Chapter Two

Mira's POV

I remain on the cold dining hall floor, trying to breathe through the pain that feels like it's crushing my chest. The broken mate bond burns like fire inside me, and Luna's silence in my mind makes me feel incomplete.

"Get up, you pathetic thing," Sarah's voice cuts through my misery. She stands over me with her arms crossed, a satisfied smile on her face. "You still have work to do. The Alpha ceremony is in three hours, and this place needs to be spotless."

I struggle to my feet, using the wall for support. My legs shake, and everything hurts. Several pack members stare at me with disgust or amusement. Nobody offers to help.

"Did you really think Amos would want you?" Sarah laughs, loud enough for everyone to hear. "You attacked his brother. You're lucky the Alpha didn't kill you for what you did to Kyle."

"I didn't attack him," I whisper, but my voice is so weak that nobody hears me. Or maybe they just don't care.

"What was that?" Sarah steps closer, her blue eyes cold. "Are you still lying about my mate?"

Before I can respond, she grabs my hair and pulls hard. I cry out in pain as she drags me toward the kitchen.

"You're going to finish preparing food for the ceremony," she hisses in my ear. "And if anything goes wrong, I'll make sure you regret it even more than you already do."

She throws me forward, and I catch myself on the kitchen counter. My scalp throbs where she pulled my hair, and I can feel several strands coming loose.

Sarah leaves, her high heels clicking on the floor. I hear her laughing with her friends in the hallway, probably about me.

I force myself to focus on cooking. My hands move automatically, preparing dishes even though I can barely see through my tears. I make roasted chicken, garlic potatoes, fresh salads, and special desserts for the ceremony.

While I work, I think about Amos and how quickly he rejected me. He didn't hesitate. He didn't ask questions. He just believed I was guilty and threw away our mate bond like it meant nothing.

Luna stirs slightly in my mind. "We need to leave this place," she says weakly. "They'll never stop hurting us."

"Where would we go?" I ask her silently. "We have no money, no friends, nowhere safe."

"Anywhere is better than here," Luna insists. "Please, Mira. I can't take much more of this."

I want to argue, but deep down, I know she's right. This pack will never accept me. My own parents have abandoned me. And now my mate—the one person who should have protected me—has rejected me in front of everyone.

"After the ceremony," I promise Luna. "We'll find a way to escape."

She doesn't respond, but I feel her agreement.

For the next two hours, I work nonstop. I set up tables, arrange flowers, and make sure everything looks perfect. Other omegas help with the heavy lifting, but they avoid talking to me. I'm contaminated in their eyes, someone to stay away from.

As guests start arriving from neighboring packs, I retreat to the kitchen to stay out of sight. Through the window, I watch wolves in expensive clothes gathering in the ceremony area behind the pack house. Everyone looks happy and excited.

The Crescent Moon Pack territory is beautiful. We have dense forests, clear streams, and mountains in the distance. The pack house itself is a large mansion with modern facilities. It's a good place to live if you're not an outcast like me.

"Mira!" My mother's sharp voice makes me jump. I turn to see her standing in the kitchen doorway, looking uncomfortable.

Mom is a pretty woman with brown hair like mine, but her face always looks stern now. She's wearing a simple dress for the ceremony, nothing fancy since she's no longer a respected pack warrior.

"What is it, Mom?" I ask quietly.

She hesitates, looking at the floor instead of at me. "Your father and I... we think it's best if you don't attend the ceremony. Stay in your room until it's over."

Her words shouldn't hurt after everything else, but they do. "You don't want anyone to see me," I say flatly.

"It's not like that," Mom says, but her tone tells me it's exactly like that. "We just think... after what happened this morning with Amos... it would be better if you stayed away."

"I understand," I reply, keeping my voice steady even though I want to scream.

Mom nods quickly and leaves without another word. No hug. No comfort. Nothing.

I finish arranging the food on serving platters and then slip away to my tiny room. Through my small window, I can hear music starting and people cheering. The ceremony is beginning.

I sit on my mattress and hug my knees to my chest. Luna is right. We need to leave. Tonight, after everyone is distracted with celebration, I'll pack my few belongings and run.

