Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce!-Chapter 159

Aria’s POV

The assembly ground was massive.

I’d never been here before. Never had a reason to. This was where the pack gathered for important announcements. For ceremonies. For trials.

For judgments.

Hundreds of wolves were already here. More arriving every minute. Streaming in from every direction. Their faces confused. Worried. Curious.

No one knew why they’d been summoned.

But they came anyway.

Because the Alpha commanded it.

I stood at the edge of the crowd. Trying to make myself invisible. Trying not to draw attention.

It wasn’t working.

People kept staring. Whispering. Pointing.

"Is that her?"

"The assistant?"

"Why is SHE here?"

I wrapped my arms around myself. Wished I could disappear.

Damon appeared beside me. His expression grim.

"You should stand closer to the front," he said quietly. "The Alpha wants you where he can see you."

He guided me forward. Through the crowd. People parted automatically when they saw who was with me.

The Beta. Escorting me like I was someone important.

More whispers. More stares.

We stopped near the platform. A raised stone structure in the center of the grounds. Where the Alpha would stand. Where everyone could see and hear.

I looked up.

Kael was already there. Standing at the edge. His hands clasped behind his back. His face expressionless.

But his eyes...

His eyes were still red.

Burning red.

Fenrir was close to the surface. Barely contained.

The crowd went quiet. That instant, absolute silence that only happened when an Alpha commanded attention.

Kael didn’t speak yet. Just stood there. Letting the tension build. Letting everyone feel the weight of what was coming.

Then he nodded to someone off to the side.

Two guards appeared. Dragging someone between them.

Rebecca.

She looked nothing like the polished, perfect woman from earlier.

Her hair was a mess. Her makeup smeared beyond recognition. Her designer dress torn at the shoulder.

She was fighting them. Pulling against their grip. Her face twisted with rage and fear.

"LET GO OF ME!" Her voice was shrill. Desperate. "You can’t do this! I’M A SILVER FANG! You can’t treat me like some CRIMINAL!"

The guards ignored her. Just kept dragging her forward. Up the steps. Onto the platform.

They threw her down.

Not gently.

She hit the stone hard. Her knees cracking against the surface.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

Rebecca tried to stand. One of the guards pushed her back down.

"Stay." The command was simple. Final.

She stayed. On her knees. Her chest heaving. Her eyes darting around wildly.

Looking for help. For someone to intervene.

No one moved.

Kael stepped forward. His footsteps echoing in the silence.

He looked down at Rebecca. His expression cold. Distant.

Like she was a stranger. Not someone he’d known his entire life.

"Three years ago," his voice rang out. Clear. Powerful. "A member of our pack was attacked. Poisoned. Left for dead in an alley near the human border."

The crowd shifted. Uneasy murmurs spreading like wildfire.

"The victim survived. But the attack had lasting consequences. She lost her wolf. Lost her connection to the very thing that makes us who we are."

My chest tightened. He was talking about me.

In front of everyone.

"For three years, we didn’t know who was responsible." Kael’s voice got harder. "But today, we found evidence. Proof. Undeniable truth."

He turned. Looked directly at Rebecca.

"The attacker was one of our own. Someone we trusted. Someone who swore the same oaths we all swore. To protect the pack. To never harm our own."

Rebecca’s face crumpled. Tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Kael, please—"

"Rebecca Silver Fang." His voice cut through her plea like a knife. "You are charged with the attempted murder of a pack member. How do you plead?"

Silence.

Rebecca’s mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.

Then something in her expression changed. That fear melting away. Replaced by something uglier.

Defiance.

"Fine." She spat the word. "FINE. I did it. I poisoned her. I wanted her DEAD."

The crowd erupted. Gasps. Shouts. Angry voices overlapping.

Kael raised his hand. Instant silence.

"You admit it." His voice was dangerously calm. "In front of the entire pack. You admit to trying to kill one of our own."

"YES!" Rebecca screamed. Struggling against the guards holding her. "I admit it! She deserved it! She STOLE you from me! We were supposed to be TOGETHER!"

