I didn't pack much.
There wasn't much to take.
A spare dress. A worn cloak. A small pouch of coins the pack would give me out of obligation rather than kindness. My entire life fit into a single bag that sat quietly at the foot of my bed.
It felt strangely fitting.
Everything I had ever been here could be carried in two hands.
Outside, the pack slept.
Or celebrated.
Or forgot me.
I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the window, watching the moon climb slowly into the sky. It was full tonight bright and watchful, as if the Moon Goddess herself had come to witness my exile.
My wolf stirred softly, restless and aching.
Mate…
Her voice was weaker now, fragile and tired, like a candle burning its last inch of wax.
"I know," I whispered.
The bond pulsed faintly in response, stretching thin with the distance that would soon separate us. Every instinct inside me screamed that this was wrong. That mates were not meant to leave each other.
But fate didn't always care about what was meant to happen.
A soft knock broke the silence.
My heart jumped before I could stop it.
There was only one person my body reacted to like that.
I didn't move.
Another knock, quieter this time.
"Open the door."
His voice was low, rough, and dangerously familiar.
The bond flared alive instantly, heat rushing through my chest so fast it stole the air from my lungs.
Mate.
My hands trembled as I stood.
This was a mistake.
This was cruel.
This was everything I didn't need right now.
But my feet still carried me to the door.
I opened it.
Kael stood in the doorway, the silver light of the moon spilling over his broad shoulders. He looked different tonight less like the untouchable Alpha of the pack and more like the man I had once loved in secret.
Like the boy who had promised me forever.
My heart betrayed me instantly.
"What are you doing here?" I asked softly.
His gaze moved past me to the small bag resting on the bed.
His jaw tightened.
"You're really leaving."
It wasn't a question.
"You ordered it."
The words were quiet, but they landed heavily between us.
Silence followed.
The bond hummed, thick and restless, filling the space with everything we refused to say.
"I didn't think you would actually go," he admitted.
I stared at him, disbelief rising slowly through the numbness. "Where exactly did you expect me to stay, Alpha? In the pack that no longer wants me?"
Pain flickered across his face again, sharp and unguarded.
"Stop calling me that."
The request came out rougher than he intended.
"What should I call you?" I whispered. "You rejected every other name."
The words hung in the air, fragile and dangerous.
For a long moment, he didn't speak.
Then he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.
The small space shrank instantly, thick with the scent of cedar and storm. My breath grew shallow as the bond roared awake, desperate and wild.
Too close.
Far too close.
His eyes dropped to my bag again.
"You're leaving before sunrise?"
"Yes."
The word trembled despite my effort to steady it.
His hand clenched at his side.
And when he spoke again, his voice sounded nothing like an Alpha.
It sounded like a man who was losing something he didn't know how to hold onto.
"Don't go."