Alina’s Pov

“You’re pathetic, Alina.”

Marcus’s voice rang loud and cruel in the courtyard, echoing off the brick walls as if it wasn’t enough to break me once. My knees almost buckled beneath me, but I forced myself to stand, clenching my shaking hands into fists so they wouldn’t show my weakness. The whole pack was watching. Every face held either amusement or disgust.

“Did you really think I’d want someone like you?” he went on, the corners of his mouth curling in a sneer. His hazel eyes, once warm, now looked cold and distant.

My voice got stuck in my throat. The faint pull of the mate bond still lingered, tugging painfully at my chest even when his words should have destroyed it.

“Marcus…” My voice broke, barely louder than the whispers around us.

“Don’t say my name,” he growled, stepping closer. “I, Beta Marcus of the Silvercrest Pack, reject you, Alina, as my mate.”

My wolf whimpered inside me as the pain hit. I stumbled back, clutching at my chest as if I could hold myself together. The bond snapped, leaving behind a deep emptiness, like something inside me had been torn away.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. Tears blurred my sight, but I forced myself to look at him. “Please… you can’t do this.”

Marcus only sneered. “I just did. And why not? You’re just an Omega. Weak. Worthless. A shame to this pack.”

Laughter spread through the crowd. The sound twisted my heart. These were people I grew up with, people I cared about. Now they laughed at me.

“Enough!”

Alpha Richard’s voice cut through the noise. The crowd fell silent at once and moved aside as he stepped forward. His tall frame and cold expression sent a chill down my spine.

“Marcus has spoken,” he said, a faint smile on his lips. “You are no longer his mate. And as far as I’m concerned, you are no longer one of us.”

My heart dropped.

“Alpha, please,” I begged. “I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve served this pack loyally—”

“Loyal?” He laughed softly. “You call yourself loyal while your family plots against me? You’re lucky I’m being merciful, Alina. If it were up to me, you’d rot with them.”

“With them?” I repeated, fear creeping into my voice.

His smile widened. “Oh, you haven’t heard? Your parents are in custody for treason. They were caught working with rogues to overthrow me.”

“No!” I screamed, shaking my head. “That’s not true! My parents would never—”

“Take her away,” he said with a careless wave.

I didn’t wait.

I turned and ran toward our house, my thoughts spinning. This had to be a lie. My parents were loyal. They would never betray the pack.

I rushed forward, my breath coming in broken gasps. Then I saw them.

I froze.

My mother and father were on their knees in the dirt. Their hands were held behind their heads, mouths gagged. Two enforcers stood over them, pressing them down.

“No!” I cried, running toward them. “Let them go!”

One of the enforcers shoved me hard in the chest. I stumbled back, barely keeping my balance.

“What have they done?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Why are you doing this?”

The enforcer looked at me with contempt. “Orders from the Alpha. Stay out of the way.”

I turned to my mother. Her wide eyes were full of fear.

“Mama…”

My voice broke. “What’s happening? Please, tell me.”

She shook her head quickly, tears running down her face.

“Get her out of here,” one of the enforcers said.

“No!” I shouted, trying to push past them, but they were too strong. They dragged my parents away, and I followed, my heart pounding hard in my chest.

“Stop!” I cried. “Please! Tell me what’s going on!”

They said nothing.

People gathered along the path as we moved. I heard their whispers and quiet laughter.

“She’s pathetic.”

“Like mother, like daughter.”

“She’s probably involved too.”

Every word hurt, but I kept moving.

When we reached the courtyard again, Alpha Richard was waiting.

“Alpha Richard!” I cried, dropping to my knees in front of him. “Please! Whatever you think they did, it’s not true. My parents would never betray you. They’ve served this pack their whole lives!”

He looked down at me calmly. “And yet, here we are.”

“They’re innocent!” I said. “You know they are!”

He stepped closer, his gaze fixed on me. “What I know is that your family was caught working with rogues to overthrow me. There is proof.”

