{Eli}

"I don't see what we are supposed to be accomplishing by doing this," I said. Bane sighed and turned to face me.

"You don't think this is killing me? She's like a daughter to me," bane growled.

"Obviously not enough to let her slide," I growled.

"She broke the rules. I have let her slide way too many times and now MY head is on the line. I'm done," bane snapped at me.

"If I was alpha I wouldn't do this," I said under my breath.

Bane grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the wall.

"Is that a challenge?" Bane growled, his mouth full of sharp teeth, inches from my throat.

"Back down, beta," bane growled, his eyes blood red.

I felt my wolf struggle against he authority in his voice. Bane was shaking violently and I could feel his wolf itching to get out.

"Alpha," a voice said from the door.

"What?" He snapped, turning his head to face the intruder.

His neck faced me, giving me the perfect target. My mouth filled with teeth and I shut my eyes, pushing my wolf back.

The alpha seemed oblivious to the struggle I was going through.

"Theyre waiting," the intruder said.

Seconds passed before I felt him standing even closer.

I opened my eyes and my wolf cowered in fear.

One of bane's eyes were red and the other was black. I could feel power radiating off of him, forcing me to cower.

"Know your place," He spat before he pulled away and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Moments passed before he opened them and they were back to normal. He glanced at me before he straightened his shirt and turned, walking out of the room.

I stood there for a moment, fear eating through me before I took a deep breath and followed after him. The pack council was twenty strong. It consisted of bane, me, my eldest sibling or relative, the third in command, the eldest son of he alpha and the elders. To every trial, there was an audience and our audience consisted of one leader of each section of our pack.

I sat down beside bane and I felt my wolf bow to him in fear. Bane gave me a short nod before he faced the other council members and the audience. He quietly stated the reason we had gathered and then he did something I never thought he would do.

He welcomed the silver falls pack to the trial.

I watched as angelina's brother came and took a seat beside bane, their council taking the empty seats. The only ones remaining was angelinas and my sisters.

Bane nodded towards a man standing by the door on the other side of the room. The man nodded and pushed open the door.

I lowered my eyes when Angelina walked into the room. She looked so fragile. So scared. And she had a right to be.

The elders grew up in a cruel universe and were subject to things we never had to face. They had a different approach to things ad half the time...they weren't merciful.

The elders made up the majority of the pack council, which meant whatever they ruled, if the alpha agreed with them, which half the time the alpha did to please them, then their ruling was law.

My wolf stirred at the thought of what could happen to her, but the presence of bane was more than enough to quiet my wolf's protests.

Angelina came to a hault in the center of the room, keeping her eyes lowered to the ground. She knew better than to look at the alpha. It was like a challenge to him, to look at him at a time that you are so low. I never understood that and I don't think I ever will.

"Angelina sky falls," bane said in his alpha voice.

When she kept her eyes lowered, whispers flew amongst the elders. I didn't know if they were good whispers or bad.

"Raise your eyes child," one of the elders said softly. Angelina raised her eyes and they fell on me.

I tried to smile. I tried to reassure her, but we both knew that today would not end well for her. There was no question about that.

"The elders have come up with a punishment deserving of you," bane said as he held out his hand. One of the elders stood and walked to bane, handing him a piece of paper. His eyes scanned it quietly before he raised his eyes to look at Angelina.

"You will receive twenty-five lashes per crime committed to this pack and to the silver falls pack," bane said.

"Bane," I said, trying to reason with him.

"Make that thirty lashes per crime," bane said and I snapped my mouth shut. Something was seriously wrong with bane. Bane would never do this to own of his own pack members. Especially Angelina.

He elders nodded in agreement and my heart sank. Angelina did not deserve this.

Bane took a paper from Astion and he moistened his lips before he started to read.

" You have committed several crimes while staying here within the silver falls pack. Those crimes are:

Leaving the pack territory without alpha permission, threatening the Luna of this pack, putting your hands on the alpha of this pack, Questioning the authority of the alpha of this pack, tresspassing on private grounds within the pack, and last, stealing from the alpha of this pack," bane said.

My eyes widened. None of those sounded like Angelina.

"These are all serious crimes and will be taken seriously," bane said.

He unfolded another piece of paper and began to read.

