Chapter 4 The man in the boots.

NAIDIRA POV

It felt like I had stabbed in the guts, panic flashing in my eyes for a second.

"What?"

Alpha Orion didn't say anything, he simply held Calanthe close, stroking her hair.

I looked round the small group. "You can't do that! I'm telling the truth!"

His mother stepped forward, hand raised as though to hit me across the face but Alpha Orion's voice snapped through, disrupting the moment. "Enough. Mother, don't put your hand on her."

She froze, palm still raised but she huffed, taking a step back while still glaring at me.

Tears were already rolling down my cheeks without ceasing. "Alpha Orion ㅡ"

He straightened, still holding Calanthe close but his gaze softened for a second. "Do you realize the magnitude of what you're accusing the Luna of?"

I nodded rapidly, sniffling. "Yes. I know. I'm telling the truth, the baby isn't yours."

"If your words turn out to be false, you will be banished from this pack, Naidira." He warned.

Calanthe looked up at him, eyes wide. "Are you even serious right now? You're trying to give her a chance to lie even moreㅡ"

"Silence."

A crown was beginning to form, people muttering under their breath with hushed voices while they pointed to me, glaring at me with accusation clearly written over their faces.

"I agree." I tilted my chin.

I wouldn't go down this time. They would call the seer and the doctor and they would find out about the child's true origin. I wouldn't be the sister who was the bad egg. Wouldn't be wrong again. Maybe they would finally see Calanthe's true colors.

They had to.

***********

"What?!" I shrieked, feeling like I had just heard the most shocking news ever.

The doctor shrugged, straightening as he addressed the court, barely paying me any attention. "The child belongs to the Alpha."

No. Something was wrong.

Calanthe looked smug from where she sat by Alpha Orion and people broke into hushed whispers, nodding solemnly to themselves like they knew I was lying.

But I wasn't!

I sprang to my feet, knees knocking together as I looked at Alpha Orion. "Alphaㅡ something is fishy here. I swearㅡ"

He looked tired. Almost defeated as he pinched his nose bridge. "I've done everything I could. Given you the benefit of doubt and had the doctor come in. And now what? You still want to accuse the Luna of adultery?" His voice rose at the last sentence.

My heart cracked a bit and my gaze darted to spot my mum and dad in the crowd, faces blank.

"MumㅡDad..." I whispered. Praying that someone would believe me. That they would understand.

Mum glared at me and Father simply looked away. Like I wasn't here begging them to trust me just this once.

"I didn't lie," I whispered hoarsely. "I wouldn't lie about something like this."

The crowd murmured again, louder this time. Their voices were filled with Demonization. Condemnation. Judgment.

Alpha Orion straightened slowly, the weight of the pack pressing down on his shoulders. "Bring the seer."

Hope flickered weakly in my chest. The seer would come and debunk what the doctor said in front of everyone.

The old woman was ushered forward moments later, her dark eyes sweeping over the court before settling on Calanthe... then on me. She inhaled deeply, fingers twitching at her sides. "The child's bloodline has been obscured," she said slowly.

What? What did that mean?

A ripple went through the crowd and I sucked in a breath. "You see? That means-"

Before I could finish, Calanthe suddenly let out a broken sob. "I knew this would happen," she cried, clutching her stomach as if it still housed the child. "I told you she would do this!"

She turned to the crowd, tears streaming freely now. "She's been spreading rumors for months-telling servants lies, poisoning minds. She hates me because I have everything she doesn't. A mate. A child. A future."

"That's not true!" I shouted, my voice cracking.

Calanthe shook violently in Orion's arms. "She tried to hurt me earlier. She grabbed me-pushed me. If you hadn't come-" Her voice broke. "I don't feel safe with her here."

The words slammed into me like a physical blow and I felt my vision swim.

That wasn't- She was twisting everything.

Alpha Orion's jaw clenched and he looked away.

The seer hesitated, then bowed her head. "With the scent muddled, I cannot contradict the doctor's findings."

The verdict was already decided.

"Enough." Alpha Orion's voice rang out, sharp and final. "Naidira has accused the Luna of adultery without proof. She has disrupted the court and endangered the peace of this pack."

I shook my head wildly. "Please-please don't do this. I swear on the Moon Goddess, I'm telling the truth!"

Silence. Like they had already chosen what they wanted to follow.

His eyes met mine one last time. "Naidira," he said, his tone stripped of warmth, "by the laws of this pack, you are found guilty of false accusation and treasonous intent."

The words echoed in my head, bouncing off the walls of my skull.

"You are banished."

A gasp tore through the crowd and I felt my heart deflate.

No.

"Effective immediately," he continued. "You will leave our lands before nightfall. If you return, you will be executed."

Something inside me shattered completely as guards moved toward me.

"No," I whispered. "No-wait-please-"

Hands seized my arms, rough and unyielding. I stumbled as they dragged me forward.

I searched the crowd desperately. My parents didn't move. Calanthe didn't even look at me. Only Malia did.

She broke from the crowd, tears streaming down her face. "Naidira!" she cried. "I'm sorry-I'm so sorry!"

Her sob was the last kindness I received. Nobody cared. They sneered, watching me lose everything.

The guards shoved me through the gates, hard enough that I fell to my knees in the dirt. The iron doors slammed shut behind me with a final, deafening bang.

Realization slammed into me.

I was exiled. And alone. In the forest.

The sun was already setting, shadows stretching long and dark across the forest ahead.

Rogues would be out soon.

I had never been out of the pack this late. Especially not in the forest. That would be a death sentence.

Everyone in the pack knew the dangers that lurked around the forest. I was no stranger to it either.

They hadn't just banished me, they had left me to die. They knew that if starvation didn't get to me first, then the things that lurked in the forest would get to me first.

I staggered to my feet, breath coming in short, panicked gasps as I stumbled into the trees.

Branches clawed at my skin and roots caught my feet with each step. Every sound felt amplified-too loud, too close. Like the forest and the night closing in was set to get me.

I didn't have a wolf. I didn't have powers. I didn't even know where I was going.

A twig snapped and I froze..

What was that?

Heart pounding, I spun around, searching for the source.

Nothing.

With a shaky breath, I forced myself forward again.

Another snap. Closer this time.

Fuck no.

Fear exploded through me and I ran-blindly, desperately-until my foot caught on something I didn't see and I went down hard, face-first into the forest floor.

Pain bloomed fast, but I barely felt it, struggling to scramble to my feet.

Thenㅡ

Boots stopped in front of me.

Oh goddess.

I sucked in a terrified breath and slowly looked up.

A man stood there, tall and unfamiliar, eyes sharp with curiosity rather than hostility. Dark hair framed his face, and his presence felt... ominous. Powerful.

Who was he?

He seemed like an Alpha. Or someone who...ran something.

"What are you doing out here alone?" he asked calmly, arms folded across his chest.

My lips trembled. "I-I don't have anywhere to go," I whispered, the truth spilling out before I could stop it. "I don't have anywhere to go and I'm just looking for safety, please don't harm me."

His gaze flicked to the darkening sky. "You won't survive the night. Wild rogues hunt these woods. They don't really answer to me."

I swallowed hard. What did that mean? Was he...rogue?

He studied me for a moment longer, then spoke again. "I run this territory. Call me Amon."

My heart skipped.

"You'll come with me," he said, extending his hand. "Or you won't see another sunrise."

I stared at his outstretched hand, heart thudding in my chest.

And because I had no choiceㅡ I took it.