Stones and Shame

The sun took agonizing hours to finally bleed through the bedroom curtains, slowly chasing away the suffocating darkness. Kaelia lay frozen on her mattress. She stared up at the cracked paint on the ceiling until her eyes burned. Every few minutes, her fingers dug into the flesh of her own forearm, pinching the skin until dark bruises began to form. She needed to wake up. She kept praying she would snap out of this nightmare.

But the sharp, stinging pain grounded her in reality. Cassian had rejected her. He was mated to Nadia.

The reputation she bled to build was gone. Her name was stained with the ultimate shame a female wolf could carry. The pack wouldn’t look to her for guidance anymore. They would flock to her sister. They would ask Nadia for advice. They would beg Nadia for protection when the winter got harsh.

And Kaelia? She would just be the pathetic Luna who couldn't keep her Alpha satisfied.

She grabbed her pillow and pulled it tight against her chest, curling into a rigid ball on the mattress. Exhaustion dragged heavily at her bones, but sleep never came. The phantom pain of the severed bond kept her gasping in the dark. That, and the endless stream of hot tears that soaked the sheets beneath her face.

Her heart felt like it was physically drowning. The betrayal choked her, cutting off her air supply. A bitter wave of regret washed over her mind. I should have fought harder, she thought. When Cassian first started acting distant, she had given him space. She thought she was doing the right thing. She should have pushed. She should have demanded answers before it was too late.

But what was the point of crying over the past? The bond was severed. There was nothing she could do to fix it.

Two soft knocks on the door broke the heavy silence of the house. "Honey, it’s me," Silas called out through the wood. "Can I come in?"

Her father’s voice was a lifeline. He was the only thing keeping her tethered to the earth. "Yes, Dad."

The brass knob turned, and Silas stepped inside. He was the former Beta of the pack. He spent years training Kaelia to take his place, to be the ruthless shield of their people. If she couldn't even hold onto her fated mate, how could she ever lead as a Beta?

"Did you sleep well?" Silas asked softly, leaning against the doorframe.

"Yes," she lied. Her throat was raw from silently sobbing all night.

Silas sighed, his shoulders slumping under an invisible weight. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the Alpha summoned you. He wants you in his office immediately."

Kaelia pushed herself upright. The blanket slipped off her shoulders, pooling around her waist. "W-Why?"

"He didn't say. I pray to the Moon Goddess it isn't worse news. I can go with you, if you want. I can stand by the door."

"No." Kaelia swallowed the thick lump in her throat. "It’s fine, Dad. I’ll go alone."

She forced her trembling legs to stand. Kaelia walked out of her room, passing her mother in the living room. Her mother just stared at her with a blank, unreadable expression. Kaelia didn't stop to ask what she was thinking. She pushed the front door open and stepped onto the wooden porch.

The crisp morning air hit her face, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth. She let out a long, shaky breath. Terror clawed at her stomach. What else could Cassian possibly do to her? He already ripped her soul apart last night in front of everyone. If he hurt her again today, it would actually kill her.

She kept her head down, walking through the quiet woods toward the center of the pack lands. The pack house loomed in the distance, a massive stone structure where the unmated wolves lived. Beside it stood the elder hall, the Alpha's private office, and the bustling outdoor marketplace.

The moment her boots hit the dirt path of the market, the atmosphere shifted. Eyes locked onto her. The judging stares felt like physical blows against her ribs. As a trained warrior, her enhanced hearing picked up every single whisper buzzing through the produce stalls.

"I don’t feel bad for her at all. She’s always been a massive hypocrite."

"Exactly. She acted like she was royalty just because her dad was the Beta and she was fated to the Alpha."

"It’s honestly a blessing he dropped her. Nadia is so much prettier. And she actually has manners."

A younger voice chimed in from the bakery stand. "Come on, she isn't that bad. She helped rebuild my farm when the rogues attacked last spring."

"Please," an older woman scoffed loudly. "She only did that for the praise. She wanted the attention."

