The Skyler Pack stood before me, a sea of judgmental faces, their gazes sharp with disgust. My body was stiff, my nails digging into my palms as the elders delivered their verdict.
“You are hereby exiled from the Skyler Pack, Cheryl.” The elder’s voice rang through the hall like a final nail in a coffin.
I swallowed hard, refusing to let them see the fear clawing at my chest. I wouldn’t beg. I wouldn’t plead for a place among people who had already discarded me. I lifted my chin, staring at them defiantly.
“Fine,” I said, my voice stronger than I felt. “You can have your pack. I never belonged here anyway.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd, but before I could turn to leave, a deep, firm voice cut through the tension.
“No.”
Vander stood tall beside me. His presence was a force of its own, commanding attention, demanding respect. His silver eyes burned with something fierce, something protective.
“This is wrong,” Vander said, his voice steady. “You’re casting her out based on nothing but rumors and lies. If this is how the Skyler Pack treats its Luna, then maybe it’s not worth being part of at all.”
Luther’s face darkened. “This is not your concern, Vander.”
Vander let out a cold chuckle. “Not my concern? She carries my child.” His words echoed through the room like a storm breaking.
Gasps filled the space. Whispers spread like wildfire.
Luther’s hands curled into fists. “You expect me to believe that?”
I felt the weight of every stare, the pressure closing in on me, but I met Luther’s gaze without flinching. “Believe what you want,” I said. “But you lost the right to question me the moment you left me to rot.”
Luther took a step forward, fury burning in his eyes, but before he could speak, the elder cleared his throat, regaining control of the room.
“Regardless of who the father is,” the elder said, his voice neutral, “there is a law that cannot be ignored.”
A silence settled over the room. My stomach twisted.
“The child of an Alpha belongs to the pack. Whether you are exiled or not, Cheryl, once you give birth, the heir must be brought back.”
My heart stilled. No.
This couldn’t be happening.
I had lied to protect my child, to sever my ties with the Skyler Pack. But now—now I was bound to them in a way I couldn’t escape.
Luther’s lips curled into a smirk. “Looks like you can’t run, Cheryl.”
I wanted to scream. I wanted to fight, to deny it, but I had already claimed Vander as the father. There was no way out of this.
Vander’s hand found mine, his touch grounding me. “We’re leaving,” he said, his voice final. “And no one will come near her without going through me.”
The elders said nothing, but their silence was an answer in itself.
For now, I was free. But not for long.
Weeks have passed.
I had left the Skyler Pack behind, settling in a quiet town miles away. I told myself it was a fresh start. A new beginning.
But the past followed me like a shadow.
Everywhere I went, there were whispers. The small town wasn’t as disconnected from pack politics as I had hoped. My name was on everyone’s lips.
“She was thrown out of her own pack.”
“She cheated on her mate with his stepbrother.”
“She’s nothing but a disgrace.”
Catherine made sure my name was dirt. I could hear her voice in the rumors, the way she twisted the truth to paint herself as the victim and me as the villain.
“She’s a whore,” someone muttered as I passed.
I clenched my fists but kept walking.
They didn’t know the truth. They didn’t know what I had endured.
But it didn’t matter. The world had already decided who I was.
I kept my head down, focusing on work, trying to survive. I worked at a small café, blending into the background, avoiding unnecessary attention. But even here, the whispers followed.
I caught people staring. Judging. I pretended not to care, but every glance was a dagger, every hushed conversation another wound.
The worst part? I was alone.
Vander had promised to stand by me, and he did, but his responsibilities kept pulling him away. He had his own pack, his own problems. He couldn’t always be here, protecting me.
I had to be strong.
But strength didn’t stop the nightmares. The fear.
One evening, as I walked home from the café, a chill crept down my spine. The feeling of being watched.
I glanced over my shoulder.
Two men. Strangers. They didn’t move, but I felt their eyes on me.
My pulse quickened. I gripped my coat tighter, my fingers trembling.
They didn’t follow, but I knew better than to ignore my instincts.
I reached my apartment, locked the door behind me, and exhaled.
It’s fine. I’m imagining things. I turned—and froze.
A letter sat on the floor, just inside my door.
My blood ran cold. I hadn’t heard anyone slide it under.
With shaking hands, I picked it up, unfolding the paper.
Only one sentence was written.
[Return before the birth, or we will take the child ourselves.]
I dropped the letter, my breath coming fast.
They were watching me. They were waiting.
And no matter where I ran, they would find me.
My stomach twisted in fear, my hand instinctively pressing against my belly.
They weren’t going to let me go. I wasn’t free.
I was trapped. And this time—there was no way out.
