chapter 1: The night I was banished

The world ended before I even knew it was breaking.

The rain fell hard, like sharp needles from the sky, beating against my skin and washing the ashes of my life into the mud. Smoke rose into the black clouds, carrying the smell of burned wood… and something else. Something I didn’t understand.

What used to be my home was now nothing but broken pieces and fire.

I stood barefoot in the cold, my white dress dirty and torn. My hair stuck to my face. My whole body shook, not just from the rain but from fear.

People from the pack—people who watched me grow up—stared at me like I was a nightmare standing in front of them.

“She did it!” a man shouted.

“She burned the Alpha’s house!”

More voices echoed the lie.

“She was the last one inside!”

“I saw her!”

“She killed them!”

Their words stabbed harder than the rain.

“I didn’t!” I screamed, my voice cracking. “Please! You all know me! I didn’t do anything!”

But no one came closer. No one even blinked. Their eyes were full of hate.

Then he appeared.

Alpha Leon—my uncle—walked out of the crowd. Tall. Calm. Too calm. Rain rolled off his dark coat, but he didn’t seem bothered by the storm. His eyes were cold, unreadable.

And behind him… Mia.

My best friend. My sister in everything except blood. Her face looked pale. Her arms were crossed.

“Mia,” I whispered, stepping forward. “Please… you know me. You know I would never hurt my parents. You know that.”

She looked at me. Her eyes trembled… then turned hard.

“I saw you, Aria,” she said quietly. “You were there before the fire. And… only you survived.”

My heart dropped. “No… Mia, that’s not true. I woke up when the smoke filled my room. I tried to save them. I swear I tried!”

Why was she lying?

Why now?

Why in front of everyone?

Before I could speak again, Alpha Leon raised his hand. The crowd fell silent at once.

“Enough,” he said, his voice deep like thunder. “Aria Moon, daughter of Alpha Kian and Luna Helena, you are accused of destroying the Alpha’s home and killing your parents.”

The whole world tilted.

“I didn’t!” I cried. “Please, Uncle—don’t you know me? Why would I ever hurt the two people I loved most in this world?”

But his eyes were empty.

“I told your father a child born under a red moon would bring ruin,” he said slowly. “Tonight, you proved it.”

A gasp moved through the crowd.

My head spun.

Red moon?

I was born under a normal moon.

At least… that’s what my parents always told me.

Why was he saying that now?

“Please,” I whispered, “don’t do this. Something is wrong. Somebody else—”

“You are no longer part of the Silver Claw Pack,” he cut in sharply. “From this moment, you are banished. If you return… you die.”

A cold wind blew through me.

My knees gave out, and I fell into the mud. “No… Uncle, please. I have no one. I have nowhere to go.”

“Then the forest will take you,” he said. “As it should have years ago.”

A stone hit my shoulder. Another hit my arm.

Pain spread through me, but the pain inside my chest was much worse.

“Monster!”

“Murderer!”

“Get out!”

I covered my head, shaking uncontrollably.

“Mia!” I cried out. “Please! Please don’t leave me alone! Please, Mia!”

She turned her face away. “You were my friend,” she whispered. “But not anymore.”

Something inside me cracked.

It felt final.

It felt like falling into darkness.

Slowly, I pushed myself up, mud dripping from my hands.

“Fine,” I whispered. “If none of you will believe me… I’ll go.”

I looked one last time at the burning home—my memories turning to smoke—then I turned and ran into the forest.

The forest swallowed me.

Branches scratched my skin. Stones cut my feet. My dress tore more with every step. But I kept running. The sound of the rain beat against my ears, mixing with my heartbeat.

After a long time, I collapsed beside a large oak tree. My breathing was rough. My body hurt everywhere.

“Why?” I whispered. “Who hates me this much? Why would someone do this?”

No answer.

Only the wind.

My wolf had not awakened yet. I was still seventeen. Weak. Alone.

I thought of my mother’s warm smile.

My father’s voice calling me “little wolf.”

Gone.

All gone.

A small sound came from behind me.

A twig snapping.

I froze.

Someone was in the woods.

Someone watching me.

But before I could move, darkness pulled me down. My body gave up. My eyes closed.

The world disappeared.

That was the night my life ended.

That was the night someone framed me.

That was the night I became the banished one.

And I didn’t know it then…

but the truth was already following me in the shadows.