An all-out fight erupted, plunging the meeting room into complete chaos.
Panic spread like wildfire as everyone leapt to their feet, scrambling to distance themselves from the violent clash at the center. But the room was too cramped, too crowded. There was nowhere to run. The sounds of chairs crashing, gasps, and hurried footsteps were quickly drowned out by the vicious snarling and snapping of my father's wolf as he tore into Alex, who struggled to fend him off in his human form.
"Brad!" Alex finally barked, his voice sharp and strained from the effort of fighting back.
My father was relentless, nearly as strong as Alex himself. Everyone knew the Alpha would ultimately overpower him in a fair fight, but not without cost. My father would leave him bloodied, bruised, and broken before going down.
Brad didn't hesitate. Without a word, he lunged forward, grabbing hold of my father's wolf from behind and slamming him to the ground. Between the two of them, they managed to pin him with sheer weight and force.
"Bring me silver cuffs," Alex growled. "Take him to the cells. Now."
The command sent the rest of the room into a frenzy as pack members scrambled to obey, desperate not to draw more of the Alpha's ire.
Then his eyes snapped to me, cold, sharp, filled with disgust.
"And you," he spat. "Get the fuck out of my sight. Go to your room and don't come out until I say otherwise. You'll handle everything from within those four walls. Do I make myself clear, Ariadne?"
I couldn't speak. My voice failed me as I stood frozen in fear beneath his glare. One wrong word, one flicker of resistance, and I was certain he'd throw me into the cells alongside my father or worse. So, I did the only thing I could.
I gave a silent nod, then turned and left, retreating to my room in a daze.
The days that followed blurred together as I busied myself with the final steps of our escape. Everything had to be perfect. My bag was packed, each item carefully chosen. I had written out instructions for my Luna duties to cover the next few weeks, enough to avoid suspicion for a while. I even left a letter for my father. I didn't know if it would ever reach him, trapped as he was in the heavily fortified cells, but I had to try. He deserved to know that I was grateful... that, for once, I had seen that he did care. After years of cold distance and disappointment, he'd stood up for me when it mattered most.
Leaving him behind tore at me, but there was no saving him. The cells were the most secure place in the entire territory. Any attempt to free him would be suicide and ruin everything.
That evening, Sophie and I shared one last quiet meal together. There wasn't much to say. We had already gone over every detail a hundred times. We would leave under the cover of darkness, once the celebration in the main square was in full swing. With the pack distracted and patrols thinned out, it was the best chance we had.
Tonight, we would run.
So far, no one had come to see me,not a single visitor since Alex had banished me to my room. I welcomed the silence. It was better than the accusing looks I knew I'd face if I stepped outside. After what happened, I could only imagine what they thought of me now, especially with my father being branded a traitor for attempting to kill the Alpha.
I took a shaky breath and turned to Sophie. "It's time," I whispered.
My heart pounded. I was terrified, terrified that we'd be caught before we even made it past the gates, that I'd be dragged back here and executed without trial. But if we made it out, if we escaped tonight… we'd finally be free. And that was worth everything.
Sophie gave me a firm nod, her usual confidence helping ground me. I reached for my backpack and slung it over my shoulder.
"Where's your bag?" I asked, frowning when I noticed she hadn't brought anything to the door.
But before she could answer, the front door crashed open.
Everything erupted at once. Several pack warriors flooded into the room, their movements fast and brutal. Rough hands seized me, slamming me against the wall. My backpack was torn away, and before I could even react, they locked silver cuffs around my wrists. The sting was instant, burning against my skin like acid.
I could barely catch my breath as more warriors pushed past us, turning the house upside down as they rifled through drawers and tore open cabinets, searching for something. Or someone.
I wanted to call out to Sophie, to make sure she was okay but before I could even form the words, I caught a glimpse of her being dragged out the door. It happened so fast, I barely had time to register it. One moment she was beside me, and the next, she was gone.
"What the hell is going on?!" I screamed, my cheek still pressed hard against the wall. "I am your Luna! I demand you stand down and explain yourselves!"
For a split second, I felt the shift in the room, my command, my title, it still held some weight. The grip of the warrior holding me faltered, loosening just a little. But not enough to free me.
Which could only mean one thing, this order had come directly from Alex.
Only his authority could override mine.
A tense minute dragged by before Brad finally stepped through the doorway. He barely spared me a glance before speaking.
"You can ease your hold. Turn her around," he said coolly.
The warrior obeyed, spinning me to face Brad. His expression, however, gave nothing away. It was completely unreadable.
Panic churned in my stomach. Were they doing all of this because they found out about my escape? It seemed like an excessive response, even for Alex. No... this was something more.
Then one of the pack warriors stepped forward, holding a small collection of items in his hands.
"We found these, Gamma," he said, offering them to Brayden. "And it looks like she was preparing to flee. She had a backpack full of clothes and supplies when we arrived."
I couldn't make out what the second item was, but the first was unmistakable: the letter I had written to my father, the one I'd left folded neatly on my bed. My stomach dropped.
I had only meant to thank him, to tell him I was grateful… to give him something kind in case I never saw him again. But in the wrong hands, that letter could easily be twisted, painted as sympathy toward a traitor. Toward the man who'd nearly killed the Alpha.
Brad opened the note and scanned it silently, his face unreadable. Then he turned his attention to the second item. He sniffed at it once and immediately recoiled, grimacing as he looked away.
