Rejected By The Pack: Claimed By The Cursed Alpha

Chapter nine

Chapter 9: The Verdict of Blood

The heavy oak doors of the Alpha’s study slammed shut behind me, the sound echoing through the hallway like the fall of a gavel. My mother and father stood before me, their faces illuminated by the flickering hearth fire, but there was no warmth in their eyes. Behind them, the Beta stood in the shadows, his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the floor.

"Enough," my father roared, the Alpha’s command vibrating through the room. "The training field was a disgrace, Seraphina. You are a daughter of the Vale line, yet you grovel in the dirt like a common rogue".

"I wasn't groveling," I spat, my split lip stinging as I spoke. "I was fighting. Which is more than I can say for the 'warriors' who watched their sister get trampled".

My mother stepped forward, her silk gown rustling. She didn't reach out to touch the bruise blooming on my cheek; instead, she looked at me with a profound, weary disappointment. "That is the problem, Seraphina. You are fighting a war that ended the moment your wolf failed to manifest. You are a constant reminder of a weakness this pack cannot afford".

"So what is the solution?" I asked, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Exile? Or are you going to let Lyra finish what she started on the field?"

My father leaned over his desk, his eyes flashing amber. "The Council has spoken. We cannot have a wolfless heir in the direct line, and we cannot risk the stability of the pack while you incite conflict. You are a feral element now, Seraphina".

The word feral cut deeper than any physical blow. It was the label given to those who had lost their minds, their humanity, and their right to the pack’s protection.

"Therefore," he continued, his voice cold and final, "you are to be confined. You will stay in the basement cells until the night of the Blood Moon. There will be no more training. No more 'accidents' on the field. You will remain out of sight until the ritual demands your presence".

"The basement?" I recoiled, the damp, dark memory of the pack’s prison cells rising in my mind. "You’re locking me away like a criminal?"

"We are keeping you alive," my mother countered softly, though her words felt like venom. "The pack is restless. They see you as a curse. This is for your own safety as much as ours".

I looked at the Beta, searching for a flicker of the respect he had shown me earlier that day. He looked up, his expression unreadable, but he remained silent. He followed the Alpha’s orders, just as everyone else did.

Two guards—the same ones who had watched the mockery on the field—stepped from the shadows and grabbed my arms. I didn't struggle this time. I let them lead me away, through the opulent halls of the estate and down into the cold, stone belly of the house.

The cell door creaked open, revealing a small, windowless room that smelled of mildew and old secrets. They shoved me inside, and the iron bars slid home with a final, metallic clang.

"One month, Seraphina," one of the guards sneered before they retreated, taking the light of their torch with them.

I collapsed onto the thin cot, the darkness swallowing me whole. The silence was absolute, save for the frantic beating of my own heart.

But then, the warmth returned.

It didn't just flicker this time; it bloomed. A slow, golden heat spread from the center of my chest, pushing back the chill of the stone. It felt like a low hum, a vibration that resonated with the very foundation of the earth.

"They think this is your end," a voice rumbled in the back of my mind—deep, ancient, and undeniably masculine.

I sat up, my breath catching. "Who's there?"

"The one who waits in the Abyss," the voice replied, the sound like velvet and steel. "Rest, Little Moon. Let them believe they have won. The deeper the shadow, the brighter the flame when it finally breaks through".

I closed my eyes, pressing my hand against the stone wall. I wasn't afraid of the dark anymore. The basement wasn't my prison—it was my cocoon.

And when the Blood Moon finally rose, I wouldn't just be jumping into the dark. I would be coming home.