Elena heard the sound of the dungeon gates creaking open, but she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes to see who it was. Every part of her body ached and her head throbbed as if it was splitting in half.
"She's finally awake." Elena heard a man say. However, the loud hissing in her ears prevented her from making out the rest of his words. She managed to open her eyes and realized there were two men—two warriors and they were coming towards her.
"W-where are you taking me?" Elena's hoarse voice rang out as both warriors aggressively grabbed her hands and began dragging her out of the dungeon. She wanted to struggle, but she barely had enough strength to speak, so she just allowed them to drag her.
"W-who are you?" Elena muttered in confusion the moment she noticed that the warriors smelled different from her pack warriors.
"Oh shut up!" One of the warriors barked as he slapped Elena's back. She winced in pain and didn't dare speak another word. Her heart began racing fast, fear wrapping itself around her like a poisonous snake. She was worried, confused, and scared all at the same time.
"Argh!" Elena shrieked in pain as the warriors forcefully released her, causing her to fall to her knees. She struggled to open her eyes, but the bright lights in the room made it difficult to see. She blinked several times before her vision gradually adjusted.
A silent gasp escaped her lips when she realized she was in the pack's hall, filled with her pack members and other strangers. Her pack members stared at her in disgust while the strangers remained curious and uncomfortable. What was going on? Who were those people?
Suddenly, the air in the room shifted, and the people fell silent. Without a word, everyone bowed their heads in respect.
Kneeling in the center, Elena stayed quiet, her heart pounding frantically as heavy footsteps echoed across the marble floor—steady and powerful.
A cold, suffocating presence drew nearer, causing the hairs on her neck to stand. The footstep finally stopped in front of her, and she slowly raised her head to meet a pair of piercing, authoritative eyes. "A-alpha Enzo" Elena called.
Alpha Enzo's expression was dark as he locked eyes with Elena. And with a sharp turn, he faced the crowd, his voice cold and commanding. "Take a look at the murderer and traitor of the Nightshade Pack!" he declared.
Elena shrieked and scrambled back in fear, tears instantly streaming down her face. Her eyes darted from Alpha Enzo to the crowd, who now stared at her with hatred and disgust, whispering shameful words and cursing her. She then glanced behind Alpha Enzo, and her heart sank. Her cousin sat beside the Alpha's throne, a satisfied smirk plastered on her face, while Alpha Zade stood next to her, arms crossed, glaring at Elena with anger and irritation.
Before Elena could process anything, she heard Alpha Enzo declare, "As the Alpha of both the Nightshade and the Moonshine Pack, I hereby banish Elena Miles! She is now declared a rogue and a disgrace to this pack!"
Elena gasped in shock and her heart began to race uncontrollably. She placed her hand on her chest, gripping it tightly in an attempt to calm herself. She stayed rooted to the floor, frozen in shock and confusion. "Alpha of Nightshade pack? Banished? Rogue? W-what is going on?" She muttered to herself, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Alpha Enzo noticed the confusion on Elena's face and smirked. He walked toward Stella, kissed her, and then took a seat on the throne that was meant for Alpha Zade. "Elena, you've been unconscious for two weeks, so you missed the wedding between Stella and me," he said, grabbing Stella's hand and kissing it. "Not that you would have been able to attend the ceremony anyway," he added
Elena's eyes widened in shock, and her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't believe that her ex-mate had actually married her sister. Despite their broken bond, this news hurt her deeply. It was suffocating.
Wait. Did he just say she had been unconscious for two weeks?
Elena had no idea that the high levels of wolfsbane in her system had caused her to lose consciousness. With Ivy gone, she could no longer help her fight off the poison from the wolfsbane.
"Elena, your uncle decided that it was best to merge Nightshade and Moonshine packs after my wedding with his beautiful daughter, and has given me the honor to rule both packs." Alpha Enzo uttered proudly.
"After several thoughts, I realized I would not be able to stand having an ugly murderer like you locked up in the dungeon. This is why I have decided to banish you." A dark smirk crept its way to his face as he added, "However, we will do it the Moonshine Pack's way!"
Elena didn't understand what that meant until warriors marched into the room, carrying crates filled with eggs. She watched as Alpha Enzo and Stella each took one and began walking toward her.
In fear, she scrambled backward, but the warriors behind her pushed her forward with force, causing her to fall flat on her face.
The moment Elena raised her head to meet Alpha Enzo's gaze, he threw an egg directly at her face. The yolk mixed with her tears as they rolled down her cheeks. She raised her hand to wipe her face, but then Stella slapped another egg onto her as she muttered, "You deserve all the bad things in life bitch!"
