The dungeon smelled of damp stone and rusting chains. Selene sat on the cold floor, her wrists bound in iron cuffs that bit into her skin. The air was thick with silence, broken only by the occasional drip of water from the ceiling. Hours blurred together as she waited, each moment heavy with the knowledge that her fate was being decided above.
Her wolf paced restlessly inside her, snarling at the confinement. Every time she pulled at the cuffs, sparks of pain shot through her arms. These were forged with wolfsbane, meant to weaken, to remind her she was no longer free.
When the guards finally came for her, she rose on shaking legs but refused to let them drag her. She walked with her head high, though her insides trembled.
The hall was fuller than before, every wolf in Blackthorn territory seemingly gathered. Their eyes followed her as she entered, filled with scorn, curiosity, and hunger for spectacle. She felt like prey thrown to a pack of predators.
Alpha Magnus sat at the center of the dais, his expression carved from stone. Lucian stood at his right, rigid and silent, while Seraphina occupied his left like a queen already crowned. Her crimson gown shimmered in the torchlight, her lips curled in satisfaction.
Selene's heart hammered as she was forced to kneel in the center of the hall. The cuffs clinked loudly against the stone floor.
Magnus's voice rang out, calm and merciless. "Selene Blackthorn, daughter of this house, you stand accused of treason against your pack. Today, your peers will hear testimony and decide your fate."
The wolves cheered for blood.
Selene's jaw clenched. Peers? They were not her peers. They were her executioners, and she knew it.
The first witness called was Seraphina Vale. She glided forward with a saint's grace, bowing her head demurely to Magnus before turning to the crowd.
"I speak not out of malice, but out of duty," she said sweetly. "I saw Selene myself at the borders, speaking with shadowed figures. Rogues. Her voice was low, but I heard her clearly—she spoke of weaknesses in our walls, our warriors, our Alpha. She vowed that the Blackthorn name would fall."
A ripple of outrage spread through the crowd. Some wolves growled, others spat in Selene's direction.
Selene's blood boiled. She forced her voice out, steady despite her rage. "You lie, Seraphina. I spoke to no one but the moon."
But her words were swallowed by the jeers of the crowd.
Seraphina pressed a hand dramatically to her chest. "I wished it were not true. But I cannot stand by while a traitor plots against us." She stepped back, her face glowing with mock sorrow, though her eyes glittered with triumph.
Magnus nodded gravely, as though her words were sacred. "Next witness."
Selene braced herself. She knew what was coming.
Lucian Hale stepped forward.
Her heart clenched at the sight of him—broad-shouldered, strong, every inch the Alpha he was destined to become. His dark eyes avoided hers, fixed instead on the crowd.
Magnus gestured. "Speak, Lucian."
Lucian's voice was steady, though a muscle twitched in his jaw. "I too saw Selene that night. She was near the borders, alone, whispering into the dark. When I approached, she fled. I cannot say to whom she spoke, but her behavior was… suspicious."
The crowd erupted again, cries of "Traitor!" and "Shame!" filling the hall.
Selene's world tilted. The chains bit into her wrists as she surged forward, eyes blazing. "Suspicious? You know me better than anyone, Lucian! You know I would never betray my pack!"
Finally, his eyes met hers—but they were cold, guarded. "I only know what I saw."
The words cut deeper than any blade. This was the boy she had dreamed of, the mate the Moon had chosen for her. And he had cast her aside, not only as his mate but as his ally, his friend, his family.
Her voice broke. "You stood beside me when we were children. You swore you would never let me fall. And now you stand here, condemning me?"
Lucian's jaw tightened, but he said nothing more. He stepped back to Magnus's side, his silence a nail in her coffin.
Selene's vision blurred with tears. Not from weakness—but from betrayal so deep it hollowed her chest.
Magnus rose, his voice thundering above the noise. "The testimonies are clear. Selene Blackthorn, by the words of Seraphina Vale and Lucian Hale, you are guilty of treason."
"No!" Selene cried, her voice ringing through the hall. She forced herself to her feet despite the chains. "This is a farce. A trial of lies and jealousy. You condemn me because I am easier to silence than to protect. But I am no traitor. The only crime I have committed is being inconvenient to those who fear me."
The hall erupted into chaos—shouts, growls, gasps. Some wolves sneered, others shifted uncomfortably.
Magnus's eyes narrowed. "Enough."
He raised his hand, silencing the hall. His gaze locked on Selene, cold and merciless. "You are hereby stripped of your title as my daughter, stripped of your place in this pack. You will be branded outcast, exiled beyond these lands. Should you return, your life will be forfeit."
The words echoed like thunder.
Selene staggered, the weight of them pressing her to her knees. Stripped of her title. Cast out. Alone.
The guards seized her arms, yanking her upright.
Seraphina's laughter rang out, shrill and triumphant. "Good riddance."
Selene's wolf howled inside her chest, wild with fury and grief. Her body shook with the force of it, her vision tinged with silver as her power surged. For a heartbeat, she considered unleashing it here, shattering the hall, tearing through the ones who mocked her.
But then she saw Lucian's face—cold, unreadable—and her father's eyes, filled with disdain.
Not yet.
She would not waste her power here, in chains, surrounded by enemies. She would bide her time.
Selene straightened, forcing strength into her voice. "You think you've broken me. But this is not my end. I swear it on the Moon herself—you will all remember this day. And you will regret what you have done."
The wolves jeered, some throwing scraps of food at her as the guards dragged her away. But she held her head high, eyes blazing like silver fire.
Because though they saw a broken outcast, Selene felt something else stirring inside her: the first sparks of destiny.
And destiny, she knew, could not be silenced forever.