"Ethlyn, stop this. Stop lying. I always knew Nathan was sterile. I concealed this fact from you, Nathan, and your family because I wanted to spare Nathan from rejection. But I never expected you to attribute someone else's pup to Nathan," Nathan's mother erupted in anger at Ethlyn.

"Moon Goddess, if Nathan's father were alive, he would die of shame witnessing your disgraceful actions," she added with disgust.

"I, Ethlyn Smith, daughter of former Beta Christian Smith of the Wind Winder Pack, accept Alpha Nathan Gayle's rejection," Ethlyn declared, brushing away her tears. Suddenly, she was engulfed by a powerful wave of pain, shattering her heart into pieces. Her wolf wailed in agony, yet Ethlyn understood she must summon strength for the sake of her unborn pups.

Surveying the faces around her, Ethlyn realized that everyone either hated her or held her in contempt. Her mother and sister looked at her with that same disdain. The one person who could have supported her now languished in a cell.

"You and the father of your pup are to leave my pack immediately," Nathan commanded without even glancing at her.

'Father of your pup.' The phrase echoed in her mind. Little did they know, she was unaware of who the father was, unless it was Nathan. She couldn't recall any nights except those with Nathan.

"What's wrong? Why do you seem lost?" her mother questioned. "Who is the father of your pup?" she inquired further.

'Cinder?' Ethlyn communicated with her wolf.

'I can't recall cheating on our mate. The only night I was apart was during my heat,' Cinder replied, recounting their experiences. 'Prior to that, we were with our mate. There's no way he could have left us in this state.'

Ethlyn eyed her ex-mate, suspicion gnawing at her, wondering if he was behind this.

Or were the people around her orchestrating this?

"Who is the father of your pup, Ethlyn?" her younger sister, Reva, pressed, leading Ethlyn to chuckle in her dire situation. She had no answer.

"Why does it matter now?" Ethlyn challenged, especially her mother, who failed to confront her the moment she discovered the pup wasn't Nathan's. Rising to her feet, wiping her tears, Ethlyn wanted to explain her ignorance about the pup's father, but she feared the torrent of judgments: slut, whore, prostitute, and who knows what else. They might think she'd slept with countless men to be clueless about the pup's father.

"I can't believe you. After this shameful act, you show no hint of remorse," Ethlyn's mother reprimanded, attempting to soothe her.

" What a slut.," Nathan's mother sneered. "Pack your belongings and go."

"Pack her things? What has she earned?" Nathan scoffed, eyeing the ring on her finger and the pendant around her neck. "Everything is mine. Return it."

Ethlyn's jaw clenched; she struggled to accept that all this was happening despite her innocence. Breaking the pendant she wore, she removed her ring and hurled it at Nathan's face.

"Everything that's happening is your fault, Nathan," she accused, surprising him.

"Unbelievable. You're pregnant with someone else's pup, yet you blame me?" Nathan shook his head in disbelief, gripping her arm and forcibly escorting her out of the packhouse.

"Nathan! Be cautious, son! She's pregnant," Nathan's mother cried out.

"Nathan! You don't need to cast her from the pack," Ethlyn's mother implored.

"Alpha Nathan! Release my sister! Alpha..." Reva sobbed with teary eyes.

Although Ethlyn had protected her stomach with her hand, she felt numb amidst the simultaneous onslaught of events. She surveyed the people around her, hoping to spot a grin, as often depicted in movies and shows, but everyone appeared somber.

Although Nathan was incensed as he pushed Ethlyn past the pack borders, he remembered she was carrying a pup, possibly not his, but another's.

"Go to the father of your pup. If he belongs to our pack, inform me—I'll cast him out too," he seethed.

"Alpha Nathan..." Reva, Ethlyn's sister, attempted to intervene, only for Nathan to growl at her.

"If you have any problem, pup, then you can join your sister," he ordered, unsettling Reva, who was just sixteen years old. "And if you're thinking of attacking me, you'll find yourself in the cell beside your father," he added, causing Reva to clamp her mouth shut. She yearned to lash out at her Alpha, much like her father, but she lacked her wolf's strength and knew she wouldn't stand a chance against him at her tender age.

"Nathan, she's pregnant. So...!" Nathan's mother attempted to intervene but was interrupted.

"I don't give a damn about it. It's not your grandchild, so stop it," Nathan retorted. "I'm sure this slut didn't even think twice before sleeping with someone else."

"ENOUGH," Ethlyn growled at him.

"Wow! I wonder how you can maintain such an attitude even after everything that's happened in the last half an hour? Leave and never show your face to me or anywhere near my pack," Nathan declared before leaving.

"I, Nathan Gayle, Alpha of the Wind Winder Pack, banish Ethlyn Smith from the pack," he announced, severing Ethlyn's connections to the pack in an instant.

With that, he departed, but not before adding, "Mrs. Smith, Reva, are you coming with me or not?"

Ethlyn's mother left, consumed by anger that blinded her to Ethlyn's predicament. Perhaps she assumed Ethlyn would turn to the father of her pup for support. However, Reva remained, torn between the packhouse and her broken sister.

"Leave, Reva! Don't put yourself in trouble because of me," Ethlyn said, beginning to depart. Unable to shift due to her pregnancy, she had to rely on walking to her destination. Reva watched her sister leave and rushed home as fast as she could.

Observing her stressed mother sitting on the couch, Reva darted to her room. She packed her essential belongings, including the jewelry gifted by Christan and her savings. After gathering everything, she raced back to the living room.

"Where are you going?" her mother inquired.

"You already know."

"Reva! Reva!" Her mother's loud cries couldn't deter Reva, who fled.

At the pack border, warriors blocked her path. "Alpha Nathan's orders..."

"Please! Please give this bag to her. It's for everything Dad did for the pack," Reva pleaded.

One of the warriors accepted the bag from her and passed it to Ethlyn, who hadn't ventured too far.

"Shame on you, Ethlyn!" the warrior scorned before handing over the bag. Ethlyn resisted the urge to strike him with the bag, restraining her anger.

'When your time is not right, everything is against you,' she recalled, finding that statement true in her life at the moment. Adding to her plight, the weather shifted, heralding heavy rainfall. Rainfall in the forest often persisted for days.

"I swear I'll return someday. I will," she vowed, looking back at her former pack. As the first raindrop landed on her face, she sensed the need to find shelter for herself and her unborn pup, even though there was nothing nearby.

For hours, she walked through the rain. Worries about her pup grew as the sun began to set, making her realize that in her present state, she couldn't shift to protect her pup from rogues.

"Oooooooooooooooowhoo!!"

'Damn, there are two rogues nearby,' Cinder warned.

'Fuck!' Ethlyn cursed, picking up her pace. Suddenly, she lost her footing on the slippery ground, tumbling uncontrollably.

"Aaahhhh!!!” She cried out in pain as her stomach hit the ground again. The rolling continued, akin to a ball down the mountainside. "Aaahhhhhhh!!! Aaaaahhhhh!!" Her cries resonated through the valley until she fell from the mountain, her voice silenced by a final scream.