The Banishment

I didn't want to go to the pack meeting. I had no intention of showing my face in front of everyone who'd watched me get destroyed three weeks ago. But my father insisted.

He stood in my doorway that morning with his arms crossed and that stubborn expression that meant arguing was pointless. "You need to show your face," he said. His tone was grim. "Hiding makes it worse. Makes it look like you have something to be ashamed of."

I wanted to laugh at that. I had everything to be ashamed of according to the pack. I was the rejected one. The weak one. The mistake the moon goddess made. But I got dressed anyway because my father had that look that said he wasn't backing down.

The herbs Luna Seraphine gave me had helped. The constant pain in my chest had dulled to something manageable. I could breathe without it feeling like broken glass in my lungs. I still couldn't shift because my wolf stayed buried deep and terrified. But at least I could function. Small victories.

My mom walked with me to the gathering hall. She held my hand the whole way like I was a child again. Maybe I needed that.

The hall was packed when we arrived. Every wolf in Shadowcrest was there. The air felt heavy and tense like something bad was about to happen. I could feel it before anyone said a word.

Wolves turned to stare when I walked in. More than usual. Their faces were strange. Some looked sympathetic. Others looked angry but not at me. At something else.

My parents and I found a spot near the back. I kept my eyes down because I didn't want to accidentally make eye contact with anyone. Didn't want to see pity or disgust or whatever else they were thinking.

The broken bond pulsed faintly in my chest. Kael was here somewhere in this room. I could sense him through whatever remained of our connection. I tried to ignore it. Failed.

Alpha Gareth stood on the raised platform at the front. He looked terrible. His face was gaunt like he'd lost weight. His eyes were wild and red-rimmed. I'd never seen the Alpha look like that. Unstable. Dangerous.

"The pack is called to order," his voice rang out. It sounded rough and strained like he'd been screaming.

The hall went silent. I waited. Wondered why we were all here. Pack meetings like this only happened for major announcements. My stomach twisted with anxiety. Something was very wrong.

"Two days ago we suffered a devastating loss," Alpha Gareth began.

My breath caught. What loss?

"Luna Seraphine has passed."

The words didn't make sense at first. I heard them but they didn't connect to anything real. Luna Seraphine. Passed. Dead. No. That couldn't be right. She'd been in my room four days ago. Brought me herbs. Told me I was strong. She couldn't be dead.

Gasps and cries erupted around the hall. Wolves who hadn't known yet were finding out now. I stood frozen. Numb. The woman who'd shown me kindness when everyone else abandoned me was gone.

"The illness took her quickly," Alpha Gareth continued. His voice broke. "She died in her sleep. Peacefully."

Peacefully. Like that made it better. Like that erased the fact that she was dead.

I felt tears on my face before I realized I was crying. Luna Seraphine had been one of the only wolves who'd shown me kindness after the rejection. Who'd looked at me like I mattered. And now she was gone. It felt like the world was determined to take everything good away from me. One thing after another until there was nothing left.

"The pack will observe three days of mourning," Alpha Gareth said. "We will honor her memory and celebrate her life."

He paused. Looked out over the gathered wolves with those wild grieving eyes. Something in his expression made my skin prickle. A warning I didn't understand.

"But we must also look to the future. To the stability of Shadowcrest."

His tone changed. Became harder. Colder. My stomach dropped because I knew that tone. That was the voice of an Alpha about to make someone suffer.

"Recent events have destabilized our pack. Discord. Disorder. Bad omens."

Bad omens. No. He couldn't mean what I thought he meant.

"The rejected mate bond between Kael Thornridge and Dian Drake has brought shame and weakness to Shadowcrest."

Every eye in the room turned to me. I wanted to disappear. To sink into the floor and vanish. But I stood there frozen under their stares.

"Such a public rejection is unprecedented in our pack's history," Gareth said. Each word was a hammer blow. "It suggests instability. Disorder in the moon goddess's favor. A sign that we have allowed weakness to take root."

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. But I knew what was coming before he said it.

"For the good of the pack and our future strength and unity I have made a decision." Alpha Gareth's eyes found mine across the room. Cold and merciless. "Dian Drake, you are hereby exiled from Shadowcrest Pack."

The room erupted. Shouts. Gasps. Arguing voices. But I couldn't hear any of it clearly. Everything was muffled and distant like I was underwater.

Exiled. I was being exiled. For being rejected. For something that was done to me not by me.

"This is outrageous!" My father's voice cut through the noise. He stepped forward with fury on his face. "You can't exile her for being rejected. She did nothing wrong!"

"The decision is made," Alpha Gareth said coldly.

"She's sixteen years old! Where is she supposed to go?" My father was yelling now.

Other wolves were joining in. Some defending me. Others agreeing with the Alpha. The hall descended into chaos. My mother was crying and holding onto my arm. I stood there numb and broken and drowning.

Through all of it I felt the bond pull my attention across the room against my will.

Kael was there standing near the front with his father. Our eyes met. He looked devastated. Pale and shocked and horrified. But he didn't say anything. He didn't defend me. He stood there silent while his uncle exiled me from the pack.

Something inside me cracked then. The last piece of hope I'd been holding onto without realizing it. Kael had rejected me. Broken the bond. Destroyed my life in front of everyone. And now he was letting me be cast out without saying a single word in my defense.

I turned away from him. Couldn't look anymore.

"The decree stands," Alpha Gareth's voice boomed over the arguing wolves. "Dian Drake will leave Shadowcrest within one week. This meeting is concluded."

He left the platform and disappeared through a side door. The hall stayed chaotic. My father was yelling at the Beta. My mother was holding me.

Mara appeared out of nowhere with tears streaming down her face. "This is wrong," she said. "Dian this is so wrong."

I couldn't respond. Couldn't speak. Couldn't process what had happened. I was being exiled. Cast out. Banished at sixteen years old to face the world alone.