Chapter 1: Banished

Selene’s POV

"Selene, do you plead guilty to harming someone else's mate out of jealousy?"

The enforcer stood menacingly before me, his voice as cold as the steel chains binding my wrists. He held a polished leather whip. Its surface gleamed ominously under the dim light.

Two men flanked me. Their grip on my arms was unyielding as they awaited the start of my punishment. The relentless downpour soaked through my clothes, chilling me to the bone. The ropes binding my wrists were so tight that they cut into my skin, and I could barely feel my hands. Each breath was shallow, but I kept my eyes forward, refusing to show them my pain.

Damien stood under the stone archway, dry and untouched by the storm. His posture was relaxed and almost casual. His dark eyes were unreadable, showing a cold, detached indifference I had never seen before—not when he looked at me anyway. The man I thought I knew was now a stranger.

Hours earlier, we had been at our engagement party, poised to become the future Luna and Alpha of the Southern Pack, the most powerful pack in the region. We were waiting for the lawyer to pronounce our vows.

Ever since I was a child, I knew I was destined to become the Luna of the future Alpha of the strongest pack in the South. My father had prepared me for everything, from rigorous training to how a Luna should conduct herself in front of the Alpha and everyone under his command. Even though becoming the Alpha's Luna wasn't my dream, I followed his commands, not just to please him but also for the sake of our pack.

I had believed—naively, stupidly—that this was the moment my life would finally align with the dreams I had been forced to uphold. But when the priest asked the question that would bind us for eternity, Damien’s voice had turned colder than the rain now soaking me to the bone.

“I do not accept her,” he had said, his voice clear and cutting through the murmurs of the gathered packs like a blade. “She is not my mate.”

The shock had silenced the entire hall. My heart stopped, and the world around me narrowed to Damien’s face. I tried to understand and process what he was saying, even as he walked away from me, leaving me standing alone in front of everyone. He didn’t even glance back.

And then he brought her forward—a girl I’d never seen before, her eyes wide and filled with tears that were almost convincing. He took her hand and announced her as his true mate. His voice was filled with a passion I’d never known from him, a passion that made my stomach twist with anger and betrayal.

“She is the one chosen by the Moon Goddess,” Damien declared, his voice rich with emotion.

“And Selene, out of jealousy, attempted to harm her. This crime cannot go unpunished.”

It was absurd. I had never met this girl. I didn’t even know her name. But Damien’s accusations echoed through the hall, turning the eyes of every pack member toward me with suspicion and contempt. I had spent my entire life preparing to be his Luna, sacrificing my childhood and freedom, and now he was casting me aside as if I were nothing. I was worse than nothing—a criminal.

Now I stood in the cold, my wrists bound and my body trembling. The executioner held the whip tightly in his hand, his eyes on Damien, waiting for the signal. The rain had plastered my dress against my skin. Each droplet felt like a shard of ice, but my gaze never left Damien’s face. Even as fear clawed at my insides, I forced myself to stand tall. I wouldn’t give him or anyone else the satisfaction of seeing me break.

“Selene,” he began, his voice calm as if he were addressing a disobedient child, “admit your crime. Confess what you’ve done, and I will show mercy.”

“Crime?” I spat, my voice barely more than a whisper over the howling wind. I could taste blood where I’d bitten my lip, but I ignored it. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

Damien’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t break his calm facade. “You dare deny it? Even now?”

I straightened, ignoring the sharp sting of the ropes cutting deeper into my skin. “I deny nothing because there’s nothing to deny. I never touched her—your supposed mate. I don’t even know who she is.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd gathered around us. I could feel their eyes on me, filled with a mix of pity, disbelief, and contempt. They wanted to see me break, to see the once-proud daughter of the Silver Pack brought to her knees. I wasn’t about to give them that satisfaction.

Damien took a step closer, his expression shifting from cold indifference to something darker. “You are a liar,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “A jealous, vile woman who couldn’t stand to see me with my true mate. You tried to harm her, Selene. That is the truth.”

I shook my head, the rain running down my face like tears. “That is not the truth, Damien, and you know it. This is about more than her. This is about you. Your pride, your ego. You wanted an excuse to get rid of me.”

