Mira's POV 

“My fault?” I retorted, and the Alpha looked shocked as though he had never seen me before.

“Did this little wench just talk back to me? Have you suddenly lost your mind or something? Are you planning on dying real quick?” The Alpha yelled, and I scoffed. It would have been better if I was dead than to continue living in this hellhole.

“I….” Another slap landed on my cheek as I was about to say something else. I don't know how they do it, but they know how to shut me up.

“If you had not gone to the woods…. If you had only listened to me, the rogue would not have followed after you. You are the reason why we almost lost a young pup.” He continued to push the blame on me without caring to find out what really happened.

“I'm sure your smelly body attracted the attention of the rogues. If the little boy had died, I don't know what we would have done. Now, I'm starting to regret why I adopted you in the first place. You are nothing but trash that deserves to be discarded.” He concluded, and I chuckled.

I looked up at him, my eyes wet with tears to say something but decided it wasn't worth it. No matter what I say, their minds are made up of whatever it is they want to believe.

“Take her round the Pack on a shame parade. Let the people see who it was that tried to have one of us killed. Then, I will think of what to do with her,” he said, and they bowed their heads to him as he walked away.

“Yes Alpha!” They echoed in unison. As soon as he walked out the door, two of the guards grabbed and pulled me up.

“Aaahh!” I winced in pain as I leapt. The pain in my leg was so strong that I felt numb all over my body. I wasn't even allowed a moment to rest. One of the guards dragged the chain I was tied with, forcing my legs to move by force.

“Aahh!” I yelled this time, not minding whatsoever it is they plan on doing to me. I just didn't have the strength for their nonsense today.

They can also kill me. They have already done that over and over again.

We got out of the Pack mansion to where members of the Pack all lived, and it seemed to me that words about the incident had spread. The look of disdain from the Pack members was enough to send anyone to the grave.

“There she is,” I heard one of the members of the Pack say as she pointed at me, showing me to others.

“She looks so miserable. She deserves to be in the Pack prison for the rest of her life.” I heard another.

“She put the life of our young one in danger. She should be killed. Being in jail is not enough. What if she escapes the prison? She will continue to wreck more havoc.”

“Good gracious Lord!

“Afterall the Alpha was kind enough to let her stay at the Pack mansion after she became an orphan. Anyone would die to be in her shoes.” One of the members said, and I burst into laughter.

If only they had the slightest clue of how difficult my life was in that mansion. I would have preferred to have died along with my parents.

All of a sudden, a rotten fruit splashed on my face. Then came an egg, and water, all splashed over my body.

I sobbed silently as the chains dragged my very core. I looked around, and almost all the Pack members were outside, enraged and cursing at me.

“You ungrateful spoiled brat!”

“Die! You evil bitch!”

Finally after what seems to be an endless parade, we arrived at the Pack square. My feet burned from all the walking, and my stomach was on fire from extreme hunger.

I slumped on the floor in a kneeling position, not waiting for anyone to tell me what to do.

“Whip her!” I heard the Alpha's enraged voice, and I trembled in fear.

“No! No!! No!!! Please let me go, let me go. I didn't do anything.” I cried, my voice timid and weak.

I tried to crawl to where the Alpha was sitting, but I was too weak to carry on. I felt the chain wiggle, and I was dragged rubbing my face to the ground.

“Aaahh!” I groaned in pain as the first whip landed on my back.

“Aarghh!” I grunted and started vomiting blood. My entire body roared in pain, I felt my being consumed not just by the whip, but by the rage that I now feel.

I surrendered to the torture, silent tears escaping my eyes as the whip tore my skin as well as my soul.

My eyes popped open, and I jolted to life gasping for air amidst the streams of water flowing over my face.  

“Is she awake?” I heard someone murmur, and I realised that I had passed out.

“Here is my final judgement,” I heard the Alpha say, but I didn't bother to even look at him.

“I hereby declare you banished from the Bloodfang Pack forever. You will live as a rogue for the rest of your life. Someone like you does not deserve to live among the rest of us. You belong with the rogues.” The Alpha made his declaration, and everyone cheered.

The guards brought me up and pushed me forward.

“I will be back and stronger.” I vowed, staring into the Alpha's eyes. I turned around and began walking away into the woods.

Tears trickled down my eyes as I leaped and winced in pain. I got to the exit of the Pack and could still hear the chatters and noise from the Pack members.

I stopped in my tracks and turned around with my fist clenched into a ball.

“I will never serve another Alpha again,” I gritted in between my teeth and walked away.

***

I wandered in the woods all night, tired, hungry, and feverish.

I found a big tree and took refuge. As I was about to lay my back and drift to sleep. I heard footsteps and quickly stood up.

“Who are you?” I heard a voice behind me and froze.

“Oh my world, you are injured.” I heard a strong female voice.

“Bring her to the camp!” She ordered, and the men did exactly as she said. I was carried, and we headed somewhere.

My mouth dropped as we arrived there, and I saw quite a number of people. Women, men and even children.

