The Banished Mate: Awakening Silver Wolf

Accused And Condemned

Another one grabbed my hair, yanking my head back. “Do you remember, Ella? Do you remember how he looked at you with disgust? How he chose Lila over you?”

I bit my lip, forcing back the tears. “Yes,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I remember.”

They laughed, their voices echoing in the empty hall. “Good,” Lila said coldly. “I want you to remember. I want you to suffer every single day, knowing that you’re nothing. That you’ll always be nothing.”

She kicked me in the stomach, her high heel digging into my ribs. Pain exploded through my body, but I didn’t cry out. I wouldn’t give her that satisfaction.

“Clean up this mess,” she ordered, turning away with a flick of her hair. “And when you’re done, scrub the floors in my room. They better be spotless, or you’ll be sleeping outside tonight.”

They left, their laughter echoing down the hallway. I lay there for a moment, my body trembling, my heart shattered into a million pieces.

But I forced myself to get up, to keep moving. I cleaned the hall, scrubbing until my hands bled, refusing to give up.

I would endure. I would survive.

And one day, I would make them all pay for this....But before I would even nurse the ideal of revenge in my mind, something worst happened...

It started with a missing bracelet. A delicate gold chain with ruby stones, a gift from Kaden to Lila.

I was scrubbing the floors in the main hall when the accusation came. Lila’s shriek echoed through the house, her voice full of outrage. “My bracelet! It’s gone! Someone stole it!”

I looked up just as she stormed in, her eyes blazing with fury. She was surrounded by her friends, all of them glaring at me as if I were the culprit.

I lowered my head, my heart pounding. I hadn’t seen her bracelet. I hadn’t even been near her room. But the way they looked at me, the way Lila’s lips curled into a cruel smile, I knew what was coming.

“You!” she shouted, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at me. “You stole my bracelet!”

I froze, the blood draining from my face. “No... I didn’t... I would never...”

Lila’s eyes gleamed with malice. “Liar! You’re nothing but a filthy thief. You’ve always been jealous of me. You probably wanted to sell it and run away.”

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but before I could speak, Mira appeared, her face twisted in disgust. “So, the little rat is a thief too? I knew you were trouble.”

“I didn’t take it!” I cried, my voice trembling. “I swear, I didn’t even see the bracelet.”

Lila’s face hardened, her eyes cold. “Search her.”

Mira grabbed me roughly, her hands digging into my arms as she dragged me to the center of the hall. The other maids gathered around, their faces full of disdain and curiosity.

They ripped through my clothes, yanking at my pockets, tearing my worn dress as they searched for the bracelet. I stood there, humiliated and exposed, my body trembling with fear and shame.

“Nothing,” Mira muttered, throwing my clothes to the floor. “She doesn’t have it.”

Lila’s eyes narrowed, her lips curling in a cruel smile. “Check her room.”

I shook my head desperately. “No, please! I didn’t take it! I swear!”

But they didn’t listen. Two guards dragged me to my tiny room, throwing me to the floor as they tore through my belongings. There was nothing to find—just my old blanket and the rags I wore each day.

But then one of the guards let out a triumphant shout. “Found it!”

He held up the delicate gold bracelet, the ruby stones gleaming in the dim light. My heart stopped, my blood turning to ice. How? How did it get here?

Lila’s eyes flashed with satisfaction as she stepped into the room, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “Oh, Ella... I trusted you. I gave you a chance to serve me, and this is how you repay me? By stealing from me?”

“I didn’t!” I screamed, tears streaming down my face. “I didn’t take it! I don’t know how it got here!”

Lila’s face hardened, her voice cold and merciless. “Liar. Thief. You’ve always been jealous of me. Always trying to take what’s mine. First Kaden, and now my bracelet?”

I shook my head, sobbing. “I swear, I didn’t—”

She slapped me hard, the force knocking me to the ground. “Enough! You’ve disgraced this pack long enough. Guards, teach her a lesson.”

The guards advanced, their faces blank and merciless. I scrambled back, my heart racing with terror. “No! Please!”

But they didn’t listen. One of them kicked me hard in the stomach, the air rushing out of my lungs as pain exploded through me. I curled into a ball, my body shaking as they kicked me again and again, their boots slamming into my ribs, my back, my legs.

I tasted blood, my vision blurring as the world spun around me. I heard Lila’s laughter, cold and cruel. “Make sure she remembers this lesson. Thieves are not welcome in this pack.”

Pain shot through my head as one of the guards grabbed my hair, yanking me to my knees. He punched me hard, his fist slamming into my face, my nose breaking with a sickening crunch. Blood poured down my face, staining my torn clothes.

I was too weak to fight back, too broken to resist. I could only curl up on the floor, shielding my head as they continued to beat me, their fists and boots raining down on me without mercy.

I don’t know how long it lasted. Time lost all meaning as pain consumed me, my body broken and bleeding. My ribs felt shattered, every breath a sharp, agonizing stab. My face was swollen, my vision blurry and distorted....