PROLOGUE

Lexi

“Exiled? She framed our Luna! She should be killed!” a man’s voice ripped through the air, followed by shouts of approval. They all wanted me gone, and not even Dean, my mate, believed a word I said.

To think that there was a time when he used to hold me like the world could fall apart and he’d still never let go. Now he stood there like I meant nothing to him.

I should've known that everything would change when he chose Vanessa as his Luna, all because I was just an Omega. Still, he swore it didn’t change how he felt about me. That he still loved me. And I was stupid enough to believe him.

My wrists were tied so tight behind my back that I couldn’t feel my fingers. Jax, his rogue hunter, had one hand clamped on the back of my neck, forcing my head down. I tried to look up, tried to find Dean’s eyes. When I did, I almost wished I hadn’t.

He’d never looked at me like that before. His eyes burned red. They were full of anger – locked on me like I was something he needed to destroy.

“Son,” his father said quietly, stepping closer. “You’re Alpha now. Speak. Your word is law.”

For a second, I thought maybe his father’s voice would snap him out of it, remind him who I really was. But Dean didn’t even glance at him. His hands were shaking, and when he finally looked at Vanessa, she was crying. Her hands covered her face as she sobbed violently. That liar.

Dean drew in a breath, and I saw the decision in his eyes.

“Jax,” he said with a voice void of emotion. “Escort her to the border. Once she crosses it… the people can kill her. Don’t stop them.”

My heart stopped.

For a heartbeat, I heard nothing. Then the pack erupted into deafening cheers, so loud my ears rang until the sound dulled into a low, endless roar.

I stared at Dean, trying to make sense of what I’d just heard. He told me he loved me. Now he was sending me to die?

Jax yanked me upright with a rough grip. In that moment, his icy blue eyes met mine, but as expected, there wasn’t an ounce of pity there. He always hated me anyway.

“Move,” he ordered, dragging me toward the trees. But every step felt like I was being pulled closer to my grave. I hoped that at least people wouldn't follow us, but they started to show up. People I’d grown up with, sneering and laughing at me. Everything seemed so sinister, like a bad dream.

I wanted to scream that I didn’t do it, that Vanessa set me up. But what was the point? No one cared. When we reached the thickest part of the woods, the air turned sharp and damp with pine. The border couldn’t be far now. Once I cross it, all these people will pounce on me.

When I finally saw the border marked with a white line, it hit me. This was real. All of it. Knowing that there was no turning back, I turned to Jax, swallowing hard. “Please,” I whispered. My voice barely came out. “Don’t do this.”

He looked at me for a moment, his expression softening for a moment. Then he shoved me hard, as he said, “Run.”

I ran until my legs felt like fire. Until my lungs burned. I didn’t dare look back.

Branches tore at my clothes as I stumbled into the forest. My heart slammed against my ribs, every breath cutting my throat as I ran for what felt like forever.

“Help me!” I shouted, my voice cracking as I spotted a faint light ahead. “Please, somebody!”

It was a border. I didn’t know whose pack it was, but I prayed it was Kloud Pack. They were fair. They wouldn’t let anyone be killed near their land.

Behind me, the noise changed. The shouts turned into something sharper and closer, like wet, animal sounds. I didn’t have to look back to know what was happening. They were shifting.

One of them burst through the trees like a shadow, all fur and teeth and muscle. It leapt at me with a sound that dug into my ribs, jaws opening wide. I'd only just rolled out of the way, but the wolf’s fangs scraped my shoulder, sending hot pain through my skin. The blood drenched my sleeve, but I ignored it.

Claws ripped at my back as another set of paws slammed into me, knocking the breath out of me. I scrambled up, grabbing at roots, at anything to pull myself forward. Everything narrowed to the thud of paws, the stink of fur and blood, the white line ahead. A huge wolf barreled into me, sending me skidding across the ground. Its teeth found my arm this time, crushing through skin and muscle. I felt the world tilt with the force of it.

I managed to twist, to push, to shove a hand into the dirt and drag myself forward. Seeing the border right there, for a second, I thought I might make it. Then, claws hooked my leg and sent me down hard. Pain exploded through me. I tried to crawl, but strength leaked out of me like water.

The last thing I saw was that pale line so close I could’ve reached out and touched it. The wolf’s weight slammed me into the earth, and everything went soft and dark.

I didn’t make it.

At least, that’s what I thought.

When I finally opened my eyes, the light hurt. My body ached everywhere, and my skin stung with the pull of healing scars. A woman was sitting beside me, pressing something cool against my shoulder, while two identical faces peered over her arm. A boy and a girl – twins, maybe. Both looked about my age.

“She’s awake!” the girl gasped, her bright green eyes lighting up.

Green eyes. My heart skipped. Only one pack was known for eyes like that.

“Kloud Pack?” I muttered, my voice rough and dry. I hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

The girl laughed. “Yes! Did our eyes really give it away?”

She scooted closer before I could answer. “I’m Gayle, by the way. And this is my brother, Keith. He won’t say hi because he’s too busy staring. He’s stunned, really. You’re actually –”

“Gayle,” the woman said, cutting her off gently as she stood up. Her tone carried the kind of calm authority that made everyone quiet instantly. “Let the girl rest.”

Keith smirked. “Yeah, before you talk her to death.”

Gayle rolled her eyes, but they both grinned before the woman waved them out of the room.

The silence that followed was soft. I took a slow breath and looked around. The room was large, tidy, and smelled faintly of herbs and clean linen. Sunlight streamed through the window, catching on the white walls and polished floors. It felt peaceful. Almost too peaceful.

When I looked back at the woman, I noticed the silver badge pinned neatly to her chest. My chest tightened. A Luna’s badge.

“I’m Luna Phoebe of Kloud Pack,” she said with a kind smile. “We’re happy to have you here...?”

“Lexi,” I whispered, my throat still sore.

“Welcome, Lexi,” she said softly. “Whatever happened outside the border doesn’t matter now. You’re safe here.”

Her words hit something deep inside me. Safe. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt that.

“I know it in my heart that you’re innocent,” she continued. “Only those with a good heart end up here.”

I didn’t know what to say. So, I said nothing.

She gave me a gentle look, one that felt too warm for someone who didn’t even know me. “Your scars will heal,” she said quietly. “And so will you. You can start again here. Live a new life.”

A new life.

I still kept thinking about it long after she left the room.