Chapter 2

• Riley's POV
• The chains around my wrists were cold and tight.
• Each step I took toward the courtroom echoed louder than the last, like the world was announcing my humiliation.
• Two guards walked beside me-one on each side, hands firm on my arms, like I was some kind of feral beast.
• Just before I reached the heavy oak doors, I saw them.
• My father.
• My mother.
• Kael.
• Standing in the corridor as if they'd just arrived by chance. But I knew better. They were waiting for me.
• "Stop," my father said quietly to the guards. "Give us a moment."
• The guards hesitated, then stepped back.
• I stood still.
• What was left to say?
• "We need your help," Alpha Alaric said.
• I blinked. My lips parted.
• Help?
• Then Luna Zara stepped forward, her expression soft-not with motherly warmth, but with practiced diplomacy.
• "Scarlett can't survive this, Riley," she said. "You know that."
• It hit me like a slap.
• A cruel, unbelievable twist.
• "She's never known pain," Kael added gently. "She's not like you."
• Not like me.
• "You grew up with Rogues," he continued. "You're strong. You've endured worse than prison."
• My heart clenched.
• "You want me to take the blame," I whispered.
• They didn't deny it.
• Kael stepped closer, lowering his voice."I swear, I'll make sure you're protected in there. You won't suffer."
• I laughed.
• A bitter, hollow laugh that scraped my throat raw.
• So this was love? This was family?
• "Thank you," I said. "For finally showing me exactly what I am to you."
• Then I turned without waiting for a reply.
• The doors opened.
• The courtroom was large, circular, made of dark stone and shadow. On the high platform sat the Council of Elders-and at the center, in his black uniform and silver crest, was Maddox.
• My mate.
• My judge.
• My executioner.
• Our eyes met for a brief moment. There was something flickering behind his mask of calm-a glimmer of guilt? Of doubt?
• No. Just calculation.
• Maddox was a Council Judge. An authority. A symbol of justice.
• And he would rather protect Scarlett than defend his own mate.
• Tessa's family was seated nearby, grief-stricken. Alpha Ronan glared at me with rage barely restrained beneath his skin.
• One by one, the witnesses spoke.
• Twisted truths. Skewed assumptions. Convenient silence.
• Maddox presided over it all, pretending not to know the scent of my soul.
• Pretending he couldn't feel the bond between us telling him I was innocent.
• He never looked back at me.
• Finally, the verdict fell from his lips like a dagger to the heart:
• "Riley of Ebonclaw Pack, you are sentenced to five years in Werewolf Detainment for your crimes against the Blackmaw Pack and endangering the life of an Alpha heir."
• My knees almost gave out.
• Five years.
• Five years in that place.
• No trial by combat. No second chances.
• Just exile.
• Just silence.
• Just betrayal.
• I was dragged out of the courtroom. My body felt numb, as if every word I had heard had turned into a weight pressing down on my bones.
• And then I heard footsteps.
• Click. Click. Click.
• Scarlett.
• She stepped into the hallway, her arms folded, her expression smug and shining like victory.
• "Prison suits you, Riley," she said sweetly, her voice laced with venom. "I mean, it's practically your second home, isn't it? Rogue-born and all."
• I stared at her, my breath shallow.
• "Don't worry," she continued. "Five years will fly by. And when you come back... well, if you come back... you'll find I've done such wonderful things with the life you wasted."
• She leaned in.
• "They all chose me. Even him."
• She didn't say Maddox's name. She didn't have to.
• I looked away, swallowing down the scream rising in my throat.
• "See you never, sister," she whispered, then walked off, her laughter echoing down the corridor like a curse.
• The guards pulled me forward again.
• Step by step, toward the gates of the prison.
• Toward the darkness.
• Toward the place they thought would break me.
• The cell door creaked open. The stench of blood, rust, and mildew hit me like a wall. The floor was damp. The walls were stained.
• And then-
• Agony.
• It hit me out of nowhere.
• A blinding, soul-tearing pain erupted in my chest, like claws digging into my heart and ripping it apart from the inside.
• I screamed, collapsing to my knees.
• My wolf whimpered deep within me-then howled in pain.
• And through the storm of torment, I heard it.
• His voice. Maddox. Through the bond.
• But it wasn't warmth or apology that reached me.
• It was ice.
• "I reject you as my mate."
• The bond snapped like a shattered bone.
• The silence that followed was louder than any scream.
• My hands trembled against the stone floor.
• Tears blurred my vision-not from the pain of rejection, but from the truth it carried.
• He chose them.
• He chose her.
• And now, I had no mate. No family. No name. No one.
• Only rage.
• Only darkness.
• Only the fire that began to smolder in the broken ruins of my heart.
• This is my hell.
• And if I survive it, I swear...
• I will make them all burn.