Chapter 3. The Sentence

Milan’s POV

I struggled to open my swollen eyes as the intense sun rays pierced through my lids, making my pounding headache flare violently. Every throb felt like a hammer striking the inside of my skull, and I groaned softly, my throat dry and raw. The ground beneath me was cold and uneven, damp with morning dew, and the sharp scent of earth filled my lungs as I inhaled shakily.

Muted noises drifted around me—low murmurs, hushed whispers, the soft crunch of feet against leaves and soil. I strained to focus, my ears ringing as I tried to make sense of the sounds. My vision blurred in and out, shadows shifting until the world finally came into focus.

As I slowly pushed myself up, my muscles aching and stiff, my heart lurched violently in my chest. I wasn’t alone.

A whole pack of wolves surrounded me.

They stood in a wide circle, their towering forms casting long shadows over my body. Their eyes were fixed on me, some glowing with curiosity, others sharp with suspicion, and a few filled with barely concealed disdain. Their presence was suffocating, pressing in on me from all sides until it felt difficult to breathe.

Some of them whispered to one another, their voices low but cutting, snouts tilting in my direction. Fingers pointed. Heads shook. Their hushed tones made it painfully obvious that I was the topic of their conversation, though I couldn’t make out every word. I didn’t need to. The judgment in their gazes said enough.

My stomach twisted violently.

Self-consciousness flooded me, and I instinctively looked down at myself. My breath caught in my throat.

I was half-naked. My dress was torn, hanging loosely off one shoulder, smeared with dirt and leaves. My legs were scraped, my arms marked with faint scratches, and dried mud clung to my skin.

Oh no.

Panic surged through me. I jumped to my feet, nearly stumbling as dizziness washed over me, and scrambled to gather my scattered clothes. My fingers trembled as I pulled fabric over my body, trying desperately to cover myself, to reclaim some shred of dignity while dozens of eyes burned into me.

My heart raced as fragments of the previous night surfaced in my mind—blurred images, hazy sensations, and the overwhelming presence of someone else.

The forest.

The stranger.

The way the air had felt heavy and charged, the pull I hadn’t been able to resist.

My memory was fractured, incomplete, but one horrifying realization was crystal clear.

The pack knew.

They had found me here, like this, and there was no hiding what had happened.

Damn it.

“What is happening here exactly?”

The deep, familiar voice cut through the murmurs like a blade, and the crowd slowly fell silent. The whispers faded, replaced by a tense stillness that made my skin prickle.

The wolves shifted aside, creating a path.

Scott and Rosa stepped forward.

They looked disheveled, their expressions clouded with confusion and irritation, clearly unaware of what awaited them. Scott’s brows were furrowed, his jaw clenched, while Rosa’s lips curled faintly, her sharp eyes already scanning the scene with thinly veiled disdain.

Fear crawled up my spine.

I fidgeted nervously, twisting my fingers together and biting my lip until I tasted blood. Memories of the humiliation they had put me through the night before surged forward, and my pulse thundered in my ears.

“I demand an explanation,” Scott growled, his voice commanding as he faced the pack. “What is going on here?”

He stood rigidly before them, still not having noticed me.

“She!” a male wolf suddenly roared, thrusting his finger in my direction.

Scott turned sharply, stepping past him—and then his eyes landed on me.

Time seemed to freeze.

My body went cold, my limbs locking in place as heat flooded my cheeks. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe.

“She?” Scott asked sharply. “What about her?”

His gaze was hard, angry, and utterly unforgiving. I shrank back instinctively, my knees trembling.

“Alpha,” a she-wolf spoke up, her tone clipped and severe, “we found her naked in the woods, right here in this very spot. She was involved in sexual activity with an unknown wolf.”

The words struck me like a physical blow.

My legs weakened, and I gasped, my vision swimming.

“Her nakedness suggests that she slept with someone,” the she-wolf continued coldly. “And we’re questioning whether that man was her mate—because everyone knows she does not have one.”

The strength drained from my body completely. I collapsed to the ground, curling in on myself as despair swallowed me whole.

“What?” Rosa let out a sharp, mocking laugh, her eyes glittering with cruel amusement as she looked at me.

“Tell us now!” someone shouted. “Who did you spend the night with?”

“Yes, answer us!” another woman screamed. “Was he your mate?”

“What a disgrace!” a she-wolf snarled. “She won’t say anything. It’s obvious she gave herself to a man who is not her mate!”

The accusations came from every direction. Voices overlapped, insults hurled at me like stones. Fingers pointed. Faces twisted with contempt.

I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

“Milan is my mate! Or was, rather.”

Scott’s voice rang out suddenly, loud and clear.

Silence fell instantly.

My head snapped up, shock and disbelief crashing through me. My heart pounded painfully as I stared at him.

What did he just say?

A cruel smirk tugged at his lips as he looked down at me, and my confusion deepened. I knew—I knew—he hadn’t wanted anyone to know about our bond. That was why he had rejected me so mercilessly last night.

So why was he saying this now?

What was he trying to do?

“W-what do you mean—” I started, my voice shaking.

“Shut your mouth, you bitch!” Rosa screamed, cutting me off.

She stepped toward me aggressively, her face contorted with rage.

I tried again. “What did—”

“I said shut up!” Rosa yelled, her hand swinging without warning.

Pain exploded across my cheek as her slap landed hard. I cried out, tears springing to my eyes.

“You’re Scott’s mate,” she spat, “yet you let another man sleep with you? Even with your mate right here, you still spread your legs for someone else. How shameless can you be?”

Her words cut deep, slicing through me mercilessly.

“God, she’s such a slut!” Rosa screamed.

“I can’t believe she cheated, even though she was mated to the Alpha’s son!”

“By the Moon Goddess, this girl is disgusting!”

“No, no, please—let me explain,” I begged weakly, my voice drowned out by the hatred around me.

No one listened.

“Is there anything to explain, Milan?” Rosa sneered, stepping closer and spitting in my face. “Or do you want to tell us you didn’t sleep with a man when the proof is right in front of us?”

I flinched, humiliation burning through me.

“Or,” someone else spoke up coldly, “does she want to claim that the Alpha’s son slept with her last night?”

Before I could even open my mouth, Scott answered.

“I’ve never slept with Milan and never will,” he said cruelly. “She’s just a filthy whore who can’t close the filthy hole between her legs.”

The world shattered.

“No!” I screamed internally, my soul collapsing under the weight of his words as darkness closed in around me.