THE LUNA BETWEEN TWO ALPHAS

CHAPTER 3: DANGER

The cage smelled like rust, mud, and death.

Honestly, very comforting.

I sat quietly on the cold ground while rainwater dripped from the broken ceiling above me. Mud covered my dress completely, sticking against my skin like another punishment sent by the Moon Goddess herself.

Not that she seemed fond of me anyway.

The old cage stood near the far edge of the Obsidian Fang territory where prisoners and traitors were usually thrown before execution. The iron bars were thick and old, stained with dried blood from wolves who probably begged for mercy before me.

Very inspiring atmosphere.

My arms wrapped around my knees tightly as silent tears rolled down my cheeks.

Everything happened too fast.

One moment I was standing inside the Sacred Hunt of the Eclipse surrounded by lights and music.

Then suddenly people were dead.

Hunters invaded the hall.

Vera died beside me.

And now everyone believed I caused it.

I laughed bitterly under my breath.

Amazing.

Years of loyalty meant absolutely nothing.

One accusation was enough to destroy me.

But maybe I should not have been surprised.

I was Kaia Frost.

The cursed omega.

The easiest person to blame when fear entered the room.

Outside the cage, distant thunder echoed through the night while guards stood nearby holding silver weapons. None of them looked at me directly. Some appeared disgusted. Others looked almost relieved.

Like finally catching a criminal they always wanted to punish.

I lowered my head again.

For the first time in years, my sharp tongue had nothing clever to say.

The pack I grew up with wanted me dead.

The realization hurt more than I expected.

Then suddenly...

Footsteps.

Heavy.

Slow.

Familiar.

My body stiffened immediately.

Even without looking, I already knew who it was.

Alpha Damon Blackmoor.

Fear crawled slowly through my chest as his presence approached the cage. The guards instantly straightened their backs when he arrived.

I quickly stood up despite my shaking legs and rushed toward the iron bars.

"Alpha Damon!"

My fingers clung desperately onto the cold metal.

He stood several feet away wearing all black once again. His expression remained cold and unreadable while his sharp gray eyes stared directly at me.

No mercy.

No softness.

Nothing.

Rain dripped slowly from his dark hair while silence surrounded us heavily.

My chest tightened painfully.

"Please, I didn't kill anyone," I begged quickly. Tears burned my eyes again. "I didn't kill Vera. She was my friend."

The words came out broken.

Weak.

Pathetic.

But I did not care anymore.

"It was the human hunters who attacked us..."

"Silence!"

His voice thundered through the cage with terrifying authority.

I flinched immediately.

Even the guards beside him lowered their heads slightly.

Alpha Damon slowly stepped closer toward the bars.

His eyes looked colder than death itself.

"You leaked the event location to the hunters and killed your own pack!" he growled harshly. "You killed Vera!"

"No, I didn't do it."

My voice cracked.

I hated how desperate I sounded.

"You are jealous of her, Kaia!"

His authority crushed every word coming from my mouth.

I stared at him in complete disbelief.

Jealous?

Of Vera?

What kind of insane accusation was that?

"Seriously?" I laughed bitterly despite my tears. "You think I planned an entire m******e because of jealousy? That is actually insulting."

But Alpha Damon remained emotionless.

"You will stay alone in this cage while others find their mates!"

The words stabbed deeper than they should have.

Because despite everything...

A small part of me once dreamed maybe fate would finally choose me too.

Maybe the Moon Goddess would look at me just once.

How stupid.

I swallowed painfully before speaking again.

"That's a lie, Alpha Damon. I would never betray the pack. I... I would never kill one of my kind..."

I begged.

Actually begged.

Disgusting.

If the old Kaia saw me now, she would probably slap me herself.

But Alpha Damon looked completely heartless tonight.

No matter how many times I denied everything, his expression never changed.

Not even slightly.

"Pray for the elders to banish you," he said coldly while glaring at me through the bars. "If the decision is mine, you're as good as dead."

My breathing stopped.

The hatred in his eyes nearly destroyed me.

For years I admired this man secretly like a complete fool.

And now he looked at me like I was worse than garbage.

Then without another word, Alpha Damon turned around and walked away.

Just like that.

Leaving me behind.

Broken.

Accused.

Alone.

But before I could completely fall apart, another figure remained standing outside the cage.

Beta Kieran Valesmoke.

And judging by the look on his face, the man looked far too entertained by my suffering.

Wonderful.

Absolutely wonderful.

He slowly crouched down in front of the bars with a twisted smile resting on his lips.

"Enjoy your stay, Vera!" Beta Kieran mocked cruelly before finally standing again.

I blinked at him.

Then frowned.

"First of all," I muttered tiredly, "my name is Kaia. If you're going to insult me, at least do it correctly."

His smile widened dangerously.

Creepy.

Very creepy.

Then finally, he walked away laughing quietly to himself while the guards followed behind him.

And just like that...

I was alone again.

