Chapter 52
The next morning, I sat at the long wooden table in the Silver Moon Pack’s dining hall, staring at my untouched plate of food. The rich aroma of eggs, freshly baked bread, and roasted meat filled the air, but I had no appetite.
Not after what had happened last night. Not after what I had discovered. Across from me, Tyler sat with his arms crossed, his jaw tight, listening as I recounted everything.
The garden. The rogue. Amaya’s betrayal. I kept my voice steady, even though my insides still burned with fury.
When I was done, I looked up, expecting Tyler to say something. But he just sat there. Silent. Unmoving.
His golden eyes darkened, his fingers tightening around his fork until the metal bent slightly. Then, he exhaled sharply, slamming his hand against the table.
“I never saw it coming,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Not Amaya.”
His voice was cold, filled with raw, unfiltered rage.
I nodded slowly. “Neither did I.”
Tyler’s hands curled into fists. “She was so damn quiet. Always stayed out of drama. We took her in when she had nowhere to go. And we took her back despite eloping with your stepfather.” His lip curled in disgust.
“And this is how she repays the pack?”
I clenched my jaw. “Apparently so.”
Tyler stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor.
“She doesn’t deserve to rot in our dungeon,” he growled. “She’s getting kicked out today.”
I exhaled, relieved. It was the only way. There was no coming back from this. An hour later, we stood in the packed courtyard.
The sun was bright and unforgiving, the ground dry beneath my feet. The guards dragged Amaya out of the dungeon, her wrists bound in silver cuffs. She looked… different.
Her usually neat hair was messy, her skin pale, her eyes hollow with exhaustion. But when she saw me, those empty eyes filled with desperation.
“Aurora!” she gasped, struggling against the guards. “You have to believe me—I’m innocent!”
I scoffed, crossing my arms. “You were caught, Amaya. You were talking to a rogue in the middle of the night. There’s no explaining that away.”
She shook her head violently, her breathing ragged. “It’s not what you think! That rogue wasn’t part of the attack! I wasn’t helping them!”
Tyler let out a harsh laugh.
“And we’re just supposed to believe that?” he sneered. “You expect us to think you were just having a friendly midnight chat?”
“I swear!” Amaya’s voice cracked with emotion. She looked at me, pleading. “Aurora, we’ve been friends for years. Do you really think I’d ever try to hurt you?”
Something inside me twisted. But I shoved it down. I had spent years believing Amaya was my friend. And all along, she had been lying to me.
“I don’t know what to think anymore,” I muttered, my voice hard. Her face crumpled.
“Please,” she whispered. “I didn’t do this. I didn’t betray you.”
I lifted my chin. “Then why were you out there? Why were you sneaking around?”
She hesitated. And that hesitation told me everything. Because if she was innocent, she would have answered immediately. Tyler stepped forward, his stance dominant, furious.
“You’re done here, Amaya.” His voice was final, absolute. “You will never step foot in this pack again.”
Amaya’s eyes filled with tears.
“Aurora…”
I inhaled deeply, forcing myself not to waver. This was not the same girl I grew up with. This was not my best friend. She had made her choice. Now, I was making mine. I took a slow step toward her, my eyes burning into hers.
“You are no longer welcome in the Silver Moon Pack.”
Her lips parted, her shoulders shaking. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. I don’t want to hear your lies,” I continued. “You made your bed, Amaya. Now lay in it.”
