Chapter 1 The Fall

"Get up, Selene."

The harsh voice of the Crescent Moon Pack's training master echoed across the field. Selene groaned, her body aching as she pushed herself up from the dirt. The early morning sun cast long shadows on the training ground, but she barely noticed. All she could focus on was the pain in her ribs and the sharp taste of blood in her mouth.

Across from her, Owen, one of the stronger warriors-in-training, smirked. His knuckles were red from their last exchange. He rolled his shoulders, ready for another attack.

"Too slow," he taunted.

Selene clenched her fists. She wasn't weak. She had trained for this moment all her life. As the daughter of the Beta, she was expected to be strong, to protect the pack, to serve her Alpha. She had dreamed of becoming an elite warrior, someone her people could be proud of.

She charged at Owen again, twisting at the last second to dodge his strike. Using his momentum against him, she drove her elbow into his ribs. He stumbled, cursing. The other trainees murmured in surprise.

"Enough."

A deep voice silenced the whispers.

Lucian.

The Alpha's son.

Selene stiffened as he approached. His golden eyes gleamed with amusement, but she knew better than to trust his smile. Lucian was cruel. He enjoyed watching others suffer-especially her.

"Training is over," he announced. His gaze lingered on Selene before he turned away. "The Alpha has called for a gathering. Be there in five minutes."

The trainees scattered, eager to obey. Selene wiped the sweat from her brow, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling creeping up her spine. Something about Lucian's tone made her stomach twist.

She didn't know that this was the last time she would stand among them as one of their own.

The entire pack gathered in the clearing near the Alpha's home. The air was thick with tension. Selene stood near the front, her father beside her. Beta Nathan was a strong man, his dark hair streaked with silver, his face lined with years of loyalty to the pack.

Alpha Gregor stood at the top of the stone steps, his powerful frame radiating authority. Beside him was Lucian, smirking as if he had already won a game only he knew the rules to.

"A crime has been committed against this pack," Alpha Gregor's voice boomed. "A crime of betrayal."

Murmurs spread through the crowd. Selene's frown deepened.

"Selene, step forward."

Her breath caught in her throat. Every eye turned to her. Confused, she stepped forward.

"Selene," the Alpha said, his expression unreadable, "you are accused of plotting against the pack. You have been caught conspiring with rogues."

The words hit her like a physical blow. Her chest tightened. "What? No! I would never betray the pack!"

Lucian took a step forward, his eyes gleaming with false sorrow. "Selene, I saw you. You met with a rogue beyond the borders last night. I heard your plan to overthrow the Alpha. You were going to weaken our defenses, let them in."

The crowd erupted in gasps and growls.

Selene's heart pounded. "That's a lie! I never left the pack last night! I was in my home!"

But no one listened. The Alpha's face hardened. "You have broken our laws, Selene. The punishment is exile-or death."

Her father turned to the Alpha, his voice strained. "Alpha, she's my daughter. I know she would never-"

"Enough," the Alpha snapped. "Do you question my judgment, Beta Nathan?"

Her father's jaw clenched. "No, Alpha."

Selene turned to her mate, Darius, her last hope. He stood among the warriors, his green eyes locked onto hers.

"Darius, please," she whispered.

He said nothing. He did nothing.

Her heart shattered.

Then, before she could react, warriors grabbed her arms, forcing her to her knees.

"You will pay for your betrayal," Lucian whispered as he passed her.

The next thing she heard was her mother's scream.

Then the sound of claws ripping through flesh.

Blood splattered onto the ground.

Selene turned her head just in time to see her mother fall, her body lifeless, her eyes empty.

For a moment, the world stopped.

Then the pain came, sharp and unbearable. A scream tore from her throat, but no one cared. The warriors dragged her toward the gates as her mother's body lay behind her, forgotten.

The cold night air stung her bruised skin as she was thrown onto the hard ground outside the pack's borders.

"You are no longer one of us," the Alpha's voice rang in her ears. "If you return, you will die."

The gates slammed shut.

Selene lay there, her body aching, her heart broken. The people she had loved, the pack she had been willing to die for, had cast her out.

She was truly alone.

Selene lay in the dirt, her body trembling from pain and shock. The cold night air wrapped around her like death's embrace, chilling her to the bone. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, and every breath sent a sharp ache through her ribs. But none of it compared to the hollow, crushing agony in her chest.

Her mother was dead and her heart ache as she recalled the scream of her mother.

Her mate had abandoned her.

Her pack had thrown her away like she was nothing.

Tears blurred her vision, but she refused to let them fall. She had cried enough.

A distant howl echoed through the forest. A warning. The night belonged to the wild-rogues, beasts, and creatures that would tear apart anything foolish enough to be alone.

And she was alone.

A rustling came from the trees ahead. Low, guttural growls followed. Glowing eyes flickered between the branches.

Wolves.

But they didn't look like her pack.

They were Rogues.

Selene tried to push herself up, but her limbs were weak. She had no strength left. The growls grew closer. A dark shape stepped out of the shadows, its yellow eyes locked onto her like she was prey. She would rather die to the rogues than bear the pain of her mother's death. Her father stood there doing nothing.

As she was deep in her thoughts , the wolf lunged.

And everything went black.