A BOND UNBROKEN

June 15, 2014 (10 years ago)

Astrid's eyes welled up with tears as she watched her father being dragged from the cage, his battered body a testament to the torture he'd endured. His eyes, once full of warmth and kindness, now held a haunted look, his mutterings unintelligible. The crowd's jeers and catcalls filled the air as he was pulled to the podium for public judgment, a common fate for offenders in the Blackwood pack. But Astrid knew her father was no traitor - he'd served faithfully as beta since her birth.

As the crowd's venomous words grew louder, Astrid's body shook with sobs. "He should be beheaded!" someone yelled. "Torn apart, his head on a stake as a warning!" others chimed in. Astrid tried to block out the cruel voices, but they only grew louder. She felt a hand on her shoulder, her mother's trembling touch.

"Astrid, don't watch," her mother whispered, but Astrid couldn't tear her eyes away.

A small hand tugged at her skirt. "Asta, what's happening to Papa?" her seven-year-old sister, Ginny, asked, eyes wide with confusion. Astrid forced a shaky smile, trying to shield her sister from the truth. "Papa's fine, Ginny. Just a misunderstanding." She glanced at her younger brother, Noel, his eyes fixed on the gruesome scene. "Noel, let's go home," she urged, trying to shield her siblings from the horror.

But Ginny's grip on her skirt tightened. "No, Asta, I want to stay with Papa!" Astrid's heart ached as she tried to pry Ginny's fingers loose.

As the crowd quieted, Alpha Raven Blackwood, his mate Lisa, and their son Alexander arrived, Alexander's face a stone-cold mask. Astrid's heart sank, knowing her father's fate was all but sealed. The alpha's eyes scanned the crowd, his gaze lingering on Astrid's family before moving to her father.

Third-in-Command, Victor, stood as the prosecutor, his eyes gleaming with malice. "So, you're the traitor," he spat, his voice dripping with disgust. "You've brought shame to our pack."

Astrid's father tried to speak, but his words were barely audible. Victor's words cut deep, and Astrid felt her anger rising.

"How can you say that, Victor?" Astrid demanded, her voice shaking with emotion. "My father would never betray the pack!"

Victor's gaze turned to her, his eyes cold and unforgiving. "Silence, Astrid! You know nothing of what your father has done. He's been conspiring with rival packs, putting our own pack members in danger."

Astrid's mother placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down, but Astrid shook it off. She knew her father was innocent, and Victor's accusations were nothing but lies.

Alpha Raven Blackwood, who had been watching the scene unfold, stepped forward. "Victor, that's enough. We'll hear the evidence before making any judgments."

But Victor continued, his voice growing louder. "The evidence is clear! Your father's own words condemn him. He's a traitor, and he deserves to be punished!"

Astrid's heart ached as she saw the doubt in the pack members' eyes. She knew she had to act fast to clear her father's name.

Astrid's mind raced as she tried to think of a way to defend her father. She knew he was innocent, but Victor's words had planted seeds of doubt in the pack's minds.

"Alpha, please," Astrid begged, turning to Alpha Raven. "You have to listen to me. My father would never betray the pack. Victor is lying!"

Alpha Raven's expression was sympathetic, but firm. "Astrid, I want to believe you, but we need to hear the evidence. Victor, present your case."

Victor sneered, confident in his own deceit. "Very well, Alpha. We have witnesses who will testify that Astrid's father was seen meeting with rival pack members in secret. We have documents showing that he was planning to overthrow you, Alpha."

Astrid's heart sank as Victor presented his fake evidence. She knew her father was innocent, but it seemed like no one believed her.

The room erupted into chaos as the pack members began arguing among themselves. Victor's evidence and manipulation had already swayed the pack's opinion. The pack members cried out for punishment, and Victor's voice rose above the rest.

"Beheading is the only suitable punishment for a traitor like him!" Victor shouted, his eyes gleaming with malice.

Astrid's heart sank as she saw her father's fate all but sealed. She fell to her knees, begging the alpha to show mercy.

"Please, Alpha Raven, don't take my father's life! He's innocent, I swear it!"

