CHAPTER TWO: WHAT DID YOU DO, SELENE?

My heart plummeted to my stomach, and I felt lightheaded. I stood frozen to the spot as the the door flung open,

“Selene, I…” His voice trailed off and he froze, his eyes locking onto the horrible scene behind me. I watched the color drain from his face, and his eyes darted from my parents’s corpses to my blood stained body. Then his jaw tightened, his eyes narrowed into icy slits. “What is this, Selene?”

Rafe, I—” My voice broke, and I stumbled forward, trying to reach for him. I wanted him to understand that I didn’t know what happened. I wanted him to believe me, to somehow look in my eyes, and tell me I was safe, and everything would be alright. “I don’t know what happened. I just woke up and—”

But the man staring me down was no longer the Rafe I'd been attracted to. This was Rfae, the Alpha. I knew I was doomed. Ofcourse, his duties to both packs was loyalty as was expected of a wolf, and if he waved this away, it’d be treacherous.

“Don’t.” he snapped, jerking away from my touch. His gaze hardened then dropped to my bloodstained hands, and he flinched, disgust evident on his face. “You did this, didn’t you?” His eyes searched mine, pierced through mine.

Somewhere inside me, my wolf stirred, and I heard her whimper. “No, I swear, I didn’t—” I started to say, but he cut me off with a growl.

“Don’t lie to me!!” Rafe roared, and the power of his voice sent a chill down my spine. My wolf whimpered again. He closed the distance between us, and I stumbled back, eager to get away, but collided with the wall instead.

“Your powers…I knew they were dangerous, but  your parents had assured me that it was all under control and that our marriage would help you control them better. I thought if it got bad, I could help you control them. Your powers were meant to strengthen our packs, but now you’ve used them to kill?” 

“Rafe, please…” I choked on a sob, my heart shattering as he looked at me like I was some kind of monster. Some kind of dirt. I almost didn’t blame him. His Luna was meant to be innocent and powerful, not a murderer, and a faulty werewolf. “You have to believe me, I would never–”

“How can I believe you?” His voice dropped to a cold, deadly whisper. “You're covered in their blood, and on your fingertips, there are bits of skin.”

I felt nauseous and the world titled, spiraling out of control. “I didn’t kill them, Rafe.” I insisted, even though I didn’t believe that myself. “You know me, I am your Luna. You are my mate. I didn't do this, I swear, Rafe.” I pleaded, tears streaming down my cheeks.

But something shifted in his gaze, hardening and closing me off. The warmth that used to fill the space between us was gone, and the attraction I had once felt was replaced by an icy indifference.

“You are not the woman I thought you were Selene.” he said, each word cutting into me like a knife. “You’re a danger to yourself and everyone around you. How can I make such a woman my Luna? What will the future of my pack be?”

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words refused to come out. My heart felt like it was being torn from my chest, piece by agonizing piece. He grabbed me by the arm, his fingers digging into my skin, and then he dragged me out of the room.

I tried to resist, flailing and pleading with him, but in the end I was forced to stumble along behind him, my head still spinning and still struggling to understand what had happened the night before.

“Rafe please listen to me!” I cried, making one last attempt to get his empathy. My voice was raw with desperation and fear, but I continued. “I did not do this. I don’t know what happened. I..I can't remember.”

Rafe did not answer me, but kept pulling me along until we were standing at the entrance of the venue. He turned to me, his eyes hard, and said, “You’ll answer for your crimes in front of everyone.”

Tears blurred my vision, but I could still see the faces of the pack members as we came out into the open courtyard where the wedding ceremony had been planned to hold. The sun was setting, and it casted an eerie glow over the white rose petals that had been carefully laid out.

Gasps and noises of shock rippled through the crowd when they saw me—dressed in my blood stained white dinner dress from the night with blood splattered over my hair and face.

Their reactions shifted from horror to disbelief to concern, before eventually settling in disgust which they showed with their eyes. I felt their judgment and their disgust pierced me like a thousand daggers.

“Rafe, what is this? One of the elders demanded, his brows furrowed in confusion. He also appeared irritated. “Why is she dressed this way? Where are her parents?”

“She’s a murderer.” Rafe spat, refusing to look at me. His voice, deep, and clear reverberated through the crowd, and the murmurs died down. “My Luna is nothing but a bloodthirsty killer, and she has killed her own parents with the very powers she was meant to use to protect us.” His voice was shaking, and each word dripped with contempt.