I looked to my left and some men were training with swords. Some women were even with them. And children running around, the place seemed happy.

“Where is this place?” I asked.

“We are a community of Outliers, and you are welcome to join us,” the woman said and I stared at her.

“Oh, I'm the Leader of the community.” She introduced and drew out her sword.

“I want to learn to fight!” I requested.

“Sure, but let's get you cleaned up first.” she agreed. 

Mira’s POV

“No way.”

My heart skipped a beat as the tall, handsome, yet so cold man in front of us growled his disapproval at his subordinate’s decision to bring me into the Pack without knowing who I was.

“With all due respect, Alpha, what were we supposed to do? Leave her out there in the woods? She needs our help,” The lady—the one who had called herself the leader of the community—said to the man, who seemed to be the only real authority here.

“Our help? There are about half a dozen Packs nearby, and she chose to be found near ours? Need I remind you that we are hunted by her kind?”

“The Alpha is right, Selene. We cannot keep taking in strays,” a woman’s voice said from beside the Alpha.

I was shivering so badly that the last thing I wanted to see right now was the scene before me.

“No one is asking for your opinion, Margaret.”

The lady, Selene, looked at me and then back at the Alpha, who stood there in the distance at the entrance of their Pack like a force determined not to move.

“Please help me,” I said, maybe I should have said more, but that was all I could bring myself to say as I leaned against a tree beside me.

“Who are you?” The man asked, his silver eyes boring into mine as he took a few steps toward me.

“And what happened to you? If you want to stay here, you need to tell us why you’re here and let them decide if you stay. We are a Pack of Rogues, but we don’t just take anyone in.”

There was a tone of finality in his voice, and I had a feeling he was not a very patient man. If I didn’t start talking soon, we would have a problem.

Where do I start?

“I was banished from my pack.”

Immediately I said that, I could sense the mixed feelings from the crowd that had started to gather around.

I did not know how exactly to explain my predicament to them, and I could see the disapproving look on the Alpha’s face.

I really needed him to let me stay. If they were Rogues, it was even better because that would mean fewer formalities than I was used to in my Pack.

Maybe here, I would be treated differently. Maybe not the best—but not as a slave.

“Why?” It was very simple, yet I found it hard to open my mouth to say anything. Perhaps because being watched by a crowd brought back old memories of my previous Pack.

“Alpha…” Selene tried to help but I cut her off. I need to give them a reason to let me stay.

“I tried to save a pup, and things did not end well. I could have handled the matter differently, but I didn’t, and it caused trouble.”

The crowd was silent. It was as if they had read a hidden meaning in my words. Even the Alpha—although his expression was still neutral—took a step back and gestured for the crowd to disperse.

He then turned around and began to walk inside. Selene moved forward and gestured for me to follow her.

Does that mean I am allowed to stay now?

I looked around to be sure, but everyone seemed to not care about me anymore as I followed them down a long hall before I saw the Alpha open a door that led to a large room.

There was a seat like a throne in the center, and he went to sit there. Selene whispered something in his ear before he faced me.

“If I let you stay, I expect you to earn your place. But I also need to know what you can do.”

“What I can do…”

“Like how you can be useful to this Pack.”

“I practically know how to do nothing, but I can cook, clean and…”

Selene burst out laughing, and my nervousness calmed a bit due to how she made light of the situation.

“Calm down.”

“What is your name?”

“Mira,” I answered.

“What about your former pack? What Pack is it?”

“Can I keep that a secret to myself for now. I want to take revenge.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

“I need your help. I need to learn to fight.”

“You’re this grown—obviously above sixteen—and you don’t know how to fight?” The Alpha asked, looking down at my feet as I tried to cover my shame.

“I…”

“There’s no need. I’m not sure I trust you yet with all of this. I mean, why would a full-grown wolf not know how to fight, in this age and time? And you expect me to believe that you wandered away from your Pack after you were banished and just happened to land here?”

I shrugged. I did not know what to say anymore, so I looked to Selene for help, but it looked like it was all left to me and him now.

“I promise you, I had no intention of coming here. I just found myself here, and I need you to help me so that I can become strong enough to take revenge on my former Pack.”

“You sound so desperate. Why does revenge matter to you so much? And what do you think a small girl like you can do to take revenge on a whole Pack just because they banished you? You are not the first wolf to be banished, and you certainly won’t be the last. So, why?”

If only he knew the things I have been through at the hands of those heartless monsters—the things I have had to endure.

I closed my eyes but suddenly felt a hand on my left shoulder, and when I opened my eyes, Selene was standing in front of me, looking into my eyes as if searching for answers.

“Breathe, Mira, breathe. We want to help you, but we cannot help you until you tell us everything. And we know this may not be comfortable for you, but if you want our help, you have to trust us.”

I heaved a deep sigh. She was right. My eyes drifted to the Alpha, who sat there patiently with a neutral expression.

“I’ll…I’ll tell you everything.”