The Female Alpha They Cast Out Chapter 2

North Ridge was known for its fierce, tough wolves.

I stood at the edge of the cliff, biting my lip. I didn't answer.

He nodded. "I hope you have an answer the next time we meet."

With that, he turned and jumped into the forest.

He disappeared into the darkness. For a moment, I wondered if I'd imagined him because I wanted so badly to escape.

The next day, I returned from the hunt covered in wounds. As usual, I went to claim the food I'd earned from my kill.

My mouth watered when I saw the dark red wolfberries.

Finn, an older Beta who had always been kind to me, was handing out food that day.

He looked at me and sighed.

"Freya, I've heard what people have been saying about you lately."

I looked up at him numbly, wondering where this was going.

"I know you've always been a good kid. Some people have gone too far. I know you're not like that."

I was about to thank him when he continued, "But you're strong, Freya. Elsie is weak. You should take care of her. Be a good sister and let her have some extra meat, okay?"

There it was again. Elsie. Always Elsie. What had I expected?

I looked down at the dry, dull fur on my chest and gave a bitter laugh.

"All right, Finn."

"Then we'll save these wolfberries for Elsie, okay?"

No one knew that even though the pack called me its war goddess, I survived at home on the bones and scraps Elsie left behind.

Months of hunger and untreated wounds finally caught up with me during a sudden snowstorm.

As I lunged at a snow leopard, my vision suddenly went black. My legs gave out under me.

The snow leopard dodged me and slashed its claws across my chest.

I fell and tumbled down the icy slope toward the cliff.

A sickening crack filled the air as my left leg hit a rock and bent the wrong way.

Pain shot through my body.

Half my body hung over the cliff. I dug my claws into the frozen ground and barely stopped myself from falling.

"Help... Please, help me..."

Just then, a pair of hide boots appeared above me.

It was Erik, a young warrior from the pack.

He had been secretly following me, hoping to take any prey I'd already wounded.

"Erik! Pull me up!" Hope rushed through me. I reached for him with a bloody hand.

Erik looked down at me.

He looked at my broken leg, then gave me a cruel smile.

"Pull you up?" Erik crouched at the edge of the cliff and looked down at me. "The war goddess is actually begging someone as worthless as me?"

"Erik, please. My leg is broken."

"Good. I'm glad it's broken," Erik said softly, his eyes full of hate and envy. "Do you know that as long as you're in this pack, none of us male wolves can hold our heads up? Do you know Elsie cries to me every day, saying you bully her and want to kick her out of the house?"

I froze.

"Elsie said she'd be my Luna if you died."

Erik stood and stepped on the back of my hand. Then he slowly pressed down harder.

"Down you go, war goddess."

The bones in my fingers shattered. I couldn't hold on anymore. I plunged into the bottomless ravine.

As I fell, one thought screamed through my head.

I can't die!