Gasps filled the space. Whispers spread like wildfire.
Luther’s hands curled into fists. “You expect me to believe that?”
I felt the weight of every stare, the pressure closing in on me, but I met Luther’s gaze without flinching. “Believe what you want,” I said. “But you lost the right to question me the moment you left me to rot.”
Luther took a step forward, fury burning in his eyes, but before he could speak, the elder cleared his throat, regaining control of the room.
“Regardless of who the father is,” the elder said, his voice neutral, “there is a law that cannot be ignored.”
A silence settled over the room. My stomach twisted.
“The child of an Alpha belongs to the pack. Whether you are exiled or not, Cheryl, once you give birth, the heir must be brought back.”
My heart stilled. No.
This couldn’t be happening.
I had lied to protect my child, to sever my ties with the Skyler Pack. But now—now I was bound to them in a way I couldn’t escape.
Luther’s lips curled into a smirk. “Looks like you can’t run, Cheryl.”
I wanted to scream. I wanted to fight, to deny it, but I had already claimed Vander as the father. There was no way out of this.
Vander’s hand found mine, his touch grounding me. “We’re leaving,” he said, his voice final. “And no one will come near her without going through me.”
The elders said nothing, but their silence was an answer in itself.
For now, I was free. But not for long.
Weeks have passed.
I had left the Skyler Pack behind, settling in a quiet town miles away. I told myself it was a fresh start. A new beginning.
But the past followed me like a shadow.
Everywhere I went, there were whispers. The small town wasn’t as disconnected from pack politics as I had hoped. My name was on everyone’s lips.
“She was thrown out of her own pack.”
“She cheated on her mate with his stepbrother.”
“She’s nothing but a disgrace.”
Catherine made sure my name was dirt. I could hear her voice in the rumors, the way she twisted the truth to paint herself as the victim and me as the villain.
“She’s a whore,” someone muttered as I passed.
I clenched my fists but kept walking.
They didn’t know the truth. They didn’t know what I had endured.
But it didn’t matter. The world had already decided who I was.
I kept my head down, focusing on work, trying to survive. I worked at a small café, blending into the background, avoiding unnecessary attention. But even here, the whispers followed.