Chapter 2 - The Humiliation That Tore Me Apart

SOFIA'S POV

"Wh—what are you saying?”

"Have you forgotten today is our coronation?" I said, my voice trembling as I reached for him, hoping to make him see reason.

But Nathan scoffed, the sound sharp and dismissive, and I felt it deep in my chest.

He didn’t even spare me a second glance as I chased after him. It wasn’t until I realized I was still not dressed that the gravity of the situation hit me.

In a daze, I quickly rushed back to the room to change, but it felt like my body was on autopilot, the motions mechanical as I scrambled into my clothes.

I hurried out, desperate to get to the palace—to Nathan. I had to reach him before the coronation began.

The palace grounds were already teeming with people. Their voices rose in a cacophony that made my head spin, but I pushed through the crowd, ignoring the curious glances and whispers that followed me. I was numb to the attention. The only thing that mattered was reaching Nathan.

Finally, I saw him. There he was—standing with Victoria, looking every bit the future king as he talked to some betas. A knot tightened in my stomach, and for a moment, everything seemed to freeze.

Then, I heard it.

"What is a prostitute like you doing here?!"

My heart stopped.

"Didn’t I tell you you’re banished?!" Nathan’s voice rang out, harsh and cold, carrying through the courtyard.

The crowd gasped. My breath caught in my throat as I staggered forward, trying to reach him, to make him stop, but the words cut through me like a blade.

He turned his back on me as if I wasn’t even worth looking at.

"A slut like you shouldn’t be allowed in my palace."

Tears welled in my eyes as the weight of his words crushed me. The world around me seemed to blur as I fought to breathe, my chest tightening in disbelief. How could he say that to me? How could he belittle me like this?

Before I could even collect myself, he continued, his voice dripping with disgust.

"She’s banished," Nathan said, not even letting me speak. He turned to the crowd of pack members who stood nearby, their eyes wide with judgment. "I don’t want to see her anywhere close to the pack. A convincing slut like her can never be my Luna. She’s banished. She’s not my Luna," he spat, his words final.

The whispers started almost immediately, a ripple of shock passing through the crowd, followed by harsh murmurs of agreement.

It felt like the ground was slipping away from under me, and I couldn't hold on anymore. I ran. My feet moved without thought, carrying me away from him, away from the life I had known, away from everything that had once meant something.

That was how I became a banished soon-to-be Luna.

The pain of that day still haunted me, replaying in my mind like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. How had it all come to this? How had I fallen so far in his eyes?

I still couldn’t believe it. I still couldn’t understand why Nathan had let Victoria's lies tear us apart. But the words he said—they were etched in my mind, stabbing into my heart every time I tried to forget.

I stared into space now, my mind far away, even though I was sitting in Dr. Grace’s office. She glanced at my file absentmindedly as she hummed softly, the room colder than usual. I rubbed my palms together in an attempt to stave off the chill.

“You’re really doing great, Sofia,” Dr. Grace said, her voice warm, but I could barely hear her. “You’ve improved. Just a few more weeks, and we can wrap this up.”

Her smile was genuine, but it did little to ease the tightness in my chest. She tapped my arm gently when she noticed my distant expression. I offered her a weak smile, unwilling to burden her with my thoughts—thoughts of Nathan, of how he had cast me aside so easily.

Dr. Grace has been my therapist since I arrived in New York. When I first came here, I was a mess—unable to think straight, drowning in tears. It was during one of those dark days that she found me, sitting alone in the park, broken and vulnerable. She’d sat next to me, asked what was wrong, and when I finally let the words spill out, she listened without judgment. Later, she offered her help as a therapist.

At first, I didn’t believe her. How could she help me when she couldn’t even understand the bond between mates, the pack, the life I had left behind? But I trusted her anyway. She let me speak freely and gave me space to process the pain I was carrying. And in return, I told her everything. How Nathan had rejected me, how he’d believed the lies Victoria spread, how he’d sent me away without a second thought, without giving me a chance to explain myself.

Of course, I didn’t use the words ‘mate’ or ‘pack’ with her. She couldn’t understand them, so I used ‘husband’ for mate, ‘connection’ for the bond, and ‘home’ for the pack. But no matter what words I used, the pain remained the same.

Nathan didn’t reject me. I couldn’t understand why. Maybe he wasn’t sure of Victoria’s lies, or maybe he just didn’t want to go through the pain of rejecting me completely. But deep down, I knew that if he had rejected me, it would have been easier. At least then, we could have moved on with our lives, no strings attached. But this… this was worse.

Not being rejected, but still not being able to move forward—it felt like punishment.

And yet, I had to leave.

Dr. Grace had suggested that I do something to take my mind off the past. Something for myself, something that wasn’t tied to anyone else. So, I decided to open a bakery. It had always been my dream, and now it was the one thing that gave me hope.

As the session ended, Dr. Grace hugged me, telling me she wouldn’t be available for our next meeting because she would be traveling for a conference. I nodded, masking my emotions with a smile as I made my way to the receptionist.

But then, the wave of nausea hit me again.

I asked the receptionist for the restroom, and without looking up, she pointed toward the hallway. I walked there quickly, and before I could hold it back, I felt myself throwing up as all my breakfast came rushing out.