She was crying now. Ugly, desperate sobs.

"I did everything right! I was PERFECT for you! Beautiful! Powerful! Everything you needed! But you chose HER! That pathetic, worthless—"

"Enough."

The single word carried so much power that Rebecca’s voice cut off mid-sentence.

Kael looked out at the crowd. At hundreds of faces watching. Waiting.

"Our pack has one rule above all others." His voice was steady. Absolute. "We protect our own. No matter the cost. No matter the reason."

He paused. Let that sink in.

"Rebecca Silver Fang broke that rule. She attacked a member of this pack. She tried to kill someone under my protection."

His eyes blazed redder.

"For that crime, there is only one punishment."

The crowd held its breath.

"Exile."

The word echoed across the assembly ground. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Rebecca Silver Fang, you are hereby banished from this territory. You will be escorted to the border. You will be taken to the farthest region beyond our lands. And you will never be permitted to return."

"NO!" Rebecca’s scream pierced the air. "NO! You can’t do this! KAEL!"

She tried to stand. The guards forced her back down.

"We grew up together!" Her voice broke. "We were friends! You can’t just throw me away like I’m NOTHING!"

Kael’s expression didn’t change.

"You made your choice three years ago. When you decided your jealousy was worth more than someone’s life."

"PLEASE!" Rebecca was sobbing now. Desperate. "Please, Kael! I’m sorry! I’ll do anything! Just don’t send me away! I’ll apologize! I’ll make it right! I’ll—"

"There is no making this right."

The finality in his voice was absolute.

Rebecca’s face twisted. From pleading to pure hatred in an instant.

She whirled around. Her eyes finding me in the crowd.

"YOU!" She pointed a shaking finger at me. "This is YOUR fault! You RUINED everything! You destroyed my LIFE!"

She tried to lunge in my direction. The guards yanked her back.

"I hope you’re HAPPY!" Rebecca screamed. Spit flying from her mouth. "I hope you ROT! I hope you suffer like I’m suffering! I’ll come back! I’ll find you! I’ll KILL YOU! I SWEAR I’LL—"

Kael moved.

One second he was standing calmly. The next his hand was around Rebecca’s throat.

Not squeezing. Not choking.

Just holding. A warning.

"Threaten her again." His voice was barely above a whisper. But everyone heard it. "And exile will be the least of your concerns."

He released her. She collapsed. Gasping. Sobbing.

"Take her away."

The guards obeyed immediately. Dragging Rebecca off the platform. She was still screaming. Still cursing. Still promising revenge.

Her voice faded as they pulled her toward the edge of the grounds.

Toward the vehicles that would take her away forever.

The crowd was buzzing now. Voices rising. Questions flying.

Kael raised his hand again. Silence fell.

"I know many of you have been speculating." His voice carried across the assembly ground. Clear. Firm. "About the Luna position. About potential candidates."

My heart stopped.

Oh no.

Oh god no.

Please don’t—

"I want to make something clear." Kael continued. His eyes scanning the crowd. "When I choose a Luna—IF I choose a Luna—you will know. I will make an official announcement. There will be no confusion. No rumors. No speculation."

He paused. Let that sink in.

"Until that time, I expect every member of this pack to show respect. To avoid gossip. To leave innocent people alone."

His gaze swept across the crowd once more.

Then stopped.

On me.

Our eyes met.

Just for a second. Just long enough for me to see something shift in those red depths.

Something softer. Warmer.

Then he looked away.

"That’s all. You’re dismissed."

The crowd began to disperse. Slowly at first. Then faster. People talking. Processing. Already spreading the news of what had happened.

I stood there. Frozen.

My heart was pounding. My hands were shaking.

Kael had just... he’d just defended me. In front of the entire pack. He’d made it clear that the rumors needed to stop. That I deserved respect.

He’d protected me.

Again.

Something warm bloomed in my chest. Spreading outward like sunrise.

Gratitude. Relief. And something else.

Something I was too scared to name.