"You have committed several crimes within your own pack and they are;

Refusal to obey orders, raising your voice to the alpha, defying orders, leaving the pack without permission, leaving the pack without escourts, leaving the pack unguarded, putting your hands on he alpha, endangering the pack, stealing from the pack and last but not least, tresspassing onto pack lands. These are all crimes that need to be adressed and are taken seriously within the blood of my pack," bane said.

Astion whispered something in his ear. He pursed his lips before he nodded.

"The silver falls pack is willing to take away the lashes added on by the crimes you have committed towards them.You will receive 180 lashes witnessed by the council," bane said before he nodded.

Two guards grabbed Angelina and dragged her off to the side as the door opened and in walked Jake. Jake? Seriously?

Jake walked to the center of the room where Angelina had just been and he looked up at his father. I watched something flash across bane's face before he took the paper Astion was holding out.

"Jake ceader. You are have committed several crimes against both the silver falls pack and your own. I have here your punishments," bane said as he looked over the paper.

"You will receive fifteen lashes per crime committed to your pack. These crimes are;

Leaving the pack without permission. Staging an attack on the third in command of your pack.

Raising your tone to the alpha and defying orders. You will receive fourth-five lashes with this council as witness," bane said before he nodded and jake was dragged off to the side.

The door opened and I watched as Justin walked in.

He rattled off the punishment and the list of crimes and I closed my eyes in disgust and anger. Bane was sentencing his own kids. Treating them like criminals when in reality the crimes they committed were not even crimes at all. I couldn't tell if he was taking his anger out on them, or if he was trying to look scary in front of Astion. Whichever it was, these kids did not deserve this.

"Bane. Deep down you know this is wrong," I said in a strong voice. At least I hope it sounded strong.

Bane glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

"This is-"

"Not the laws of the pack!" I growled.

Bane stood and I felt my wolf cower. He bent until he was in my face.

"I am the law of this pack," he growled before he nodded at the guys standing a few feet away. They moved suddenly and before I could even argue, I was being dragged away.

{Angelina}

I sighed as I paced my room. Bane was just doing his job. All I had to do was get in and out. How hard could it be?

A knock sounded at the door and I turned to see one of Astion's guards standing there. I racked my brain and finally found his name.

"Jason, it's nice to see you again," I said.

"Under other circumstances I would agree too Angelina," Jason said before he jerked his head towards the door. I nodded and followed him out and down the stairs. I had no reason to feel scared. This was bane. He was like a father to me and he wouldn't let anything happen to me willingly.

Jason led me into the woods until we approached a building I had never seen before.

"Is this-"

"Where Connors house used to be. I know," Jason said. I nodded silently to myself. I let Jason lead me in and I could hear voices from inside.

Moments passed before the door was opened and I walked into a very large room. When I saw Eli my wolf whimpered. I was supposed to be up there, not down here.

When I got to the center of the room, I stopped and looked down, respecting the alpha quietly.

"Raise your eyes child," a voice said softly. I raised my eyes, trying not to directly look at alpha bane.

When he started reading from a paper, I felt my wolf growl in anger and sort of cower in fear. Thirty lashes? Per crime? I only committed one....but as alpha bane read on, I realized that they were adding up everything over the past three years and those were minor things. They weren't even considered crimes.

180 lashes. Oh godddess I whimpered as two guards dragged me off to the side.

To make it worse, Jake came in after I did.

My wolf cried for him, up until alpha bane said that he was being punished for stagging my attack. Did that mean that he actually did stage my attack? But...but alpha bane had said that Jake would never do such a thing like that. Jake loved me.

My wolf growled when they shoved Jake down right next to me. I could hear him trying to say something to me, but I shut him out. I couldn't believe him.

In next came Justin. Every crime alpha bane read off, I denied. Justin he never committed a crime, which meant something was up. Alpha bane couldn't give someone lashes for not doing anything. Justin was his son. His next in line to be exact.

I heard something up where the council was and I looked up in time to see Eli being dragged out of the room. I felt my wolf grow angry.

I tried to calm her down but she wouldn't listen.

The next thing I knew, I was shooting to my feet and attacking the nearest guard. Teeth filled my mouth as my wolf took over and I ripped into the guard neck, barely giving him time to defend himself.

