Mia’s POV
The grand hall was filled with voices, all echoing harshly around me, each one
another reminder of how far this had gone. Alpha Diego stood at the front, his
expression unreadable as the hearing began. I stood in the center of the room,
my body weak but my resolve strong.
I could hear the insults hurled my way-vicious, cutting words that made my
chest tighten. “Traitor,” someone hissed. “Spy,” another sneered. The parents
of Scarlet and Layla were the loudest, their anger burning through the air.
“You let her into this pack, Diego, and look what she’s done!” Scarlet’s father
shouted, his finger jabbing in my direction. “She’s a disgrace to all wolves, and
she’s dangerous.”
I wanted to scream, to yell back that none of it was true, but I clenched my fists
and bit my tongue. Anger bubbled inside me, but I knew better than to act on it.
If I lashed out now, I’d only be proving them right.
Diego raised his hand, silencing the room. “Mia, do you have anything to say in
your defense?”
I lifted my head, meeting his gaze. “I didn’t do any of this,” I said, my voice
steady despite the trembling in my chest. “I didn’t spy on the pack. I didn’t
attack Scarlet and Layla. They’re lying.”
“Lying?” Scarlet’s mother snapped. “You think they’d go to these lengths to
lie? What would they gain from it?”
I looked at her, my heart pounding. “Everything. They’ve hated me since the
moment I got here. This is their chance to get rid of me.”
Diego’s face was stoic, but I saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes. Before he could
respond, Scarlet and Layla stepped forward.
“She’s delusional,” Scarlet said, her voice dripping with fake innocence. “She
attacked us because she’s jealous. She’s always been jealous of us.”
Layla held up a small notebook, one I’d never seen before. “And here’s the
proof,” she added smugly. “We found this in her room. It’s filled with
information about the pack-details she was planning to give to Tristan.”
I stared at the notebook, my stomach sinking. It was a setup, of course. I’d
never seen it before, let alone written in it. But the damage was done.
Diego’s disappointment was palpable as he looked at the so-called evidence.
My heart broke a little more, knowing that no matter what I said, no one would
believe me.
“Mia,” Diego began, his voice heavy, “this is a grave offense. Spying on the
pack, attacking your packmates-these are crimes that cannot be overlooked.”
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “I didn’t do it,” I
repeated, my voice barely above a whisper.
The room erupted into chaos again, everyone talking over each other. Diego
raised his hand once more, his expression grim.
“The decision is made,” he said. “Mia, you are hereby sentenced to exile.”
The words hit me like a blow to the chest. Exile. The one punishment I knew I
couldn’t survive. My legs felt weak as I stood there, staring at Diego.
He stepped closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear. “I’m sorry, Mia. I
have to do this. The pack demands justice.”
I felt tears sting my eyes but refused to let them fall. “You know I didn’t do it,”
I whispered.
Diego’s jaw tightened. “I know. But I can’t prove it. And I can’t risk the pack
turning against me.”
As they dragged me away, I caught a glimpse of Scarlet and Layla. They were
smiling, their eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
“You’ll pay for this,” I muttered under my breath. “One day, I’ll make you
pay.”
Diego stood at the front, his face etched with an expression I couldn’t place-
regret, anger, disappointment? I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that the pack I had
hoped to call home was severing its ties with me.
The elder pack member held the blade up high, chanting in the ancient tongue,
marking the start of the ritual to break my bond with the pack. My chest
tightened as the first cut sliced into my shoulder, the pain sharp and instant.
I flinched, biting down on my lip to stifle the cry that threatened to escape. The
second stab came harder, deeper, directly across my ribs. My wolf howled in
agony, her pain blending with mine.
“They’re cutting us out,” Ima whispered, her voice laced with both sorrow and
fury. “They’re marking us as nothing.”
Each strike of the blade seemed to target parts of me that wouldn’t heal easily,
ensuring that the scars would stay forever. My body felt like it was on fire, the
pack magic severing every connection we had to them.
“Enough,” Diego’s voice cut through the air like a whip.
The elder stopped, looking up at him. “Alpha, the ritual isn’t complete.”
“She’s suffered enough,” Diego commanded, his voice firm. “Finish it without
another wound.”
Though his intervention stopped more damage, my body already felt broken
beyond repair. The ties that bound me to this pack-this place-were gone.
When it was over, two guards grabbed me roughly by the arms, dragging my
limp form out of the hall. My legs barely worked, my vision blurred from the
pain.
Diego’s voice was softer as he walked behind us. “I’m sorry, Mia. I couldn’t
stop this.”
I turned my head slightly, meeting his eyes. “You didn’t even try,” I
murmured, my voice hoarse.
He looked away, the weight of guilt evident in his silence.
The woods were dark, the air cold and damp as they tossed me
unceremoniously onto the ground. I groaned as my body hit the earth, pain
radiating through every nerve.
“You’re lucky the Alpha intervened,” one of the guards sneered, leaning over
me. “Otherwise, this would’ve been worse.”
Their laughter echoed in my ears as they turned and walked away, leaving me
alone in the middle of nowhere.
Ima growled softly. “We need to move, Mia. If we stay here, we’ll die.”
I tried to push myself up, but my arms gave out beneath me. My body was too
weak, too broken.
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“Yes, you can,” Ima insisted. “You’ve survived worse. You’ll survive this.”
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to my knees. The pain was unbearable, but
I gritted my teeth and kept moving.
I stumbled but caught myself, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing
me fall. I started walking, each step heavier than the last. My body ached, my
wounds still bleeding, but I kept going.
Hours passed, or at least it felt like it. The woods were dark and silent, the air
cold against my skin. My thoughts raced as I tried to figure out what to do next.
Suddenly, a sharp push sent me stumbling forward. I hit the ground hard, my
palms scraping against the rough earth.
“What the-” I started, but the sight of Scarlet and Layla standing above me
cut me off.
“You didn’t think we’d let you leave that easily, did you?” Scarlet sneered.
Layla smirked, stepping closer. “This is where it ends, Mia. No pack. No one to
save you. Just us.”
I struggled to my feet, my body trembling. “You’ve already won. What more do
you want?”
Scarlet’s eyes gleamed with malice. “To make sure you never come back.”
Before I could react, they pushed me again. This time, I felt my body falling,
the edge of the cliff coming into view too late.
I screamed as I plummeted, the wind rushing past me, the darkness
swallowing me whole.
And then, nothing.