"Celeste." Lukas’s voice was firm, but the smirk on his face told me he enjoyed the show.
I glared at him, my claws stretching out. "Seven years, Lukas. Seven years I stood by you. Endured your cruelty. And this? This is what I get?"
Lukas rolled his eyes. "Stop being dramatic. Celeste is an asset to the pack. You’ve been nothing but a liability."
His words hit deep, but I didn’t let him see my pain. I grabbed the silver anklet he’d given me hours ago, ripped it off, and tossed it at his feet.
"I hope you and your ‘asset’ are happy together. I’m done."
The anklet rolled to a stop against his boot. Without hesitation, he crushed it under his heel.
"You’ll come crawling back," he sneered. "You always do."
I turned and walked away, Maia howling inside me. Not this time, I told her. We’re done.
But it didn’t end there. As I walked away, I felt the sting of the pack’s mental link. Lukas’s voice boomed in my head.
"Ayla’s throwing another tantrum. She can’t stand not being the center of attention."
Laughter echoed through the link, and then my mother’s voice joined in, cold and cruel.
"Ayla, stop embarrassing yourself. Apologize to Lukas. He’s been patient enough."
I severed the link, my chest tight with fury. My mother. She had never been on my side—not when my father left, not when Lukas started abusing me. She only cared about appearances, about keeping her status in the pack.
The Blood Moon hung high, casting eerie shadows over the forest. As I walked back to my den, I made a decision. I wouldn’t be anyone’s pawn anymore.
But fate wasn’t done with me.
When I opened my den’s door, the familiar scent hit me first. Celeste’s perfume. Inside, the sight made me freeze. The bed I’d shared with Lukas was in disarray, sheets tangled and stained with betrayal. On the nightstand sat a single black envelope, sealed with the Alpha’s crest.
I ripped it open, my heart racing. The letter was brief, written in Lukas’s cold, commanding hand:
"Ayla,
Effective immediately, you are stripped of your title as Alpha’s mate. You will vacate the pack’s territory within 24 hours. Failure to comply will result in exile by force.
Sir Alpha Kane."
The paper crumpled in my fist as fury blinded me. Exile? For what? For being betrayed? For being nothing but disposable?