Prologue
She could feel the blood seeping from the many wounds that littered her body. The only sounds were the heavy breathing of herself and her alpha who stood above her with a dark gaze. The lighting from the flame beside them cause his face to glisten, giving him a much more deadly look.
"You are a woman, Rosemary. Women have no place in such lifestyles as this one." He muttered as he watched her slowly raise from her collapsed position on the floor.
"Fuck you." A small wheeze escaped her as she rose to her feet. She had to keep reminding herself that challenging him was the only way she'd possibly find freedom.
The man growled back at her but didn't make a move. A crowd of onlookers had began to form the moment they smelt spilled blood. What started out as a private verbal quarrel had turned into an all out public brawl.
Like any pack never was forced to, Rose went to her Alpha seeking permission to leave the pack grounds. She tried being civil like her mother taught her to be but when that didn't work
"Back down Rosemary." His dark eyes held a warning look. "I'm serious."
Rose squared her jaw and slid back into her fighting stance, spitting out blood that had pooled in her mouth. "So am I."
Her alpha looked to his pack then back at the somewhat small woman in front of him. "You really don't want to do this. I'm warning you."
Rose let her actions speak for themselves when she lunged out and struck his cheek. Silence fell over the training arena at the sight of blood forming from the wound she created. A snarl was the last thing she heard before she felt him coming at her. He moved in a blur.
One moment she was glaring into his eyes and the next she was hunched over in pain. She could feel the burn of his claws tearing at the flesh of her abdomen but he didn't give her a break. She felt more slashes on her exposed back and when she arched up he got a strong hold of her throat. The floor was pulled from under her and she was slammed onto her back.
"How dare you challenge me pup!" She could feel his rage but the fight in her never wavered.
She swung her closed fist at his face and effectively hit his cheekbone. While he was in shock from the first blow she sent a second one to his chin. The power of her uppercut knocked him off and she flipped there positions so she was on top, non stop clawing at any exposed portion of his body.
As she expected he got the upper hand once again by thrusting his hips upward, sending her flying off of him. With a strength she hadn't known he possessed, he pinned her down and held his sharp claws to her throat.
"Submit and be exiled or die."
Rose looked over the flame to the unmoving crowd, studying each expression. As expected, many of the watching men held a smug look, one that told how happy they were that she'd been 'put in her place'. Some women looked fearful while others held disappointment. The most noticeable gaze was that of her mother. Her mother shook her head with teary eyes and mouthed the word 'submit'.
Rose frowned as she continued to gaze at everyone until her line of vision ended up on the Luna who watched with a look of horror. A fresh bruises painted sections of the young Luna's face. When she felt more pressure and her nails digging into her neck.
She looked straight into the furious Alpha's eyes. "Choose. Now."
With a sigh of defeat she turned her head to the side. The words felt like acid on her tongue but it had to be done. "I...I submit."
"This is what happens when you let your emotions get the best of you." He applied a bit more pressure as he looked up to face the pack. "This is why a woman could never hold a position of power."
Looked back down to give her a final glare before releasing her. He yanked her up by her upper arm and forced her to her knees. "I, Alpha Vincent Holland, Alpha of the Black Hollows Pack denounce you, Rosemary Eloise Montgomery. You have been condemned to a life of exile."
Rose waited for the final blow, his claws coming down on her cheek. She could already tell from the searing pain that it'd definitely scar.
"You have an hour to grab your things and leave. Do not step on these pack lands again unless you wish for death."
She could hear everyone's retreat as she nursed her heavily bleeding cheek. She vowed to always remember this pain because when she would return, this fucked up pack was going to burn.