“That’s a lie!” I shouted. “You’re lying!”

His hand grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

“You should watch your tone, Omega,” he said quietly. “Or you’ll join them in the dungeons.”

I pulled away from him, my chest rising and falling with each breath.

“Please…” I begged. “Don’t do this. They’re all I have.”

He turned his back on me. “Take them to the dungeons.”

“No!” I cried, jumping to my feet. I tried to run after them, but Marcus stepped in front of me.

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be,” he said coldly.

I glared at him through my tears. “How can you do this? After everything my family has done for you… after everything I’ve done… you just stand there?”

His face didn’t change. “You’re not my responsibility anymore, Alina. You mean nothing to me.”

Something inside me broke.

I looked up just in time to see my parents being dragged away. Their muffled cries cut into me. My mother turned her head, her tear-filled eyes meeting mine.

Then they were gone.

Silence filled my ears.

A cold anger slowly replaced the pain.

“You’ll regret this,” I said, my voice shaking.

The Alpha turned back to me, slightly amused. “Is that so?”

“I’ll come back,” I said, stronger this time. “I’ll come back and destroy everything you’ve built. I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done to my family.”

For a moment, everything went still.

Then he laughed.

“You?” he said. “You are nothing, Alina. You’ll die out there, alone. No one will remember you.”

The crowd laughed with him, their voices closing in around me.

I didn’t look away.

“I’ll make you pay,” I whispered.

Alina Pov

The courtyard was empty, yet the jeering laughter of the crowd still echoed in my ears long after they were gone. I stood frozen, staring at the spot where my parents had been dragged away. My hands trembled, a hollow emptiness filling my chest where my heart once was.

Gone.

Every step they had taken away from me felt like a knife carving into my soul. My parents—my only family—wrongfully imprisoned, humiliated in front of the pack they had served faithfully for years.

The Alpha’s cruel words replayed in my mind like a taunt.

You’ll die out there, alone and forgotten.

My fists clenched as I swallowed the lump in my throat. I wouldn’t cry. Not here. Not now.

They didn’t deserve to see my tears.

But as I turned to leave, the reality of what lay ahead hit me hard.

I had nowhere to go.

No house. No home. Just a broken shell of what once stood there.

The door hung open. Inside, everything was destroyed. Drawers were pulled out, chairs overturned. The small collection of trinkets my mother loved lay shattered across the floor.

I stepped inside slowly, my chest tightening.

I knelt beside a broken vase, my fingers brushing over its sharp edges. It had been my mother’s favorite. She always kept fresh flowers in it. She said they made the house feel alive.

Now it was in pieces. Just like everything else.

“Alina.”

The cold voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I turned to see two enforcers standing in the doorway, their faces hard and unreadable.

“What do you want?” My voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper.

“By order of the Alpha,” one of them said, stepping forward, “you are to leave the pack immediately. You are no longer welcome here.”

I stared at him, the meaning of his words sinking in slowly.

“You’re banishing me?”

“You’re lucky that’s all he’s doing,” the second one said with a sneer. “After what you did, you should be grateful you’re not joining your parents in the dungeons.”

A small spark of defiance rose in my chest, but it quickly faded under the weight of everything I had lost.

My family. My home. My life.

I pushed myself to my feet, my legs unsteady beneath me.

“Fine,” I said. My voice shook, but I kept it steady. “I’ll leave. But this isn’t over.”

They didn’t respond. They only stepped aside, silently ordering me to go.

I walked past them without looking back.

I took nothing with me. There was nothing left to take.

Everything that mattered was already gone.

***

The forest was silent.

Too silent.

I pushed through the undergrowth, branches scratching against my skin as I moved. The trees loomed tall around me, their shadows stretching long and dark. It felt like they were closing in on me.

I didn’t know where I was going.

I just kept moving.

