[6]

Cassandra's PoV

I stared at the two large suitcases in the corner of the room.

My eyes wandered across the house I’d lived in for the past few years—the place that once felt warm and full of love. Now, it was nothing but cold and hollow. Those suitcases weren’t just luggage. They were the symbol of everything that had come to an end.

And right there, on the coffee table beside me, lay a stack of divorce papers—marking the end of my life as I knew it.

My phone buzzed softly. A new message flashed on the screen.

[Two plane tickets for you and your daughter have been prepared. We await your return, Mrs. Vale.]

I took a deep breath, trying to steady the ache in my chest. “Today… I’ll see Alaric one last time,” I whispered to myself. “I just want my baby back. Then I’ll leave this place forever.”

But just as I reached for the door, a thunderous bang made me jump.

BANG!

“Open the door, Cassandra!”

My eyes widened. “Who is that?!” Who dared to pound on my door like that?

“OPEN THE DOOR!”

Before I could even move, the door burst open with a violent crack. I stumbled back, staring in horror as several figures stormed inside—Cassian Vale, flanked by a few Pack warriors… and Gamma Russel.

“Cassian? What the hell is going on?” I asked, completely stunned.

But instead of answering, Cassian’s voice came out cold and flat. “Take her.”

I froze. His tone held no warmth—no trace of the brother I knew. It was as if… I was the Pack’s worst criminal.

“What’s happening?” I demanded, but two warriors were already grabbing me by the arms, dragging me forward without a word.

“Let go of me! What’s the meaning of this?!” I struggled, panic clawing at my throat.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know,” Cassian hissed. He stepped closer and gripped my face, forcing me to look at him. His eyes burned with disgust and disappointment. “You’ve committed a grave crime against the Pack.”

“What?” My voice broke. “Me? Betray the Pack?”

“Silence!” he roared. “I’m ashamed, Cassandra. How could my own sister do something so vile to our Pack?”

“Cassian, do you honestly believe I would betray the Pack—your own sister?” I asked, confusion and disbelief twisting inside me. I truly had no idea what was happening. How could I possibly be accused of treason?

He didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. The look in his eyes told me everything—pure, unfiltered disappointment. “I’m done with you,” he muttered. “Take her. Alpha Alaric is waiting.”

My heart shattered. “Cassian, please! Listen to me! I don’t know what any of this is about!”

But no one listened. Their hands were ironing around my arms as they forced me to walk.

“Wait—Gamma Russel!” I called out desperately. “Tell me what’s going on!”

Just like Cassian, he said nothing. His silence cut deeper than any words.

They dragged me through the halls toward Pack’s council chamber. The moment the doors swung open, my breath caught in my throat.

There he was—Alaric. The Alpha of SilverFang. Surrounded by the Pack Elders… my father… and—Moon Goddess—Lyra.

“We’ve brought Luna SilverFang, Alpha,” one of the warriors reported.

They shoved me forward, and I fell hard to my knees before them. My palms hit the cold marble floor.

“What are you doing?” I demanded, forcing my trembling voice to hold steady. “Alaric, what’s happening? Why are they treating me like this?!”

“Why?” His voice came out low, almost a growl. “You really want to know why, Cassandra?”

I didn’t even realize how fast Alaric moved. One moment he was across the room, and the next, his hand was gripping my face so hard I could barely breathe. His eyes—those once warm, golden eyes—now burned cold and sharp, like a blade pressed against my skin.

“How could you—you, the Luna of SilverFang—leak our Pack’s confidential files to your filthy lover?” he roared. “Was betraying me not enough, Cassandra? You and that bastard conspired to destroy the Pack—to bring ruin to everything we built?!”

His voice thundered through the council chamber, the weight of his rage pressing down on everyone inside. The air grew thick, heavy with tension and disbelief. His grip on my cheeks tightened until pain seared through my jaw.

“Al… Alaric,” I gasped, clawing at his wrist. “I’ve never betrayed you! I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I would never betray you—let alone the Pack!”

I coughed as he finally released me, but before I could catch my breath, a handful of photos fell at my feet—scattering across the floor like shards of my own life.

“Isn’t this the man you slept with, you wretched woman?” he spat.

My heart stopped. I reached down with trembling hands, picking up one of the photos—only to feel my entire body go numb.

