Chapter 1

“She betrayed us, Father,” Ruby, my sister, said gently, her voice laced with venom. “I saw her with the rogues. She was... giving them information.”

In the pack hall, Ruby softly accused me, her false evidence painting me as a traitor.

“That’s… not true!” I struggled to lift my head, my voice trembling with disbelief. “Father, I never—”

But no one listened. The entire pack, led by my father, Lumien Bloodbane, stood unwaveringly behind Ruby.

Because she wasn’t the only one accusing me.

“I, Cedar Stormveil, reject you as my mate, traitor.”

I turned, a knife of pain slicing through the bond, my body wracked with disbelief. There, in front of me, stood Cedar—my mate, the one who had sworn to protect me, the one who had held me through every storm, the one who whispered I was his forever.

Now, he stood coldly above me, boots pressing down on my wrist as he looked at me with contempt. His voice was a low growl, dripping with malice. “I want you to feel all of this pain.”

My wolf howled in agony, trapped in an unending torment.

Cedar’s words ignited the pack’s fury. Every member pointed at me, calling me a traitor, demanding justice. Ruby hung her head, feigning sorrow, as if this was a burden to her. As if she hadn’t orchestrated this nightmare from the start.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move.

He had betrayed me.

But that wasn’t enough for Cedar. He wasn’t satisfied with rejecting me, with leaving me to wither under the mental anguish. I watched as he turned to my father, suggesting, “Traitors must be punished physically.”

His words dropped on the ground, firm and cold. My mate. My Alpha. My supposed fated one. It felt like my lungs had been ripped from my chest.

“I’ll whip her, then exile her from the pack.” My father’s voice was as cold as stone, accepting Cedar’s cruel proposal.

“Take her to the square,” the Alpha commanded. “She will be marked for her crimes.”

“No!” I gasped, struggling with all my strength. “Please, Father, I didn’t—”

A sharp laugh pierced the air. Ruby.

I turned, locking eyes with her as she grinned, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.

I understood now. This wasn’t about justice. It was never about the pack.

She wanted to destroy me.

The last lash hit like a thunderclap, sending me spiraling into darkness. But even as Ruby’s taunting “Goodbye, sister” echoed in my ears, cold and smug, I knew surviving this hell was just the first step of my fight.

....

I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it was not this.

Not the deafening roar of accusations, not the faces of my pack twisted in fury, not the feeling of my entire world crumbling beneath me.

The pack’s hall was packed from wall to wall, the air thick with anger. Warriors stood at attention, their faces cold. Elders sat in their high-backed chairs, their expressions grave. Omegas clustered together, whispering behind their hands. But all of them—every single one—looked at me like I was the filth beneath their feet.

"Traitor!" someone shouted, and the word caught fire, spreading through the crowd.

“Spy!”“She sold us out!”

“How could she do this?”

I sucked in a breath, my hands trembling at my sides. This is a mistake. A horrible, cruel mistake.

But the mistake wasn’t theirs. It was mine—for thinking I had a place here at all.

"Enough!" The Alpha’s voice cut through the uproar, the command in his tone making the hall fall into a tense silence.

My father. Alpha Lumien Bloodbane. A man feared by his enemies, revered by his pack. The same man who now looked at me like I was nothing.

I swallowed, trying to find my voice. “Father, you know I would never—”

“Silence.”

The single word hit harder than a slap.

I had spent my entire life trying to make him proud. Training harder than any warrior. Fighting in battles that left me bloodied. Being the daughter worthy of his name.

And now, he wouldn’t even look at me as his daughter.

Beside him, my sister, Ruby, pressed a delicate hand to her chest, her emerald eyes shimmering with tears. Lies. Every single tear was a lie.

“She did it, Father,” Ruby whispered. “I saw her meeting with the rogues. She was… giving them information.”

A ripple of gasps spread through the crowd.

My stomach lurched. “That’s not true!” I turned to face her fully, heart pounding. “I never—”

“She’s lying,” Ruby said softly, her lip trembling. “She betrayed us.”

It was her word against mine. And she had the entire pack wrapped around her little finger.

My pulse roared in my ears. This wasn’t just about me.

The war with the rogues had been brutal. Warriors had died. The pack was on edge. Someone had to take the blame.

And she had made sure that someone was me.

A heavy footstep echoed through the hall.

I turned my head just in time to see him step forward.

Cedar Stormveil. My mate.

The future Alpha. The man who was supposed to be my forever.

His storm-gray eyes locked onto mine, cold and unforgiving.

I took a step toward him. "Cedar, you don't believe this, do you?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he looked at my father and said, “She is guilty.”

The words hit me like a blade to the chest.

My breath caught. My vision blurred. I was going to be sick.

My mate—the man who had sworn to protect me, who had held me through every storm, who had whispered that I was his forever—had just thrown me to the wolves.

“I saw her sneaking out of the territory,” Cedar continued, his voice firm. “She was meeting someone. I didn’t want to believe it, but Ruby is right. She’s been feeding information to the enemy.”

Ruby dropped her gaze, a picture of sorrow. Like this was hard for her. Like she wasn’t the one who had orchestrated this entire nightmare.

My mouth opened, but no sound came out.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move.

He betrayed me.

Cedar turned back to my father. “For the safety of the pack, she must be punished.”

The Alpha’s gaze was like stone. “Then it is decided.”

I flinched as his voice rang through the hall.

“You are no longer my daughter.”

The words stole the breath from my lungs.

“You are no longer a Bloodbane. You are no longer a member of this pack.”

Whispers swirled around me like smoke.

I couldn’t feel my legs. This isn’t real. This can’t be real.

My father raised his hand, and two warriors stepped forward, their grips iron as they grabbed my arms.

“No,” I gasped, twisting against them. “Please! I didn’t—”

“Take her to the square,” the Alpha commanded. “She will be branded for her crimes.”

Branded.

I froze.

A sharp laugh cut through the air. Ruby.

I turned my head just in time to see her smirk.

I knew then—this wasn’t about justice. This wasn’t about the pack.

She wanted me destroyed.

And I had just handed her everything.

---

The square was packed by the time they dragged me in.

I barely heard the shouts anymore. My ears rang, my mind numb.

This couldn’t be happening.

I was shoved to my knees. I barely registered the pain.

A warrior stepped forward, carrying a red-hot branding iron.

The symbol of a traitor. A mark that would never fade.

For the first time, fear clawed through my haze.

“Please,” I whispered. But no one listened.

No one cared.

The iron pressed against my skin.

And I screamed.

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