The biting wind whipped strands of hair across my face, mimicking the icy grip of despair around my heart. Each step I took away from the pack house felt like a thousand daggers twisting in my chest. The scent of Kai, my mate, still clung faintly to my tattered clothes, a cruel reminder of what I had lost.

"Alana Brooks, I, Kai Everest, Alpha of Crimson Moon Pack, hereby reject you as my mate and future Luna!" His words echoed in my mind, as sharp and unforgiving as the growl that followed.

My wolf, Vel, whimpered, a raw, guttural sound of agony that tore through my very soul. The mate bond, once a warm, comforting tether, had snapped, leaving behind a searing void.

My knees buckled, sending a jolt of pain through me as I collapsed onto the unforgiving earth. Tears streamed down my face, blurring the already desolate landscape. He had believed their lies. He had banished me. For a crime I didn't commit.

The whispers of the wind seemed to mock me, carrying the weight of my shame and the injustice of my fate. I was an omega, a half-breed, and now, a rejected, banished traitor. My only solace was the silent thrum of tiny heartbeats within me, a secret unknown to the Alpha who had cast me out.