Chapter 1 Out of the Cage

Aurora's POV

The nurse walked in holding a clipboard. Her steps were sharp and fast, echoing in the silent room. She didn't pause before setting the form in my lap.

"You're being discharged today," she said flatly, her tone leaving no space for questions.

I lowered my eyes to the paper. My name was written across the top in bold letters. At the bottom was a blank space waiting for my signature.

She slipped a pen into my hand. "Sign here."

I didn't argue. My hand moved slowly, dragging across the line as I wrote my name. The pen scratched against the paper.

The nurse took it back at once and stamped it hard, the sound sharp in the quiet room.

she said without looking at me. "Your brother Alpha Keith will come to pick you up."

My fingers curled tightly on the edge of the bed. I never thought of Alpha Keith as my brother.

I was born the daughter of an Alpha, raised with the bloodline of a leader. Yet they treated me as though I had been adopted, like I was an outsider in my own home.

Helen was the one adopted into the family, but they loved her more than anything. They protected her, praised her, and believed her every word.

When Helen testified against me, when she stood before them and claimed I had tried to kill Vicky, no one doubted her.

Keith stood before the elders, swearing under oath to defend Helen, the little she-wolf the pack welcomed into our home years ago.

But, without hesitation, Keith chose her over me, accusing me of a crime I hadn't even been there to commit.

His words were enough. It carried the weight of Pack Honor. I was accused of attempted murder.

They called me unstable. They said I was dangerous. They labeled me with a sickness I never had.

And for five years, they kept me locked away like a rabid beast in a werewolf psychiatric hospital.

The weight of that truth pressed against my chest until it was almost hard to breathe.

The nurse snapped the clipboard shut and gave me a quick glance. "Let's go," she said, her tone clipped, leaving no room for hesitation.

I pushed myself to my feet. My hospital gown brushed the floor as I followed, each step pulling me back into the life they had condemned me to

We walked past rooms I had memorized. The smell of antiseptic clung to the air. When we reached the ward, the nurse unlocked the door and nodded for me to go in and she turned and left.

I walked in.

And stopped.

A witch stood in the center of the room. Her arms were folded tightly across her chest. Her face held a smirk, but her eyes were cold.

She looked directly at me and spoke with clear hatred. "Well, look who decided to come back. The Alpha's useless mistake."

I didn't respond. There was no point in answering her. No one else was here. No one would protect me.

She tilted her head and stepped forward. "Did you really think they would take you back after everything you've done?"

I still didn't speak. My heart was pounding, but I stood still.

She suddenly reached out and grabbed my throat. Her fingers squeezed tight, and her nails dug into my skin. I gasped as the air was cut off from my lungs.

Without warning, she lifted me off the ground by my neck. My feet dangled in the air. My chest burned as I struggled to breathe.

She brought her face close to mine. I could smell blood on her breath.

"You're still just as weak as before," she said.

Then she threw me across the room.

My body hit the wall with a loud thud. I fell hard to the floor. Beneath me, glass shattered. The shards tore through my hospital gown and sliced into my back. A sharp pain rushed through me.

I tried to move, but my arms trembled and gave out. I collapsed again, unable to get up.

The witch walked toward me. Her boots hit the ground heavily with every step. The sound was slow and steady.

She reached down and grabbed a handful of my hair. With a sharp tug, she yanked me upright. Pain shot through my scalp, and my neck jerked back.

She slapped me across the face. The hit was hard. My head snapped to the side. My vision blurred.

Before I could steady myself, she slapped me again. Then she shoved me to the ground.

Her foot slammed into my stomach. My body folded inward as I gasped from the impact.

She kicked me again, this time in the ribs. I felt something shift inside me. It hurt more than anything I had ever felt before.

Then came another kick. This one landed on my back.

I tried to protect myself. I pulled my knees to my chest and covered my head with my arms. But she kept going. The pain didn't stop.

Blood filled my mouth. I turned my head to the side and spat it out on the floor.

She only stepped back when the door creaked open again.

Another witch entered the room. She walked slowly, dragging a long black whip behind her. The whip slid across the floor. The tip of it dripped with a thick, dark green liquid.

I smelled it immediately.

It was wolfsbane.

The second witch moved around me in a circle. She didn't rush. Her boots tapped steadily on the floor.

She raised the whip high into the air.

The first lash struck my back. It tore through the gown and ripped open my skin. I screamed from the pain. It felt like a knife cutting straight through muscle.

Before I could catch my breath, the whip hit me again.

Then it came down a third time.

The wolfsbane burned in the open wounds. The pain wasn't just sharp. It was deep. It felt like fire spreading through my entire back.

My skin felt like it was peeling off. My body was soaked in sweat. I couldn't cry out anymore.

Everything started to go dark.

The pain kept coming, but I couldn't stay awake.

My body shut down.

I passed out.

Later I woke up to the sound of beeping machines.

The ceiling above me was bright with white lights. Tubes ran into my arm. My head was throbbing. My back felt numb. My ribs didn't move properly when I breathed.

My arms were tied to the bed.

I tried to sit up, but the pain stopped me.

The door opened.

A doctor stepped in first. A nurse followed.

"Stay calm," the doctor said. "You're in the hospital."

I didn't trust him.

I tried to pull away, but my body was too weak. I froze in place.

"We had to perform emergency surgery," he continued.

"There were hundreds of shards in your back. Your ribs were broken, your jaw fractured, and wolfsbane had poisoned your blood. You lost so much blood that you came close to death."

I turned my head slightly. The nurse walked over and held out a glass of water. I didn't move at first, then I opened my mouth and drank.

The doctor checked the chart in his hand. "When is your birthday?" he asked.

I blinked. "I don't know."

He looked up.

I said. "My mother gave birth to a younger brother after me. He died shortly after. The pack blamed me. They called me cursed. When I was six, they threw me out. I've been a rogue ever since."

The nurse's hand paused.

"I returned to the pack when I was older," I said. "They said I brought misfortune. That the Moon Goddess had marked me with darkness.They casted me out. As soon as I could walk, like a cursed pup unworthy of their name."

"You was just a toddler, barely able to speak, yet the pack saw You as something cursed?"the doctor sighed.

Said it was for the good of the pack. But I remember. I remember the cold.

No warm hands. No lullabies. Just the silence of the forest and the growl of distant wolves that wouldn't let me near.

They called it "rogue training." I called it survival.

The room was quiet for a moment.

He spoke again, pulling my thoughts back.. "Your wolf hasn't awakened yet?"

"No."

He sighed and stepped closer. "It might happen soon."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"You might feel changes. You might look slightly different when you wake up next time."

"Because of the injuries?"

"No," he said. "Not because of a medical reason. It is a sign that your wolf is about to awaken."