try to keep my cool.

"I've brought someone back." I gesture towards Matthew. I can see people in the distance looking over at us.

"Who is that?" someone calls out.

"I don't know," Dean calls back.

Dean walks over to stand next to me. I can feel his hot breath on my face.

"How did he get back here?" Dean asks. There is something about the way he asks the question that makes me nervous. I can't tell if he's suspicious or if he's just curious. I can't tell if I'm in danger or if the tide is changing.

"I rescued him" I say. "To prove myself and my loyalty to the pack. To you.

Dean doesn't respond. He stares at me for a few moments, but I'm not sure what he's thinking.

"I don't want to hear it," Dean says, turning away from me. His back is turned, but I can still feel the heat radiating off him. I know I've made a mistake. I know it might be too late to fix it.

Just then, my mother appears.

"Marla?" she says. "Marla!"

I want to run to her, to hug her, but I'm too nervous. I'm afraid to move. I'm afraid to make any sudden moves.

"There she is!" someone shouts.

A crowd is starting to gather around us. People are coming out of their cabins to see what the commotion is about. I see a few people I recognize from home-- people from the pack. I know they're all here. The ones who care about me. The ones I care about. They're all here.

"Marla," says my mother. She's beaming at me. I'm surprised by the sheer joy on her face. I expected her to be angry-- to hate me for leaving the pack. But if that's the case, she's doing a good job of pretending.

"I've missed you," she says. She pulls me into a hug.

"I'm sorry, mom," I say. "I'm so sorry."

"Shh," my mother says, and she puts her finger to my lips. "It's okay. You're back now," she says. "That's all that matters."

"No, it isn’t," Dean snarls. "She left the pack. That's a serious offense.”

"But I brought Matthew back," I say. "I've proven my loyalty. My value."

"It doesn't matter," Dean says. "The fact is, you left. That's against the rules. We need to figure out what the best punishment is,"

"This isn't up to you, Dean," my mother says.

"You're right," Dean replies. "But it's not up to you either. It's up to the alpha."

I want to argue with Dean, but I know he's right. In matters where the tribe is divided, the alpha is the decider. I don't want to see the alpha, to have to beg him for my life. But I don't have any other choice, so I follow Dean to the alpha's cabin. I try to forget that the Alpha and I barely know each other while Dean is one of his closest friends.

But I can't. I'm in trouble, and I know it.

"Hello," the alpha says to me. "Marla. It's good to see you."

I try to smile at him, but I find that I'm not capable of doing it. I'm too nervous.

The alpha looks over at Dean. "You have something to say," he says.

"I do," Dean says. "Marla left the camp. That's against the rules."

"I know," says the alpha.

"I think she should be banished," Dean says.

The alpha pulls back in surprise.

"Banishment?" he says.

"Yes," Dean says.

"There are a number of things that could be done," the alpha says. "Banishment is one of them. But it's one of the most extreme things we could do."

"I think it's justified," Dean says.

"Dean," the alpha says, "are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yes," Dean says. "I suppose I am."

"Then it's done," the alpha says.

"What?" I say, my heart beating in my throat. "What do you mean, it's done?"

"I mean it's done," the alpha says. "I've decided."

"You can't do this," I say. "I saved Matthew. I proved my loyalty. I--"

"That's enough," the alpha roars. "My decision is made."

"I won't accept this," I say.

The alpha turns to Dean.

"If she does not leave on her own," the alpha says, "we will throw her out."

"That won't be necessary," I say.

I turn to leave. "I'll go."

"You don't have to do this," my mother says.

I turn to face her.

"I do, and you know it. They're not giving me any other choice."

"I'm sorry," my mother says.

"It's not your fault," I say.

"I love you," my mother says.

"I love you too," I say.

"I'll walk you to the edge of the forest," Dean says.

"That won't be necessary," I say.

"Yes, it will," Dean insists. "Someone has to make sure you actually leave."

"I'm not going to try anything," I say.

"I know," Dean says. "But you're still going to need a babysitter."

I follow Dean down the path. We walk in silence together. The woods have never been so foreboding as they are when I leave. It's as if the whole forest knows what's going on, and it's making the atmosphere thick with despair. The trees look down on me, somehow knowing that I'm no longer one of them.

I quicken my pace. My heart is breaking, but I vow not to let it show. The last thing I want is to give Dean the satisfaction of knowing just how much he's hurt me. So I take a breath and put on a brave face.

I take one final glance at my pack before I cross over the edge of the forest. And then, I take my first true step into exile.