Chapter 6: Disowned

I spent the night at a cheap roadside motel. I was too terrified to go back to the Holloway estate.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the people who had ruined my life: Scott telling me I wasn't in his future; Xavier making me believe, if only for a fleeting moment, that I deserved to be chosen; and Freya's face when she caught us.

By sunrise, I tried to convince myself it was all a dream. I thought maybe I could just go home.

My father would be angry, but he cared more about appearances than anything else. Surely he wouldn't destroy my life over one mistake.

The drive back felt endless. When the gates opened, my stomach dropped. The driveway was lined with black luxury sedans bearing the Luminara Council crests. Council Elders, pack officials, and government representatives were all there.

My punishment had become a political event.

The driver stopped in front of the mansion. "We're here, Miss Holloway," he whispered.

The front doors were already open. A servant stood there with a blank expression.

"Miss Holloway," he said stiffly. "Alpha Holloway wants to see you in the Council Hall."

Alpha Holloway. Not "Dad." Even the staff knew the shift had happened.

As I walked through the halls, the house felt foreign. The servants whispered as I passed:

"Freya should have been the heir anyway…"

"What a disgrace…"

"Can you imagine sleeping with your sister's boyfriend?"

Every word felt like a stone thrown at me. I kept walking. If I stopped to answer, I knew I would collapse.

The Council Hall was reserved for the biggest events: declarations of war, treaties, or trials for pack crimes. Today, it was full of military leaders, advisors, and journalists. They didn't look at me with pity; they looked at me with curiosity, like they were watching an execution.

At the center stood my father, Alpha Alistair Holloway. He was in his military uniform, his face expressionless. My mother sat beside him, staring at the table. Freya stood to his right, dressed in white and looking proud, as if she were attending a gala.

My father stood up.

"As Alpha of the Silvercrest Pack and head of House Holloway," he announced, "I've made my decision."

I held my breath.

"You are removed from the line of succession. You forfeit all inheritance and voting privileges. You give up every title and protection granted to House Holloway."

No one questioned him.

A tear ran down my cheek, but my father didn't even blink.

Freya stepped forward, her voice sounding rehearsed and sad. "I love my sister," she sighed. "But the family's stability must come before personal feelings. Silvercrest cannot risk offending the Lycan Crown because of one person's bad choices."

The room murmured in agreement. People actually started clapping.

"The motion passes unanimously," he said calmly. He looked me in the eye. "Effective immediately, Ravenna Holloway is expelled from the Silvercrest Pack."

A wave of pain hit my chest so hard I couldn't breathe. The bond connecting me to my pack fractured. My knees almost gave out.

"No…" I whispered. I looked at him—not as an Alpha, but as my father. "Dad…"

For a second, I hoped he would choose me.

"I spent my whole life trying to make you proud," I said, my voice shaking. "I studied until sunrise for perfect grades. I learned diplomacy because you said a future Luna couldn't make mistakes. I trained until my hands bled because you said weakness embarrassed the name. I gave up friends. I gave up everything. Tell me… what else was I supposed to do?"

My father's voice was terrifyingly indifferent.

"You were born second," he said. "Freya was always my heir. You only existed in case something happened to her."

Everything clicked. Every ignored birthday and every lesson—it all made sense. I wasn't being raised to lead. I was just a backup.

Something inside me died. Not my wolf or my heart, but my hope.

I rose slowly from the chair. My hands no longer shook. I pulled the heavy gold signet ring from my finger—the symbol of inheritance and pack protection—and set it on the council table with a soft, final click. Next I removed the heir's badge and placed it beside the ring.

"You want me gone?" I wasn't sounding desperate anymore, just fucking done with all of this bullshit. "Fine."

I took a slow look around the room. My father was already eyeing my seat like he was waiting for me to leave so he could take it, while my mom just stared blankly into space.

My sister had that same irritating little smirk she always does. Then there was the council—people who'd known me since I was a little girl—and you could tell they were just relieved I was finally getting kicked out.

I looked at my father. "But remember this. One day, you're going to regret today."

Elder Whitmore sneered. "You should be grateful. Your Alpha let you leave alive."

Alive. Not loved. Just alive.

I looked at Freya. "I used to be jealous of you. I thought you were everything I could never be. I was wrong. You aren't better than me. You're just better at pretending."

"Enough!" My father thundered.

Two guards stepped toward me, but my father stopped them. "No. She knows the way out."

The guards wouldn't look me in the eye. One had taught me to ride horses; the other had carried me on his shoulders when I was six. Their silence hurt more than the words.

I headed for the heavy wooden doors. No one tried to stop me, and nobody even called out my name. As soon as I stepped through, the doors slammed shut, the sound ringing out across the courtyard.

For the first time in nineteen years, I wasn't a Holloway.

The cold wind hit my face. My phone started buzzing.

Xavier Beckett.

Heard about the council meeting.

Are you still alive?

Answer me.

Yesterday he told me there was no "we." Now he was checking on me. My fingers shook as I typed back: Crawl back to hell, Satan.

He replied instantly: There she is, Princess. I was wondering when you'd start fighting.

"I hate him," I whispered.

"So do I," Ciel growled.

I ripped the SIM card out of my phone and snapped it in half. When the screen lit up with another call from Xavier, I threw the phone as hard as I could into the trees.

The truth finally hit me. I was nineteen. No family. No pack. No home. No future.

I wrapped my arms around myself to stop the shaking.

Where do we go now?

I looked at the road stretching away from the estate. For the first time in my life, I had no idea.

"I don't know," I whispered. "But the first thing we do is get the hell out of here."