Kaelia shoved her hands deep into her jacket pockets. Her fingernails bit into her palms, drawing tiny drops of blood. She kept walking. She knew the gossip would spread, but she never expected this level of venom. She had broken her back keeping this pack safe. She spent sleepless nights tracking rogues in the freezing rain so these people could sleep peacefully.

They are the hypocrites, her wolf snarled weakly in her mind.

She gritted her teeth, keeping her eyes fixed on the dirt path. Just a little further to the office. But then, a loud, cutting whisper from a butcher's stall made her freeze in her tracks.

"I heard the Alpha is banishing her today. Serves the useless bitch right."

Kaelia stopped. Her chest heaved. The tears she fought so hard to hold back flooded her eyes, blurring her vision. She spun around, facing the crowded market stalls.

"W-What?" Kaelia’s voice trembled. "He’s kicking me out?"

The bustling marketplace instantly went dead silent. Dozens of eyes stared back at her. The only sound was Kaelia’s ragged breathing.

"I'm useless?" She took a step toward the crowd, the suffocating grief morphing into a desperate, burning anger. "After everything I sacrificed for this pack, I deserve respect! Where would any of you be without me?"

Her voice cracked. The pain bled into her words, echoing off the wooden stalls.

"You’d all be rotting in the ground without me! You have a new Luna now? Great! Let’s see if she stays awake for three days straight hunting the rogues trying to slaughter your livestock. Let’s see if she faces down enemy packs without stuttering! I hate that I was stupid enough to stress over people who don’t give a shit about me!"

The silence stretched, thick and suffocating. No one moved. No one spoke.

Then, a heavy thud hit the dirt right by her boots. A rotten tomato rolled to a stop against her shoe.

"We told you she was arrogant!" a man yelled from the back of the crowd. "A hypocrite! We are glad we got rid of you!"

An apple flew through the air, smacking hard against Kaelia's shoulder. She flinched, taking a staggering step back.

"Your reign is over!" a woman shrieked, pointing an accusing finger. "Don't you dare disrespect the one who took your place! That wouldn't have happened if Nadia wasn't better than you!"

Another tomato sailed through the air. It hit Kaelia squarely in the chest, exploding in a mess of red pulp and foul-smelling juice. The impact stung, but the humiliation cut far deeper.

Then the floodgates opened. Cabbage leaves, spoiled carrots, and bruised apples rained down on her. The pack members shouted vulgar insults, throwing their garbage at the woman who used to be their protector. The produce bruised her skin, soiling her clothes and shattering her pitifully drowning heart.

She was betrayed by her mate. Now, her own people were throwing her away like trash. The shame was a physical weight, crushing her down into the dirt. Tears spilled over her eyelashes, rolling down her cheeks and mixing with the fruit juice on her face.

Is this how much everyone disliked her?

Is this how badly they wanted her gone?

A heavy squash caught her in the ribs. Kaelia’s knees buckled. She collapsed into the dirt, landing right in the pile of rotting garbage. She didn't try to block her face. She just knelt there, letting the fruit hit her body, piling up like waste around her knees. The shouting blurred into a deafening roar of hatred.

They didn't stop throwing. Not until a familiar, booming voice ripped through the vulgar cursing.

"What is going on here?"

The sheer dominance in the tone sent a shockwave through the market. The throwing stopped instantly. Kaelia gasped, recognizing the authoritative growl. Cassian.

The crowd parted, heads bowing in immediate submission. Kaelia kept her eyes glued to the dirt, her chest heaving. She waited for him to finish the job. She waited for the final banishment order.

Cassian’s voice rang out again, echoing off the silent market stalls. "Stop the nonsense and respect your new Beta!"

Kaelia stopped breathing. The tears froze on her cheeks.

Beta?

Her mind flatlined. The shock paralyzed her muscles, keeping her pinned to the rotting ground. When had she ever agreed to be the Beta of this pack?