The heavy oak doors of the pack house slammed shut, the resounding thud echoing the finality of King Roan's departure. The biting wind, a constant reminder of the unforgiving northern landscape, seemed to seep into the grand hall, chilling the already tense atmosphere. Arin, her head still bowed, her arms bound, stood like a condemned prisoner, the weight of her shame pressing down on her.
The silence that followed was broken by the sharp, mocking laughter of Usera, Arin's stepmother. "Well, well, well," she sneered, her voice dripping with venom. "Look what we have here. The king's discarded whore."
Nova, Usera's daughter and Arin's stepsister, joined in the cruel chorus, her laughter echoing through the hall. "I always knew you were trouble, Arin," she taunted, her eyes glittering with malicious glee. "But I never thought that you would be so… disgusting."
Arin remained silent, her body trembling with a mixture of fear and humiliation. She could not bear to look at them, to see the triumph in their eyes. She had never given them a reason to hate her, yet they reveled in her misfortune.
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the hall, signaling Oswald's return. He entered the hall, his face etched with a mixture of anger and despair. His gaze fell upon Arin, his eyes filled with a desperate plea for answers.
"Arin, my child." he began, his voice strained, "tell me… how did this happen?"
Usera, her eyes flashing with a cold fury, cut him short. "How dare you show her any sympathy, Oswald?" she hissed, her voice sharp and accusatory. "She has humiliated us all! She has turned the king against us!"
She stepped closer to Oswald, her eyes blazing with a fierce intensity. "You must banish her, Oswald," she warned, her voice low and dangerous. "If you don't, the king will think that we condone and have connived with her treachery. He will think we are all part of this… this disgrace!"
Oswald hesitated, his gaze shifting between Arin and Usera. He knew that Usera was right. Roan's anger was a dangerous force, one that could destroy their pack. He could not afford to risk the king's wrath.
He turned to Arin, his eyes filled with a deep, aching sadness. "Tell me my child," he said softly. "Who did this to you and I will make them pay!"
"I don't know." Arin cried pitifully.
"You must go, Arin," Oswald said, his voice barely audible. "You must go to… to whoever did this to you."
Arin's head snapped up, her eyes wide with disbelief. "But Father," she pleaded, her voice trembling, "I don't know… I don't know how this happened. I have never…"
Nova burst into a fit of cruel laughter, her voice echoing through the hall. "Oh, please," she sneered, her eyes glittering with malicious glee. "Don't insult our intelligence. We always thought you were so pure, so innocent. But you are just like the rest of them. A slut, a whore, sleeping with anyone who will have you even though you were betrothed to the most powerful man. And now you can't even tell us who the father is!"
Arin's face flushed crimson, her eyes filled with a mixture of shame and anger. "That is not true!" she cried, her voice trembling. "I have never… I've never been with anyone!"
"Enough!" Oswald roared, his voice echoing through the hall. He could not bear to listen to their cruel taunts, to witness his daughter's humiliation. He had to end this, to protect his pack.
He turned to Arin, his eyes filled with a cold, unwavering resolve. "You are banished, Arin," he declared, his voice laced with a chilling finality. "You are no longer welcome in this pack. Leave, and never return here."
Arin's eyes widened, her heart shattering into a thousand pieces. She could not believe what she was hearing. Her own precious father, the man who had always protected her, was casting her out, condemning her to a life of exile.
"Father, please," she begged, her voice choked with tears. "You can't do this! I am innocent! I swear it, I have done nothing wrong!"
Oswald turned away, his back rigid, his shoulders tense. He couldn't bear to look at her, to see the pain in her eyes. He had made his decision, and he would not waver.
"Guards," he commanded, his voice sharp and decisive. "Escort her from the pack lands. And make sure she never returns."
The guards, their faces impassive, stepped forward, their hands tightening on Arin's bound arms. They dragged her towards the entrance, her cries echoing through the hall.
Arin stumbled out into the biting wind, her tears freezing on her cheeks. She looked back at the pack house, her home, her sanctuary, now a symbol of her betrayal. She felt a wave of despair, a sense of utter loneliness.
She had lost everything. Her family, her home, her reputation. She was alone, abandoned, cast out into the unforgiving wilderness.
She didn't know where to go, what to do. She was a wolfless werewolf, vulnerable, defenseless. She was at the mercy of the harsh northern landscape, at the mercy of any predator that might cross her path.
She had to survive. She had to find a way to clear her name, to prove her innocence. She had to find the truth, to uncover the mystery of her pregnancy.
She would not give up. She would not surrender. She would find a way to reclaim her life