My mind was blank, yet full at the same time. Thoughts came and went too fast for me to hold onto any of them.

All I knew was that I couldn’t stop.

But as the sun began to set, the forest changed.

The shadows deepened. The silence shifted. What had once felt calm now felt wrong. The soft rustle of leaves and distant howls filled the air.

My heart began to race.

I wasn’t safe here.

A low growl behind me made my whole body go still.

Slowly, I turned.

Three wolves stepped out of the shadows, their eyes glowing in the dim light. Their fur was rough and uneven, their bodies thin but dangerous.

Rogues.

Fear clawed at my throat, but I forced myself to stand my ground.

“Back off!” I shouted, though my voice trembled.

The largest wolf snarled, baring its teeth as it stepped closer.

My wolf stirred weakly inside me, but the pain from the rejection and my exhaustion kept her down.

I was alone.

I bent quickly and grabbed a fallen branch, holding it in front of me like a weapon.

“I mean it!”

They didn’t stop.

One of the wolves lunged.

I swung the branch with all my strength. It hit its side, and the wolf yelped as it fell back. But the others didn’t hesitate. They rushed forward, teeth snapping dangerously close to me.

I fought as hard as I could, swinging and stepping back, trying to keep distance between us.

A wolf’s claws sliced across my arm.

I cried out, stumbling as pain shot through me. Warm blood ran down my skin, but I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t.

If I stopped, I would die.

Another wolf knocked the branch from my hand, sending it flying. Its weight slammed into me, and I fell hard to the ground.

I struggled beneath it, my hands pushing against its chest as its jaws snapped inches from my face.

“Get off me!” I shouted, kicking and twisting, but my strength was fading fast.

The wolf’s teeth came closer.

Then—

A deafening roar tore through the forest.

The weight vanished.

The wolf was yanked off me, thrown aside like it weighed nothing.

I scrambled to my feet, my vision spinning, and looked up.

A figure stepped out of the darkness.

He moved with deadly speed and precision, cutting through the rogues as if they were nothing. One wolf leaped at him, but he dodged easily. His hand shot out, grabbing its throat.

With one brutal twist, he snapped its neck and threw it aside.

The other two hesitated.

He didn’t.

In the next second, he was on them. His movements were fast and controlled, his claws tearing through them with ease.

It was over in less than a minute.

Silence fell again.

The bodies of the rogues lay scattered across the forest floor.

The man turned to me, his silver eyes faintly glowing in the dark.

“Are you okay?” he asked. His voice was low and firm, but there was a quiet softness beneath it.

I tried to speak, but no words came out. The rush of adrenaline faded, leaving behind pain and exhaustion.

Everything hurts.

“Hey,” he said, stepping closer. His voice softened. “You’re safe now.”

Safe.

The word felt strange.

I hadn’t felt safe in what felt like forever.

Before I could answer, my legs gave out.

The ground rushed up toward me.

And everything went black.

Kennedy’s Pov

I stood over the unconscious woman lying at my feet, the soft glow of the moonlight catching the blood staining her torn clothes. Her breathing was shallow but steady. Her dark hair was matted, strands sticking to her sweat-dampened face. A face so delicate, yet marked with bruises and scratches from the fight.

I frowned. This was supposed to be a simple patrol.

I hadn’t come to this part of the Northern borders out of duty. I only needed to clear my head after another exhausting argument with my council members. The rogues had been nothing more than a distraction, an irritation that needed to be dealt with quickly.

And this girl…

She was an unexpected complication.

“Troublesome,” I muttered, crouching beside her.

That was when her scent reached me.

It was faint and soft, something sweet, but beneath it was a deep sorrow that cut through the cold control I had built over the years. My wolf stirred at once, restless and alert.

I ignored him.

She was a stranger. Weak. Most likely a burden.

Yet here I was.

“What am I supposed to do with you?” I asked quietly.

She didn’t answer, of course. But the moment I even thought of leaving her there, my wolf growled low and dangerous inside me.

