Elara’s POV

I bowed my head in shame as they pronounced the judgement, their words ringing in my ear. This was nothing short of a death sentence; they knew how weak I was, and they hell knew that whatever was sitting in the woods would swallow me whole once I stepped out of the pack.

The knowledge did little to soften their hardened soul.

“Please,” I begged, my lips quivering. My tears were long dried on my chin, leaving behind pain.

“Take that filthy creature out of our pack. We don’t welcome murderers,” one of the elders thundered with rage, each word laced with hatred and bitterness.

The boots of the guards echoed as they approached me, yanking me up from the floor, the chains rattling.

My skin paled, sweat trickling down my forehead, heat flushing my neck. I tried to speak, but my brain was blank. I let the salty tears roll down my eyes as I slowly welcomed my fate.

“I’m innocent,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’m being punished for a crime I didn't commit.”

The cold metal collar around my neck snapped tighter as they dragged me out of the courtroom. Just then, his silhouette emerged, and my breathing hitched, the guards pausing right on their tracks.

“Wait,” a cold, deep, commanding voice sliced through the air.

I raised my head slowly. My heart clenched, then skipped in disbelief.

Alpha Rowan.

Jack’s father.

His piercing gaze swept the room like a storm, freezing everyone in place. His presence held and unshakable, yet undeniable power.

He had an expression that screamed his disappointment in the judgement of the elders.

For a moment… I felt saved.

Someone had seen. Someone believed me. Relief clawed up my throat, choking me as the hope I’d buried deep flared back to life.

He would fix this. Perhaps he'd used his wisdom to figure out that I wouldn't dare kill the one person who made me seen. Who made me feel…normal.

“Alpha,” one of the elders stepped forward cautiously, “you must not intervene. She—she murdered the heir. Your son. This… this creature must be cast away.”

Alpha Rowan didn’t even blink. The silence which followed was thick and slightly uncomfortable.

Then he spoke,

“Release her.”

The chamber erupted in gasps. The guards hesitated, the elders eyes widening in surprise. They hadn't seen this coming.

“She must be punished,” another elder insisted, his voice shaking. “She took your blood. Your heir. We did what had to be done—”

“You decided without me,” the Alpha interrupted, his tone cold.

I fell to my knees and scrambled forward, tears pouring down again. I didn’t care about pride. Dignity. Shame. They’d stripped me of everything already.

I clutched the edge of his cloak and kissed the ground beneath his feet, my body trembling with gratitude.

“Thank you… thank you, Alpha,” I whispered, the words broken between sobs. “Thank you for seeing me… for saving me.”

He looked down at me, his expression unreadable.

His tone dropped in octave and he continued,

“You all acted as if my grief made me weak. But I am still your Alpha.”

The elders lowered their heads in shame, murmuring apologies.

The Alpha exhaled slowly, trying hard to keep his anger in check. He paused for a while, letting the words sink in before he continued,

“Bathe her. Wax her. Serve her the best meal this pack has.”

My breath caught. The chains felt lighter. For a fleeting second, I almost believed I’d be spared.

“Then,” he continued, eyes locked on mine, “chain her again. And send her into the woods after the ritual.”

My stomach sank,my lips parting slowy.

“That is my judgment.”

He turned without another word and walked away, his footsteps echoing louder than the silence he left behind.

I couldn't believe this was happening. For a while, I thought he was my savior and he'd seen through the accusations. He didn't.

I couldn't help but wonder what ritual he was talking about. I forced myself to stand, my vision blurring as he disappeared out of sight.

The sounds turned muffled like I was drowning or trapped underwater. The guards grips tightened around my wrist and they dragged me out of the council, curses trailing behind.

They led me away in silence.

The room they took me to was warm and scented with lavender. An insult. As if comfort could erase what was coming.

Two maids approached, their eyes flicking between my bruised wrists and the blood on my chin. Their expressions weren’t cruel,but they weren’t kind, either. Pity, maybe. Or fear.

Neither of them spoke to me. Instead, they whispered to each other behind my back.

“They say she tore his throat open in the bath.”

“No way. I heard she poisoned him. That’s why the water was red.”

“Why would she do it on their wedding night?”

“She was wolfless. Weak. Maybe she knew he’d leave her.”

They giggled, and still…I said nothing.

My spine stiffened, tears quietly slipping down my cheeks as one of them rubbed perfumed oil across my arms while the other prepared the wax.

They striped me, applied the wax on my body roughly, as if my skin burned them. I could hear them curse, yet I remained motionless.

The hinges of the door creaked open and the maids immediately straightened. I didn't need to look before I could decipher who it was. I felt it before I saw her.

My mother.

Perhaps she was here to mock me. Her heels clicked against the tiled floor as she walked in.

“Leave!” She ordered the maids.

The maids scurried out, their eyes dropping. The door shut behind them.

I lifted my head slowly, my eyes resting on her.

Her figure loomed tall, arms crossed over her chest. Her face was unreadable, her brow slightly raised. I searched her eyes but they were distant as always.

“Mom…” My voice was hoarse, barely a breath. “Tell them I didn’t do it. Please…”

Her lips pressed into a thin line and without a word, she stepped forward and her palm collided with my chin.

Hard.

Her nails sliced into my skin as her hand struck my mouth, my head snapping sideways from the impact.

I tasted blood.

It dripped slowly from my lip down my chin, thick and metallic. I didn’t cry. I didn’t even flinch.

“I should have drowned you the day you were born,” she spat. “You’ve always been a curse. Now the whole pack sees it.”

My eyes widened, and for a brief second, I stopped breathing, the words breaking me.

She spat on the floor, disgust etched on the lines of her express as she turned her back and walked out, the scent fading until the door slammed shut.

I smiled, that sad smile that suggested that there was no light at the tunnel, that screamed that I'd lost.

With shaking hands, I slipped into the white gown they left for me. The gown clung to my body like a second skin. I took a deep breath, steadying my racing heart.

“This is the end,” I whispered to myself, the words voicing out my hopelessness.

The door opened again—this time it was the guards. They said nothing.The chains clicked back around my wrists. Tighter this time.

They dragged me through the halls.

When the main doors opened and I stepped out into the courtyard, the sound of chants and curses filled the air, welcoming me.

I sucked in air, the cold air brushing against my skin. It was supposed to be grounding, but all it did was sting.

Stones rained down. One hit my shoulder. Another struck my ribs.

I stumbled. They pulled me upright again.

Someone spit on me. Another screamed,

“You cursed us the day you were born!”

I bled.

I bled as they dragged me through the dirt, mud covering my white gown.

“Burn her!”

My skin peeled off the moment the whip hit my body, blood rushing out relentlessly. They watched me bleed, their anger clouding their judgement.

This was the ritual. They did this so that whoever was staying in the woods will experience little or no difficulty in sniffing me out and ending my mystery.

By the time I got to the border line, my knees gave out. The guards shoved me out of the pack, glaring at me before turning back.

I stood there for a while, staring at the woods, a chill running down my spine. I grabbed my shredded gown in my hand.

“You’ll be fine,” I muttered to myself, my voice lacking the conviction needed.

Just as I took a step into the woods, I heard a cold whisper.

“Well, well…look who the wolves dragged in-an outcast?”