Chapter 2: Exiled Under the Moon

I woke to pain.

It seeped into my bones, thick and heavy, dragging me back from the darkness I had prayed would swallow me whole. My chest felt hollow, like something vital had been carved out and left bleeding. Every breath burned.

I groaned softly and tried to move.

Rough ground pressed against my palms. Cold air kissed my skin. When I forced my eyes open, the first thing I saw was the moon—still full, still cruel—hanging low above the trees.

I wasn’t in the pack healer’s den.

I wasn’t in my small room at the omega quarters.

I was outside the Nightfang territory.

Panic flared.

I pushed myself up on trembling arms, only to cry out as a sharp pain shot through my chest. The mate bond wound—raw and exposed—throbbed with every heartbeat. It felt like standing on the edge of a cliff with nothing solid beneath me.

Memory came rushing back.

The ceremony.

The whispers.

Kael’s cold voice.

I reject you.

Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to let them fall. I had cried enough during the long, silent journey here—half-conscious as warriors dragged me through the forest like unwanted cargo.

Now I was alone.

A chill wind rustled the trees, carrying unfamiliar scents. The protective barrier of Nightfang Pack no longer surrounded me. Beyond these woods lay rogue lands—lawless, dangerous, unforgiving.

Exile.

“They didn’t even let me say goodbye,” I whispered hoarsely.

No answer came.

My wolf stirred weakly, curling into herself as if trying to disappear. We’re alone, she whimpered.

“I know,” I murmured, wrapping my arms around my knees. “But we’re alive.”

For now.

I forced myself to stand. My legs wobbled, but I stayed upright, clinging to a nearby tree until the dizziness passed. The thin dress I wore from the ceremony did nothing to protect me from the cold. My shoes were gone. Blood crusted at the corner of my mouth.

They hadn’t planned for me to survive long.

The realization settled like ice in my veins.

The Nightfang Pack had not only cast me out—they had abandoned me to die.

A sound echoed through the forest.

A howl.

Not close. But not far either.

Fear slammed into me, sharp and immediate. Rogues prowled these lands—wolves without packs, many driven mad by broken bonds and hunger. A lone, injured omega would be easy prey.

Move, I told myself.

I wrapped my arms around my chest and started walking, barefoot over roots and stones, ignoring the pain slicing through my feet. Each step sent agony through my body, but stopping wasn’t an option.

As I stumbled through the dark forest, flashes of Kael’s face intruded on my thoughts.

The way his eyes had hardened.

The way he hadn’t looked away as I collapsed.

The way he had ordered them to take me away.

Did it hurt him at all?

The question burned, unwanted and cruel. I shoved it aside.

“He made his choice,” I muttered. “And I’m done paying for it.”

The ground sloped downward, and before I could stop myself, my foot slipped. I cried out as I tumbled down a small embankment, branches scratching at my skin, rocks bruising my ribs.

I landed hard.

Pain exploded behind my eyes, and I lay there gasping, staring at the stars flickering through the canopy above.

This was it.

This was how I died.

A rejected omega, broken and forgotten.

A bitter laugh bubbled up in my throat. “What a story,” I whispered.

Something shifted in the air.

The forest went unnaturally quiet.

My wolf stirred again—this time not with fear, but with confusion. Do you feel that? she asked.

I frowned, pushing myself up onto my elbows. The pain in my chest changed—less sharp, more… warm. A faint glow spread beneath my skin, pulsing softly, like a heartbeat that didn’t belong to me.

I sucked in a breath.

Moonlight filtered through the trees and gathered around me, thicker, brighter than before. It brushed my skin like a gentle touch, soothing the raw edges of my shattered bond.

“What… is this?” I whispered.

Images flashed behind my eyes—silver crowns, ancient wolves bowing, a woman standing alone beneath a bleeding moon. Power. Loss. Strength forged in solitude.

I gasped as the light surged, then abruptly faded.

The forest returned to normal.

Silence reclaimed the night.

I sat there shaking, my heart racing, my mind reeling.

Had I imagined it?

Before I could decide, a low growl rumbled behind me.

Every instinct screamed danger.

I turned slowly.

Two glowing eyes stared back at me from the darkness—feral, hungry, unclaimed.

A rogue wolf stepped into the moonlight, ribs visible beneath its mangy fur, lips pulled back to reveal yellowed fangs. Another shape moved behind it. Then another.

My breath hitched.

I was injured. Alone. Unarmed.

And surrounded.

I pushed myself to my feet, forcing my trembling legs to hold. “Stay back,” I whispered, though my voice shook.

The rogues only growled louder.

We can’t fight, my wolf cried. We’re too weak.

I lifted my chin anyway, meeting their gazes. “I won’t beg,” I said softly. “Not anymore.”

The lead rogue lunged.

Instinct took over.

I raised my hands—and screamed.

Moonlight exploded from my body in a blinding flash, slamming into the charging wolf with devastating force. It was thrown backward, crashing into a tree with a sickening crack.

The others froze.

So did I.

I stared at my glowing hands, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

“What did I just do?” I whispered.

The rogues whimpered, fear replacing hunger. One by one, they backed away into the shadows, disappearing as quickly as they had come.

I stood there trembling, light slowly fading from my skin.

My wolf was silent—awed.

I sank to my knees, tears finally spilling down my cheeks—not from pain, but from shock.

I had survived.

Alone. Broken.

And somehow… powerful.

Far away, deep within Nightfang territory, Alpha Kael Nightfang jolted awake, clutching his chest as an unfamiliar pain seared through him.

The rejected bond burned.

And for the first time since the ceremony, fear crept into the Alpha’s heart.

What have I done?