CHAPTER 6
The slap connected with a loud smack, resounding through the room. I stumbled, vision blurring, and my cheek burned.
"How dare you attempt to hurt a precious member of the pack." She shouted, furious.
I cupped my stinging cheek, blinking away my newly formed tears. My chest heaved with trembling breaths. I kept my gaze trained on the polished tiles, my vision blurred with tears, avoiding the hatred that I knew would be in her eyes.
My lips trembled as I pressed them together, fighting to hold back a sob. A tear rolled down my cheek, and I hastily wiped it away. It would prove them right that I was weak. A weak omega. Not worthy to be amongst the rest of them.
I remembered Mr. Wesley's words. Being an omega doesn't make you less of a wolf.
But it did.
These people didn't see me as an equal; they treated me like trash, less than human. They saw my omega status as a defect, a disease that made me less than them. They couldn't see beyond my dynamic to the person I was beneath. They didn't see my kindness, my heart. They didn't care to see.
Their rejection hurt. I would never be accepted here. I've been treated like trash since I was a child. They didn't care that I had barely known the difference then, they drilled it into me that I was worthless. I thought of all the times I'd been told I wasn't good enough, all the times I had to cry alone because I was born as an omega. I didn't choose this; I didn't choose this life for myself.
"I warned you to stay away from Caspian, and you tried to hurt his mate." She said, shaking her head in disbelief.
"She's not his mate." I cried out, my sobs tearing through me.
"Shut up." Bridget hissed from the sofa.
"You're not his mate." I repeated through my sobs.
She slapped me again. My face jerked to the side at the force. My sobs tore through me, my body shaking uncontrollably.
"You have no right to speak to her like that." Luna Storm spat. "Just because Caspian is fucking you doesn't mean you're anything." She looked at me with disgust, and I flinched.
"We have let this go on long enough. I warned you, but you chose not to listen." Her voice dropped. "I want you out of the pack before the next sunrise."
"W...what?" My face paled. She was kicking me out.
What would I do? Where would I go? Despite all the rejection and pain, the pack was all I'd ever known. Apart from my father, I had no other family. No pack would be willing to accept an omega, as it would weaken their ranks. The only other option was unthinkable.
I'd be labeled a rogue. Those vicious wolves that had lost their humanity and all they lived for was to hunt and kill.
Fear shook my bones. I wouldn't last out there. Without a wolf of my own, I'd be defenseless against the dangers lurking outside the protection of our pack borders.
"But—" I began, trying to reason with her. I didn't want to leave; I wouldn't be able to survive the harsh world. "Please, don't do this." My voice cracked as I begged.
"You brought this on yourself." She said sadly. "Marcus." She turned to one of the guards that brought me here. "Inform the Alpha of my decision. Olivia Martins is exiled from the Nightshade pack." The guard nodded grimly and turned to obey.
I begged her not to do it, but she turned a deaf ear to my pleas. The room was silent, as we all waited for the Alpha, the only sound my own quiet sobs.
The door swung open, and the Alpha walked in, his eyes scanning the room. "What's that I hear about exile, Karen?" He asked, his dominant voice commanding attention. "Surely it hasn't come to that."
"Olivia Martins hurt Bridget." She stated. "I think it's only right that she be punished accordingly."
"That law applies to the Alpha and his family, not a Beta's daughter."
"Well, Bridget is family. She's Caspian's mate."
"Woman, he's made it clear that they are not mates." He said exasperated.
"He doesn't know that; he's blinded by her." She pointed at me. "Once she's gone, he'll be clear-headed enough to recognize that Bridget is his true mate.
The Alpha sighed, frustrated.
"File the papers, Silas. I want her gone before morning." She said it without emotion.
"This is ridiculous, Karen. I won't have her exiled because of a little fight. They're teenagers for fuck's sake." He snapped impatiently.
"The law is clear: anyone who dares to harm the Alpha's family shall be exiled."
The room remained silent as the Alpha made his decision. My heart pounded in my chest as I prayed to the moon goddess for mercy.
Just then, the door swung open with a bang for the second time today, and a loud voice broke the silence. "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?"