Before Elena could regain her composure, the people began throwing raw eggs at her, laughing and raining curses on her.
"Murderer!"
"Beast!"
"Shameless child!"
"Ugly hag!" The people kept chanting as they aggressively stoned her with eggs.
Elena remained crumbled on the floor, tears rolling down her face as she cried uncontrollably. She covered her eyes with her hand, but it did nothing to protect her from the eggs that were crashing down on her. "Moon Goddess, please help me! I'm not a murderer! Please!" she cried out, but no one heard her pleas.
Alpha Enzo raised a hand, indicating for everyone to seize fire and they immediately stopped. He crouched before Elena, then he made her look into his eyes. "An ugly hag like you, being my destined mate, will always torment me, this is why I have to get rid of you." He muttered, his eyes bloodshot as he looked into her soul.
"Y-you are doing all of these just because I am ugly? Because the Moon Goddess mated me to you?" Elena asked in a voice barely above a whisper. "I-it's not my fault that the Moon Goddess mated me to you!" She cried out.
"Oh, it's your fault, darling. You had six years, six long years to strangle yourself with that chain in the dungeon—end your misery, but you didn't! You fucking lived! You fucking ruined my chances of being mated to the most beautiful girl I've ever seen!" Alpha Enzo spat.
"If you had died, the fucking Moon Goddess would have made Stella my destined mate!" He brawled, venom dripping from his tone.
Elena cried as she struggled to find the words to express her feelings. What could she even possibly say? Yes, she felt heartbroken that her destined mate was casting her aside and humiliating her, but she wasn't sure if she should be upset about it.
Should she feel happy that she was finally free from her uncle, or should she be sad about being rogue? Would she even last outside? Or was it better to remain in the dungeon? Elena didn't know how to feel and her emotions were all over the place. All she could do was cry.
Alpha Enzo scoffed at the ugly creature in front of him before he went to sit on his throne.
Just then, Alpha Zade began walking towards Elena. He leaned forward, his gaze bore into hers, intense and unyielding. "Alpha Enzo is going to rule over both packs from now on while I focus on finding a way to wake my son! Elena, I hope you never find happiness!" He declared before walking away, leaving Elena feeling broken and lost.
"Seize her!" Alpha Enzo commanded, and almost immediately, two warriors grabbed her and began leading her out of the hall.
"No! No! Uncle, please! Stella!" Elena pleaded, but her cries fell on deaf ears. She continued to sob until they got her outside the pack, where the warriors finally knocked her out.
By the time Elena woke up, she found herself in the middle of the woods. It was dark, and the full moon was the only source of light. She sniffled and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. Looking up at the sky, she wailed, "Moon Goddess, did you really bring me to this world to suffer? What have I done to deserve this?!"
"It's only a matter of time before the rogues find me and eat me alive! W-what am I supposed to do now!" Elena cried in pain.
Realizing that crying wasn't going to solve her problems, Elena began walking into the depths of the forest. She had not even gone far when she suddenly heard a strange sound and she froze.
The hairs on her neck stood up, and goosebumps formed on her skin at the thought that the rogues had finally found her. Suddenly, a familiar figure emerged from the depths of the woods, laughing hysterically. "Elena, did you really think I would let you die so easily?"
A stunned gasp escaped her lips as her uncle stepped into view. "U-uncle, what are you doing here?" she asked, slowly retreating in fear.
"Elena, just look at you," her uncle said as he approached her. "Do you really think you can survive here without your wolf?"
"H-how did you know?" Elena asked, still moving back in fear.
"Because, I have bound your wolf, child. I haven't been feeding you wolfbane. Instead, I have been giving you the silver leaf, and you took the last dose two weeks ago."
Elena's eyes widened in horror as she stumbled backward. Her voice trembled with a mix of shock, anger, and betrayal as she asked. "What?" W-why? How could you?"
Silver leaves were very lethal to werewolves. The leaf could bind a wolf permanently, depending on the amount consumed, and it could also kill a wolf.
"Because I vowed to Elena, I vowed to make your life miserable!" Alpha Zade yelled. "And after what you did to my son, I will not rest until the day you die a painful death!"
"Alpha Enzo is Alpha now, so I can't stop him from banishing you. However, what I can do is make sure you leave the rest of your life outside the pack in misery!" Alpha Zade uttered, and with that, he quickly strapped both Elena's hands with silver cuffs.
"I have made a deal with the devil, child, and he has agreed to buy you." Alpha Zade let out a low growl before continuing, "Congratulations, Elena. You have been sold to the Alpha King! The God of Death!"
"No!!!"