Chapter 2 The Betrayal of the Public

Mira's POV

The chilly wind brushed my skin as I stood in the center of the pack house courtyard, but I felt nothing. Even though my legs were trembling, I managed to stay upright. I was forced to. I could hardly hear the people around me because my heart was beating so loudly. They were all staring at me, watching and waiting, like wolves circling a dying thing.

Alpha Dane, tall and proud in his black coat, was a few paces ahead of me. His hands behind his back, his eyes vacant, his jaw clenched. I looked for a single indication of love in them. A single glimpse of the man I once knew. However, nothing was present.

Lyra was standing next to him, her long red dress flowing, a gentle smile that she didn't bother to hide pressed against her lips. She touched Dane's arm as if she was already there. She avoided eye contact. She was not required to. She was already victorious.

By raising his chin, Dane made his words audible to all ears.

"I declare my bond with Mira, a daughter of no rank, broken in my capacity as Alpha of Black fang."

The crowd let out a gasp. Someone murmured my name. Some of the wolves averted their gazes. People looked at me as if I were filth. Just an Omega who fell after flying too near the moon.

Dane's voice remained steady. He didn't appear apologetic. Not once.

He declared, "She is no longer Luna." "This pack no longer includes her. She loses her place, mark, and title.

My knees gave way. Before I fell, I managed to catch myself. However, I was powerless to stop the sharp breath from leaving my lungs. I had the impression that someone had ripped my breath away. It was as if my heart had been torn out and shattered in public. He took a step forward. Make a grab for me.

To rip the Luna mark from my collarbone, not out of kindness. I recoiled as his firm, cold fingers touched my skin. Silently, the pack observed his hand glowing with Alpha energy. It burned through my flesh. Then it vanished.

Everything-the mark-our bond. I was nothing. Nothing.

I swallowed the low growl that bubbled up from deep within. I wouldn't allow them to enjoy my breakdown. Not in this place. Not right now.

Dane looked out at the throng. Let this serve as a reminder that weakness is not the foundation of strength. We have to go forward together.

Lyra took a step next to him. The message was obvious even though she didn't touch him this time. From my ashes, the new Luna would emerge.

Once, the wolves bowed to me, and I looked at them. Their faces became indistinct. A few turned their heads away. A few grinned. Nobody came forward.

Nobody stood up for me.

Even so, I refrained from crying.

Not even when the guards arrived to remove me.

"By Alpha's order," one said in a flat voice. They will escort you out of the area. You're not welcome here anymore.

They did not push me. They were not required to. I walked by myself.

My heart was burning, but my steps were weak.

It felt like glass with every breath.

But I'll live.

I had no idea where, how, or why.

However, I would.

Lyra laughing was the last sound I heard before they closed the gates behind me.

Days went by. Weeks, perhaps.

After that, I didn't remember much. My body began to wane. I lost my train of thought. Long before the divorce, I had been slowly and silently poisoned. My tea contains a few herbs. Dane's gentle smile whenever I took a sip.

Like a forgotten dream, I was supposed to fade away.

However, something kept me alive.

I woke up in agony, in flames, in unfamiliar hands, somewhere in the middle of the forest.

And now I was lying on soft moss in a dark cave as my eyes opened again, really opened.

Something new stirred, but the fire in my veins had subsided.

This time, my body complied with my attempt to sit up.

A figure sat next to a fire on the other side of the cave. covered in furs. Faintly glowing eyes in the darkness.

The man's voice was calm and low as he said, "You woke faster than I expected."

I blinked. I had a dry throat. "Where am I?"

"Nowhere," he replied. "What? Now, that is the actual query.

I gazed at him. I spoke in a whisper.

"What am I?"

He approached slowly as he stood up. His face appeared. older than Dane. powerful. Like a carved stone's eyes.

"You were flawed," he remarked. "But now, you're changing into something different."

"What made you save my life?"

"I didn't," he answered. "The woodland did."

I gasped. I examined my hands.

Beneath the skin, my veins glowed dimly.

And for the first time since my expulsion...

I experienced strength.

actual power.

But the cave shook before I could say another word.

The man stiffened and faced the door.

Then I heard it.

A howl.

Sharp.

Known.

Dane's.

He was close.

He was trying to find someone.

Once more, the cave trembled.

The ceiling was covered in dust. The elderly man remained motionless, but I could see his jaw tighten.

He whispered, "He shouldn't be this close."

Confused, I pushed myself up on my elbows. My heart was beating more quickly, but my legs were still hurting.

"What brings Dane here?" I inquired. I pushed the words out even though my voice cracked.

He slowly turned his head in my direction. "Because something is taking place in the Black fang territories." He is unable to fix it.

I went cold.

"What took place?" I gripped the fur under my hands.

The elderly man turned his gaze to the fire. Wolves are becoming ill. Crops are dying. Breaking magic. Additionally, their Alpha gets weaker the more it spreads.

I opened my mouth. "You believe it has something to do with what he did to me?"

The man gave me a knowing look rather than one of sympathy.

"Every bond severed in a cruel way has a price. particularly one connected to the Luna of a lineage as ancient as yours.

I blinked vigorously. "My ancestry?"

Now he turned completely and knelt next to me.

"You are more than simply an Omega. The first healer in the forest is your ancestor. A long-gone gift idea. That's why you survived the poisoning. And for that reason, Dane is terrified.

My throat tightened with breath.

The man said quietly, "He doesn't even know who you are." "But he will soon."

Through the trees came another howl. Nearer. Angrier.

The man got up. "You can't confront him just yet. The poison is still ingrained in your body. You require time.

I made myself sit up straighter and said, "I don't want time." "I need answers."

"Then pay close attention." His eyes grew gloomy. "You're not his anymore. The person he left behind is no longer you. In contrast, if you approach him too soon, he might shatter what remains of you.

My chest ached sharply all of a sudden.

I clutched my ribs as I gasped.

Silver light glowed at my fingertips in brief bursts before fading.

The elderly man nodded slowly as he watched. "It is just getting started."

"What is it?" I muttered.

However, a second howl split the air before he could respond.

Dane didn't have this one.

The volume was higher.

rougher.

Wilder.

The elderly man's expression darkened.

"It isn't a warning," he muttered. "That is a cry of death."

*A terrifying howl that is not Dane's rips through the forest as Mira's new powers start to awaken. There's more on the horizon-something lethal.