The heavy oak doors of the pack house slammed shut, the resounding thud echoing like the final strike of a gavel. King Roan was gone, and with him went the last thread of protection Arin had left.
A sharp gust from the northern wind howled through the grand hall's cracks, its icy bite matching the coldness that now settled over the room. Arin stood bound in the center, head bowed, her shame laid bare for all to see.
Usera's lips curled into a slow, venomous smile. "Well, well, well," she drawled, circling Arin like a predator tasting victory. "The king's discarded whore."
Nova's laughter chimed in high, cruel, and unrelenting. "I knew you would end up like this. But even I didn't think you'd sink so low. Disgusting."
Arin's heart pounded in her ears, but she kept her gaze fixed on the floor. They wanted her tears, her breakdown. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
The sound of heavy boots rang against the stone floor. Oswald strode in, his expression not of concern but of fury.
He had followed Roan, hoping he could make him see reason. Roan had not even given him a second of his time.
His eyes raked over Arin like she was filth staining the pack's pristine floors.
"You've ruined everything," he spat. "Do you have any idea what you've cost me? What you've cost this pack?"
Arin's throat tightened. "Father…"
"Don't call me that!" His voice cracked through the hall like a whip. "From the moment you killed your mother at your birth, I raised you, fed you, clothed you and for what? To watch you shame me before the king and bring dishonor to my name?"
The words stabbed deep, and before she could stop herself, a memory flickered…
She'd been seventeen, sitting across from him in his study, the firelight painting his face in warm tones. He'd held her hand and told her, "You will be Queen, Arin. You'll bring honor to our pack, and I will always protect you."
She had believed him stupidly, but she had been desperate for even a small glimmer of her father's approval.
Usera stepped closer to him, a satisfied glint in her eyes. "She's tainted, Oswald. Useless now. You know what must be done."
Arin's head snapped up, disbelief flashing across her face. "I haven't done anything! I don't even know…"
Nova cut in with a mocking laugh. "Save it. You're nothing but a lying slut who couldn't even keep her legs closed for the man she was betrothed to."
Another memory pierced through the humiliation,
The night after she had agreed to mate with Roan, Oswald had stood at the head of the dining table, wine in hand. "To Arin," he'd toasted proudly, "the daughter who will secure our future." He had smiled at her like she was his greatest treasure.
Now, his glare held no trace of that pride.
"I won't have your filth stain this pack another second," Oswald said, his tone flat, almost bored. "You were of use once. Now? You're nothing but dead weight and a scandal I can't afford. You are banished from the North Pack, Arin. Effective now."
The words hit like a blade to the gut.
Her voice trembled. "You would throw me out without even hearing me, without believing me?"
Oswald's lip curled in disgust. "I don't care what you have to say. The king is furious, the pack whispers about your disgrace, and my name will not be dragged through the mud because of you, you have already cost me enough. Guards, get her out of my sight."
The guards stepped forward, iron fingers gripping her arms.
As they dragged her toward the doors, another memory surfaced, unbidden…
On the day she left for the palace, Oswald had placed his cloak over her shoulders, telling her, "You carry my name now, Arin. Wear it with pride."
Now, he couldn't even bear to look at her.
"Father! Please!" she cried, her voice breaking. "I have no one…"
"Good," he said coldly, turning his back. "Then no one will miss you."
The great doors slammed behind her, cutting off the last warmth she'd ever know in that house. The biting wind tore at her clothes, freezing her tears to her skin. The pack house, her home stood tall and unfeeling against the gray sky.
The guards marched her through the snow, past the gates that marked the edge of the pack's territory. As they shoved her across the threshold, the last flash of memory seared through her mind.
Oswald, standing before the guests at the mating ceremony, his hand gripping her shoulder as he had said to Roan, "She is my blood, my pride. If you take her, you take all that I have."
Now, he had thrown her away like nothing.
Her father had cast her out like trash.
But even as the cold gnawed at her bones, a spark of defiance lit in her chest. She had been stripped of everything, her name, her family, her safety but she would survive. Despite the odds that were thrown at her she was determined to survive and find out exactly what had happened to her.
She needed to prove to everyone that she was innocent, she could not even remember a single thing that led up to this situation.