3 - Banishment or death
A promise she fully intended on keeping.
The reason why Netayah assured that all of her chores were finished by two fifteen that afternoon. Getting the house completely spotless, she put up the groceries she'd been instructed to restock the shelves with. Confident there wasn't anything her family could find a complaint with, Netayah rushed upstairs.
At promptly two thirty, Netayah emerged from the front door of the house, headed into town. Today she was dressed in a nice black dress, her hair placed atop her head and curls framed her face. Netayah even applied the faintest amount of makeup, what little she'd been allowed to have. To ensure that when she finally arrived at the Alpha Square, she wouldn't disgrace her family further with a poor appearance.
Five minutes till three o'clock Netayah arrived at the Alpha Square, as was instructed of her. Abby tipped her head in acknowledgment of the girl, though she never attempted to call her forth. Since her failed awakening Netayah was no longer welcome to sit among her family, forgotten to the shadows. Even as she knew what was expected of her, Netayah frowned, unable to miss the smirk across her face. What on earth? Her mother was...preening. Serina was too. Why? What was going on?
That same bad feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, forewarning her of the hell soon to come. Cautioning her that something bad loomed in the distance and her life would never be the same again. The last time Netayah experienced this sensation she'd failed to shift as her other packmates had. Oh goddess, what could it be this time?
Five minutes passed the deadline, leaving her to wonder why the alpha was tardy, Alpha Darius arrived. Like always she was overwhelmed at the sheer enormity of the man, nearly as large as her own father. Unlike Phillip Greystone, there was none of the gentleness, merely a deafening darkness and cruelty. Forewarning her the man he truly was on the inside, the savage beast he hid from the view of the public.
She shuddered.
None of her thoughts of the man and the cause for their presence could prepare her for what was to come.
Alpha Darius sneered down at the girl who stood before him, wrinkling his nose up in disgust. His voice was loud, dark. “I, Darius Elliot Nathaniel Blake Whittaker, Alpha of the Black Bear Pack hereby banish you Netayah Amelia Amethyst Greystone, from both this pack and our sacred lands.”
Standing in the center of the Alpha square dressed in the nicest clothes she'd been allowed, Netayah lurched forward at the proclamation of the alpha. Her mind spun dizzily with the words that'd burst forth from his mouth, unable to comprehend what he'd said to her.
“What?” she gasped, horrified.
Netayah mentally shook her head to dislodge her thoughts, in the vain hope that she'd just imagined the horrible words that had come out of his mouth. She had to be hearing things. He couldn't have honestly just said that to her. He couldn't be that cruel.
No, she had to have imagined it. It had to be a mistake. Determined to prove herself falsely Netayah refocused her attention on the man before her, paying extra close attention to the words that he spoke. All in an attempt to prove to herself that she'd been mistaken, that her mind had heard him wrong.
Alpha Darius sneered down at the teenage girl before him, expressing all the pent-up rage and hatred that he felt for the one in his presence. Large beefy hands balled into tight fists at his side. “From this day forward, you are no longer to be welcomed in my territory. You are to be stripped of your home, family, title and placement among my pack, and all those who attempt to aid you will suffer my wrath.”
“NO!” she screamed, vehemently shaking her head as she backed away from the man, desperately pleading him to stop his cruelty to her. “Please don't do this, I haven't done anything wrong.”
Yet as the intense pain struck in the center of her chest, feeling as if her heart was shattering to pieces she knew that it was already too late. Her entire soul trembled in pain as Netayah felt the severed connection, screaming as the link to her pack was cut, a physical pain she couldn't comprehend. Werewolves were in packs for a reason, as their wolves needed companionship and thrived on the link that bound each of them together. So anytime that link was severed it left them lost and alone, broken on the inside, weakened by the loss of their pack and sometimes it resulted in death.
Tears poured down her face as she felt the shattering of her very soul, agony surged up inside of her, unable to believe this was happening. When her mother had reminded her she needed to be at the Alpha Square she'd never imagined in a million years this would be the outcome of her life. Granted, she'd known the day would come when judgment was passed over her, but she'd never imagined that it would be this.
Okay, so it didn't exactly look good having a cub that failed to shift on her thirteenth birthday, but that had been over three years ago.
“Please,” she begged, “don't do this to me.”
