“She betrayed us, Father,” Ruby, my sister, said gently, her voice laced with venom. “I saw her with the rogues. She was... giving them information.”

In the pack hall, Ruby softly accused me, her false evidence painting me as a traitor.

“That’s… not true!” I struggled to lift my head, my voice trembling with disbelief. “Father, I never—”

But no one listened. The entire pack, led by my father, Lumien Bloodbane, stood unwaveringly behind Ruby.

Because she wasn’t the only one accusing me.

“I, Cedar Stormveil, reject you as my mate, traitor.”

I turned, a knife of pain slicing through the bond, my body wracked with disbelief. There, in front of me, stood Cedar—my mate, the one who had sworn to protect me, the one who had held me through every storm, the one who whispered I was his forever.

Now, he stood coldly above me, boots pressing down on my wrist as he looked at me with contempt. His voice was a low growl, dripping with malice. “I want you to feel all of this pain.”

My wolf howled in agony, trapped in an unending torment.

Cedar’s words ignited the pack’s fury. Every member pointed at me, calling me a traitor, demanding justice. Ruby hung her head, feigning sorrow, as if this was a burden to her. As if she hadn’t orchestrated this nightmare from the start.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move.

He had betrayed me.

But that wasn’t enough for Cedar. He wasn’t satisfied with rejecting me, with leaving me to wither under the mental anguish. I watched as he turned to my father, suggesting, “Traitors must be punished physically.”

His words dropped on the ground, firm and cold. My mate. My Alpha. My supposed fated one. It felt like my lungs had been ripped from my chest.

“I’ll whip her, then exile her from the pack.” My father’s voice was as cold as stone, accepting Cedar’s cruel proposal.

“Take her to the square,” the Alpha commanded. “She will be marked for her crimes.”

“No!” I gasped, struggling with all my strength. “Please, Father, I didn’t—”

A sharp laugh pierced the air. Ruby.

I turned, locking eyes with her as she grinned, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.

I understood now. This wasn’t about justice. It was never about the pack.

She wanted to destroy me.

The last lash hit like a thunderclap, sending me spiraling into darkness. But even as Ruby’s taunting “Goodbye, sister” echoed in my ears, cold and smug, I knew surviving this hell was just the first step of my fight.

....

I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it was not this.

Not the deafening roar of accusations, not the faces of my pack twisted in fury, not the feeling of my entire world crumbling beneath me.

The pack’s hall was packed from wall to wall, the air thick with anger. Warriors stood at attention, their faces cold. Elders sat in their high-backed chairs, their expressions grave. Omegas clustered together, whispering behind their hands. But all of them—every single one—looked at me like I was the filth beneath their feet.

"Traitor!" someone shouted, and the word caught fire, spreading through the crowd.

“Spy!”“She sold us out!”

“How could she do this?”

I sucked in a breath, my hands trembling at my sides. This is a mistake. A horrible, cruel mistake.

But the mistake wasn’t theirs. It was mine—for thinking I had a place here at all.

"Enough!" The Alpha’s voice cut through the uproar, the command in his tone making the hall fall into a tense silence.

My father. Alpha Lumien Bloodbane. A man feared by his enemies, revered by his pack. The same man who now looked at me like I was nothing.

I swallowed, trying to find my voice. “Father, you know I would never—”

“Silence.”

The single word hit harder than a slap.

I had spent my entire life trying to make him proud. Training harder than any warrior. Fighting in battles that left me bloodied. Being the daughter worthy of his name.

And now, he wouldn’t even look at me as his daughter.

Beside him, my sister, Ruby, pressed a delicate hand to her chest, her emerald eyes shimmering with tears. Lies. Every single tear was a lie.

“She did it, Father,” Ruby whispered. “I saw her meeting with the rogues. She was… giving them information.”

A ripple of gasps spread through the crowd.

My stomach lurched. “That’s not true!” I turned to face her fully, heart pounding. “I never—”

“She’s lying,” Ruby said softly, her lip trembling. “She betrayed us.”

It was her word against mine. And she had the entire pack wrapped around her little finger.

My pulse roared in my ears. This wasn’t just about me.

The war with the rogues had been brutal. Warriors had died. The pack was on edge. Someone had to take the blame.

And she had made sure that someone was me.

A heavy footstep echoed through the hall.

I turned my head just in time to see him step forward.

Cedar Stormveil. My mate.

The future Alpha. The man who was supposed to be my forever.

His storm-gray eyes locked onto mine, cold and unforgiving.

I took a step toward him. "Cedar, you don't believe this, do you?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he looked at my father and said, “She is guilty.”

The words hit me like a blade to the chest.

My breath caught. My vision blurred. I was going to be sick.

My mate—the man who had sworn to protect me, who had held me through every storm, who had whispered that I was his forever—had just thrown me to the wolves.

