Chapter 2 : exile

Sloane

Traitor? I looked at my brother as if he suddenly had two heads growing on his neck.

“Kris? What is going on, and why are you calling me a traitor?”

“Because you are one. You think I wouldn't know about the fraud?!” he shouted.

I shook with fright and tried to steady myself, staring at him. Pack members drew near, whispers sliding in from every angle. They all criticized me, insulted me more than they already did.

My mother walked straight to where Kris stood, both hands folded across her chest.

“Mom… what's going on?” I asked.

She said nothing to me. The same look was on her face as on Kris's. Kris took a step back, his mouth twisted in distaste. Just then, Kylie and Barry appeared in the midst of the council.

Everyone looked at me and called me names. “Traitor,” they said, while I fought for what was mine.

“I didn't think you would do this to me,” Kris said, voice breaking.

“I didn't do anything, you've got to believe me!” I cried.

“Shut it!” Mother snapped, and a loud slap hit my face. The sting flared across my cheek as I clung to composure.

“You shouldn't even speak, you worthless, shameless traitor!”

“You don't deserve to be here,” Kris added. I shook my head violently. My legs gave out and I fell to my knees and crawled toward him. The moment my hands brushed the edge of his trouser, he kicked me, sending me sprawling backward.

“Get your dirty hands away. You have brought disgrace upon Crimson Pack, Sloane. Even as a doctor of the pack, you missed the rights.”

“I didn't do anything.”

“So you mean the evidence is fake?”

“What evidence?”

“Get her out! She deserves to leave!” someone shouted from the crowd.

I couldn't blame them. This is what I’d reduced myself to…a mockery for everyone in the pack. They insulted me because I did not have a wolf yet.

They called me useless while my family just watched.

Now this. This hurt more than anything, and not one person stood up for me.

They all hated me for a reason I didn't know.

The tears I had wiped away earlier began to fall again as I sobbed, loud and ragged.

“I, Alpha Kris of the Crimson Pack,” he began.

I lay on the floor while they chastised me, listening to my last verdict. What was there to live for when no one came when I called for help? When I was nothing but a traitor to my own family? I closed my eyes and let every one of my brother's words pierce me.

“Exile you, Sloane Moon, from the Crimson Pack. Never show your face here again. Your services will no longer be needed in the pack’s hospital. Pack your things and leave the estate immediately, you are no longer part of the royal family.”

Life could be so uncanny. Have you ever heard of a princess stripped of her royal status? Today, I was that princess.

Hopeless.

Broken.

I looked up at my brother and my mother with the last strength I had, but they averted their eyes. Tears streamed down my face as security grabbed me and dragged me to the gates.

My legs scraped the rough ground while people hurled things and curses at me. I glanced back at Kylie and Barry. Their smiles were victorious. They had planned all of this and I am sure of it.

“Good riddance,” I heard Kylie say. What hurt most was that I had trusted her with my life. I had told her everything, about me and Barry's relationship.

I never lied to her. I never kept secrets. But she was the real devil.

They both were.

They threw me out of the gates and one of them hurled my phone at my face. The large gates slammed shut in front of me, the reverberation echoing coldly in the air.

Kylie and Barry stood inside, watching me through the gate openings. They mocked me, laughing their asses off as I begged my brother to open up for me.

After what felt like dying hours, Kylie spoke. “Once a lonely retch, always a lonely retch,” she said, and they both walked away.

That broke something in me. It unleashed something raw. It was more than pain. It was more than anything I had ever felt.

This was different…mixed with anger, a rumble from the pit of my stomach.

I watched them walk back into the estate, my eyes seething. How dare they? How dare they hurt me like this?

I was broken, yes. But the fact that I was broken made it hurt even worse. I could barely stand as I cried and cried, spilling everything. I clenched and unclenched my hands in anger, but really, what could I do?

Absolutely nothing.

The gate man stared at me with a blank expression. He spat at me, then went inside.

I don't deserve this pain. I have been through so much for them. I have sacrificed my life, training, and practice, letting myself be groomed to become the Moonseed. I endured the insults and pain they rained in me each day. I kept Barry as my boyfriend but he lied about how much he loved me. I loved him so much but I guess everything was a lie. It was a sham.

Yet this is how they treat me? They throw me away like trash. They curse at me and stone me with filthy water.

I swallowed roughly as bile rose in my throat and I spat blood into the street. I touched my chin and felt a fresh scratch, still bleeding. The road was dry and empty; not a single person stopped.

I picked up my phone, opened my contacts, and dialed the one number I knew would come to my aid.

The same person who had promised me protection years ago. My first love and my brother's best friend —

Dean.