The Red Moon pack grounds were tense, the moon casting a pale light over the mansion and courtyard. The air was thick with the scent of blood and betrayal.
Gloria was brought back to the territory—half alive, her body battered, blood dripping from wounds inflicted by Justin's rogues. Her once-elegant clothing was torn, hair matted, and her composure shattered. She had thought she could manipulate Hazel and her daughter Mila, but Alpha Justin had betrayed her in the most brutal way, sending his rogues to feast on her.
Even now, she shivered under the weight of Red Moon's Alpha presence as Liam and Nick carefully carried her into the courtyard. The pack members gathered, whispers rippling through the crowd, witches and warriors alike staring in disbelief at the fallen woman.
Ryan stepped forward, his gaze as sharp as a blade. Every step he took carried the weight of command.
"Gloria," he said, his voice low and commanding. "You betrayed this pack. You endangered a life under my protection. And you did it for… your own selfish purposes."
Gloria's lips quivered, tears streaking her bloodied face. "I… I wanted… Mila… I thought she deserved…"
She couldn't finish. Every eye in the courtyard was on her, including the witches, who muttered amongst themselves.
"She must pay for this!" one witch exclaimed. "Burn her! Strip her magic!"
Another warrior barked, "Tie her down and let the wild beasts finish her!"
Several more pack members suggested other brutal punishments, each more severe than the last.
Ryan raised his hand, silencing everyone. His presence alone demanded obedience.
"She will be punished," Ryan said, his voice carrying the full force of his Alpha authority. "But she will not die today. This is my judgment."
Blade shifted, his wolf form surging forward. He moved with lightning speed, and before Gloria could react, his fangs sank into her shoulder. Not for pleasure, not for sustenance, but to punish her, to show the consequences of betrayal. Blood flowed freely, and Gloria cried out in pain.
Ryan extended his hand, revealing a small jar given to him by Aurora, a witch he trusted to handle matters precisely. Blade's bite had weakened Gloria, and Ryan instructed that the blood be poured into the jar—symbolic punishment, a reminder of her treachery.
The crowd watched in stunned silence as Gloria, trembling and bleeding, knelt on the courtyard stones.
"You will remain locked away," Ryan continued, his voice as cold as steel. "You betrayed trust, and betrayal has a cost. You will reflect on every action, every lie, every manipulation, until I decide otherwise."
Liam and Nick moved to escort Gloria to the dark, reinforced prison prepared for traitors. She stumbled, weak and shivering, as the heavy doors closed behind her with a final, echoing slam.
Even the witches and pack members who had suggested harsher punishments were silent, seeing that Ryan's judgment—and Blade's punishment—was more than enough to mark Gloria's betrayal.
The courtyard remained silent long after she was confined. The Red Moon pack had seen betrayal punished, and the message was clear: no one crosses Ryan Smith or the Red Moon pack without consequences.
Hazel's absence loomed in everyone's mind, though no one dared speak of it aloud. The Alpha's eyes were dark, simmering with the knowledge that the real danger—the girl they all protected—was still in enemy hands.
And in the shadows, Gloria remained, broken and weak, her hidden agenda destroyed—at least for now.