Of course, the man wasn't listening to her. His need to listen to her had ended the moment Netayah emerged from the woods, without a wolf. In the vain hope of finding help her gaze scanned through the crowd of people, desperate to find someone, anyone, willing to help her. Although the majority of the crowd was cheering in response to the alpha's statements, three among them did not share their excitement. Holly, Sandy...and wait, Garrett.
The first two were expected. Holly and Sandy had been her best friends since preschool; bound together by their shared family ties, it didn't come as a surprise when they became best friends. Even after her failed awakening, while her family and the rest of the pack had turned on her, they alone had stood by her side, supporting her however they could. It was a friendship that'd saved her these last couple of years, had given her the strength to weather the hateful barbs and cruel treatment.
The both of them were huddled together, tears were pouring down their face and shaking in sobs, at the thought of what was happening to her. Even while the both of them yearned to come to her aid, to save her from what was happening, neither of them had the power to stop it.
Her gaze traveled among the crowd until it finally settled on Garret Whittaker, the future Alpha of the Black Bear pack and at one time her hopeful mate. Despite there being a six year age difference between them, Garrett and she had always been close, he'd even secretly hoped she was his mate. It was wildly known that there'd been a secret alliance between him and her parents, he'd take her as his chosen Luna.
When her wolf had failed to make an emergence he'd taken a step back from her life, but he'd never expressed the same cruelty and malice. Anytime their eyes had dared to meet Netayah witnessed the emotionless stare, unable to fathom his thoughts. Only now the man she thought hated her watched her with sadness in his eyes, wincing in pain at the angry words that his father spoke.
“I'm sorry,” he mouthed.
It was clear that Garrett did not approve of the decision that his father had made, but honestly, there was nothing that he could do either. No one could deny the alpha's ruling, not even his son. Only an alpha could do to argue the demands of another and Garrett wouldn't ascend until his father stepped down.
Alpha Darius bore down on the girl who was crouched low on the ground before him, glaring with such hatred she could literally feel it suffocating her. "Don't think that my son will save you this time, I will not allow Garrett to destroy his life over a wolfless scum like you. Out of consideration for your father and the loyalty he's shown me all these years, I will give you one hour to get off my territory. After that, you are fair game."
My father? she thought. Her head snapped in the direction of where her parents sat to the left of the stage, having taken the position in the seats meant for the Betas. Staring at her father who sat in the chair that would be directly next to the Alpha, having been his right-hand man for years, she frowned. Alpha Darius made it seem like this was a favor to him, as if her father would actually care enough to give his daughter consideration. After all her father had shown her in so many different ways how much he despised her, having been cold and cruel, and oblivious to her presence. So why?
Only as her gaze landed on him among the crowd his eyes suddenly snapped towards her, as if he could sense her looking at him and their eyes met. For the briefest of moments, Netayah could've sworn that she saw sadness and pain in those eyes, a misery that didn't quite match the man she'd known. None of this made sense.
Then he mouthed, RUN!
Thrown into action at the silent command of the man, with one last look at the father she'd never see again, Netayah lunged straight to her feet. She did as she was told to. She ran. Leaping off the edge of the stage, feet barely touched the ground when she took off running in the distance.
Rather than running to the north borders to escape the territory of Alpha Darius, she changed course at the last minute, headed to the Greystone home. Netayah knew from experience that all the members of the pack were waiting at the Alpha Square, as they would be forced to for the next hour. Alpha Darius would not allow any of them the opportunity to leave, providing her the allotted time to escape the pack before she was hunted down.
Sneaking upstairs to her bedroom Netayah hurriedly changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top, then her best running shoes, grabbing a thick hoodie. Then snatching up her pendant from inside her pillow, one of the last pieces of her past. Following her awakening she'd hidden it beneath the floorboard, keeping her mother from taking it as she'd done with the rest. The pendant was a present from her father on her twelfth birthday, having kept it secret all these years.
He had to. Daddy had even unconsciously pointed it out during one of the few times the two of them were alone. The one time it'd nearly been spotted he'd helped her keep it a secret, as if he wanted her to have it. Netayah never understood his determination for the necklace to remain a secret from his wife, but it seemed important to him.
Having retrieved what'd bought her back to this house, Netayah said goodbye to the only home she'd ever known. Aware that time was of the essence for her right now, Netayah quickly flew into action.