Chapter 2

EIRENE

“I rejected you Rane. That means we are done”

I whispered it to myself as I ran through the darkened forest, but the words felt hollow. My legs ached, my lungs burned, but I didn’t stop. I had no pack. No home. No place to go. I was alone.

I had severed the mate bond between us.

And yet, every fiber of my being still felt the pain of it.

Branches whipped against my arms as I forced myself deeper into the woods, my mind a chaotic mess of betrayal and rage. I had spent years preparing to be Luna, years standing by Rane’s side, believing we were meant to rule together. And for what? So he could toss me aside for Annika?

A bitter laugh left my lips.

I should have seen it coming.

I should have known Annika would do anything to take what was mine.

I came to a sudden stop near a fallen tree, chest heaving. I needed to think. To figure out where to go. But before I could gather my thoughts, the distant sound of howling filled the night.

My body tensed.

Rogues.

Panic surged through me as I realized the howls weren’t coming from one direction. They were surrounding the pack.

An attack.

I hesitated. I wasn’t part of the pack anymore. I had rejected Rane. This wasn’t my fight.

And yet…

The pack. The elders. The children. They had nothing to do with my broken heart.

But before I could turn back, a rustling noise came from the trees behind me. My heart leapt into my throat as I spun around, baring my teeth.

A rogue wolf emerged from the shadows, its golden eyes locked onto me like I was prey.

I took a step back.

It took a step forward.

I had no weapons. No backup. And my wolf—she was weak from the rejection.

I had never felt more alone.

The rogue lunged.

I barely dodged in time, rolling across the damp forest floor as its claws slashed through the air where my head had been. I scrambled to my feet, instincts screaming at me to run.

I could fight—but not like this. Not injured, not weakened.

I turned and ran.

The rogue gave chase.

Adrenaline shot through my veins as I zigzagged through the trees, trying to lose it. My breathing was ragged, my legs screaming for rest, but I pushed forward.

I needed to get out of here.

I needed—

A deafening howl cut through the night.

And then the rogue turned back.

What the hell?

I slowed down, my pulse pounding in my ears as I realized something. The attack wasn’t about me. It was bigger than that.

I reached for my phone, fumbling with trembling fingers as I turned it on.

Messages flooded my screen. News updates. Pack alerts. And then—

A video.

My heart stopped when I saw Rane’s face.

I clicked on it, my blood running cold as his voice filled the night.

“Eirene Sylver-Stone has betrayed the GreenWich  Pack.”

No.

“She has been working with the rogues. She abandoned her pack on the night of the Moonlight Celebration, and now, because of her actions, we have suffered an attack.”

My entire body locked up.

“She is a traitor. She is no longer one of us. From this moment forward, Eirene Sylver-Stone is banished. If she is seen anywhere near our lands, she will be dealt with as an enemy.”

The screen shifted, and Annika appeared beside him, her expression filled with false sorrow.

“I never wanted to believe it,” she said softly. “But Eirene has always been reckless. She was never fit to be Luna. The pack deserves better.”

The pack deserves better.

A sharp, gut-wrenching pain twisted in my chest.

This was planned.

Annika had orchestrated this.

And Rane… he had gone along with it.

I should have felt numb. I should have been past the point of shock. But the sheer cruelty of it hit me like a fresh wound, as if Rane had driven a blade straight through my heart and twisted it for good measure.

They had taken everything from me.

My title. My home. My honor.

And the worst part? The pack would believe them.

Because I wasn’t there to defend myself.

I sank to my knees, gripping my phone so tightly my knuckles turned white. A shaky breath left my lips.

What was I supposed to do now?

I had nowhere to go. No allies.

Nothing.

A sharp pang shot through my stomach.

I winced, pressing a hand to my abdomen.

It felt… strange. Unsettled. Like something inside me was shifting.

And then—

A realization slammed into me like a tidal wave.

I know I was pregnant with Rane’s pup.

And he would never know.

I had wanted to surprise him but he surprised me instead.

A twig snapped behind me.

I froze. My breath caught in my throat. My fingers fumbled for my phone, but before I could turn on the flashlight, my grip slipped.

The phone hit the ground with a sickening crack.

Darkness swallowed me.

And then I saw them.

Eyes.

Blood-red.

Huge.

Watching me.

I didn’t even have time to scream.

BACK AT GREEN WICH

“You lied.”

Rane barely glanced at his Beta, who stood in the middle of his office, arms crossed, eyes blazing.

“It had to be done,” Rane said simply, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt like he wasn’t carrying the weight of what he had just done.

His Beta, Axel, scoffed. “You had to frame her? You could have just rejected her, Rane. You didn’t have to turn the whole damn pack against her.”

Rane finally looked up, his expression blank. “I needed a reason.”

Axel let out a bitter laugh. “A reason? You mean an excuse.”

Silence.

Rane said nothing.

He couldn’t.

Because Axel was right.

Eirene had given him no reason to strip her of her title. She had been strong, loyal, and a perfect Luna. The pack had trusted her. The elders had respected her. And for years, Rane had fought beside her, led beside her.

But Annika pushed him..

“You know this isn’t fair,” Axel muttered. “She loved you, Rane. And you let them destroy her.”

Rane’s jaw tightened.

It didn’t matter.

Because today, he had made his choice.

Today, he would do what had to be done.

Rane stood, adjusting his blazer. His expression remained unreadable, his voice steady.

“Gather the pack,” he ordered.

Axel stared at him, jaw clenched. “You’re really doing this.”

“Yes.”

And an hour later, Rane stood before the pack—the same pack Eirene had once ruled. The same pack that had called her Luna.

His voice rang out through the hall.

“I, Rane Blackwood, Alpha of the Green Witch Pack, declare Annika as my Luna.”

Applause. Cheers.