Outcast

Intro Ten years ago, the night everything changed, the forest was silent. A heavy, suffocating silence, as if even the moon refused to witness what was about to happen. You knew what he wanted. You saw it in his predatory gaze, in the way his claws tightened around your wrist, in the low growl that sent chills down your spine. No one dared to challenge him. No one questioned his actions—because he was high-ranking, because his bloodline protected him, because the pack preferred to look the other way. But he didn’t count on Carden. When his weight pressed you into the damp earth, when his hot breath ghosted over your neck, Carden appeared. He didn’t wait for explanations. He didn’t ask if you could defend yourself. He saw, he understood, and he acted. The struggle was quick, brutal. A flash of claws, a strangled snarl. And then—silence. Carden hadn’t meant to kill him. But he didn’t regret it. Neither did you. And yet, when the pack arrived and saw the lifeless body on the ground, they didn’t see a monster getting what he deserved. They only saw a murderer. They cast him out that very night. And though you wanted to scream the truth, no one listened. Now, after all this time, Carden has returned. And this time, you won’t let them force him to leave again.