Chapter 1

Selene POV

I learned that pain doesn’t come from the claws or the fangs of hungry predators. It doesn’t come from the cold stares of the pack nor from the cold night pressing in around me. No, true pain is betrayal.

And right now, it’s staring right at me in the face.

“Selene Blackwood, you are accused of treason against Blue moon Pack,” my mate, Alpha Killian, said, his voice cold.

I raised my head to look at him. The eyes that once looked at me with affection now hold nothing but ice.

My body froze in place. This isn’t happening. I shook my head refusing to believe what he just said.

“Treason? Killian, you know I would never—”

“Silence!” He said abruptly, sending shivers down my spine. “You were found meeting with rogues beyond our borders. What other reason would you have, if not plotting against your pack?” he glared at me and I swallowed hard.

I looked around to see the pack members all with hatred written on their faces.

I shook my head, “That’s not true,” I said, “I would never do that.”

Killian stepped closer, “Then explain yourself.”

“I—I did leave,” I admitted, my voice shaking. “But only because I thought I saw someone in trouble. I wasn’t meeting rogues! They ambushed me. I barely got away and came straight back to warn you!”

Silent murmur spread through the crowd, but Bryan silenced it with a raised hand.

“Convenient,” he said coldly. “You went alone, without informing anyone, and just happened to encounter rogues?”

“They attacked me!” I shouted, “If I were working with them, why would I fight them off?”

He tilted his head. “Perhaps because you were caught in the act.”

“No!” I shook my head, tears threatening to fall. “Bryan, please. You’re my mate. You know me better than anyone. You know this isn’t true!”

He ignored me and turned to the council seated behind him. “The evidence speaks for itself. As Alpha, it is my duty to protect this pack from all threats — even those closest to us.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, another voice interrupted the crowd.

“Don't believe a word she says, Alpha. She's a liar.”

I turned my head around to see Liliana, the Beta’s daughter, stepping forward.

Liliana.

The woman who has hovered around Killian for months. The one whose scent clings to him even now.

She’s behind this. I know it. My fist tightened, but it was of no use, no one is going to believe a word from me.

“Killian,” I called, my voice cracking. “Please—”

“Enough.” he silenced me again, sending deadly glares at me. I knew better than to say another word.

“By my decree as Alpha,” he said, raising his chin, “You are hereby stripped of your title as Luna and banished from the Blue moon Pack.”

My mouth opened wide, the tears I've been trying to hold in, fell freely trailing down my cheek. No, this can't be happening.

“You can’t—” My words were cut short as the guards stepped forward.

“Take her to the border,” Killian ordered.

They grabbed my arms, rough and merciless. I struggled for them to let go, my wolf howling, but it was useless.

“Killian!” I screamed. “Please, I would never do anything to betray our pack. Why don't you listen to me?!"

He didn’t flinch. He didn’t even bother to look at me as they dragged me away.

I continued to struggle against them until we reached the pack’s border.

And then they pushed me to the ground.

The impact caused bruises on my arms, but I barely felt it.

“You should be glad that you weren’t hung to death as our constitution says,” one of the guards sneered. “If you return, we won’t be so kind.”

With that, they turned and returned to the pack leaving me to my fate.

I tried to stand, my body trembling. I looked back at the border, at the place that was once my home. But there’s nothing left for me there.

Nothing but betrayal.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I wouldn’t break. I couldn’t break. Not here. Not now.

The night air in the forest was merciless.

I was now alone without a place to go.

The Blue moon pack was vast, but outside its borders, the wild belonged to no one. Rogues moved around these lands — some barely more than feral animals, others banished for crimes far worse than mine.

I swallowed hard and kept moving.

Hours passed. My stomach twisted in hunger, but I ignored it. The first thing on my mind was to find shelter. The trees here were thick, gnarled roots pushing through the earth like skeletal fingers. After some searching, I found a small hole beneath the exposed roots of an old oak. It wasn’t much, but it would shield me from the cold wind.

I curled up inside and let out a shuddering breath.

A lump formed in my throat. I couldn’t afford to grieve. Not yet.

I pressed a hand to my stomach, steadying myself.

By the time dawn crept through the trees, exhaustion gnawed at me, but I forced myself to my feet. My muscles ached, stiff and sore from the cold, but I had to keep moving.

I followed the scent of water, passing through the underbrush until I reached a narrow stream. The water was icy, but I drank greedily, ignoring the burn of my throat. As I splashed some over my face, a movement caught my eye.

A pair of golden eyes stared at me from the tree line.

I froze.