The night air slipped through the cracks of the judgment hall, carrying the scent of blood, cold earth, and fear. Torches lined the walls, their flames trembling as if they wanted to escape the suffocating tension pressing down on the room.
And in the center of it all…
I was forced to kneel.
Hands bound.
Cheek bruised.
Blood dried against my neck.
Hundreds of eyes stared at me like I was a plague.
And standing before them before me was the man I once loved more than life itself.
Alpha King Dominic Blackthorn.
My fated mate.
My destroyer.
His aura dominated the entire hall, sharp and merciless like a blade pressed to my throat. His eyes burned a deep, feral red—his wolf hovering just beneath the surface. But there was no mercy in them.
No love.
Not even hesitation.
Only judgment.
Only punishment.
"Aurora Nightfall," Dominic said, his voice echoing coldly through the room, "you are accused of treason against the crown."
Roars of hatred burst from the gathered pack.
"Traitor!"
"Throw her to the Rogue Woods!"
"She's not a Luna she's filth!"
I shut my eyes, trying to breathe. My throat burned.
"I… did nothing," I whispered.
Before I could speak again, Lyra stepped forward.
Lyra Hart.
The woman who always looked at me with a smile too sweet to be real.
The woman who never accepted the bond between Dominic and me.
The woman now holding a bloodstained letter in her hand.
"Here is the proof!" she shouted, raising the letter. "A plan to assassinate the Alpha King signed by her!"
The crowd erupted.
My heart hammered. "That's… not my handwriting."
Lyra tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Witnesses saw you leaving the royal library tonight. You were the only one who touched these documents."
I shook my head desperately. "Someone forged it. Dominic, please listen to me.."
"Enough."
One word.
Sharp. Final.
It ripped the ground out from under me.
Dominic stepped forward, boots stopping inches from my knees.
"I do not want to hear you," he said flatly. "My wolf smells lies on you."
"No." My voice cracked. "Your wolf is wrong. You're wrong. I would never betray.."
His hand shot out, gripping my jaw so hard pain flooded through my skull.
"I gave you everything," he growled, voice dangerously low. "Trust. Protection. The right to stand beside me as Luna. And this is how you repay me?"
Tears spilled down my cheeks. "Dominic… I love you."
His jaw tightened. For a heartbeat just one I saw something flicker in his eyes.
Pain?
Conflict?
Something human.
But then it vanished.
He released me as though I were filth.
"Aurora Nightfall," he said, voice cold as winter steel, "from this moment forward, you are no longer mine."
My world shattered.
The mate bond the quiet, constant pull in my chest felt like it was being ripped from my ribs. My breath fractured. Pain exploded through every nerve.
I collapsed, trembling uncontrollably.
"Throw her into the Rogue Woods!" Lyra shouted.
"Let her die like a traitor!"
The pack roared in agreement.
Dominic ignored them. He looked at me one last time empty, unfeeling.
"Take her away."
Warriors grabbed me, dragging me across the floor. My skin tore against their grip. The cold night wind slammed into my half-exposed body as they pulled me toward the great gate of Blackthorn Palace.
My bond with Dominic was dying.
I was dying.
"Dominic…" My voice was barely a breath.
He didn't turn.
Not even once.
At the iron gates, the metal doors groaned open to reveal the darkness beyond.
The Rogue Woods.
The land of exile.
The place of death.
"Aurora Nightfall," Dominic said without emotion, "this is your sentence."
The warriors shoved me forward.
I fell hard.
Dirt and blood smeared together across my skin.
The gates slammed shut behind me.
Cutting me off from my life.
From my pack.
From him.
Darkness swallowed me.
Silence pressed in.
Cold seeped into my bones.
I shivered, barely able to stand.
I was alone.
Or so I thought.
A branch snapped in the distance.
Slow.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
My breath hitched.
Two glowing golden eyes appeared between the trees.
Unblinking.
Predatory.
A massive shadow detached itself from the forest.
Not a normal wolf far too large, too wild, too deadly.
It sniffed the air.
Growled low.
The sound rumbled the ground beneath me.
