002: Banished Under The Moon

Cold iron bit into my arms as the guards dragged me through the forest.

Each step felt unreal, as though my soul had been left behind in the ceremonial clearing—shattered beneath Alpha Kael’s rejection. Moonlight filtered through the towering trees, pale and merciless, illuminating paths I had walked my entire life.

This forest had been my home.

Now, it was my exile.

“Please…” My voice came out hoarse, barely more than a whisper. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Neither guard looked at me.

Their faces were hard, eyes fixed straight ahead, as if meeting my gaze would infect them with my disgrace. I was no longer one of them. I was something to be discarded.

Behind us, faint sounds of celebration drifted through the night—cheers, drums, the howl of triumph.

Alpha Kael was announcing his new Luna.

Lyra.

The broken mate bond pulsed violently with every heartbeat, a raw wound that refused to close. Pain burned deep inside my chest, stealing my breath and threatening to tear me apart from the inside out.

Breathe, I ordered myself. If you stop breathing, you will fall apart.

We reached the edge of Silverclaw territory, where ancient boundary stones stood half-buried in the earth, etched with glowing runes of protection. Beyond them lay unclaimed land—lawless, dangerous, and crawling with rogues.

One guard finally released me with a rough shove.

“You’re banished,” he said flatly. “If you cross back into Silverclaw territory, you’ll be killed on sight.”

I stumbled—but I did not fall.

My knees shook, my body weak, yet something inside me refused to collapse again. Not after what I had already endured.

“What about my things?” I asked quietly. “My family—”

“You have none,” the second guard snapped. “Not anymore.”

They turned away without another word.

Just like that, they left me alone beneath the cold glow of the moon.

I stood there for a long moment, listening to the forest breathe around me.

This was it.

No pack.

No mate.

No protection.

The night wind sliced through my thin dress, forcing a shiver through my body. Pain surged again from the shattered bond, and this time I couldn’t stop the sob that tore free.

“I trusted you,” I whispered into the darkness. “I waited for you.”

My legs finally gave out. I sank to the ground, clutching my chest as tears spilled freely onto the earth.

The Moon Goddess had been silent.

Or worse—

She had chosen this.

The air shifted.

At first, I thought it was my imagination—a strange pressure, like unseen eyes watching me. Then the ground beneath my palms grew warm.

Too warm.

I froze.

A foreign sensation coiled low in my stomach before racing through my veins. It wasn’t pain like before.

It was power.

Silver light flickered across my skin.

“What… what is this?” I whispered, panic tightening my throat.

Memories that weren’t mine flooded my mind—visions of a silver wolf larger than any I had ever seen, eyes glowing with ancient authority. Forgotten bloodlines. Lost legends.

And a name, whispered through time.

Luna…

I cried out as the sensation intensified, forcing me onto my back. The moon loomed closer, brighter, its light pouring into me as though answering a call buried deep within my soul.

Then—

Silence.

The power withdrew as suddenly as it had come, leaving me trembling and breathless on the forest floor.

I lay there for several long minutes, staring at the sky, afraid to move.

Had I imagined it?

I slowly pushed myself upright.

That was when I smelled it.

Wolf.

Not Silverclaw.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

The forest went unnaturally quiet.

From the shadows between the trees, a massive gray wolf stepped into the moonlight. His fur shimmered like steel, scarred and battle-worn, his emerald eyes sharp with intelligence.

Predator.

Alpha.

Instinct screamed at me to run—but my legs refused to obey.

The wolf studied me calmly, as though measuring my worth.

Then the air shimmered.

The wolf shifted.

In his place stood a man—tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in dark leather marked with unfamiliar symbols. His presence pressed down on me, heavy with dominance and raw power.

I knew who he was before he spoke.

Alpha Ronan.

Enemy of Silverclaw.

The Alpha Kael feared most.

His gaze swept over me—my torn dress, the blood on my palms, the faint silver glow still clinging to my skin.

A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips.

“Well,” he said quietly, his voice deep and amused,

“it seems Silverclaw has just thrown away something very valuable.”

My breath caught as he stepped closer.

“And I don’t intend to let that mistake go to waste.”