Aria's POV:
The Moonvale packhouse loomed before me like a place I no longer recognized.
Its stone walls, once a symbol of safety and belonging, now felt cold—almost hostile. I walked through the main doors on trembling legs, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might tear through my chest. Every step echoed in the long corridor, each sound amplifying the unease crawling under my skin.
I didn't stop to greet anyone. I didn't look around.
My feet carried me instinctively toward one place.
Ryan's room.
My mate's room.
No—former mate.
I reached the door and lifted my hand to the handle, my fingers barely brushing the cold metal when voices drifted from inside.
A woman's voice.
Soft. Familiar. Poisonously sweet.
"Baby, why are you sitting here looking so stressed?" she said. "You only pretended to love Aria for the Alpha position anyway. That was the plan, remember? Yours and Uncle Victor's. And look—our plan worked. You're Alpha now. The Alpha of this pack."
My breath hitched.
Then she laughed proudly.
"Alpha Ryan Blackwood."
The world tilted.
I knew that voice.
I would recognize it anywhere.
Lina.
My best friend.
My sister in everything but blood.
The floor seemed to vanish beneath my feet. My knees weakened as tears flooded my eyes, blurring the corridor into a haze of pain and disbelief. I pressed my hand against the wall to steady myself, my heart shattering with each beat.
Then I heard his voice.
Ryan.
"That bitch was cheating on me for so long," he said coldly. "I admit it—I was with her only for the Alpha title. But when I found out she was my mate … I thought I should give her a chance."
My breath came out in a broken sob.
"What?" Lina snapped. "You were ready to give her a chance? How could you even think that? You love me, Ryan."
Tears streamed freely down my face now. My chest burned as if someone had ripped my heart out with bare hands.
"So what?" Ryan replied. "I wasn't going to leave you. I love you. But that damn mate bond kept pulling me toward her. It messed with my head."
I covered my mouth to silence my sob.
"Good," Lina said, her voice dropping into something sultry. "But you rejected her now, didn't you? That means I'll be your Luna."
"Yes," Ryan groaned. "But rejecting the bond hurts. There's this strange pain in my chest. My wolf is furious too."
"Oh baby," Lina purred. "I'm here. I'll take that pain away."
I froze.
I stood there, outside the door, as if rooted to the ground. The pain in my chest intensified—sharp, unbearable—my wolf screaming inside me in agony. I felt her suffering as if it were my own, because it was my own.
Then I heard it.
Lina's moans.
The sounds sliced through me like knives.
I turned and ran.
I don't remember how I reached my room. I slammed the door shut, locked it, and slid down to the floor, my body shaking as sobs tore out of me. The pain of rejection, betrayal, and humiliation crushed me from all sides.
I cried until my throat burned and my chest ached.
How could they do this to me?
The people I loved. The people I trusted. The people I thought were my family.
My parents' faces flashed before my eyes.
Mom.
Dad.
If they were alive, this would never have happened. They would never have allowed their daughter to be treated like this—used, betrayed, discarded.
The truth hit me like a brutal slap.
The love I thought I had received growing up was a lie.
Everything was a lie.
They raised me, protected me, only to steal my pack from me.
But I am Aria Moonvale.
And I will not lose.
I will take back what is mine.
Two goals carved themselves into my soul that night:
First—find the ones who murdered my parents and make them pay.
Second—take revenge on Victor, Ryan, and Lina… and reclaim my pack.
Exhaustion finally claimed me, my tears soaking the floor as sleep dragged me into darkness.
~
NEXT MORNING
A knock jolted me awake.
I opened my eyes slowly, realizing I had slept sitting against the door, my body stiff and aching. Morning light filtered weakly through the curtains.
I stood, smoothed my hair with shaking hands, and opened the door.
Lina stood there.
Wearing her fake smile.
I stared at her, my stomach churning. How blind I had been—not seeing the venom behind that smile all these years.
She stepped inside without waiting for permission, grabbed my hand, and pulled me toward the bed, forcing me to sit.
I watched her silently, stunned by her audacity. If I hadn't known the truth now, I might have still believed she was the best friend anyone could have.
