The Alpha's Forsaken MateOne
Louise's POV
Snow blanketed the ground as I stepped out of the car, its engine fading into the distance, leaving only silence and the sting of winter air. I stood motionless before the Night Owl Pack’s gates—an outsider returning to the place that had once been my home.
It had been three long years. Yet the past clung to me like frost, sharp and unrelenting. I could still hear the echo of my mother’s voice:
“You deserve to rot in prison and die! You’re not my daughter anymore!”
Her words, as cold as the snow falling around me, had shattered me more than the prison walls ever could.
I remembered begging—desperate and trembling—“Mom, please, I love Chelsea! I would never hurt her!” But my pleas had fallen on ears too hardened by rage and shame. Even my father, usually so restrained, had raised his hand against me that day, sealing my fate in front of the entire council.
Only two people had stood beside me. Charlene, my sister in all but blood, and Phyllis. He had promised to fight for me, swearing we’d be together no matter what.
The court had sent me away, branded as a child killer.