My Alpha Rejected Our Bond, I Built My Own Pack

Chapter 3

I must have looked frightened.

Lucan stood squarely in front of Freya, shielding her from me as I drew near. "What took you so long to return?"

I paid him no mind. I walked right past him and dropped the ancient forest bear's paw onto the ground with a heavy thud.

A murmur rippled through the gathered clan. Everyone stared in shock. It seemed no one could believe Freya and I had both laid claim to the very same trophy.

Father looked from me to the paw, his expression hard with disbelief. "You killed an ancient forest bear as well?"

Someone from the crowd called out in clear confusion, "There is only one ancient forest bear in both hunting grounds combined. How can there be two trophies?"

"You two must have hunted the very same beast!" another exclaimed.

Father's gaze shifted from the paw at my feet to the bear heart laid out before Freya. He knew full well his frail daughter could never have done such a thing. But then Lucan stepped forward once more.

"We killed that bear together, Freya and I," he said. "We found Vera already beaten and nearly slain by the beast. She was helpless. We intervened in time, and we killed it. That bear belongs to us. This trophy is ours by right."

I stared straight at him. Every movement sent fire through my body, and it was hard to keep my voice steady. "That is a lie! I killed that bear myself with my own two hands! You waited until I was broken and weak, then stole its heart away to give to Freya—" I never got to finish my words.

A heavy hand cracked hard across my face.

The force sent me spinning. I tumbled twice over the dirt before coming to a halt. My ears rang so sharply I feared I'd lost my hearing entirely.

Father stood over me, looking down with utter disdain. "You worthless thing. You dare claim a kill that never belonged to you? Your own wounds prove plainly you could never have defeated such a beast. The annual clan great hunt is a matter of our clan's honor. And you would steal what is not yours?" he spat.

Tears stung, hot and unbidden, in my eyes. Father's claws had torn a long, ragged gash across my cheek. Still, I did not cower. "I am not lying! Lucan is the liar here!"

"Enough!" Father roared the command and waved one hand. Two strong clansmen seized me roughly by the arms and dragged me upright. "You remain stubborn and unrepentant. Cast her out of the main camp. Let her reflect upon her crimes. And let no one bring her back without my express leave!" he ordered.

Lucan looked at me, and then his voice was cold and distant. "Will you admit your fault now? Confess that you stole this trophy and beg Freya's forgiveness. Do this, and I shall consider showing you mercy."

My claws dug deep into the earth beneath me until they cracked and splintered. "I have nothing to confess. I stole nothing. And I have done no wrong!"

Lucan's expression hardened. He drew forth a whip of woven silver and cracked it sharply through the air. "I ask you one last time. Will you speak the truth?"

The lash struck home across my back. My wounds tore open instantly, and blood welled through my torn clothing. I cried out and tried to scramble back to my feet, only to be forced hard down into the dirt, held helpless by both men.

"Theft is a grave offense among our kind. You have broken clan law. If you refuse to speak the truth, then we must punish you as the law commands." He stood there, fist clenched, offering me one final chance.

I looked up at him through eyes blurred thick with blood. I could barely make out his face. "I will not confess. You stole what I won, and you gave it to Freya."

Lucan brought the whip down one last time. The force of it drove a mouthful of blood from my lips.

"Clanswoman Vera has been found guilty of breaking our most sacred laws. From this day forth, she is stripped of all rank and title. She is banished from this clan forever." Those were the very last words Lucan ever spoke to me.

Father stood right beside him, his face set and hard, not a flicker of mercy anywhere. "Lucan is Freya's intended mate. He is the future leader of this clan," he declared. "Vera has shown disrespect toward her betters. She has stolen what does not belong to her. She has committed grave sin and refuses to repent," Father Evander continued. "She is no longer one of us. Cast her out of the camp. Drive her deep into the wilds and leave her there!" he commanded.

I stared at them both, my mind reeling in disbelief.

These two people I had once loved more than life itself—they knew full well I was innocent, and yet they stood together and chose to turn their backs on me.

To be cast out in such a way, I would never find shelter or welcome in either clan ever again.