Chapter 3

My legs shook as I stood in the center of the hall surrounded by the accusing eyes of my pack. Their whispers felt like knives against my skin, each one sharper than the last.

“Rae Castor,” the Alpha King’s voice thundered, silencing the murmurs. I flinched at the sound. His piercing silver eyes bore into me from his throne.

“You have disgraced this pack,” he declared, his voice echoing off the stone walls. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

My throat was dry, my lips trembling as I tried to speak. The weight of his words crushed me, but the icy look on Damien’s face hurt even more.

“I didn’t do it.” I started, my voice breaking.

“You didn’t do it.” the Alpha laughed, his voice echoing through the hall. “That’s what every traitor says.”

“I mean it. I didn’t do it. I would never go against this pack. “ I tried to defend myself, deep down I knew my words were not going to do anything but that didn’t stop me.

“Alpha please I need you to—“

“Silence!” the Alpha growled, cutting me off.

I flinched, my gaze dropping to the floor. My knees wobbled, and I fought to keep standing.

“A betrayal like this is unforgivable.” The Alpha gestured to Damien, who stood rigid beside him, his eyes fixed firmly on the floor. “Isn’t that right prince Damien?”

Damien nodded. “Yes, she has defied the trust of this pack. She needs to be punished greatly.”

Kayla’s smirk deepened as Damien spoke. She was enjoying this.

The murmurs around me grew louder, voices rising in anger.

“She’s a traitor.”

“She can’t be trusted.”

“She deserves whatever punishment she gets.”

My chest ached, my breathing shallow. I wanted to defend myself, to scream that it wasn’t what it looked like. But I knew no one would believe what I said. They all hated me.

The Alpha King rose from his throne, towering over me like a mountain. “The punishment for such betrayal is banishment.”

The word hit me like a blow to the gut. Banishment.

My legs buckled, and I barely caught myself from collapsing. Banishment wasn’t just exile—it was a death sentence. To be cast out, alone, unprotected, with no pack to shield me...

“No,” I whispered. “Please, no.”

The Alpha’s glare was merciless. “You’ve brought this upon yourself, Rae. You have no place here.”

Tears stung my eyes, but before they could fall, the heavy doors at the back of the hall slammed open.

A man dressed in dark cloak stood at the entrance. The crowd parted as he walked, and the minute his cloak fell my eyes grew.

Von Dax.

Even I knew who he was—the Hybrid King, ruler of the creatures that were half-wolf, half-vampire, and wholly terrifying. His dark eyes,scanned the room before landing on me.

A chill ran down my spine.

“What is the meaning of this interruption?” the Alpha barked, his voice losing some of its edge in the face of Von’s silent power.

Von didn’t answer immediately. He continued walking, until he stood only a few feet from me. His gaze flicked over me briefly before turning to the Alpha.

“I couldn’t help but overhear,” Von said in a bold tone. “You plan to banish her?”

“She betrayed the pack,” the Alpha growled. “This is not your concern.”

Von raised an eyebrow. “On the contrary, it is very much my concern.”

The Alpha’s eyes narrowed. “Explain yourself.”

Von tilted his head slightly, his smirk cold. “Your pack owes me a debt. Have you forgotten the treaty we signed a decade ago?”

The room fell deathly silent. I looked between the two men, my heart pounding. What was he talking about?

“I remember,” the Alpha said stiffly.

“Good,” Von replied. “Then you’ll also remember that the terms of our treaty allow me to claim what I want, when I want, as payment.”

The Alpha’s jaw tightened. “What does this have to do with her?”

Von’s smirk widened as he turned back to me. “I want her.”

My stomach dropped.

Gasps erupted around the room, and even the Alpha looked momentarily stunned. “Why would you want her?” he asked.

Von shrugged casually. “That’s none of your concern. She’s nothing but a disgrace in your eyes, isn’t she? Useless to your pack. Or would you rather break a treaty with the Hybrid Kingdom over one girl?”

The Alpha growled low in his throat, his fists clenching.

“She’s a traitor,” the Alpha spat.

“And you’re rid of her,” Von countered smoothly. “Consider your debt paid.”

The Alpha hesitated for only a moment before he spoke. “Fine. Take her.”

The words felt like a slap.

Von’s guards moved quickly, seizing my arms before I could react.

“No,” I choked out, struggling against their grip. “Please, don’t do this!”

I looked desperately at the Alpha, at Damien, at Kayla—at anyone. But none of them met my gaze. Not even Damien.

Von paused in the doorway, glancing back at me with a cold, unreadable expression. “You should be grateful,” he said softly. “I just saved your life.”

Saved? His words felt like a cruel joke as the guards dragged me out of the hall, away from the only home I’d ever known, and into a future that felt darker than the one I was leaving behind.