“I saw her sneaking out of the territory,” Cedar continued, his voice firm. “She was meeting someone. I didn’t want to believe it, but Ruby is right. She’s been feeding information to the enemy.”

Ruby dropped her gaze, a picture of sorrow. Like this was hard for her. Like she wasn’t the one who had orchestrated this entire nightmare.

My mouth opened, but no sound came out.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move.

He betrayed me.

Cedar turned back to my father. “For the safety of the pack, she must be punished.”

The Alpha’s gaze was like stone. “Then it is decided.”

I flinched as his voice rang through the hall.

“You are no longer my daughter.”

The words stole the breath from my lungs.

“You are no longer a Bloodbane. You are no longer a member of this pack.”

Whispers swirled around me like smoke.

I couldn’t feel my legs. This isn’t real. This can’t be real.

My father raised his hand, and two warriors stepped forward, their grips iron as they grabbed my arms.

“No,” I gasped, twisting against them. “Please! I didn’t—”

“Take her to the square,” the Alpha commanded. “She will be branded for her crimes.”

Branded.

I froze.

A sharp laugh cut through the air. Ruby.

I turned my head just in time to see her smirk.

I knew then—this wasn’t about justice. This wasn’t about the pack.

She wanted me destroyed.

And I had just handed her everything.

---

The square was packed by the time they dragged me in.

I barely heard the shouts anymore. My ears rang, my mind numb.

This couldn’t be happening.

I was shoved to my knees. I barely registered the pain.

A warrior stepped forward, carrying a red-hot branding iron.

The symbol of a traitor. A mark that would never fade.

For the first time, fear clawed through my haze.

“Please,” I whispered. But no one listened.

No one cared.

The iron pressed against my skin.

And I screamed.

---

Pain. That was the first thing I felt.

The brand still burned into my skin, the scent of scorched flesh curling around me like smoke. My breath came in ragged, broken gasps, my body trembling where I knelt in the dirt of the square.

But it wasn’t over.

I could see it in my father’s cold, unforgiving eyes.

I could feel it in the tension hanging in the air, in the hungry looks of the pack as they waited—waited for more.

They didn’t just want me branded. They wanted me destroyed.

The Alpha raised his hand. “For your crimes, you will suffer further punishment.”

A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“I order twenty lashes,” my father announced, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade. “To serve as a lesson to all who would betray us.”

A sick thrill passed through the gathered wolves. They wanted to see my blood spill.

The warriors who held me tightened their grip. I couldn’t even struggle. I could barely lift my head.

Through the haze of my pain, my eyes locked onto my mate.

Cedar.

He stood tall, his broad shoulders squared, his face an emotionless mask.

He wouldn’t let this happen. He wouldn’t.

I forced my cracked lips to move. “Cedar… please…”

He met my gaze. And smirked.

“You still don’t get it, do you?” His voice was calm, almost lazy. Like none of this mattered to him. Like I didn’t matter.

“Cedar,” I choked, my voice barely above a whisper.

His lips twisted into something cruel. “You are nothing to me.”

The words stole the air from my lungs.

“I, Cedar Stormveil, reject you as my mate.”

It felt like my soul was being ripped apart.

But he wasn’t done.

He took a step closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear. “But I won’t complete the rejection.” His hand came up, brushing a strand of blood-matted hair from my face. “I want you to feel it. Every ounce of pain. Every moment of agony.”

A low chuckle.

“You don’t get to walk away free, little traitor. You get to suffer.”

A roar of approval rose from the crowd, but I barely heard it.

The rejection burned like silver through my veins, twisting, crushing, shattering something deep inside me. My wolf whimpered, clawing at the edges of my mind, trying to hold onto a bond that was already poisoned.

He had taken everything from me.

And now he was leaving me with nothing but pain.

The warriors wrenched me up, forcing me forward. I could barely feel my feet dragging across the dirt. The world blurred around me as I was shoved against the whipping post, my arms locked in iron restraints above my head.

I heard the crack of the whip before I felt it.

And then—agony.

The first lash tore through my back like fire, cutting through the fabric of my dress, biting deep into my skin.

I gritted my teeth. I would not scream.

The second lash came harder.

The third.

The fourth.

By the tenth, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. A broken, ragged cry slipped from my lips.

This is what they wanted. This is what she, my dear sister, wanted.

To see me broken.

Another lash.

And another.

I wasn’t sure when I collapsed, my body hanging limp in the chains.

But I heard Ruby’s voice through the haze of pain. Sweet. Mocking.

“Oh, sister,” she whispered. “You always thought you were so much better than me.”

I didn’t have the strength to lift my head, but I could picture her perfectly—standing beside Cedar, her hands on his arm, her smirk of victory.

“You should have just disappeared quietly,” she sighed. “It would have been less painful.”

She leaned in, her lips brushing against my ear.

“Goodbye, sister.”

The last lash came harder than the others, ripping the last shred of my strength away.

Darkness swallowed me whole.

---

I woke up to rain.