Shots rang out and it took me a moment to feel the pain that was clawing at my insides. I tried to ignore it but the more I tried to, the stronger it got until I could no longer stand.

I let go of the guard and my wolf retreated to the deepest part of me. I whimpered as my legs gave out and I started to collapse.

Jake shot forward and caught me, whispering softly in my ear. I have no clue what he was saying but it was so soothing that it out me to sleep.

---------------

I groaned and rolled over, the hard floor pressing against my bruises. It hurt so much.

"Shhh," a voice said.

I opened my eyes to see Justin kneeling beside me.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"After you went down, dad ordered us to be locked up until you woke up. Are you okay?" Justin asked, searching my body for injuries.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I said, my wolf whimpering as I sat up. Justin sighed in relief and glanced over his shoulder at Jake who was huddled in the corner.

He looked like he got in a fight with a pro boxer and lost.

"Theyre coming for us soon," Jake said, sligtly shaking.

"Ignore him," Justin said.

"Theyre going to come for us. We let them live...they're going to come for us," Jake whispered.

Just as I was about to open my mouth, a door opened and I turned to see Jason walking towards us. His eyes were emotionless as he unlocked the cell door and stood there, taking us in.

"Sorry, Angelina," Jason said. I shrugged, letting him know silently that I didn't blame him just because he was the one taking me to receive a punishment for crimes I didn't commit.

I stood, glanced at Justin and jake before I turned and followed Jason from the room.

It wasn't long before Jason led me into a room with a tall wide pole in the middle. A whopping post. I had seen them in movies but I had never thought I would see one up close and suddenly, I was scared.

What would it feel like?

Jason shoved me as lightly as he could to my knees beside the pole and yanked at my hands, wrapping them around the pole but because it was so big, they didn't make it all the way.

Jason pulled a pair of cuffs from his pocket and he attached one hand to the other. He tugged before he stepped back and nodded to alpha bane and Astion.

A door opened and out walked a guard practically staging a struggling Eli. The guard shoved Eli away from him and Eli landed with a thud a few feet away.

"Get to it," the guard growled.

Eli looked up at alpha bane and shook his head defiantly.

"I won't do it," Eli said.

Alpha bane pursed his lips and was about to open his mouth when a voice cut him off.

"I will"

I turned my head as far as I could to see a ma standing in th doorway dressed in a black suit. His hair was slick and his eyes were a vibrant yellow. Almost cat like.

Alpha bane smiled.

"Marcus," he said, nodding. The guard took something from his belt and tossed it to Marcus. Marcus examined it quietly.

"For the record, Angelina sky falls will receive 180 lashes from a whip made of silver by Marcus gelford," alpha bane announced in his alpha tone.

Marcus walked up to me and he bent, ripping my shirt from the top to the bottom. Cool air hit my back and I squeezed my eyes closed.

The minute those shards of silver cut into my skin, I didn't cry out. I screamed. It was so painful. It was like nothing i had ever felt before and I would most likely never feel anything as painful again. I wanted to beg them to stop, but my wolf refused to be weak.

Each whip hurt more than the other. As it drew close to an end, I started to feel light headed and i felt as if the world was draining away and I was actually dying. Dying felt better than this.

Finally, Marcus stepped back, smiling at Eli before he tossed the whip to the guard. Glad it was over, my wolf let me start to sink into the darkness. It was until alpha bane spoke, that I opened my eyes with true fear.

"The silver falls pack has decided that you will be labeled as a traitor and tomorrow night, the unbinding ritual will take place tomorrow night," alpha bane said before he nodded to the elders. I watched as he stood, brushed his clothes off and left, the others following behind him. I stared in horror at their backs.

They were kicking me out?

No...Alpha bane wouldn't allow this. Would he?

You thought Jake was innocent remember? My wolf asked. She was right. I had assumed Jake was innocent but he was not. I was assuming alpha bane cared, but maybe he didn't.

***

As far as I know, Ryan Guzman is Jason. Jason is gonna be in the book a lot more probably after this chapter. He's Astions personal guard but after this chapter, that may change.

You don't really see much of Marcus in this chapter. But you will soon. Marcus has somewhat of an importance to him.