BANISHED BY THE ALPHA, NOW THE ROGUE PACK TREASURE

Branded and lost

The auto shop always smelled like oil and burned rubber, a second home to me. I was the youngest mechanic on the crew, and the only girl. Kaden, the shop's newest mechanic, was under the car, clattering tools and racing against time. Nearby, Santo, our lead mechanic and the boss around here, sat with his arms crossed, smiling as he watched. His eyes turned to me, curious about what I would do next.

"Time’s up, Kaden," he chuckled. "Sorry, man, I think you lost your coins." He gestured to me. "Can you fix it?"

I walked to the piece of junk, rusted and beat up, that was once a car. As I grabbed the tools and slid under the chassis, I felt every eye on me. My palms itched with nerves, but I forced myself to steady my breathing, reminding myself I had done this a hundred times. No one even whispered.

I smiled anyway, letting their doubt rise. They were always underestimating me, and I loved proving them wrong. Pride warmed my chest, mixed with frustration that I still had to prove myself, but I was determined to prove them wrong. This was like a piece of cake.

"Time's up, princess," Santo said to me, and he knew how much I hated being called that. I rolled out from under the car.

"Go on, boss," I told him, smiling. He got in the car with the missing seat and turned the engine on; it purred to life. The crew cheered. Someone slapped my back.

"Pay the girl. Kaden, you lost. Hey, better luck next time." He walked over and placed the coins in my hand.

"This is humiliating, losing to a girl and a low rank." Kaden spat the words

"No need to twist the knife." I chuckled.

I left the shop because tonight is the mating ceremony. Full moon. My heartbeat quickened just thinking about it. I had waited for this night for so long, imagining how Jason would look at me, seeing me not as the greasy kid working under hoods, but as the girl he would choose for life.

I looked at my gray, oily pants and the dirty blue shirt. I will wear a dress for Jason, my fated mate.

We belong together. He will be the alpha of the pack eventually. I wondered if he would smile when he saw me tonight, if he would take my hand and promise me everything I hoped for. The thought almost made all the doubt and worry fade away, just for a moment.

I decided to see him first and give him a gift I made for him. Reaching into my pocket, I looked at the charm I had made for him, hanging on a string of deer skin.

I didn’t knock. I walked in. The picture in front of me did not seem real.

My breath caught in my throat, and my whole body became cold.

Jason was on the pillows, and my sister was between his legs, eyes closed, head turned.

For a second, everything inside me seemed to stop. The room swayed. I felt like I had been punched, my heart hammering, blood roaring in my ears. I just stared, unable to move, shock and betrayal burning through me.

Jason finally opened his eyes. There was no guilt, no love, nothing. "Madison, I was going to tell you…"

I slammed the door, walked to my sister, and grabbed her hair. "You are my sister. How could you do this?"

"Don’t touch her, freak," Jason said, pushing me and pulling her close to his chest.

"She is fragile now," he said as his hand went on her belly.

I screamed so loud.

"You will pay for this," I said, angry, then turned and walked to my father’s office.

"I know, and you will keep quiet. There is no need to throw a tantrum. What did you expect?"

"What? Are you taking her side? I worked my ass off for this pack…"

"Because you’re weak, and you ignore Jason too. He wants a woman with a strong wolf that can carry pups and be a Luna. You know the rules of our pack. Only those with a strong wolf spirit are considered real contenders to become a Luna, the future alpha’s mate. It’s not just about strength; it’s about having enough power in your wolf form for the bloodline so you can protect the pack and have strong pups. The Moon Goddess fates mates, but everyone looks at how strong their inner wolf is before matching. A weak wolf means weak pups, and the pack won’t accept that. That’s why Jason chose your sister."

"I can’t believe it," I said, as tears stung my eyes. For the first time in my life, I felt defeated, and no one saw how wrong it was. No, I was blind.

Inside my room, I took my clothes off, went into the shower, and sobbed.

Got out and dressed in jeans, a shirt, and a hoodie, and walked out to see happy faces finding their mates, hugging and kissing. Jason and Ava kissed as if nothing had happened. Like, I didn’t even exist.

He pulled away to see me standing there. Ava looked triumphant at me.

"I, Jason Walker, reject you as a mate."

The pain hit me hard, and I dropped to the floor. I heard the laughter. His friends.

"You made the right choice. Look at her. She’s a weak freak."

I managed to stand. "I, Madison Reed, reject you as my mate."

The bond snapped. He fell to the floor. Ava looked at me, confused, trying to help him to his feet.

A surge of anger took over me, and I walked to her and slapped her hard. Then she pretended I pushed her and fell to the floor.

Someone grabbed my arm hard. My father, Alpha Ulises. "What did you do?"

Everyone around stopped and stared.

"From this day on, you, Madison, are no longer Reed or part of this pack. Guards take her to the border, and she is banished from this pack."

"Wait, one more thing," he said as he walked to the fire. He picked up the metal bar; at one end was the letter R for "rejected." I know because I welded that together. He branded me.

"That’s the best you can do." I laughed. He slapped me hard.

The guards walked next to me. I knew them. We grew up together.

"Madison," Henry said, "keep west. Avoid the rogues. I’m sorry. We all knew, and I thought you did too."

"Yeah, I didn’t, but it doesn’t matter. Thank you, Henry." I stopped. "Go find Lana. She likes you."

"Madison…"

But I already bolted into the rogue territory. My life meant nothing anymore, or so they thought. Maybe the rogues would find me, maybe they would kill me, but I wasn’t going to give up. Not now. If I was going to survive, I had to keep moving, keep fighting. I would prove to all of them—and to myself—that I was more than what they saw. Even if I had nothing left, I still had my own strength.

Okay, I spoke too fast, as I saw them coming from between the trees, their fangs bared. The leader circled me a few times.

"I was banned from my pack," I said, looking him in the eyes. He turned his head, then back to me.

Did he ask me to follow them?