No.

The refusal was not mine.

It was his.

There was no hesitation in it. No doubt. No room for argument.

I exhaled sharply.

“Fine,” I said, sliding my arms under her injured body and lifting her carefully. “But don’t make me regret this.”

***

The journey back to the pack was silent.

Her scent filled my senses, distracting me in a way I didn’t like. I kept my focus ahead.

When we reached the gates of the Northern Pack, the guards straightened immediately, their bodies stiff with respect… and fear.

“Alpha,” one of them greeted, his voice steady. His eyes flicked briefly to the girl in my arms, but he didn’t ask questions.

They never did.

“Get Jerry to the infirmary,” I ordered. “Now.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

I walked through the pack grounds, ignoring the stares that followed me. Wolves slowed, turned, and whispered. It wasn’t often their Alpha returned carrying someone, especially not an unconscious woman covered in blood.

I paid them no attention.

My only focus was the infirmary.

***

Jerry was already there when I arrived.

He leaned against the counter, arms crossed, a familiar grin on his face.

“Well, well,” he said, pushing himself upright and walking toward me. “What do we have here? A damsel in distress? Don’t tell me you’ve gone soft, Ken.”

I gave him a cold look. “Save it. She’s injured.”

He raised his hands in mock surrender, though the grin stayed. “Alright, alright. Bring her here.”

I placed her gently on the nearest cot and stepped back.

Jerry’s attitude changed instantly as he got to work. Whatever jokes he made, he never played around when it came to healing.

“She’s in bad shape,” he muttered, pulling out herbs and salves. “What happened?”

“Rogues,” I said, leaning back against the wall with my arms crossed. “She was fighting them when I found her.”

Jerry glanced at me over his shoulder. “She survived a rogue attack… like this?”

“She fought.”

It wasn’t praise. Just the truth.

She was thin, clearly underfed, but there had been something in her eyes when she fought. Something stubborn.

Jerry hummed and turned back to her. “She’s lucky you showed up. A few more minutes and…”

He didn’t finish.

I said nothing.

I didn’t know why I had saved her.

I didn’t save strangers.

“Well,” Jerry said after a while, his tone lighter again, “she’ll live. A few deep cuts, bruises, and she’s exhausted. But nothing I can’t handle.”

“Good. Finish it.”

He snorted. “Always so demanding. You know, most people would say ‘thank you’ when someone’s saving the life of the girl they brought in.”

“Don’t push it.”

Jerry chuckled. “You’re no fun.”

***

Not long after, he finished.

Bandages covered most of her wounds. Her breathing was stronger now, more even.

“She’ll wake up soon,” Jerry said, putting his things away. “And when she does, try not to scare her. You already look like you want to kill someone.”

I ignored him, my gaze fixed on her.

Jerry sighed under his breath, muttering something about me being hopeless, and then left the room.

The silence that followed was heavy.

I stood there, watching her.

Even in sleep, her face was tight with pain. My wolf shifted again, restless, watching her as closely as I was.

Then—

Her eyes fluttered open.

Dark. Wide. Uncertain.

She blinked a few times, staring up at the ceiling as if trying to understand where she was. Confusion filled her expression.

Then her gaze moved.

And landed on me.

The moment our eyes met, something snapped inside me.

Heat surged through my body. Every nerve came alive with a force I had never felt before. My wolf roared, loud and possessive, his voice echoing in my mind.

Mate.

The word hit like a command.

Strong. Absolute.

Unavoidable.

“Mate,” I said, the word leaving my lips before I could stop it. My voice came out low, rough, filled with an intensity I didn’t bother to hide.

Her eyes widened instantly, shock replacing the confusion.

“Mine,” I added, the word falling from my lips like a claim.

She went still.

Completely still.

She didn’t speak. Didn’t move.

She just stared at me, like she didn’t understand what I had just said.

And I couldn’t blame her.