chapter 002

Chapter two

Prove yourself

Elera pov

I didn’t sleep.

How could I ? My wedding day turned into a nightmare. Adrian rejected me. My father chose Celestia. The pack cheered while I was humiliated.

And then Adrian’s warning to run far away if you want to survive. What does that even mean.

I sat on my bed, still wearing the dirty wedding dress, trying to make sense of everything. What did he mean? Survive what? What could be worse than what already happened?

The morning sun came through my window. Outside, I heard normal pack sounds. People talking. Footsteps. Like nothing had happened. Like my life hadn’t been destroyed yesterday.

I stood up and looked in the mirror.

I looked terrible. My silver hair was messy and tangled. The makeup around my violet eyes was smeared everywhere. The beautiful dress now looked dirty and wrinkled.

I needed answers. I needed to know why my father did this. Why did everything happen the way it did?

I needed to talk to him.

I took off the ruined wedding dress and let it fall to the floor. I put on simple clothes….leather pants, a tunic, and boots. If I really did need to leave, I should be ready.

But first, I needed the truth.

…-

The pack house was strangely quiet.

Usually at this time, there were people everywhere. Warriors going to training. Children running around. But today, the halls were almost empty. Maybe they were all drunk from the wedding.

I walked to my father’s study. The big wooden door was closed.

I knocked on the door before stepping inside the study.

My father sat behind his big desk, looking powerful and cold. He wasn’t surprised to see me.

“Elara.” He pointed to the chair. “Sit.”

I sat down, trying to stop my hands from shaking. “Father, I need to understand. Yesterday..,”

“Yesterday was necessary.” He interrupted me like my words didn’t matter. “An Alpha’s duty is to the pack. Not to feelings. Not even to my family.”

“But I’m your daughter..,”

“You are wolfless.” He said it like it explained everything. “Adrian rejected you publicly. In front of important Alphas from every territory. If I defended you…a wolfless girl…over a powerful Alpha with real concerns…” He shook his head. “They would think I was weak.”

Each word hurt, but I kept listening.

“So my feelings didn’t matter, ” I asked.

“Of course it does.” He looked at me with those cold eyes. “Which is why I’m giving you a chance.”

My heart jumped. “A chance?”

“I am sending you to the northern Academy.” He pushed a sealed letter across the desk. “You leave today. Prove that even without a wolf, you can be valuable.”

“And if I do well?” I hated how desperate I sounded. “What happens then?”

“Then we talk about your position. Not as heir…that needs a wolf, and Celestia has proven herself. But there are other ways to serve the pack.” His face softened just a little.

“Yesterday’s decision,” he said, “was to give the pack an explanation. To help Adrian’s family save face. To make Celestia’s marriage acceptable. But you’re still my daughter. You still have value…if you work for it.”

Relief flooded through me. He hadn’t abandoned me. He was protecting me the only way he could.

“Thank you,” I whispered, reaching for the letter. “Thank you, Father. I won’t disappoint you. I’ll make you proud…”

“Make sure you do.” He stood up, meaning our talk was over. “There’s a car at the south entrance. Your escort will take you to the academy. Pack only what you need.”

An escort. Of course. I was still the Alpha’s daughter.

I stood, holding the letter tight. “When can I come back?”

“When you earn it.” He walked to the door. “Goodbye, Elara. Make this count.”

-----

I packed quickly.

I threw clothes and a few personal things into a bag.

The car was sleek and black, waiting where Father said it would be.

Two warriors stood beside it. I didn’t recognize either of them. The older one had a scar on his face. He opened the back door.

“Miss Moonshadow,” he said with no emotion. “Ready to leave?”

I climbed into the back seat with my bag. This was it. My chance to start over. To prove I was worth something.

The warriors got in…one driving, one in the passenger seat. The car started moving, leaving the pack house behind.

I watched through the window as my home disappeared. Everything I’d ever known was fading away.

This is good, I told myself. Father believes in me. He’s giving me a chance.

We drove in silence for almost an hour. We left pack territory and entered neutral lands. The forest got thicker and wilder. I was about to ask how much further when the car suddenly stopped.

“Why are we stopping?” I asked, leaning forward.

The scarred warrior turned around. The look in his eyes made my blood run cold.

“We are following Orders,” he said.

“What orders? The academy…”

“There is no academy.” The younger warrior got out of the car. “Not for you.”

Fear shot through me. “What are you talking about?”

The scarred warrior smiled, but it wasn’t friendly. “Alpha Darius sent us to deliver a message. You are hereby banished from Silvercrest Pack. Accused of attempting to harm Celestia Moonshadow and theft of pack property.”

“What?!” I tried to open my door but it was locked. “That’s not true! I didn’t…”

“You are declared rogue,” he continued like I hadn’t spoken. “Any wolf from any pack is authorized to kill you on sight. You have no protection from the family any longer.”

This couldn’t be happening. Father said…he promised…

“But Father said I was going to the academy!” My voice rose in panic. “He gave me a letter…”

“Your father lied.” The younger warrior opened my door and grabbed my arm, dragging me out roughly. “He wanted you gone. Dead, preferably. But banishment works too.”

He threw me to the ground. I landed hard, my bag spilling open.

“You crossed the pack border ten minutes ago,” the scarred warrior said, getting back in the car. “Which means you’re no longer our problem. Run, little wolfless girl. Run far and fast. Because if we ever see you again, we’ll kill you ourselves.”

The car door slammed. The engine started.

I pushed myself up, my whole body shaking. “Wait! Please! There’s been a mistake…”

But the car was already driving away, leaving me alone in the middle of nowhere.

My father’s letter was still in my hand. I opened it with shaking fingers.

It was blank.

Just empty paper. No academy address. No instructions. Nothing.

It had all been a lie.

He never planned to send me to school. He never planned to give me another chance. He just wanted me far enough from pack territory that no one would ask questions when I disappeared.

Adrian’s warning echoed in my mind: Run far away if you want to survive.

He’d known. Somehow, he’d known this would happen.

And Celestia… had she known too? Had they all planned this together?

A howl sounded in the distance. Then another. And another. They dropped me in an area where wild wolves were prominent.

I grabbed my bag and ran.

I ran deeper into the forest, away from the road, away from the howls. Branches tore at my clothes and scratched my skin. My lungs burned. My legs screamed.

But I kept running because the alternative was death.

I was declared rogue. Banished. Accused of crimes I didn’t commit.

My father had betrayed me. Adrian had rejected me. Celestia had replaced me.

And now I was alone in hostile territory with wolves hunting me down.

I ran until my legs gave out. Until I collapsed against a tree, gasping for air, tears streaming down my face.

This was supposed to be my wedding day. My birthday. The day everything changed.

They were right about that last part.

Everything had changed.

I just never imagined it would be like this.