She sat beside me, clasped my hands between hers, and spoke gently.
"Aria, don't worry sweety. Everything will be fine. I trust you."
Her eyes filled with fake tears.
I stared at her in disbelief.
How could someone act this well?
I yanked my hand free and stood up, disgust curling my lips.
"Do you have no shame?" I demanded. "I called you my friend. My sister. And you stabbed me in the back—with Ryan. All for the Luna title?"
Tears streamed down my face, but I didn't stop.
"Your friendship was fake. Ryan's love was fake. Uncle Victor's affection was fake. You're all liars."
For a moment, Lina looked shocked.
Then suddenly she laughed.
She stood and said coldly, "So you know. Good. That means I don't have to act anymore."
Rage boiled in my veins.
"I won't spare you," I warned. "Remember that."
Lina laughed mockingly. "What will you do? You have no power left. Ryan is the Alpha now—because of you. And soon, I'll marry him and become Luna. And you?"
She smirked cruelly.
"You're nothing."
Her words stabbed deep.
I clenched my fists. "If I made Ryan Alpha, I can take it back. This is my father's pack. I won't give it to anyone. This is my home."
She laughed again. "Then let's see how much the pack really loves you."
Before I could react, she smashed her head against the wall and collapsed, screaming.
"Help! Ryan! Help!"
I stared at her in shock.
The door burst open. Ryan and several guards rushed in. He went straight to Lina, lifting her gently, checking her injury.
"I'm here," he said softly. "You're safe."
Then he looked at me, his eyes cold.
"This ends today. Call everyone to the council hall."
A guard ran to obey.
Moments later, Beta Noah entered. Ryan pointed at me.
"Take her. Bring her down. Her fate will be decided today."
~
The council hall was packed.
Elders. Warriors. Betas.
Ryan sat in the Alpha chair. Lina stood beside him, looking innocent and fragile.
I was forced to stand in the center.
"As you all know," Ryan announced, "Aria and I were engaged. But before the bond was complete, I learned the truth. She isn't just a weak Luna—she's also a whore."
Gasps echoed.
Disgusted stares pierced me from all sides.
"If you all wish," Ryan continued, "I will step down as Alpha. But I will never marry her. I will marry Lina instead."
The council murmured, impressed by his 'honor.'
An elder stood. "No, Alpha. We want you to lead us. Aria has no wolf. She cannot protect this pack. You were made Alpha by her choice—and marriage was never a condition. Now Lina will be our Luna."
Then they bowed.
Something inside me snapped.
I laughed.
Clapped.
"I am Aria Moonvale," I declared. "Daughter of Alpha Ethan Moonvale. I will not hand my pack to traitors."
Ryan shouted, "Enough aria! You also tried to kill Lina!"
"If I had," I hissed, " your little slut wouldn't be standing here."
My anger surged. The room turned red. Power I didn't understand flooded my body.
Lina screamed, "You're the slut! That's why you never got your wolf!"
I roared back, "You're a traitor like your parents! My parents raised you—and this is how you repay them?"
She lunged at me.
I grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground.
"Don't test my rage."
I threw her across the room.
Shock filled the hall.
She shifted and attacked again—but I was faster.
I slammed her wolf into the ground.
"I am not just your Luna," I growled. "I am your Alpha."
Ryan shouted, "Banish her! Leave her at the border!"
I laughed darkly.
"I'm leaving on my own," I said. "But I'll return. And when I do—this pack will be mine again."
I turned and walked out.
A moment ago, I was Luna of the Moonvale pack.
Now, I belong to no one.
I am a lone wolf—
a rogue.
Yes, a rogue. That's what they call wolves who are cast out of their packs, usually for some unforgivable mistake. A solitary wolf, forced to survive without a family, without a name that still matters. To the world, rogues are monsters—dangerous, broken, heartless.
But not all rogues are evil.
Some are like me.
Banished without guilt. Punished without sin.
I didn't betray my pack. I didn't break their laws. Yet I was still torn from everything I loved, stripped of my title, my home, my identity.
' to be continued '
___________