Cold. Soaking through my bloodied dress. Mixing with the warm, sticky wetness on my back.

I wasn’t in the square anymore. The pack had left me there, discarded like trash.

I tried to move. Agony shot through me.

My arms trembled as I pushed myself up, biting down on my lip so hard I tasted blood. The pain made my head spin, my vision blurring.

I had to get up.

I had to move.

I forced myself onto my hands and knees, then slowly—so slowly—dragged myself across the ground. The world around me was dark, the storm rolling overhead, thunder shaking the sky.

I had no idea how long it took. Minutes. Hours.

But I found it.

The old shed.

It had been abandoned for years, tucked near the edge of the training grounds, forgotten by the pack. I had hidden here as a child, back when I still believed I had a place in this world.

Now, it was the only place I had left.

I pushed the door open with the last of my strength and collapsed inside, landing hard on the wooden floor.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t breathe.

I had survived.

Even if it was just barely.

I learned quickly that pain wasn’t just something you felt. It was something you lived.

Every moment. Every breath.

Pain followed me like a shadow. It clung to my skin like the filth I couldn’t scrub off.

The wounds on my back had barely begun to heal when the real punishment started.

They hadn’t just taken my title. They had taken my right to exist.

---

The packhouse loomed in front of me, warm light spilling from the windows, the scent of roasted meat and freshly baked bread drifting through the air.

My stomach twisted painfully, hunger clawing at my insides.

I hadn’t eaten in two days.

I had managed to survive on scraps before, sneaking into the kitchens late at night, stealing what little I could without being seen. But the moment they realized I was still breathing, they had taken that from me, too.

The pack warriors stood guard at the doors, their gazes cold.

They didn’t have to say anything.

I wasn’t welcome here.

I turned away before they had the chance to throw me down the steps again. The bruises from last time still lingered.

I would not beg.

I would not give them that satisfaction.

---

I scavenged what I could from the outskirts of the village.

Old bread tossed out behind the baker’s house.

I hunted when I could, but my injuries slowed me down. I wasn’t strong enough to take down anything bigger than a rabbit.

Even that was a risk.

Wolves who were caught hunting outside their ranks without permission were punished. And I was already a traitor.

I took what I could carry and made my way back to the shed—the only place I could call home now.

The nights were the worst.

The cold crept in through the broken walls, sinking deep into my bones. My wolf whimpered, desperate for warmth, for comfort.

There was none.

I curled up on the dirt floor, the only blanket I had draped over my shaking form. I listened to the sounds of the pack in the distance—laughter, music, the echoes of a life that no longer belonged to me.

Once, I had been part of that.

Once, I had mattered.

Now, I was nothing.

---

It wasn’t just the hunger.

It wasn’t just the cold.

It was them.

Every day, they reminded me what I was.

A pariah.

An outcast.

A traitor.

I had barely stepped into the village square when something hard struck the side of my face.

The taste of dirt filled my mouth as I hit the ground, my vision spinning.

Laughter rang in my ears.

“Oops,” a sickly sweet voice cooed. “Did that hurt, sister?”

I forced myself to my knees, wiping the blood from my lip.

Ruby stood above me, dressed in fine silks, her golden curls gleaming in the sunlight. She looked like a queen.

And she had everything I had lost.

Cedar stood beside her, his arm draped around her waist, his lips pressed lazily to her temple.

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat.

He was mine.

He had been mine.

But he had thrown me away like I was worthless.

Now he looked at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of his boot.

“Are you still here?” Cedar sighed, feigning boredom. “I thought by now you’d be smart enough to leave.”

“Where would she go?” Ruby smirked. “No other pack would take a traitor.”

The crowd around them murmured in agreement, their eyes filled with contempt.

I could feel their hatred, their scorn.

Once, they had been my family.

Now, they wouldn’t even spare me a kind glance.

Because of her.

Because of the lies she had spun, the web of deceit she had woven so carefully around me.

And because of him.

Because he had chosen to believe her.

Cedar’s lips curled. “She’s like a cockroach. No matter how many times you crush it, it just won’t die.”

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

Ruby giggled, running her fingers down his chest. Touching him like she had every right to.

Rage burned in my veins, thick and suffocating.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to rip that smug smile from her face.

I wanted justice.

But I had no power here.

No voice.

Nothing.

So I picked myself up, ignoring the pain, ignoring the taunts, and walked away.

One day.

One day, I would make them regret this.

---

I clung to that thought as I lay in the shed that night, staring at the cracked wooden ceiling, my stomach twisting in hunger.

There was only one way out of this.

Only one chance.

The Lycan King’s Selection.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A chance for warriors from every pack to prove themselves, to fight for a place in the Lycan King’s army.

If I was chosen, I would no longer be bound to this pack. I would no longer be the traitor they spat on in the streets.

I would have a new title.

A new rank.

A new life.

But there was a problem. The Selection was two months away.

And I had to survive until then.