Chapter 2

Isla's Pov 

Gasps rang throughout the entire place; I stared at my mother in shock. 

“W… What?” I asked dumbfoundedly, “M… Mom? What are you saying?” I choked, stunned. My hand flew to my cheek, still burning from the slap, “No, I… I didn’t…”

“Don’t you dare lie! You sent people to kidnap her, to kill her!”

I shook my head frantically, my vision blurring, “No! That’s not true, I would never hurt Arielle! Tell them, Arielle, please, tell them the truth! I wasn't the one who kidnapped you! I didn't!”

All eyes turned to Arielle, still nestled in Lucien’s arms, looking so heartbreakingly fragile. Her lower lip trembled, and tears fell down her bruised cheeks.

She looked at me with eyes filled with pain and betrayal, “Why do you hate me so much, Isla?” She whimpered, her voice barely a whisper, “I never did anything to you…”

My blood ran cold.

“No… Arielle, don’t…” I stepped forward, but Lucien growled, a warning in his eyes that made my steps falter.

“You took everything from me.” Arielle continued, tears spilling like a broken dam, “You forcefully sent me abroad so that you could marry him and take my place. I was content with just being friends with him, even if it meant that I had to bury my love for him. I let you have him, but that wasn't enough for you? You still had to go ahead and try to…” Arielle coughed, blood dripping from the corner of her lips. 

“Isla… I… I promise, I won't fight with you for him again, so just let me go. Please just let me go, okay??” 

“A… Arielle, what are you saying?” My body began to tremble, “Lu… Lucien…” I stammered, “I… I didn't…” 

“Shut up!” He bellowed and instantly, I closed my mouth, whimpering as I tried to keep the tears from escaping. 

“Isla, I've always tolerated how evil you were, I thought that if I did everything you wanted, you would learn not to target Ari, but it seems no matter what I do, you'll always be the vile evil woman!” Lucien yelled, his eyes blazing. 

Lucien's grip on Arielle tightened, and my breath hitched when I saw the blood stained clothes on her, along with bruises and a blood soaked bandage in her left wrist. 

“Take her away and lock her up in the dark room, she will receive the consequences of her actions.” Lucien said and turned. 

“N… No. No wait…” I stammered as men held me by the arms, pushing me roughly, “L… Lucien, I didn't… No, please!” I struggled, the tears I was desperately trying to hold now falling down my cheeks. But he didn't hear me, or he chose not to. 

They took me to the Pack's holding cell, a dark room. Lucien knew I hated the dark. He knew I used to sleep with a light on because of the childhood trauma I never spoke about. He knew.

And yet he left me here. Alone.

I don't know how long I sat there, it could have been days but then, the door creaked open and light poured in, so blinding I flinched. A figure stepped inside and roughly yanked me to my feet. They dragged me down the hall, my feet stumbling, my head bowed. They took me to the parlour, where everyone was gathered. 

Arielle was seated next to our mother. She looked up as I entered, her eyes red from tears. Lucien stood at the fireplace, arms crossed, a hard expression on his face. He didn’t look at me. Not even once.

“Why did you do it, Isla?” My mother asked coldly, standing up, “How could you lock up your own blood?”

“I didn’t.” I croaked, my voice barely above a whisper, “I didn’t touch her. I don’t know who did this to her, but it wasn’t me. You can investigate, do anything but I… Ack!” 

Lucien held me by the jaw, digging his fingers into my cheeks and making me wince in pain as blood dribbled down to my chin.

“L… Lucien, you're h… hurting me…” 

“Do you think I haven't tried to investigate, Isla?” He spat out venomously, as if calling my name was poison, “But fortunately for you, you had killed them all off before they could even say a word.” 

“I…” 

“But it doesn't matter, we were able to find evidence after going through your phone and the phones of the kidnappers.” Lucien threw my head away as he brought my phone closer to me, showing me a bunch of messages that I had ‘sent’. 

I stared at the screen Lucien shoved in my face, and at first, the words didn’t register.

“She’ll be out of the picture soon. Make sure she’s never found. Lucien will finally be mine. No more competition. Send me a picture once it’s done. I want to see her pathetic face and to make sure that she's really suffering.” 

“No.” I whispered, stumbling back as if the phone burned me, “No, no, no! I didn’t write that! I didn’t send those, those aren’t my messages!”

Lucien’s lips twisted in disgust, “Still lying. Even now.”

“I didn’t send these.” I said louder, more urgently, looking around at the cold, judging faces, “Someone must have… They must have hacked my account or cloned my phone or…”

“Enough!” My mother snapped, “You’ve already confessed with your actions.”

“I didn't do any of this, please believe me. This isn’t real. This is a setup. Someone’s framing me. Please…”

“Silence her.” Lucien ordered and strong hands grabbed me, pushing me down to the ground, my knees hitting the floor with a loud ‘thud’. I thought I even heard something break. The man covered my mouth with his palms, clamping down on my cheeks so hard that it felt like my jaw was going to crack. 

Lucien stepped forward, towering over me like a judge before a prisoner. His face was devoid of any trace of affection, if he ever had any for me to begin with.

“You are hereby banished from the Red Ridge Pack.” He declared. His voice was cold and final, ringing through the silence of the hall like a death sentence, “From this day on, you are no longer one of us. No pack member is to offer you shelter, food, or aid, not even on your deathbed.”

The grip on my arms tightened as I struggled, “Please!” I sobbed, my voice cracking, “You can't do this to me! I didn't do anything! Lucien, please!”

He didn’t blink, “You did this to yourself, Isla. Now pay the price.”

“Lucien…” I choked on his name, “Please… Spare… Spare me.” 

His gaze remained blank, “Then you should’ve stayed away from Arielle.”

With that, he nodded, “Throw her out. Now.”

I was thrown outside, my body hitting the dirt hard. I stood up, and began to wander aimlessly, my wounded legs leaving a trail of blood as I walked. However, I hadn't even gone far when a car screeched in front of me. I stopped, my eyes lightning up; Lucien must have come back for me! 

However, six men came out from the car and I instantly felt danger. I screamed and ran, but I didn’t get far. One of them grabbed me from behind, slamming something hard into the side of my head.

Darkness came immediately. 

When I woke up, my head was pounding. My limbs were numb, wrists tied tightly behind my back. I blinked slowly, vision blurring as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. I was in an abandoned warehouse. 

“Miss, she's in there.” I heard one of them say and as if I hadn't faced enough as it is, Arielle walked into the room, her eyes glittering in the dark. 

“Sister, you're here.” She said innocently, smiling at me. 

I bit my lips, not willing to answer her but she shrugged, unconcerned and started talking. 

“You know… I've always hated you for some reason, but I never truly understood why until I found out the truth.” Arielle whispered, circling me like a predator stalking its prey.

I glared at her through the pain, my voice hoarse, “What truth?”

Her smile widened, a wicked glint lighting up her eyes, “That you’re not one of us. That you were never my real sister, you're not even a rogue.”

I blinked, trying to make sense of her words. My heart thundered in my chest, “W… What…?”

“You’re the daughter of the Blackwoods.” She said it slowly, letting every word pierce the silence like a dagger, “The bloodline even the King fears. The ruling family, the bloodline of the Moon’s Flame. The ones who are destined to lead all packs under the eyes of the moon. The beloved daughter who was blessed by the moon. You were meant to be a sacrifice, meant to

be cannon fodder for me! So how come you suddenly became the long list daughter of the Blackwoods?!”