“Don’t worry,” he added, almost dismissively. “Your earnings will still be good.”
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
“After all… you’re still my Luna.”
The words felt like mockery. Like a title stripped of all meaning.
I looked at him. Really looked at him.
And for the first time—I felt nothing at all.
“Congratulations,” I said softly.
Then I stood up. And walked away.
The night air was cool against my skin. The noise from inside faded as I stepped further away from the building.
Each step felt lighter. Freer.
Until… I stopped. Because someone was standing there.
A man. Tall. Broad-shouldered. His presence alone commanded attention. And when my eyes met his… My breath caught. He was… striking.
And yet—
There was something about him that made my wolf stir. Something instinctive. Something undeniable.
He took a step forward. His gaze steady on mine.
“Stephanie,” he said.
My name sounded different coming from him. Like it meant something.
“I’ve been waiting.”
Stephanie’s POV
The night I left the Foreshadow Pack, I didn’t look back. Not once. Because I knew that if I did, even for a second, I might hesitate.
And hesitation was something I could no longer afford.
The man standing in front of me watched me with a steady, unreadable gaze. There was no impatience in him, no unnecessary words. Just quiet certainty.
“You’re ready?” he asked.
I tightened my hold on my bag, feeling the weight of everything I carried inside it.
“Yes,” I answered.
He nodded once. “Then let’s go.”
There were no dramatic goodbyes. No lingering attachments. Just a single step forward. And then another. Until I was no longer part of the life I once knew.
The car ride was quiet. The city lights gradually faded as we drove further away, replaced by darker roads and the looming presence of the forest.
I sat beside him, my hands resting over my stomach, my thoughts tangled in a way I couldn’t quite sort through.
There was something… Strange. Not uncomfortable. Not threatening. But unfamiliar in a way that felt almost… familiar.
I frowned slightly. That didn’t make sense. Yet the feeling lingered. Like a faint pull. A quiet awareness. As if my wolf was reacting to something my mind couldn’t understand.
I shifted slightly in my seat, trying to ignore it.
This wasn’t the time to dwell on things I couldn’t explain.
“Who are you?” I asked finally, breaking the silence.
He glanced at me briefly before returning his gaze to the road.