Alpha Raven's expression was torn, but Victor's influence and the pack's bloodlust seemed too great to overcome.

Just as all hope seemed lost, the alpha's mate, Lisa, stepped forward. "Raven, consider banishment instead. It's a harsh punishment, but it spares the pack the stain of bloodshed."

Alpha Raven hesitated, then nodded. "Very well. Banishment it is. Stephan, you are hereby stripped of your rank and privileges. You will leave our pack lands immediately and never return."

Astrid felt a mix of emotions: relief that her father's life was spared, but also despair at the thought of losing him. She knew that banishment was a fate worse than death for a werewolf, stripping him of his family, friends, and home.

Victor's face turned red with rage. "Banishing just the father is too lenient! The entire family must be punished as an example to others who would dare betray us!"

Astrid's mother stepped forward, pleading. "No, please! Our children have done nothing wrong. They're innocent."

But Victor's words had already swayed the pack's opinion. The pack members began to chant. "Banish them all! Banish them all!"

Alpha Raven looked torn, but Victor's influence was too great. "I'm afraid it's out of my hands. The pack has spoken. The entire family is hereby banished from our lands."

Astrid felt like she'd been punched in the gut. She looked around frantically, hoping someone would speak up in their defense. But Alexander, who had been silent throughout the trial, just stood there, his eyes fixed on the ground.

Astrid felt a sting of betrayal. Why hadn't he said anything? Didn't he care that her family was being torn apart?

As the pack's enforcers moved to escort them away, Astrid's father turned to her. "Astrid, take care of your siblings. Keep them safe."

Astrid nodded, tears streaming down her face. She glanced at Alexander one last time, but he still hadn't looked up. Astrid's heart seethed with anger and hurt as she gazed at Alexander's impassive face. Just a week ago, he had held her in his arms, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, promising to love her through thick and thin. But now, when she needed him most, he stood silent, unmoved by her family's banishment.

She cursed herself for loving a rogue like him, who spoke honeyed words but had no intention of keeping them. His silence was a betrayal, a stark contrast to the fervent declarations of love he had made just days before.

As the enforcers led her family away, Astrid's eyes locked onto Alexander's, her gaze burning with anger and hurt. She expected some flicker of emotion, some sign of regret, but his expression remained stone-cold.

"You're just going to stand there and watch us leave?" she spat, her voice trembling with rage. "After everything you said to me, after everything we shared?"

Alexander's eyes finally met hers, but they were empty, devoid of the love and passion she had once seen there. Astrid's heart shattered into a million pieces as she realized she had been blind to his true nature.

"You're just going to reject me, reject our bond, after everything we've been through?" Astrid's voice cracked, her heart breaking into a million pieces.

Alexander's silence was a deafening rejection, a stark confirmation that he'd severed their mate bond. As he turned away, his gaze scanning the crowd with indifference, Astrid felt the searing pain in her heart intensify. It was as if she'd been gutted, her breath knocked out of her, leaving her gasping for air.

But the agony in her chest superseded all else - a burning, suffocating ache that threatened to consume her. She wanted to scream, to wail, to shatter the silence with her anguish. Tears sprang to her eyes, blurring her vision as she struggled to comprehend the magnitude of his rejection.

How could the man she loved, the man she thought loved her with equal ferocity, so callously discard their bond? The question echoed through her mind like a cruel mantra, taunting her with the realization that their love was nothing but a lie.

Astrid's vision blurred as tears welled up in her eyes. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of pain, the mate bond's severing leaving a gaping hole in her chest. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, as the agony consumed her.

She took a step forward, her hand reaching out as if to grab Alexander's arm, to beg him to stay, to beg him to love her. But her legs buckled beneath her, and she fell to her knees, her body wracked with sobs.

The crowd around her faded into the background as she felt the bond between her and Alexander snap, the connection that had once been so strong now nothing but a memory.

Astrid's heart shattered into a million pieces as she realized she'd lost him, lost their love, lost everything. She was alone now, truly alone, with only her pain to keep her company.

As she wept, she felt her family's eyes on her, their concern and sadness palpable. But even their love and support couldn't ease the ache in her chest, the burning sensation that seemed to sear her very soul.