"Is this yours?" he asked, lifting a small bundle of dried herbs.
I stared at it, confused. I had no idea what it was. "I've never seen that before in my life," I said sharply. "I don't even know what that is."
"They were found hidden under the bed, Gamma," one of the warriors added quickly.
"What?! That's ridiculous! I don't keep herbs under my bed, I wouldn't even know how to identify them if I tried!"
"It's Mortwert," Brad said evenly, his voice far too calm for the weight of what he was implying. His dark eyes locked on mine. "It's used to induce miscarriage."
"What?" The word barely escaped my lips as the horror of it hit me. My mind reeled.
Was I being framed?
Why would something like that be in my room? Who could have possibly put it there?
Brayden's next words hit like a hammer.
"Aria Crystal, you are hereby placed under arrest for the murder of the unborn Alpha heir and for grievous harm inflicted upon another pack member, Leah Woods. You will be detained pending trial in one week's time."
"What?" I breathed, frozen in place. "Leah lost the baby?"
My heart stopped. My mind refused to process what I was hearing. Of course they would think it was me, who else would they blame but the Luna who'd publicly accused Leah of lying about the pregnancy?
"No... no, this isn't right..."
"Take her to the cells," Brad said coldly. And this time, his mask slipped. The revulsion on his face made my stomach twist.
Hands seized my arms, dragging me toward the door. I thrashed, fought, screamed.
"You're all insane! You think I would do that?!" I kicked out wildly, struggling against the cuffs. "Where is Alex?! Let me see him, he'll know the truth! I am your Luna! I demand to speak to the Alpha right now!"
"That won't be necessary," said a voice, low, cold, and painfully familiar.
I froze. My breath caught in my throat as I twisted to look behind me. And there he was.
Alex.
Standing in the hallway, eyes locked on me.
But there was no warmth. No curiosity. Only pure, unfiltered hatred burning in his gaze, the kind I hadn't even known he was capable of.
Fear gripped me so tightly I thought my legs might give out beneath me. Just seeing him—seeing the sheer rage carved into his face—was enough to paralyze me.
The saying went, if looks could kill, but Alex didn't need a look.
He looked more than capable of snapping my neck with his bare hands.
"Alex…" I choked out, my voice trembling. "I didn't do this. I swear—I didn't kill your baby. I didn't even want to stay anymore. I was leaving… giving you Leah, just like you always wanted."
His eyes darkened, lips curling in disgust. "So, you admit to trying to run away," he said in a low, menacing growl. "The motive fits perfectly. But don't worry… you'll get your wish soon enough."
As if summoned, several elders stepped forward into the hallway. And in that moment, a chill shot down my spine.
I knew what was coming.
Running away was a crime in itself, even without the false charges they were piling on me.
"I, Alex Durmont, Alpha of the Winter Pack," he began, voice ringing with finality, "with the majority consent of the elders present, hereby reject you, Aria Crystal, as my mate and Luna of this pack."
Something inside me snapped.
The bond shattered and the pain that followed was instant and blinding.
I collapsed to my knees, screaming.
Every nerve in my body lit with agony, burning like fire was being dragged through my veins. I couldn't see, my vision swam, but I could hear it.
My own scream echoing off the walls.
The pain wasn't just physical.
It was soul-deep.
As though something sacred was being torn from me…
...and the pieces would never fit back together again.
It lasted longer than I could comprehend. each second stretching into an eternity. Even after the burning finally faded and the worst of the pain subsided, it left behind a hollow, aching void in my chest.
There was nothing there anymore.
No love.
No desire.
No lust.
Alex had once been the center of my world, everything tethered itself to him. And now, with the bond severed, it felt like someone had gutted half my soul and left the rest behind to rot.
And the half that remained was terrified.
I hadn't realized it before.
But my love for Alex had been the only thing shielding me from the truth.
Without it, I could finally see what lay beneath.
And his presence no longer brought warmth or longing.
It felt like death itself was looming over me.
The kind of rejection he performed, it wasn't normal. It was rare. Ancient. One that didn't require my agreement. One that needed only a majority vote from the elders to force a severance of a ranked bond.
I'd only ever read about it in historical records, almost mythological in its usage. Reserved for the worst of crimes or when the Alpha needed to erase a mate with impunity.
When my strength returned enough to lift my head, I dared to look at him. To find something in his eyes. Some trace of pain. Of regret. Of anything.
But there was nothing.
Alex stood over me like a statue carved from ice; unmoved, untouched, completely emotionless.
So it was true.
He had never loved me. Not even a little.
The rejection should have torn him apart too. It should have hurt.
But he felt nothing.
He looked at me like I was just another burden finally discarded, an obstacle erased.
A stranger.
No, something worse.
Something disposable.
And so, without even the smallest flinch… I watched as Alex turned his back on me.
No hesitation.
No final glance.
Just a man walking away from the ruins he had created.
"Take her down to the cells," he said over his shoulder, his voice devoid of anything human.
He didn't even stop to check if his command was being followed.
Brad stepped forward and yanked me roughly to my feet, his grip bruising. But I didn't resist.
What was the point?
My body moved, but my spirit was somewhere else, shattered and left behind on the floor of that hallway.
There was no fight left in me now.
No strength.
No hope.
No bond.
I let him drag me toward the cold, dark place I would now call home for the next seven days.
A prison cell to match the one they'd already built inside my soul.