The full moon hung above us like a judge's gavel, casting silver light across the ceremonial platform where I stood in chains.
The entire SilverClaw pack had gathered in the amphitheater below, their faces turned upward like flowers seeking sunlight—except tonight, they thirsted for blood.
My blood.
"Luna Aria Blackwood," Damon's voice boomed across the stone circle, each word cutting through the night air like a blade. "You stand accused of treason against this pack. Of leaking classified intelligence to our enemies. Of betraying the sacred trust placed in you as our Luna."
I stared at the man I had called mate, the man I had loved with every fiber of my being, the man who had risen to Alpha only because my family's legacy had paved his path.
His dark hair caught the moonlight as he stood tall and commanding, every inch the powerful leader I had helped him become. But his eyes—those eyes that once looked at me with warmth—now held nothing but cold calculation.
"These are lies," I said, my voice carrying across the amphitheater despite the tremor threatening to break it. "I have never betrayed this pack. I have given everything—"
"Silence!" Damon's Alpha command crashed over me like a physical blow, and I felt my wolf cower involuntarily. "The evidence speaks for itself."
He gestured to the council table where documents were spread like accusations made manifest. My heart hammered against my ribs as I recognized my own handwriting—or what looked like it. Financial records, communication logs, meeting notes. All bearing my signature. All damning.
But I had never written those words. Never authorized those transfers. Never sent those messages.
"Show me the originals," I demanded, straining against the silver shackles that burned my wrists. "Let me examine them properly. Any Luna has the right to—"
"You have no rights here, traitor!" The shout came from somewhere in the crowd, followed by another voice, then another.
"Betrayer!"
"How could you do this to us?"
"We trusted you!"
The voices rose like a tide, washing over me in waves of hatred and disbelief. These were my people. I had fought for them, bled for them, made their problems my own. I had negotiated treaties to keep them safe, organized relief efforts during the harsh winters, celebrated their victories and mourned their losses.
And now they looked at me like I was a monster.
Movement caught my eye, and my breath caught in my throat. There, standing beside Damon's chair, was Tessa. My best friend since childhood. My sister in all but blood. She wore a flowing white dress that made her look ethereal in the moonlight, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall of silk.
Tears tracked down her cheeks as she gazed up at Damon with what looked like adoration and pain mixed together. Her hand rested on his arm—a gesture of comfort, of support.
Of possession.
Our eyes met across the distance, and for a moment, I saw something flicker in her expression. Something that looked almost like... satisfaction? But then she pressed her face against Damon's shoulder, her body shaking with what appeared to be sobs.
"My dear Tessa has suffered greatly because of your actions," Damon continued, his voice gentling as he looked down at her. "Your jealousy and paranoia have poisoned our pack's harmony. You've made her life a misery with your accusations and suspicions."
Jealousy? Accusations? I stared at them both, my mind reeling. When had I ever—
"I never—" I started, but a stone struck my shoulder, sending me stumbling backward. Pain exploded across my collarbone as I fought to keep my balance.
"Liar!" someone screamed from the crowd.
More projectiles followed. Rocks, pieces of wood, anything the pack members could grab. They pelted me from all directions while the guards stood motionless, their faces carved from stone. Blood ran down my forehead from where a sharp stone had opened a gash above my eyebrow.
"Please," I gasped, raising my shackled hands to protect my face. "Just let me speak. Let me explain—"
"There is nothing to explain," Damon said, his voice cutting through the chaos like a knife through silk. "The evidence is overwhelming. The council has reviewed it thoroughly."
Councilor Thorne stepped forward, his weathered face grim. "The financial records show unauthorized transfers to known enemy accounts. The communication logs reveal classified pack strategies being shared with hostile forces. The testimony of witnesses confirms suspicious meetings and behavior."
"What witnesses?" I demanded. "Who would lie about me like this?"
But even as I asked, I could see the answer in their faces. The pack members who had once smiled at me now looked away. The guards who had once sworn to protect me stood silent. The council members who had once sought my advice now regarded me with disgust.
Someone had turned them all against me. Someone had orchestrated this perfectly.
My gaze found Tessa again, and this time there was no mistaking the cold triumph in her eyes. She lifted her chin slightly, and her lips curved in the barest hint of a smile before she buried her face in Damon's chest again.
The pieces clicked together with horrifying clarity. The late-night meetings Damon claimed were pack business. The way Tessa had been asking so many questions about pack security lately. The subtle changes in how people looked at me over the past few weeks.
They had planned this. Together.
"You're going to regret this," I whispered, but my words were lost in the crowd's continued jeering.
Damon raised his hand, and silence fell like a curtain. "By the authority vested in me as Alpha of the SilverClaw pack, and with the unanimous consent of the council, I hereby strip you of your title as Luna."
The words hit me like physical blows. I felt something tear inside my chest, as if invisible claws were ripping away pieces of my soul. The Luna bond that connected me to every pack member began to fray and snap, leaving me gasping with the sudden emptiness.
"Furthermore," Damon continued, his voice growing stronger with each word, "I, Alpha Damon Blackwood, formally reject you, Aria Blackwood, as my mate."
The mate bond shattered.
I screamed as agony unlike anything I had ever experienced tore through my body. It felt like my heart was being ripped from my chest while acid poured through my veins. Every nerve ending caught fire as the sacred connection that had bound us together was severed with brutal finality.
I collapsed to my knees on the cold stone, my vision blurring as waves of pain crashed over me. Through the haze, I could hear the pack's roar of approval, their bloodthirsty satisfaction at seeing their former Luna brought low.
"The council votes for protective exile," Councilor Thorne announced, his voice echoing across the amphitheater. "For her own safety and the security of the pack."
Protective exile. The words should have brought relief—exile meant I would live. But as the guards moved forward to drag me away, I caught sight of Tessa's face one more time.
She was smiling.
