Aria's POV
Marcus's grip on my arm is like iron as he drags me through the pack house doors.
"Wait—please—" I try to pull away, but he's too strong.
"Trust me," he whispers, but his smile makes my stomach turn. "This will work."
The main hall is packed. Every single pack member must be here. They stand in a giant circle, all eyes turning toward us.
My heart stops.
This isn't right. This isn't what I agreed to.
At the front of the crowd stands Dominic. His mother Luna Catherine is beside him. And there—my chest tightens—Celeste Blackwood clings to his arm like she owns him.
"What's going on?" someone whispers.
Marcus raises his hand and the room falls silent.
"I've called this gathering," he announces, his voice carrying to every corner, "because someone in our pack has been lying."
No. No, no, no.
"Marcus, please—" I try to whisper, but he squeezes my arm harder.
"This omega," he pulls me forward into the center of the circle, "claims to be carrying an Alpha's child."
Gasps explode around us.
My face burns. Tears already blur my vision.
This wasn't the plan. He said he'd help me quietly. He said—
"Who's the father?" someone shouts.
Marcus looks down at me. His eyes glitter with something dark. "Tell them, Aria. Tell everyone who you claim fathered your bastard child."
The word bastard cuts through me like glass.
I look up, searching the crowd. My mother stands near the back, her face pale with horror. My father won't even look at me.
Then my eyes find Dominic.
Please, I beg silently. Please just tell the truth.
His face is carved from stone. Those golden eyes that once looked at me with warmth are now empty. Cold.
"Aria." Marcus's voice turns sharp. "Answer the question."
My mouth is so dry I can barely speak.
"I..." My voice comes out as a whisper.
"Louder!" someone yells.
"Alpha Dominic Blackthorne." The words tear from my throat. "He's the father."
The room explodes.
Shouts. Gasps. Someone screams. The noise crashes over me like a wave, drowning me.
But all I can see is Dominic.
He doesn't move. Doesn't blink. Just stares at me like I'm a stranger.
"SILENCE!" Luna Catherine's voice cuts through the chaos.
Everyone freezes.
She steps forward, her eyes locked on her son. "Dominic. Is this true?"
This is it. The moment where he admits it. Where he takes responsibility. Where he saves me.
Dominic's jaw tightens.
Then he speaks, and his words destroy me.
"I have never touched this woman." Each word is clear. Loud. Final. "The child isn't mine."
The ground disappears beneath my feet.
"You're lying!" I scream. "You know you're lying!"
"She's delusional," Celeste speaks up, her voice dripping with fake concern. "The poor thing probably wishes it was true."
"I'm not lying!" Tears stream down my face. "That night six weeks ago—you came to me—you said I was your—"
"Enough." Dominic's Alpha command slams into me.
My words die in my throat. My wolf whimpers and curls up small inside me.
"This omega," Dominic continues, his voice ice, "is clearly desperate for attention. For status. She's invented this entire story."
"No," I whisper. "Please, Dominic—"
"Don't call me that." His eyes flash with anger. "You will address me as Alpha. And you will stop spreading these lies before I have you punished for disrespecting your future Luna."
He gestures to Celeste, who smiles sweetly and presses closer to his side.
My mother pushes through the crowd. "My daughter wouldn't lie about something like this!"
"Wouldn't she?" Victoria, my sister, steps forward. My own sister. "Aria's always been jealous. Always wanted what she couldn't have."
"Victoria!" Mom gasps.
"It's true." Victoria shrugs, but her eyes are cruel. "She probably slept with some random wolf and decided to blame our Alpha when she got caught."
"That's not true!" I'm sobbing now. "I've never been with anyone else! Only him! Only—"
"SILENCE!" Marcus roars.
I stumble backward, my hand protectively covering my stomach.
Luna Catherine looks between me and her son. For a moment—just one moment—I see doubt in her eyes.
"Dominic," she says quietly. "If there's any chance—"
"There is no chance, Mother." His voice could freeze fire. "I've never laid a hand on this omega. She's lying to avoid shame for her own mistakes."
The Luna's face hardens. She turns to me, and any hope I had dies.
"Then there's only one option," she says. "For lying about an Alpha. For attempting to destroy an alliance. For bringing shame to this pack."
No.
Please, no.
"Aria Winters," Marcus says, and now I understand. Now I see why he did this. "You are hereby exiled from Silvermoon Pack."
"NO!" My mother screams.
But warriors are already moving toward me.
"Effective immediately," Marcus continues. "You will be stripped of your pack bond and cast out."
"Please!" I fall to my knees. "I'm telling the truth! The baby is his!"
I look at Dominic one last time.
One last desperate plea.
He stares at me for a long moment. Something flickers in his eyes—pain? Regret?
Then he turns his back.
Just turns away like I'm nothing.
Like our baby is nothing.
The warriors grab my arms. One of them reaches for the silver medallion around my neck—the symbol of my pack bond.
"No, please—" I struggle, but they're too strong.
The chain breaks.
And the moment the medallion leaves my skin, pain explodes through my entire body.
The pack bond snaps.
I scream. It feels like my soul is being ripped in half. My wolf howls in agony, clawing inside my mind.
Through the blinding pain, I see Marcus smile.
I see Celeste press a kiss to Dominic's cheek.
I see my sister look away.
And I see Dominic's shoulders tense, his hands curl into fists—but he doesn't turn around.
The warriors drag me toward the door.
"Wait!" A voice cuts through everything.
Everyone freezes.
An old woman steps from the shadows at the edge of the hall. I've never seen her before. Her eyes are milky white—blind—but somehow they find me instantly.
"That child," she rasps, pointing one gnarled finger straight at my stomach, "carries a mark. A mark of destiny."
The room goes deathly silent.
"What are you talking about?" Marcus demands.
The old woman's lips curl into a strange smile.
"Exile her if you wish. But know this—the child she carries will return. And when it does, this pack will fall to its knees."
Then she laughs, turns, and disappears into the crowd.
My heart pounds.
What does that mean?
But I don't get to ask. The warriors yank me through the doors and into the cold night.
The last thing I hear before they throw me past the pack boundary is Marcus's voice:
"Make sure she doesn't come back. Ever."