EXILED
1020 Words
CHAPTER 7: EXILED
The gates closed behind me.
Click.
That was it.
That was the sound of my life ending.
No one came with me.
No one waved goodbye.
No one called my name.
The Silver Moon Pack.
My home for 23 years.
Gone.
Snow hit my face.
Cold.
Sharp.
Like the words Kael used this morning.
“I reject you, Lila Carter.”
“In front of the entire pack.”
“For being weak. For being barren. For being nothing.”
_Weak._
_Barren._
_Nothing._
The words followed me.
Echoed in my skull with every step.
I pulled my thin jacket tighter.
It wouldn’t be enough.
Not for this winter.
Not for the borderlands.
My bag had 3 things.
Bread.
$20.
And the locket my mother gave me before she died.
That was all I was worth.
Ember was silent in my head.
Too silent.
Since the rejection, she hadn’t spoken.
Like she was ashamed of me too.
_We’re alone now,_ I told her.
_Just you and me._
No answer.
The forest stretched in front of me.
Black trees.
White ground.
And between them... nothing.
Rogues lived out here.
Killers.
Thieves.
Wolves with no pack to protect them.
_Rule 1: Don’t stop walking._
_Rule 2: Don’t cry._
_Rule 3: Survive._
I made it one mile.
My feet were numb.
My hands were numb.
My heart was numb.
That’s when I heard it.
A growl.
Low.
Close.
I turned.
Slowly.
Three wolves.
Eyes yellow in the dark.
Rogues.
Starving.
“Fresh meat,” one said. Shifting.
A man now.
Dirty.
Teeth sharp.
Scars all over his neck.
“Please,” I whispered.
Voice shaking.
“Don’t—”
He lunged.
I closed my eyes.
This is it.
This is how I die. Alone. In the snow. Unclaimed.
But the impact never came.
Instead... heat.
Warmth.
A wall of muscle in front of me.
A voice. Deep. Rough.
Like thunder.
“Touch her and die.”
My eyes flew open.
A man.
Tall.
6’4 at least.
Black coat.
Snow in his hair.
And his eyes.
Gold.
Like the sun.
Like fire.
Like something ancient.
He didn’t look at me.
His eyes were on the rogues.
The rogues saw him.
Saw his stance.
Saw the way the air shifted around him.
Saw the power rolling off him in waves.
Alpha.
A powerful one.
One of them whimpered.
Then they ran.
All three.
Disappearing into the trees.
Silence.
Only the wind.
Then he turned to me.
I flinched.
Bracing for it.
For the scorn.
For the “you’re weak.”
For the rejection all over again.
But he just... looked.
Cataloging.
The torn jacket.
The chapped lips.
The shaking hands.
The bruise on my wrist from where Kael grabbed me.
His jaw ticked.
“Can you walk?” he asked.
Voice softer now.
Like he was afraid of scaring me.
I nodded.
Lie.
“You’re lying,” he said.
He could tell.
Of course he could tell.
Then he bent down.
And picked me up.
Oh.
I was too cold to fight it.
Too tired.
Too broken.
His coat smelled like pine and storm and safety.
Something I hadn’t felt in years.
I should’ve been scared.
A stranger.
In the borderlands.
Carrying me.
But my body sank into him anyway.
Like it recognized something.
Like Ember was whispering:
Safe. He’s safe.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
I stared at his jaw.
Sharp.
Clean.
Unforgiving.
“Lila,” I whispered.
“Lila,” he repeated.
Like he was testing it.
Like he was memorizing it.
Like my name mattered.
We walked for 10 minutes.
In silence.
But I wasn’t cold anymore.
His arms didn’t shake.
Didn’t drop me.
Didn’t squeeze too tight.
He just... held me.
Like I was worth holding.
He stopped in front of a cabin.
Small.
Wood.
Smoke coming from the chimney.
Hidden between the trees.
He kicked the door open.
Set me down by the fire.
Gentle.
Like I might break.
Then he poured water.
Handed me bread.
Didn’t ask questions.
Just watched me eat.
Like I was something fragile.
Like I was something precious.
When I finished, my hands were still shaking.
“Why are you helping me?” I whispered.
His gold eyes met mine.
Held them.
Searching.
“Because,” he said.
“No one deserves to die in the snow.”
A pause.
The fire cracked between us.
“Not even a rejected Luna.”
My blood went cold.
_He knows._
_He knows what I am. What I was._
“Who are you?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
He just walked to the window.
Looked out at the storm.
The wind howled.
Like it was angry.
“The borderlands are dangerous, Lila.”
His voice was quiet.
Final.
“The pack that exiled you... they’ll come for you.”
“Not to bring you back.”
“To make sure you never return.”
My stomach dropped.
Fear twisted in my gut.
“They wouldn’t”
“They would,” he cut in.
Turned back to me.
Firelight on his face.
Shadows in his eyes.
“And they’re good at it.”
“What do you want from me?”
The words came out small.
Afraid.
He stared at me for a long time.
Too long.
“Nothing,” he said.
“Not yet.”
A beat.
“First, you survive.”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Three loud hits on the door.
His whole body went rigid.
Gold eyes to black in one second.
Power filled the room.
Thick.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
“Stay behind me,” he said.
Voice no longer soft.
Another knock.
Harder.
Enough to rattle the wood.
“Lila Carter,” a voice called.
Cold.
Familiar.
Drenched in hatred.
“Open the door. By order of Alpha Kael.”
Kael.
They found me.
So fast.
My heart stopped.
My hands started shaking again.
The man in front of me didn’t move.
But his fists clenched.
And when he spoke, his voice was low.
Deadly.
“Run if you have to,” he said.
“But not today.”
TO BE CONTINUED...
- Writer