The rain continued pouring outside while thunder echoed endlessly across the dark skies above the Obsidian Fang territory.

I slowly slid back down against the muddy floor.

Then finally...

I cried.

Not the quiet tears I usually hid from others.

Real crying.

The painful kind.

My shoulders shook while tears mixed together with mud on my face.

Everything was gone.

My home.

My pack.

My dignity.

All destroyed overnight because nobody cared enough to believe an omega.

At some point exhaustion must have dragged me into sleep because the next thing I knew, loud footsteps woke me up again.

I blinked tiredly while two guards approached the cage.

One unlocked the door loudly.

"Get out. Come with us."

I slowly stood up while wiping my face angrily.

"What now?" I muttered bitterly. "Public execution? Throwing tomatoes? Pick one."

Neither guard answered.

Rude.

I stepped out of the cage carefully while chains around my wrists clinked softly.

"Where are you taking me?" I finally asked again.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Not mysterious at all.

The guards dragged me across the territory while wolves openly stared as we passed by. Some whispered insults. Others looked relieved seeing me chained like an animal.

One child even threw dirt at me.

Charming community.

By the time we reached the council hall, my chest already felt heavy.

The massive wooden doors opened slowly.

And there they were.

The elders.

Sitting proudly above me like judges deciding whether my life deserved value.

Spoiler alert.

Apparently not.

I stood in the center of the hall completely humiliated while dozens of wolves watched silently around me.

Some looked angry.

Others disgusted.

None looked supportive.

Alpha Damon stood beside the elders with his arms crossed over his chest. His face remained unreadable.

Cold as ever.

One elder slowly stood up.

His old eyes narrowed toward me sharply.

"The evidence is clear," he announced loudly. "You betrayed the pack and killed our own kind despite the ongoing disputes between us and the other packs."

My breathing became uneven immediately.

No.

No no no.

This could not be happening.

"You are banished from the pack and never ever set foot beyond the territory again."

Shock crashed into me completely.

Banished.

My knees nearly gave out.

"No!" I shouted desperately. "This is a mistake! I... I would never betray the pack. I didn't kill anybody, not Vera!"

My voice echoed through the hall.

But nobody listened.

Not one person.

The elders looked unmoved.

The warriors looked annoyed.

Some wolves even smirked.

I looked desperately toward Alpha Damon.

Please.

Please say something.

But his expression never softened.

"Enough!"

His voice silenced the entire hall instantly.

I froze.

"You're fortunate the elders spared your life!" he demanded harshly.

Then his cold eyes moved toward the guards beside me.

"Now," he ordered darkly, "take her out of the territory and kill her when she ever sets foot on this haven again!"

The finality in his voice shattered something inside me completely.

The guards immediately grabbed my arms again.

I struggled wildly.

"No! Please!"

But nobody cared.

I was dragged outside the hall while tears streamed endlessly down my face.

The cold night air hit my skin as the guards forced me farther away from the Obsidian Fang territory.

I fought against their grip desperately.

But my strength was nothing compared to theirs.

Branches scratched against my skin while they dragged me through the forest like unwanted trash.

Eventually, they stopped near the edge of the territory.

One guard suddenly shoved me forward roughly.

I fell painfully onto the dirt.

"Leave," one of them growled coldly.

Then without another word, they turned around and disappeared back toward the territory.

Leaving me alone.

Completely alone.

The wilderness stretched endlessly around me.

Dark.

Silent.

Dangerous.

My chest tightened painfully as reality finally settled in.

Outside the pack territory, survival meant death for weak wolves like me.

Hundreds of dangerous beasts lived inside the forest.

And worse?

If patrol wolves from rival packs found me first, they would kill me immediately.

I slowly stood up while trembling badly.

My legs felt weak beneath me.

Everything hurt.

My body.

My heart.

Even breathing felt painful now.

I walked aimlessly through the forest while wiping tears from my face angrily.

"This is fine," I muttered bitterly. "Completely fine. Fantastic even."

A branch smacked directly against my forehead.

I hissed.

"Wonderful. Even the forest hates me."

The deeper I walked, the darker the surroundings became. Strange noises echoed between the trees while cold wind brushed against my skin.

I was terrified.

But I refused to completely fall apart.

Not yet.

After several minutes, my knees suddenly crumbled beneath me from exhaustion.

I collapsed onto the damp ground breathing heavily.

Then suddenly...

I heard the unfamiliar huss of the leaves.

Nearby.

Close.

Dangerously close.

My entire body froze instantly.

Someone was there.

Or something.

I slowly looked around while fear crawled into my chest.

"W... who are you?" I asked shakily. "I... I mean no harm."

Silence.

Only the wind answered me.

I swallowed hard before speaking again.

"I'm just passing through..."

Then suddenly, an unfamiliar black wolf lunged an attack on me, which made me stumble vulnerably to the ground, then a sharp claw touched my chest, and I saw an angry wolf glaring at me.