Then he turned to me, holding my gaze with his piercing stare. “She’s not fit to be my mate, not fit to be our Luna. I will not endanger my werewolves.”

His words carried through to me like it was a dream, and then I felt the last vestiges of my sanity slip away. “No!” I wailed, throwing myself at his feet. If he rejected me, I was as good as useless.

Rafe turned to the crowd, lifting his chin, and I could see the pain in his eyes as he tried to mask it with anger. “As Alpha, I Rafe Silver, reject you, Selene Crimson, as my fated mate.” His voice thundered, and boomed, echoing through the courtyard. It was the effect of his wolf commanding attention. 

My wolf roared with pain inside me, and I fell back down, suddenly weak, but he continued. 

“I strip you of your title as Luna, and I hereby strip you of your wolf as punishment.”

The words struck me hard, more than any blow ever could. I felt my knees buckle, and my vision blur, then I was falling flat on the ground, gasping for air. The ground was cold and hard. “No, Rafe, please don't do this.” I whispered through my breathing struggle, as my heart shattered into a million pieces.

Weak, I reached out to him, but he took a step back and turned away as if the very sight of me repulsed him.

And then I felt it. The pain of my wolf being torn away from me. It was a searing pain that started in my chest, and I screamed, my body writhing on the ground as I felt my wolf slipping away, as I felt our connection snap.

She howled inside me painfully, clawing, struggling to stay, but her struggles were killing me. And then it stopped, and I felt her slip away, her familiar warmth left me, and all I could feel was a cold emptiness.

I gasped for air, and the crowd watched, their faces a mixture of pity and hatred. After all, I’d killed their Beta and Luna, and the faces of my pack were angry. No one moved to help me.

“You’ve been rejected, Selene.” Rafe said, his voice lacking emotion. “And you will no longer have the privilege of being a part of the Crimson Pack. A new leader will take over. You will be banished, exiled, and you are never to return.”

I could barely hear him over the ringing in my ears. The world around me felt unreal. I watched through a veil of shock and disbelief as he turned his back on me, and as the pack I had grown up with—the Crimson Pack—the pack I had called my family, and dedicated my life to, turned away one by one, rejecting me, just like he had.

His wolves, the silverfang, growled at me with aggression, as my pack carried on with the rejection ritual. I was humiliated. I was scum.

It amazed me how fast things had changed. I was no one now. Just a broken girl in a bloodstained dress who was cast aside by the man who was supposed to protect her.

“Get her out of here!” Rafe ordered, and two of my pack members and two of his, moved towards me. I tried to stand but my legs were too weak to cooperate, and I slumped back to the ground.

The sharp pain of Rafe’s rejection still raked through my body. They lifted me roughly by the arms, and dragged me out of the courtyard, and out of the only life that I’ve ever known.

I caught one last glimpse of Rafe as they led me into the woods. He stood tall, imposing, and his back was straight. His face was hard to see, but I could tell from his set jaw that it was hard as stone.

“If you ever come back, Selene, I will kill you. You should be glad you’ve only been exiled.” He called out to me.

The werewolves left me at the edge of the territory, their disgust evident as they shoved me forward. I didn’t blame them, I’d committed a grave sin. I stumbled, nearly falling, but somehow managed to stay on my feet, even as my chest ached.

Then they left me, and vanished back into the woods I had once called home. I turned and started walking. The last thing I wanted was to be attacked at nightfall by rival wolves. I trudged through the woods, my legs heavy and tears pouring down my cheeks, until I reached the tiny cabin that had once belonged to my grandmother. 

It was hidden deep in the forest, a gift from my grandfather to her, since she loved the water. The tiny cabin was near a small creek, and the sound of water running over stone was a welcome sound.

I collapsed into the worn bed, and pulled my knees to my chest, then I let the sobs come. My shoulders trembled violently, and every tear felt like I was tearing open a wound inside me.

I cried until there was nothing left in me. I’d lost everything.

Nightfall, found me in that same position, sitting with my knees to my chest. My wolf was gone, which meant that I felt the cold more now. My family was gone. My mate, Rafe, was gone as well.

But then, just as I felt myself falling into a watery sleep, I heard it.

A low growl, juts from outside the cabin pierced the calm night. I forced myself to sit up, suddenly alert, but even the effort made every muscle in my body scream in protest.

It came again, that growl. It was a wolf. The growl was unmistakable.

I stared at the door, willing myself to remain calm, as a shadow moved across the window. Then I caught  sight of it—a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness, watching me.

My blood ran cold. I was not alone.