“You pathetic whore!” One slap across the right side of my face. I pursed my lips as I stopped myself from shedding any tears. Not again. Not anymore. “How dare you show your vile face in front of me? Seeing you disgusts me, Keina!” Another slap, this time on the left side. My cheeks begin to feel numb and at the same time, I feel it starting to get swollen. I already know this will make me look awful in the next coming minutes as it bruises on my face. My life has been like this for a while now. Whenever Ivy sees me alone, she uses this as an opportunity to hurt me. She makes sure that I know my place and that it is at the bottom with the dirt. “Please, Ivy, tha- that’s enough. I- I didn’t even know that y- you would be here. I am just coming back from cleaning the rooms.” I managed to croak out as I lifted my hands up to my cheek. I wince from the pain. They felt so warm, it was almost like touching fire. “Excuse me? Are you talking back at your Luna? You’re nothing but a low

I could sense him. I could sense River nearby, probably right outside my door, which woke me up immediately. I didn’t even bother to see how stupid I looked after falling asleep crying. I got up off the bed and began to sprint towards it, the thought of seeing River and being able to talk to him again fueled everything inside of me. “You’re a fucking idiot, River!” I froze when I heard someone else scream at him. It was Zane. I know his voice, and I know that he was extremely frustrated at him. “Don’t talk to me like that. I’m still your Alpha.” River spoke and his voice sent shivers all over my body. It’s only been a few hours and it was as if my body was already having withdrawals. Just hearing his voice triggered something in me and I needed to pull myself together if I didn’t want to break down again. “I’m talking to you not as your Beta, but as your best friend. Don’t leave Keira hanging like this. Don’t treat her like this.” Zane spoke again, a sense of determination

But it was too late. I couldn’t run away without looking suspicious and besides, she was partially blocking my way. I have to talk to her and pray to the Goddess that whatever this is, I get out of it immediately and in one piece. “Uh… hi…” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before finding a piece of small leaf on it and quickly throwing it away hoping she didn’t see it. She chuckled. She saw it. Damn it. “You weren’t at the Banquet last night. You missed a really good party.” She said and acted as if what she did yesterday didn’t happen at all. What the hell kind of game was she trying to play here? “Uh… I was asleep.” I responded before my eyes wandered around her, trying my best to look everywhere but her because my insecurities will get the best of me if I look at her more. I hate that she’s pretty much perfect in every aspect and exactly how everyone expected for River’s mate to be like. And though River’s parents and his younger brother Skye had to leave on the

Banished. The word echoed in my head like a nightmare, but that’s not even the worst part of it. It’s the fact that River told me he never wanted to see me again. Just a few days ago I was having the best time of my life with him. I was sure that this was where I belonged and believed one day that I was going to start my own family here. Now I was running to my room in tears and as soon as I got there, I started pulling my things out. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe I was just kicked out of my own home while the ones that I considered my family did nothing but stare. The only one that actually bothered to show any kind of compassion was Zane. I could feel his presence near my room, but he didn't come any closer. He can’t. After being banished, no one is allowed to go near them or communicate in any way. It’s a crime punishable by torture. It didn’t seem like a big deal back then because the banished is supposed to be someone so horrible to a fault that you never even want to

5 Years Later “Good morning, mommy!” My eyes fluttered open and after rubbing them a few times, I saw my little boy standing in front of me. He has a wide smile on, his blue eyes glistening with happiness, and his raven hair with silver streaks an adorable mess at the top of his head. “Good morning, Neo.” I moved closer to him to give a small kiss on his forehead. Neo is my pride and joy. My little boy is growing up so quickly, but watching him grow in front of my very eyes is by far the most heartwarming thing. When I gave birth to him, I knew exactly what his name would be the first time I laid my eyes on him. Neo. It meant ‘new’ in Latin and ever since then he has become the embodiment of a new beginning for me. We may have faced hardships together as not everything is all rainbows and butterflies, but with him by my side, nothing was impossible and we conquered it together. “I made you breakfast!” He said excitedly before placing the wooden tray with pancakes, fruits,