Chapter 3

As werewolves, Jacob, Aaron, and Marcus were able to heal to an extent, despite their extensive injuries. I was basically dragged back to the shifting grounds.

With the amount of blood on me and the boys, the moment we walked into the clearing, people began to gasp.

"What is the meaning of this?" Alpha Lucas demanded.

I struggled against Silas' hold. It was humiliating. I could feel my father's eyes on me, the ghost of their obscene touches still on my skin.

"Alpha, she just went berserk and—"

My ears were ringing, and I blurted out the truth like it was poison. "They tried to rape me!" I yelled.

There was heavy silence.

"You are a fucking liar!" Gamma Ryan, Aaron's father, spat. "My son would never—"

"I am not lying, I swear. They... they held me down... in the dirt." It hurt to speak, but I knew that I had to. "They took Bella."

"I'm here," Bella's voice came from behind me, and I snapped my head to where she now stood, unharmed. I took a breath of relief.

"Don't lie, Stella," my father's voice made a chill run down my spine. "They didn't try—"

"They did!" I cut him off. "Why would I lie?" I demanded, but they all looked at me with disgust and disdain.

"You cannot go around lying about something as heinous as that," the Alpha spat.

"I am not lying!"

"She is lying, Alpha," Aaron cut in. "That was not what happened. We would never."

"None of us would fuck a wolfless bitch like her," Marcus spat, but I could hear the tremor in his voice.

"I am sure that my attention-whore of a sister is lying. She’s been trying to get into the boys' pants since forever," Angela, my sister, sneered, her tone snide.

It was three against one, and I just happened to be disliked in the pack.

I turned to Bella. "You were with me," I said hopefully. "You must have heard me shouting. You know I could never—"

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

My stomach dropped to my feet. "Bella—"

The Alpha turned to her. "Do you know something we don't?"

She sighed. "Yes, we were walking together. Then we heard the boys in another part of the woods. She disappeared on me. But the thing is..." She hesitated. "She’s been talking about trying to get pregnant by one of the high-rank kids so that she could avoid getting married to the person the beta chooses."

I stared at Bella, my heart breaking. "Bella, why are you lying? You know what happened!"

She shook her head, looking away. "I don’t know what you're talking about. You disappeared on me. The boys were in a different part of the woods. Maybe you—"

"Bella!" I screamed, struggling against Silas’ grip. My heart shattered as her betrayal set in. My only friend. She was supposed to have my back, and now she was throwing me under the bus. "Why are you doing this?"

The boys quickly chimed in, their voices overlapping in a desperate bid to shift the blame. "She's crazy, Alpha!" Aaron shouted, holding his injured arm. "She’s been rejected, and it drove her insane. She just attacked us out of nowhere, shifted like some wild animal!"

"I swear, we didn’t touch her," Marcus added, limping as he tried to look pathetic. "She just went berserk!"

"She’s lying!" Jacob sneered, blood still staining his clothes. "No one wants her. She’s just looking for attention."

The crowd stirred, the murmurs growing louder. Eyes full of disdain burned into me, and my father’s cold gaze locked onto mine.

"She’s a disgrace," he said. "Always causing trouble. Now this? Lying about something so vile..."

I couldn’t breathe. My own father. My own sister. The entire pack.

The Alpha’s voice boomed through the silence. "You dare lie about my Gamma’s son, Beta?"

"She’s always been trouble," Angela hissed, her voice venomous. "She’s just doing this for attention. She doesn’t care about anyone but herself."

Tears stung my eyes. "I’m not lying! Why would I make this up?" I sobbed, looking at Silas, begging him silently to believe me. "Please. You have to believe me. They—"

But then, his grip on my arm shifted. His fingers brushed against something, and I felt him freeze. Slowly, his eyes narrowed as he pulled back the fabric covering my shoulder. The bond mark glowed faintly in the moonlight, identical to his own.

He stepped back, his face hardening as realization dawned on him.

"I have an unpleasant announcement," Silas said, his voice low but commanding. "She’s my mate."

The clearing fell deathly silent. Gasps rippled through the crowd as the pack stared in shock. Alpha Lucas’ eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to find the words.

"What...?" Aaron stammered, his face draining of color.

"That’s impossible!" Angela shrieked, her voice cutting through the silence. "She can’t be—"

"She is," Silas interrupted coldly, his gaze sweeping the pack. "This bond mark proves it. She is mine."

The disbelief in the air was palpable, but no one dared challenge Silas. My father’s face twisted in rage, and Angela looked like she wanted to rip me apart. But it didn’t matter.

"So you believe me?"

Silence.

Then he laughed, hollow and cold. "You could never be my mate," he snarled in my face, his features contorted in loathing. "I have already chosen my mate. It will be the beta's daughter, but not you. Never you."

Angela stepped forward, and they held hands.

Something inside me shattered at the sight, my eyes brimming with tears. What could I have expected? What hurt more was that my sister knew I had always loved Silas.

She smirked at me, her eyes glinting with malice.

Alpha Lucas nodded. "You know what to do, son."

"Of course," he replied as he turned to me. "I, Silas Morrigan of Red Moon pack, reject you, Stella Harrison, as my mate."

I took a shaky breath. "I, Stella Harrison, accept your rejection."