But where will I go? Rogue wolves don't survive long on their own. Other packs won't accept me without a recommendation letter, which I'll never get. And the human world is dangerous for wolves who can't fully control their shifting.

"We'll figure it out," Luna says, stronger now. "We're survivors, Mira. We've made it this far."

Outside, I hear the Alpha ceremony reaching its peak. The current Alpha, Richard Thompson, must be officially passing leadership to his son Amos. There's loud howling and cheering.

Then I hear Amos's voice amplified by a microphone. "I, Amos Thompson, accept the role of Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack. I promise to lead with strength, protect our territory, and ensure our pack's prosperity."

More cheering. More howling. Everyone loves him.

"As my first act as Alpha," Amos continues, and something in his tone makes my stomach drop, "I want to address the matter of Mira Stone."

No. Why is he talking about me?

"Three months ago, Mira attacked my brother Kyle without provocation. She has shown no remorse for her actions. Kyle's mate, Sarah, has brought to my attention that Mira continues to be disruptive and disrespectful."

That's not true! But nobody will believe me.

"Therefore," Amos says, and I can hear the coldness in his voice even from here, "effective immediately, Mira Stone will be confined to the dungeon until further notice. She will receive minimal food and water. This punishment will teach her the consequences of violence against pack members."

The crowd erupts in approval. I hear people clapping and shouting their agreement.

I can't breathe. The dungeon? Nobody survives long in the dungeon. It's dark, cold, and filled with rats. Wolves are sometimes kept there for days or weeks as punishment, and they come out broken.

Heavy footsteps approach my door. I scramble to my feet as two large guards burst in. They're both warriors, strong and emotionless.

"No, please," I beg, backing into the corner. "I didn't do anything wrong. Please, just let me explain—"

"Alpha's orders," one guard says gruffly. He grabs my arm with a grip so tight it hurts.

"You're hurting me!" I try to pull away, but the second guard grabs my other arm.

They drag me out of my room and through the pack house. We go past the kitchen where I spent all morning cooking. We pass the dining hall where Amos rejected me. Everything blurs through my tears.

Outside, pack members watch as I'm dragged toward the dungeon entrance behind the pack house. Some look pleased. Others look uncomfortable but say nothing. I search desperately for my parents in the crowd, but they're not there.

Sarah stands near the front with Kyle beside her. She waves at me mockingly, her smile cruel and triumphant.

The dungeon entrance is a heavy wooden door set into the ground. One guard opens it, revealing stone stairs leading down into darkness. The smell of damp earth and mold hits me.

"Please," I sob, truly terrified now. "Please don't do this."

They ignore me, forcing me down the stairs. At the bottom, there's a corridor with several cells. They throw me into the farthest one, and I land hard on the stone floor. The door slams shut with a loud clang, and I hear the lock click.

Then the guards' footsteps fade away, and I'm alone in the darkness.

The cell is tiny, maybe six feet by six feet. There's no bed, no blanket, nothing except cold stone. I can hear water dripping somewhere and the scratching of rats in the walls.

I curl up in the corner, wrapping my arms around myself. My whole body shakes with cold and fear.

"Luna?" I call out to my wolf.

"I'm here," she responds, but she sounds so weak. "I'm sorry, Mira. I'm sorry I can't protect us."

"It's not your fault," I tell her. "None of this is your fault."

Through the tiny barred window high on the wall, I can see a small patch of sky. It's late afternoon now, the sun beginning to set.

I think about Amos, my mate who rejected me. He didn't just reject our bond—he's actively punishing me now. He believes I'm guilty without ever hearing my side.

The pain of the broken mate bond still aches in my chest, but now it's mixed with something else. Anger. If I survive this, I promise myself, I'll find a way to make them all see the truth. I'll prove my innocence.

But first, I need to survive the dungeon.

As darkness falls completely, the cold seeps into my bones. I hear rats scurrying closer, and I pull my knees tighter to my chest.

This is only the beginning of my punishment, I realize. Amos said "until further notice." That could mean days, weeks, or even months.

I close my eyes and try to stay warm, but it's impossible. All I can do is wait and hope that somehow, some way, things will get better.

But deep down, I fear they'll only get worse.