CHAPTER2
1662 Words
The cold air stung my skin as I stepped beyond the threshold of the Silvercrest Packhouse. Each step I took felt like dragging a chain of agony behind me, the weight of rejection crushing my chest. My hand instinctively cradled my stomach, my child, the only piece of Callum I had left.
My mind screamed at me to turn around, to fight, but my heart knew it was useless. I was already lost to him.
I barely noticed the pitying glances from pack members as I stumbled into the night. Their whispers crawled over my skin like insects, buzzing with curiosity, disdain, and relief that it wasn’t them suffering this fate.
“Did you hear? She’s been replaced.”
“She was never his true mate.”
“The Alpha did what was right. The pack needs a real Luna.”
Their words stung, each one another dagger slicing into the raw wounds Callum had left behind. But I refused to let them see me break. I kept my head high, my spine straight, even as my vision blurred with unshed tears.
I needed to get out of here.
I quickened my steps, almost running towards the borders of the Silvercrest territory. The trees blurred past me as the familiar scent of pine and damp earth wrapped around me like a bitter farewell. This was my home. The place I fought to belong. Now, I was nothing but an exile.
The moment my foot crossed the boundary line, my knees buckled. A searing pain exploded in my chest, forcing a strangled cry from my lips. My wolf whimpered, curling into herself, severed from the pack bond. I clutched my stomach, gasping for air as the world around me spun.
Was this what it felt like to be nothing? To be discarded like trash?
I pressed my forehead against the cold ground, inhaling sharply. No. I wouldn’t let this be the end. I wouldn’t let Callum’s betrayal define me. My child deserved better.
With shaking limbs, I forced myself upright and staggered forward. My destination was uncertain, but I knew one thing—I couldn’t stay here. I had to leave before my sorrow drowned me.
The moment I stepped outside the grand hall, the cold night air hit me like a slap. My breath came out in short, shaky gasps, and my legs felt unsteady beneath me. But I kept walking, refusing to let them see me crumble.
The weight of Callum’s rejection pressed down on my chest like a crushing boulder, making it hard to breathe. The mate bond had been severed, leaving behind a hollow, unbearable emptiness.
I was nothing now.
No mate. No pack. No future.
Just as I reached the steps leading to the courtyard, a firm hand caught my wrist.
"Isla."
I turned sharply, my teary eyes locking onto Beta Roan—Callum’s right-hand man, my friend. His dark brows were furrowed, his jaw tense.
"Don’t do this," he said, his voice low but urgent. "Don’t leave like this." He pleaded.
I let out a bitter laugh.
"And what do you expect me to do, Roan? Stay and watch while he parades her around as if I never existed?" My voice wavered despite my best efforts to keep it steady.
"He’s making a mistake. I know it. The whole pack knows it. But leaving now—alone, in your condition—is dangerous." Roan’s grip on my wrist tightened.
I froze. My condition.
Did he know?
Roan’s sharp green eyes searched for mine, and the answer was clear. He knew.
Panic surged into my chest, but I forced myself to breathe.
"I have no reason to stay." I quickly said.
"You have every reason to stay," he argued. The pack may be silent now, but they’re not blind, Isla. You are their Luna, no matter what Callum says. You have allies here. You have me." He reassured.
His words sent a fresh wave of pain through me. I wanted to believe him, but how could I? The pack had cheered when Celeste arrived. They had watched as Callum rejected me, and none of them had spoken up.
"It doesn’t matter. It’s over, Roan." I shook my head.
His jaw clenched. For a moment, I thought he would argue again, but then he sighed, his shoulders dropping in defeat.
"At least let me escort you somewhere safe."
"No. I need to do this alone." I started stepping back.
Lucian cursed under his breath, raking a hand through his hair. Then he said something that made my stomach drop.
"A Luna becoming a rogue? Do you have any idea what that means?" He firmly said.
"It means I get to survive on my own terms." I clenched my fists.
"No," Roan growled, his frustration breaking through. "It means you'll be hunted." If another Alpha finds you, they'll either kill you or claim you as theirs. Rogues don’t get second chances, Isla. Not even you." He never filtered his words.
