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Exile
+25 BONUS
Scarlett’s POV:
My laughter faded as I stared at the man kneeling before me. How typical of him to think he could still dictate terms.
“Let me remind you of something, Lucian,” I said coldly. “Six years ago, you were nothing but a prisoner in the Shadow Pack’s dungeons.”
His face paled at the memory.
“Do you
remember that day?” I pressed. “When your father sent you on that false peace mission? He knew exactly what he was doing sacrificing his own son to save himself.”
Through the remnants of emotional ties possessed as a ghost, I felt his old pain resurface.
“I was barely eighteen,” I continued. “But I knew something was wrong when you didn’t return. Everyone said it was hopeless, that the Shadow Pack would never release you.”
“Lottie-” he started.
“I went to Lily first,” I talked over him. “Remember your precious first love? She was the Shadow Pack Alpha’s daughter. I begged her to help you.
The memory made my lips curl with contempt.
“A prisoner?‘ That’s what she said. ‘I don’t associate with weak wolves. Those were her exact words. She was already planning her mating ceremony with James.”
Lucian flinched at the reminder of Lily’s betrayal.
“But I wouldn’t give up,” I said. “Even though I had no wolf, even though everyone said it was suicide, I infiltrated the Shadow Pack alone.”
The pack listened in silence as I recounted what their former Alpha had conveniently forgotten.
“Three weeks I spent hiding in their territory. Learning their patrol patterns. Studying their defenses. All while you were being tortured in their dungeons.
“You saved me,” he whispered.
“Yes, I did. And do you remember what it cost me?”
I didn’t wait for his answer.
“I found you half–dead in their deepest cell. When their Alpha came to finish you off, I threw myself between you. That cursed blade was meant for your heart, but it found mine instead.”
My hand touched my chest where the curse had spread its dark veins.
“He poked me in the back a dozen times with that silver cursed blade,” I gestured, “and I survived, even though there was no wolf. You don’t remember how many more beatings I took for you after that, do you?” I laughed bitterly.
Exile
+25 BONUS
“Then I finally found a chance to escape with you. You were injured, and I carried you on my back for dozens of miles before I finally escaped.”
“And I promised to love only you,” he said brokenly.
“But that wasn’t enough, was it?” I asked. “After we escaped, your father was furious. He wanted to banish you for failing the mission. Do you remember what I did then?”
Nathan spoke up. “You challenged him for Alpha position. An omega against a full Alpha.”
“Everyone said I was mad,” I smiled coldly. “How could someone without a wolf hope to defeat an Alpha? But they didn’t understand I didn’t need to beat him in combat.”
–
“You exposed his treachery to the pack,” Nathan continued. “Proved he had deliberately sent his own son into a trap.”
“The pack turned against him,” I nodded. “And who was it that helped you step into the Alpha position, Lucian? Who taught you how to lead? How to manage pack politics?”
“You did,” he whispered. “You did everything.”
“I built this pack from nothing,” I addressed the gathered wolves. “While he played at being Alpha, I was the one negotiating treaties. Training warriors. Managing our resources.”
“It’s true,” Nathan declared. “Everyone knows Alpha Scarlett was the real strength behind our recovery.
“So tell me, Lucian,” I turned back to him. “When it comes to running a pack, who do you think is better qualified? The man who abandoned his people for a year? Or the woman who sacrificed everything to build this pack?”
“Alpha Scarlett!” Nathan’s voice rang out without hesitation. “I follow Alpha Scarlett!”
The cry was taken up by other wolves. “Alpha Scarlett Alpha Scarlett!”
Lucian staggered back, his face twisted with betrayal. You traitors-”
“Traitors?” Nathan laughed harshly. “You want to talk about betrayal?”
The Beta’s eyes flashed as he advanced on his former Alpha.
“How many warriors died this past year while you were gone?” he demanded “How many families lost mates and children because we had no Alpha to lead us?”
“I was trying to bring back your Luna!” Lucian protested.
“No,” Nathan spat. “You were trying to ease your guilty conscience. You didn’t care who suffered as long as you felt better about yourself.”
Lucian’s face contorted with rage. He raised his hand, trying to summon the Alpha power he no longer possessed.
Nothing happened.
The realization hit him like a physical blow. He had given away everything in that resurrection ritual.
Expe
+25 BONUS
‘Now,‘ Zoe whispered in my mind. ‘Show them what real power feels like.”
I let my power flood the training grounds. Every wolf present felt it – the strength of an Alpha combined with something older, something primal.
“I, Alpha Scarlett, hereby banish Lucian from the Storm Pack,” I declared. “He is stripped of all rank and privilege.‘
“No,” he whispered, his face crumpling. “Lottie, please. Are you really going to be this cruel?”
A cold smile curved my lips.
“Cruel?” I repeated softly. “Did you ask yourself that question when you were fucking Lily in our bed? When you
gave away my healing ring? When you watched me die alone?”
He flinched at each question, unable to meet my eyes.
“The difference is,” I continued, “I’m not doing this out of cruelty. I’m doing it because you’ve proven yourself unworthy of this pack.”
Through our weakened bond, I felt his heart shatter as the full weight of his situation finally hit him.
He had given away his power to bring me back, only to watch me use that same power to take everything from him.
“Leave,” I commanded. “You are no longer welcome in these lands.”
“Are you really going to be this harsh?” he asked one final time, tears streaming down his face.
I looked at him coldly. “Have you asked yourself that question every time you betrayed our marriage Vows?”
He had no answer for that. None that would matter now.
Five Years Later