I stumbled back, panic clawing my chest.
"No… please," I whispered.
The creature stepped fully into the moonlight.
Not just a rogue.
Not just a beast.
An Alpha rogue.
And he was coming… for me.
The rogue Alpha's massive body prowled closer, muscles rippling beneath dark fur. Every breath he took sent steam curling into the cold night air. His claws sank into the soil, leaving deep marks as he circled me assessing, judging, hunting.
My pulse hammered wildly.
This wasn't an ordinary rogue.
He moved with purpose. Intelligence. Authority.
A leader.
The kind of creature mothers warned children about the kind of monster even Alphas refused to provoke.
I scrambled backward until my palms hit a tree trunk. Bark scraped my skin, but I barely felt it over the pounding terror in my chest.
"Stay back…" My voice trembled. "Please…"
The wolf lowered his head, eyes burning gold.
He studied me.
Not attacking.
Not killing.
Watching.
As if deciding whether I was prey…or something else.
Another growl vibrated through his chest, deep enough to shake the branches overhead. My breath hitched as his massive snout came within inches of my neck. He inhaled slowly long, deliberate breaths as if memorizing my scent.
The way Dominic used to.
Pain twisted in my ribs at the thought, sharp and sudden.
The rogue wolf stiffened.
In an instant, his head snapped up ears pricked, muscles tensed, gaze sharpened.
Fear washed through me.
"What… what is it?"
He let out a low, warning rumble.
Then I heard it too.
Boot steps.
Dozens of them.
Fast. Armed. Closing in.
Warriors.
Dominic's warriors.
Panic slammed into me.
They weren't coming to save me.
They were coming to make sure I died.
The rogue Alpha moved in front of me, blocking my view of the path. His stance shifted broad shoulders braced, claws digging into the soil, teeth bared in a silent snarl.
He was… protecting me?
No.
Impossible.
Rogue wolves didn't protect exiles.
They killed them.
But this one planted himself like a living shield between me and the approaching threat.
Shouts erupted from the trees.
"I saw movement!"
"Check the perimeter!"
"Alpha King said she must not return alive!"
My stomach dropped.
They truly wanted me dead.
The rogue wolf's fur bristled.
His growl deepened into something primal and murderous.
He turned his head slightly toward me just enough for our eyes to meet.
And in that split second, an inexplicable shiver ran through me.
Not fear.
Recognition.
A pull I couldn't explain.
What are you…?
Before I could breathe another word, the first warrior burst through the trees.
"There!" he shouted. "The traitor..!"
He didn't finish.
The rogue Alpha lunged with impossible speed.
A blur of black fur and glowing eyes slammed into the warrior, sending him flying across the clearing with a sickening crack. The others froze for a split second their shock palpable.
"A rogue Alpha?!"
"Fall back NOW!"
"Where the hell did it come from?!"
The beast roared earth-shaking, ancient, violent.
Warriors scattered, weapons drawn.
My heart thundered against my ribs.
This night was supposed to kill me.
Dominic's rejection was supposed to break me.
The Rogue Woods were supposed to swallow me whole.
Instead…
something else had found me.
Something darker.
Something stronger.
Something that didn't fear the Alpha King.
The rogue Alpha whipped around, eyes locking onto mine again.
Golden.
Burning.
Unreadable.
And then without warning he lowered his massive head…
…and nudged me lightly with his snout.
As if urging me to get up.
To follow.
To run.
My breath caught.
"Y-You want me to…"
Another shout cut through the night.
"REGROUP! Don't let her escape!"
The rogue wolf growled sharply a command, not to the warriors… but to me.
Run.
My legs trembled.
My chest burned with the remains of a broken bond.
My world had collapsed only minutes ago.
But something in his eyes feral, ancient, strangely protective told me that if I didn't move now…
…I would not survive the next minute.
Swallowing hard, tasting blood and fear, I pushed myself to my feet.
The rogue Alpha stepped beside me, massive and terrifying a monster of the night.
But for some reason…
…I knew he wasn't here to kill me.
Not tonight.