A cold shiver ran down my spine, but I refused to let him see my fear.
"Then so be it." I said, claiming my destiny.
"Dammit, Isla. "Don’t do this." Lucian let out a harsh breath, stepping closer.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat.
"Goodbye, Lucian."
Before he could stop me again, I shifted into my wolf form, glancing at him and the Silvercrest territory for the last time before I turned and disappeared into the night.
Days blurred into each other as I wandered through the wilderness. Hunger gnawed at my stomach, but the sickness of heartbreak overshadowed it. I found shelter where I could beneath the twisted arms of trees, inside abandoned cabins long forgotten by time. I moved like a ghost, existing but not truly living.
The only thing that kept me going was the fluttering inside me, the small yet steady reminder that I wasn’t alone. My child was still with me, still fighting. I had to fight too.
It was on the fifth day that fate intervened.
A low growl rumbled through the forest, stopping me in my tracks. My senses sharpened, instincts screaming as I turned slowly. A pair of golden eyes glowed through the shadows, their intensity piercing straight through me.
A wolf. But not just any wolf.
The beast emerged from the darkness, massive and powerful, its midnight fur blending seamlessly with the night. My breath hitched as realization settled in.
This was no ordinary rogue.
This was an Alpha.
Before I could react, he shifted. The transformation was seamless, a fluidity that only the strongest of Alphas possessed. When the shift was complete, a man stood before me—tall, imposing, and undeniably lethal. His dark hair was tousled, his sharp features carved by the gods themselves. But it was his eyes that held me captive, golden and unreadable, swirling with something dangerous.
“You’re trespassing,” he said, his voice a low rumble that sent a shiver down my spine.
I opened my mouth to speak, but the exhaustion, the hunger, the heartbreak, it all came crashing down at once. My vision swayed, my body giving up on me.
The last thing I saw before the darkness swallowed me whole was those golden eyes watching me fall.
I woke to warmth.
A stark contrast to the cold emptiness I had known for days. My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself wrapped in thick furs, a fire crackling nearby. The scent of pine and something distinctly masculine filled the air.
My heart lurched as memories flooded back. The rejection. The exile. The golden-eyed Alpha.
I forced myself upright, my body protesting with sharp aches. I was in a cabin. It’s simple, sturdy, and unfamiliar. A large chair sat near the fire, and in it, the Alpha from the forest watched me with the same piercing intensity.
“You’re awake.” His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it, like he was still deciding whether I was a threat or a burden.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry.
“Where am I?”
“My territory.”
Panic flickered through me.
“I—”
“You collapsed,” he interrupted, his gaze flicking to my stomach. “You’re with child.” He added, staring at me.
“Yes.” Protectiveness surged within me, and I instinctively placed a hand over my stomach.
“Whose?” He asked, his expression remained unreadable.
The question sliced through me, but I refused to let the pain show.
“It doesn’t matter.” I said, shrugging it off.
“It does if you expect to stay here.” One dark brow arched.
“I don’t expect anything.” I stiffened.
Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy. Then, he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.
“I’m Alpha Lucian of the Nightfang Pack. You’ve crossed into my lands.” He spoke with unsettling calmness, yet his words carried an undeniable authority.
My breath hitched. The Nightfang Pack was known for its ruthlessness, for its warriors who fought like shadows in the night. They were feared. Respected.
And I had wandered straight into their den.
Lucian studied me for a long moment before exhaling through his nose.
“You’re weak. You’re injured. And you’re carrying a pup. You won’t survive on your own.” He concluded.
“I’ve survived this far.” I clenched my jaw.
He smirked, but there was no humor in it.
“Barely.”
I hated that he was right.
Another silence. Then, he leaned back, his golden eyes never leaving mine.
“You can stay until you’ve recovered.” Lucian offered.
“And then?” I swallowed, my fingers tightening over the furs.
Lucian’s gaze darkened, his expression unreadable.
“We’ll see.”
A shiver ran through me, but this time, it wasn’t from fear.
I had stepped into unknown territory. And I wasn’t sure if I would ever walk away from it.
- Writer