He stared at me, a flicker of something—maybe anger, maybe doubt—crossing his face. But he quickly masked it. “Enough!” he barked. “This is your last chance. Confess, or face your punishment.”

I lifted my head, my body screaming in pain. I looked up at him, at the man who was supposed to be my future, and all I felt was a burning, consuming rage. He wanted me to beg, submit, and admit to something I hadn’t done. He thought I would be grateful for his mercy.

I glanced at my father, standing among the onlookers, his face hard and unreadable. He had always been like that—stoic, unyielding, a man of few words but strict actions. He had raised me to be tough, to endure, and never show weakness. But now his silence cut deeper than any lash could.

“I am the daughter of an Alpha,” I said, my voice steady despite the trembling in my limbs. “I will not confess to something I didn’t do. I will not lie to save myself.”

The crowd gasped, and I could hear the whispers growing louder, a chorus of shock and disapproval. Damien’s eyes flashed with fury. He turned to the executioner, nodding once. The man stepped forward, his whip uncoiling with a hiss.

The first lash struck my back, sending a wave of pain through my body. I clenched my teeth, refusing to cry out. I wouldn’t give them that. I wouldn’t let Damien see how much it hurt.

As the second lash fell, I could feel the tears mingling with the rain on my cheeks. Memories flooded my mind—my mother’s soft voice telling me stories about the Moon Goddess, my father’s stern lessons about duty and sacrifice, and the long, lonely hours spent training and preparing for a future that had been stolen from me in an instant.

Damien’s voice cut through the haze of pain. “You could end this, Selene. Just say the words.”

I lifted my head, meeting his gaze with all the strength I could muster. “No,” I said, my voice hoarse but firm. “I won’t. Not for you. Not for anyone.”

The whip struck again. My vision blurred, and my strength waned. I could feel the mental bond with my pack weakening, slipping away like sand through my fingers. I was losing them. I was losing everything.

“Please, just confess!” someone in the crowd called out—a voice I recognized, a former comrade. “Make it stop!”

I wanted to. Goddess, I wanted to. But I couldn’t, not like this. I wasn’t going to be their scapegoat, their sacrifice. I had given them everything, and they had given me nothing but pain in return.

The final lash tore across my back, and I felt something snap—not just the skin, but the bond to my pack. The mental link severed like a rope being cut. The pain of that loss was sharper than the whip, a hollow emptiness where the familiar presence of my pack once was. I stumbled, my vision blurring, and fell to my knees in the mud.

Damien stepped forward, kneeling beside me. I could feel his breath on my cheek, warm and close, and I turned my head away in disgust.

“Look at me,” he commanded, his voice low. “Selene, look at me.”

I turned my head slowly, meeting his gaze. His eyes were dark and filled with something I couldn’t quite place. Was it pity? Regret? It didn’t matter. It was too late for that.

"Selene," he said smoothly, his voice dripping with condescension. "Admit your crime, and I’ll allow you to join my pack. It’s an act of mercy and more than you deserve.”

"Mercy?" I repeated, incredulity in my eyes. He had falsely accused me and dragged me into this nightmare, and now he was offering a sliver of help as if it were an act of kindness.

“Yes, Selene,” Damien replied, a hint of satisfaction in his tone, sensing my hesitation. “Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted? To be by my side?”

“I’m offering you your dream, just not as a Luna.”

My ties with the Silver Pack were now severed, and no other pack would dare offend Damien by taking me in. Without a new pack, I would be forced to become a Rogue.

Damien was well aware that becoming a Rogue was my greatest fear. Ever since my mother's tragic death in a conflict involving Rogues, he knew how much I dreaded the idea of becoming one. He was convinced I would accept his terms as I had with every demand he had made before.

My father, witnessing everything, anxiously urged me, "Selene, agree to it! You have no other choice!"

Seeing the confidence in Damien’s eyes, I let out a low laugh.

"You’re wrong, Damien," I declared, lifting my head with unwavering resolve, causing disbelief to spread across everyone’s faces.

“I, Selene of the Silver Pack, reject Damien’s offer, even if it means becoming an outcast, a Rogue.”

A stunned silence fell over the crowd before it fractured into a cacophony of whispers and gasps.