Chapter 004: Banished
828 Words
The morning sun rose over the Silver Moon Pack, but for Lyra, there was no warmth left in the world.
She and Mira returned to the pack just as the guards at the main gate changed shifts.
The moment the guards saw Lyra, their expressions shifted.
Some looked away in embarrassment.
Others smirked openly.
"Look who's back."
"The rejected mate."
"I guess she isn't Luna after all."
Their whispers followed her like shadows.
Mira shot them a glare.
"Have you all forgotten who treated your children when they were sick?"
The guards lowered their eyes, but no one apologized.
Lyra gently squeezed Mira's hand.
"It's alright."
"No, it isn't," Mira snapped.
"They don't deserve your kindness."
Lyra smiled sadly.
"Maybe not."
As they walked deeper into the pack, more eyes turned toward her.
Women whispered behind their hands.
Children who had once run to greet her were pulled away by their parents.
It was as though she had suddenly become contagious.
Her heart ached, but she kept her head high.
She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her break.
---
She reached the small wooden cottage she had lived in since her mother's death.
The little herb garden outside was still blooming.
Lavender.
Moon lilies.
Silver sage.
Plants she had spent years nurturing.
She ran her fingers gently over the flowers.
"This place still feels like home," she whispered.
Before she could step inside, heavy footsteps echoed behind her.
She turned.
Beta Ronan approached with six armed warriors.
His face carried no emotion.
"Lyra Ashwood."
She frowned.
"Beta Ronan?"
He stopped several feet away.
"I have orders from Alpha Kael."
A knot formed in her stomach.
"What orders?"
Ronan looked away before speaking.
"You are to leave the Silver Moon Pack immediately."
The words struck harder than the rejection itself.
"What?"
"You've been banished."
Mira stepped forward.
"On what grounds?"
Ronan unfolded a scroll bearing the Alpha's seal.
"By the authority of Alpha Kael Stormfang, Lyra Ashwood is hereby stripped of her residence and forbidden from setting foot within Silver Moon territory."
Lyra's lips parted.
"I've lived here my whole life."
"The Alpha's decision is final."
She looked around desperately.
Surely someone would object.
Surely someone would speak for her.
No one did.
Some watched from their windows.
Others pretended not to notice.
The people she had spent years healing remained silent.
Her voice cracked.
"I never betrayed this pack."
Ronan's jaw tightened.
"I know."
"I served everyone."
"I know."
"I saved lives."
"I know."
"Then why?"
For the first time, guilt flickered across the Beta's face.
"I don't make the Alpha's decisions."
Mira stepped between them.
"If you want her gone, you'll have to move me too."
Several warriors exchanged uneasy glances.
No one wanted to fight Mira.
She was one of the strongest female wolves in the pack.
Lyra gently pulled her back.
"Don't."
"But—"
"Please."
Tears welled in Mira's eyes.
"This isn't fair."
"No."
"It isn't."
Lyra took one last look at the cottage.
At the herbs her mother had planted.
At the porch where they used to drink tea together.
She would never see it again.
Slowly, she walked inside.
Everything she owned fit into one worn leather bag.
A few dresses.
Medical herbs.
Bandages.
Her mother's old journal.
Nothing more.
She picked up the journal carefully.
"I'll take you with me, Mom."
When she stepped outside again, Ronan silently accepted the house key she placed in his hand.
"I'm ready."
---
High above the northern mountains...
A massive black wolf raced across rocky cliffs.
Its glowing silver eyes scanned every valley below.
Behind it ran dozens of elite Lycans in human form, keeping pace with impossible speed.
Draven had already begun his search.
He hadn't slept.
He hadn't eaten.
His wolf refused to rest until it found its mate.
Suddenly...
He stopped.
The wind shifted.
A faint scent drifted toward him.
Wildflowers.
Rain.
Moon lilies.
His wolf growled.
She's close...
Draven's heart pounded.
For the first time in years...
Hope flickered inside him.
"Spread out," he ordered.
"Search every trail."
His warriors vanished into the forest without question.
---
Back at Silver Moon...
Lyra reached the territory border.
Beyond it lay the Unknown Lands.
Rogue wolves.
Bandits.
Mercenaries.
Creatures no lone she-wolf could survive.
Ronan looked troubled.
"You don't have to go alone."
Lyra smiled faintly.
"I've been alone my whole life."
He had no answer.
Mira threw her arms around Lyra one last time.
"I'm coming with you."
"No."
"I'm serious."
"You belong here."
"I don't care."
Lyra gently brushed a tear from Mira's cheek.
"You've always been my family."
"And you'll always be mine."
After a long embrace, Lyra stepped across the border.
The protective barrier shimmered behind her.
She didn't look back.
Not once.
Hidden among the trees several hundred meters away...
A pair of glowing silver eyes watched her every step.
Draven inhaled sharply.
His wolf exploded with excitement.
Mate.
At last...
He had found her.
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