“No! This… this isn’t real!” I shouted. The image showed me sitting beside a man I didn’t even recognize—the same one I’d been accused of having an affair with. “This isn’t me, Alaric! I don’t even know him! It was Lyra—Lyra met him at that bar! This is manipulation! She—”

Lyra’s soft, trembling sob cut me off. She fell to her knees, her tears glimmering beneath the light. “By the Great Moon Goddess! I would never betray the Pack. I’ve given everything—my time, my loyalty—for SilverFang. How could I ever—”

“Cassandra!” my father’s voice boomed, silencing me instantly. “Don’t you dare accuse your sister of something so vile! Lyra would never do such a thing!”

“Alpha, Alan is right,” one of the Elders—Lord Pablo—interjected gravely. “Be careful with your accusations, Cassandra. Our investigation shows you’ve been seen with that man multiple times over the past months.”

“That’s impossible!” I shouted, desperation clawing through my chest. “I haven’t met anyone! You’re being deceived!”

“Enough!” Alaric’s voice cut through the air like a whip. His aura exploded, fierce and suffocating. Even the Elders bowed their heads under the crushing pressure. My knees almost gave out, and I was forced to lower my gaze, trembling.

“From this day, I sever our bond. You are no longer the Luna of SilverFang.”

The world stopped spinning. His voice—the same voice that once made my heart race—now sliced through me like a blade. My breath hitched. I looked up, searching for the face I used to love more than life itself, but the warmth that had once been mine was gone. All that remained was the cold, merciless gaze of an Alpha who no longer acknowledged his mate.

My mate. The man who once promised he would never leave me.

“I’m not guilty, Alaric,” I gritted my teeth against the pain, my voice breaking between sobs. “You know I would never—”

“Take her out of the Pack,” he said flatly, not a trace of doubt in his tone.

Two warriors stepped forward, their grips cruel as they seized my arms. My body was still weak, barely recovered from giving birth two days ago. The wound on my abdomen pulsed with pain, but they dragged me away as if I were nothing but a prisoner.

“Alaric! Please, listen to me!” I screamed, but my voice was swallowed by the sound of heavy boots and rough breathing. “I swear on my own blood, I’m innocent!”

He didn’t move. Alaric stood in the center of the hall, his face carved in stone, as if I were a stranger, not the woman who once shared his bed and his soul. “I won’t believe you anymore,” he said coldly, his voice flat and unyielding.

Pain tore through me as I forced my voice out again, ignoring the stabbing ache in my body and chest. “Fine, Alaric!” My words came out cracked, raw. “If this is what you want, I’ll leave—with all your ridiculous accusations!”

For a fleeting moment, his steps faltered. But he didn’t turn. It was Lyra who looked at me from afar, tears streaming down her face—false tears, masking the faint smile curling on her lips. That deceitful woman.

“Give me back my daughter,” I demanded, summoning what little strength I had left as I fixed my gaze on Lyra. “Let me leave with her.”

Lyra lowered her head, pretending to sob harder, playing the part of the wounded victim perfectly. To everyone else, she looked heartbroken. But I knew the truth—this was her doing. All of it.

“Are you joking?” Alaric’s voice cut through the air sharp with disdain. “A traitor like you doesn’t deserve to be a mother.”

His words hit harder than any physical blow.

Air caught painfully in my throat. The room spun. My body could heal from wounds and bruises, but those words—those cruel, deliberate words—would haunt my soul forever.

“Get her out of my Pack!” Alaric’s command thundered through the hall.

The warriors pulled me again, rougher this time. The cold stone floor scraped against my bare feet as I stumbled forward. I tried to fight back, but my strength was gone. The pain from childbirth burned through me, and I felt the warm trickle of blood between my legs with every faltering step.

“Alaric! Please!” My scream tore through the night air. “She’s my daughter! My blood! You have no right to take her from me!”

No one answered. Only the sound of rain outside filled the silence, drowning my cries, washing them away along with what was left of my strength.

Every step away from that hall felt like a small death. Inside me, my wolf—Selena—whimpered weakly.

“Don’t… leave her…” she whispered in my mind, her voice trembling. But our bond with Alaric was already shattering, each heartbeat unraveling what was once sacred.

“Cassandra Vale,” one of the warriors said coldly behind me. “As of this moment, you are erased from SilverFang.”

They shoved me past the gates, and I fell to the muddy ground. My body trembled violently, breath shallow and ragged. Every inhale was like glass cutting into my lungs.

And then it happened—The sacred bond between Alpha and Luna, between Alaric and me, broke completely. I felt something rip inside my chest, thousands of invisible threads snapping all at once. Selena screamed within me… then fell silent.

I lay there, soaked in rain and my own blood. Cold. Empty. Powerless. Homeless.