When I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was pain. My head was pounding like drums, and my whole body was weak as if I had been dragged across stones. The room was empty and cold. I was just lying on the hard floor, and for a moment, I didn’t even know where I was.

Then it hit me.

Clara. She was the one who forced the drink into my mouth. I remembered her cruel smile and her words: “Goodnight, sister.”

I pushed myself up with shaking hands, my throat was dry, and my vision was still spinning. Then I noticed the silence in the room. It pressed against me. It was obvious that no one was there, not Lucian or Clara. Just me, I was left behind, as if I were nothing.

Then the door opened, and a maid rushed in. Her eyes grew wide when she saw me awake. “My lady! You are up—thank the Goddess.” She tried to help me, but I grabbed her arm tightly.

“Where is everyone? Tell me!” My voice was rough, almost breaking.

The maid lowered her gaze, looking nervous. “It is the day of the Alpha ceremony… Lord Lucian is being crowned as Alpha right now.” She paused, and I could see fear in her eyes before she whispered, “And… and he is also marrying Lady Clara.”

The words hit me like a blade to the chest. I staggered back, pressing a hand to my mouth.

Lucian, my husband and my love, at the altar with Clara?

My heart dropped so fast I couldn’t breathe. My baby was already gone. My marriage had been ripped from me. And now he was about to stand in front of the whole pack and take vows with my sister, while I was still alive?.

“No,” I whispered. The tears burned instantly. “No, this can’t be happening. He’s mine. He’s supposed to be mine!”

The maid tried to calm me, but I pushed her away and ran. My feet were bare because I hadn't even realized I wasn't wearing my slippers at that time. My hair was tangled, my body was weak, but nothing could stop me. I ran through the passageways and out into the bright day.

I heard the music before I saw it—the heavy beating of drums, the sound of horns, and the chanting voices of the pack. The air was thick with the smell of smoke and incense. It was obvious that everyone was celebrating, singing the name of their new Alpha.

The crowd gasped when they saw me stumbling forward. People whispered, their voices sharp, cutting through me.

“Isn’t that Lucian’s wife?”

“She looks like a ghost.”

“She shouldn’t be here.”

But I didn’t care. I pushed past them, my heart thundering louder than the drums. And then I saw it.

The altar.

Lucian stood tall, dressed in shining robes of gold. His face was calm and proud. And beside him stood Clara. Dressed in silver silk, her smile was bright like the moon. She looked like a queen, like she had already won.

Something inside me broke.

I ran forward before anyone could stop me. The sound of my hand striking Lucian’s face echoed in the silent hall. The crowd gasped as the new Alpha’s head snapped to the side.

Clara screamed. Her face twisted with anger as she ran to me and slapped me hard across the cheek. “How dare you slap my husband?”

I froze. My ears rang. “My… husband?” My voice cracked, my tears spilling as I stared at her. “Clara, did you just say your husband?”

She lifted her chin high; her eyes burned with victory. “Yes. Lucian is mine now. He is my husband, my mate, and my Alpha. You are nothing here.”

The words sliced through me. I turned to Lucian, my last hope. My heart begged him to deny it, to tell me Clara was lying. “Lucian, please… say something. Tell me this isn’t true. Please…”

But his eyes said otherwise… they were calm and cold. He looked at me, opened his mouth… and said nothing. Not one word.

And then his father stepped forward. The Alpha King. His voice was like thunder. “How dare you interrupt this sacred ceremony? How dare you, a wolf-less girl, come here and shame us all?” His eyes blazed with disgust.

He turned to Lucian, his voice deep and commanding. “My son. This is your first act as Alpha. Show your strength. Punish her. If you cannot control even this weak girl, how will you lead a pack?”

I shook my head, my body trembling. “No… no, Lucian, don’t listen. Please. You know me. You know my heart. Don’t do this.”

But Lucian’s face hardened. His voice was strong and cold when he raised his hand.

“Isabella will be banished as of today from this pack. If anyone sees her after sundown, they will report at once. From now on, Isabella is a traitor and a rebel. She is no longer one of us.”

The words crushed me. My knees gave way, and I stumbled forward, tears blinding me. “Banishment? Lucian… please… why? What did I do? Why are you doing this to me?”

But his eyes held no love anymore. Only ice. “You don’t belong here.”

Clara smiled like the devil herself. She grabbed Lucian’s hand, holding it up in victory. Her eyes found mine, full of mockery.

Around me, the crowd buzzed with whispers. Some pitied me. Some laughed. Some looked at me like I was dirt. The shame burned hot on my skin, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

I turned and ran. I ran through the hall, through the crowd, out into the open. My tears were hot. My bare feet hit the dirt hard, and the stones were cutting into me because I didn't wear my slippers or sandals, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t even realize I was screaming until my throat hurt.

Some people filmed me with their phones. Some shouted after me. But I didn’t care. I just ran.

I didn’t know where else to go. So, I ran to the only place left—my father’s house. A place that had never felt like home. But it was all I had.

And as I ran, my heart kept repeating the same words, over and over, until they felt carved into my soul:

I have lost everything.