Chapter 2

The moment the sun broke over the horizon, I was dragged out of the gates of the Moonbeam Pack like a traitor. The cold morning air bit at my skin, but nothing compared to the chill inside me. I stumbled forward, my bare feet scraping against the rough ground, but I didn’t look back. What was there to see? The place I had once called home had betrayed me. My mate had rejected me, and now I was alone.

   “Rowena!” 

I snapped around the moment I heard Nathan’s voice. He had finally come to his senses.

   “Nathan, why did you allow them to do this to me? You’ve always known that I’m innocent, so why did you let me suffer?” I sobbed, wanting to run into his arms, but the ropes that bound my hands held me back. Not to mention, I felt very weak.

   “The only reason I’m letting you get exiled is because my father loved you. Otherwise, you would have gotten the death sentence! Never step foot in this pack, else, I would kill you with my bare hands!” He growled, and the mad look in his eyes made me take a step back.

   “Why did you allow him to see that traitor?” A sharp voice asked. Before looking up, I knew it was Carol. She walked over to Nathan and placed her hand on his shoulder before giving me a triumphant smirk.

That was when it clicked. This wasn’t even about the late alpha! Carol wanted my husband for herself.

   “Carol! You lied against me to take Nathan away from me? How dare you? Tell him the truth, please!” I cried. 

Carol gave me a dirty look. “You still have no shame, after everything you’ve done, you’re making up things too.”

Without warning, I was pulled away. My heart ached as I took the first steps farther from the pack. I was sure that my eyes were bloodshot from crying, and my head still hadn’t wrapped around the situation completely. My breath came out in ragged gasps as I entered the thick, dark woods that surrounded the pack’s territory. 

   “You’re on your own now.” The first guard said. “If you come here in your next life, you’d think twice before killing anyone, especially not a respected leader.” And with that, they turned back, leaving me alone.

The trees stood tall and ominous, their branches reaching out like twisted arms. I wasn’t scared of the forest itself. No, the real fear lay in what lurked within… rogue wolves, and those creatures that wouldn’t hesitate to tear me apart.

I quickened my pace, though my legs felt weak and my body ached from the cold, the hunger, and the emotional turmoil. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten since… I couldn’t even remember when. Time had become a blur ever since Nathan had turned his back on me. How did things come to this? And how could he have believed her?

The thought churned inside me. Nathan, the man I had loved with every fiber of my being, had cast me aside because of Coral’s lies. That smug smile on her face as she accused me of killing Alpha George, knowing full well I was innocent. Nathan didn’t even hesitate. He didn’t even ask for my side of the story.

The betrayal cut deeper than any physical wound. I had loved him. And yet, he had thrown me away like I was nothing. Like I was worthless. He had never treated me right since we got married, and this was the last straw.

My foot caught on a root, and I stumbled, falling hard to the ground. The impact sent a jolt of pain up my arms, and I bit down on my lip to keep from crying out. But I stayed down for a moment, letting the damp earth press against my skin. Maybe if I stayed there long enough, the ground would swallow me up. Maybe I could disappear.

But I couldn’t. I had to keep moving.

Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet and kept walking. I had no idea where I was going. The pack had banished me with nothing. I had no money, no food, and no clothes other than the torn dress hanging off my shoulders. I was walking into a certain death, and everyone knew it. That’s what exile meant. It was a slow, cruel execution.

The trees finally gave way to a narrow dirt road, and I let out a breath of relief. My vision was hazy, my legs trembling beneath me. I walked towards the dim light in the distance, hoping that it would be better than being out here, alone in the darkness.

It was a bar. By the time I pushed open the creaky door to the bar, my head was spinning. The stale scent of beer and sweat hit me as soon as I walked in. A few pairs of eyes turned toward me, but I didn’t care. All I wanted was to drown everything that had happened… Nathan, Coral, the betrayal… to drown it all in something strong enough to numb the pain.

I made my way to the bar, leaning heavily against the counter. 

   “Whiskey,” I muttered, my voice hoarse.

The bartender, a gruff-looking man with greying hair and tired eyes, gave me a long, skeptical look. “You got money?”

I shook my head. “No,” I whispered. “But I need a drink.”

He sighed and poured a small glass of whiskey, sliding it across the counter to me.

   “One. After that, you’re on your own.”

I nodded, not bothering to thank him. I didn’t have it in me. I picked up the glass and downed the burning liquid in one gulp, the alcohol searing its way down my throat. It wasn’t enough. I needed more. I gestured for another, and the bartender hesitated but eventually poured me another shot. Then another. 

Before long, the world around me started to blur. The pain in my chest dulled, the edges of my reality softened, and I welcomed the numbness with open arms. It was the first time I had felt something other than heartache in what felt like an eternity.

The bar grew louder, the music thumping in my ears, and the faces around me became indistinct shadows. I kept drinking, kept numbing. But no matter how much I drank, it wasn’t enough to make me forget the look in Nathan’s eyes when he rejected me. The coldness. The finality of our relationship. The breaking of our mate bond still hurt.

I leaned heavily against the bar, my head spinning. My vision blurred as I tried to stand, but my legs wobbled beneath me. I didn’t even realize someone was behind me until I felt a hand grab my arm.

   “Hey there, pretty thing.” A rough voice slurred in my ear. I tried to pull away, but I was too weak, too drunk.

   “Let go of me,” I mumbled, but my words were thick and clumsy.

The man’s grip tightened, and two more figures appeared in my line of sight. They were laughing, at me, and I felt a great sense of danger. I had seen it before, in the eyes of wolves on the hunt.

   “What’s a pretty little thing like you doing out here all alone?” Another one asked, his breath reeking of alcohol as he leaned closer to me. “You lost, sweetheart?”

   “Back off!” I managed to say, but my heart was pounding like I had run ten miles. They didn’t listen. The three of them surrounded me, their laughter growing louder as they closed in. I tried to push them away, but it was like moving through quicksand. My limbs were heavy and useless. 

   “Come on, don’t be like that.” The first man said, his grip now like iron around my wrist. “We’ll take good care of you.”

I struggled, but I was no match for them. My head was spinning, the room tilting and swirling around me. I could feel the fear rising in my chest, choking me, but I was powerless to stop it.

Suddenly, a low growl cut through the noise of the bar. My eyes immediately went towards the door, and through the haze, I saw a shadowy figure standing at the entrance. The man holding me tensed, his grip loosening just slightly.

   “What the hell—” He started, but the growl grew louder, more menacing.

Before I could register what was happening, the figure moved fast. Too fast. The next thing I knew, the man holding me was on the ground, his friends stumbling back in shock. And then, right before my eyes, the figure shifted. 

A massive wolf stood where the shadowy figure had been, its fur dark as night, its eyes glowing with a fierce, dangerous light. The men scrambled to their feet, but the wolf let out another growl, low and threatening. They didn’t stick around to see what would happen next. They bolted out of the bar, leaving me alone with the beast.

My vision blurred even more, and I tried to focus on the wolf, but everything was slipping away from me. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the floor, darkness closing in around me. I felt someone lift my head, and take the hair out of my face.

   “Who are you?” Was all I could mumble before I slipped out of consciousness.