CHAPTER 2: THE BREAKING POINT

“She's not even his real daughter.”

I froze outside Father's study, my hand inches from the doorknob. Luna Blackwood's voice carried through the heavy oak, sharp with satisfaction.

“Are you certain?” That was Elder Morrison, his tone grave.

“Completely. Richard suspected her two years before he died. The timeline never matched—Margaret was already pregnant when they mated. With some rogue's bastard.”

My knees nearly gave out. The world tilted sideways as sixteen years of questions suddenly made sense. Why Father never looked at me the same way he looked at the boys. Why did my wolf never came. Why I never belonged.

“That explains everything,” Elder Morrison murmured. “The weakness, the failure to shift…”

“Tainted blood,” Luna Blackwood said with finality. “And now she's sixteen”

I pressed my back against the wall, Pip warm in my arms. He sensed my distress, nuzzling closer.

“What do you propose?”

“Banishment. Tonight, while the pack's still gathered. We can make it official.”

My stomach twisted. I backed away from the door, but my elbow caught a vase on the hallway table. It shaked, then crashed to the floor.

The study door flew open.

“Well, well.” Dante came out first, his dark eyes gleaming. “Little pig's been eavesdropping.”

Marcus appeared beside him, that cruel smile already forming. “How much did you hear, sister dear?”

“Don't call her that.” Ash stepped into the hallway, his gray eyes flat. “She's not our sister. Never was.”

I trembled at his words and clutched Pip tighter, his fur wet from my sudden tears.

“I knew you were pathetic,” Dante continued, circling me like a predator, “but a bastard too? That's just embarrassing.”

“Please,” I whispered. “I didn't mean to—”

“Didn't mean to what? Exist?” Marcus laughed, the sound echoing off the walls. “Because that's the real problem here, isn't it? You never should have existed.”

Luna Blackwood emerged from the study, her smile sharp enough to cut glass. “Oh good, she knows. This makes everything so much easier.”

“Makes what easier?” But I already knew.

“Your departure, dear. Tonight. The elders have decided you're... no longer welcome.”

Elder Morrison stepped out, avoiding my eyes. The coward couldn't even look at what he was destroying.

“This is my home,” I said, hating how my voice shook. “I've lived here my whole life.”

“This was never your home.” Dante's voice turned vicious. “You were a charity. A mistake we've been too kind to correct.”

Something inside me snapped. Sixteen years of swallowing their abuse, of accepting their hatred, of believing I deserved it. But this—being thrown away like garbage—finally broke something loose.

“No.”

They all stared at me.

“No,”I repeated, straightening my spine. “You don't get to do this. I may not be Father's blood, but he raised me. This pack is all I know.”

Marcus burst into laughter. “Look at that. The mouse found her voice.”

“Shame it's sixteen years too late,” Ash said softly. His quiet cruelty was always the worst.

“You want to know why your mother died giving birth to you?” His gray eyes locked onto mine. “Because even she couldn't stand the thought of raising a rogue's bastard. She chose death over claiming you.”

I staggered backward. Holding the wall for support

“That's enough,”Elder Morrison said, but his words was weak.

“Is it though?” Dante stepped closer, towering over me. “Because I think she needs to understand exactly what she is. A burden. A disgrace. A walking reminder of her whore mother's betrayal.”

“Stop.” My voice cracked.

“Make me.” His smile was predatory. “Oh wait, you can't. Because you're weak. Broken. You are nothing.”

That's when I did something I'd never done before. I raised my hand and slapped him.

The impact echoed through the hallway.

Dante's head shifted side ways, a red handprint blooming on his cheek. The silence that followed was deafening.

When he turned back to me, his eyes were black with rage.

“You stupid bitch.”

His fist connected with my stomach, driving all the air from my lungs. I doubled over, gasping, and Pip tumbled from my arms.

“Finally showing your true nature,” Marcus said conversationally. “Violence. Just like your real father, probably.”

I tried to reach for Pip, but Ash's boot came down on my fingers. The crack of bones was audible.

“Did you really think,” he said quietly, “that hitting him would change anything? Did you think we'd suddenly respect you?”

Through my tears, I saw Marcus pick up Pip. My little dog was trembling, confused by the violence.

“Please,” I whispered, cradling my broken fingers. “Don't hurt him. He's all I have.”

“Exactly.” Marcus's smile grew wider.

Before I could move, before I could scream, his hands twisted sharply.

Pip's neck snapped with a sound like breaking kindling.

“Now you have nothing left here,” Marcus said, dropping the small body at my feet.

The scream that tore from my throat was a little too strong for a weak wolf. I lunged for Marcus, with the pain of my broken fingers forgotten, but Dante caught me easily.

“Careful,” he said, his breath hot against my ear. “Don't want to give us more reasons to hurt you.”

I felt like tearing them apart but what could a weak wolf like me do? I collapsed over Pip's still form, my body shaking with sobs like it would tear into pieces.

“Gather the pack,” Luna Blackwood commanded. “Let's make this official.”

They dragged me outside, my bare feet scraping against the gravel. The entire pack had assembled in the courtyard, their faces ranging from curious to satisfied. No one looked sorry.

Elder Morrison cleared his throat. “By the ancient laws of our kind, we hereby banish the one called Kaia from Moonhaven territory. She is to leave immediately and never return, upon pain of death.”

My legs gave out, but Dante's grip on my arm kept me upright.

“Any pack member who aids her will face the same punishment,” Morrison continued. “She is no longer under our protection.”

“Wait.” I struggled to speak through my tears. “My things—”

“You came into this world with nothing,” Ash said quietly. “You'll leave the same way.”

They marched me to the territory border, Pip's body left behind in the courtyard. At the edge of our lands, Dante shoved me forward.

“If we see you again,” he said, his voice carrying clearly in the night air, “we'll finish what we started.”

Marcus laughed. “Though I doubt you'll survive a week out there. Rogues don't last long alone.”

I stumbled forward, crossing the invisible line that separated safety from the wild. Behind me, I heard them already walking away, talking and laughing like they hadn't just destroyed a life.

From where I stood, the forest looked endlessly ahead, dark and full of dangers I couldn't imagine. I had no food, no shelter, no money. Nothing but the clothes on me and sixteen years of abuse that had taught me I was worthless.

But as I walked deeper into the darkness, something strange happened. With each step away from Moonhaven, the crushing weight on my chest began to lift. The voice in my head that constantly whispered I was nothing started to quiet.

For the first time in my life, I was free.

Even if freedom meant dying alone in the wilderness, at least I'd die as myself. Not as their victim.

The moon disappeared behind clouds, leaving the forest into complete darkness. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled—wild and free and dangerous.

I smiled through my tears and kept walking.