I picked up one of her necklaces, a delicate gold chain with a heart pendant. It felt heavy in my hand, like the weight of all the lies I’d swallowed over the years.
Footsteps approached, and I froze. The door opened, and there she was—Celeste, the pack’s perfect golden girl.
She stopped short, her eyes narrowing when she saw me. "What are you doing here?"
"Cleaning up your mess," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
Her lips curled into a smirk. "Is that what Lukas told you? How sweet."
I stepped closer, the necklace still in my hand. "I’m not here for him. I’m here for me."
Her smirk faltered. "What’s that supposed to mean?"
"It means I’m done playing nice," I said, my voice low and steady. "You think you’ve won? Think again."
She opened her mouth to reply, but I didn’t give her the chance. I dropped the necklace onto the vanity and turned to leave.
"You’re pathetic," she called after me. "That’s why he’ll never choose you."
I paused in the doorway, my wolf snarling. Slowly, I turned back to face her.
"You’re right," I said, a cold smile spreading across my lips. "He won’t choose me. But when I’m done, neither will you."
Back in my quarters, I started packing. Seven years of my life reduced to a single suitcase. The rest—the clothes, the jewelry, the memories—I left behind. They belonged to the Ayla who had let Lukas walk all over her. That Ayla was dead.
As I zipped up the suitcase, my phone buzzed. A text from Selene, my best friend and the only person who had ever told me the truth about Lukas.
About time you woke up. My pack’s doors are open. Come home.
Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. I didn’t have time to cry. Not yet.
The sound of footsteps outside my window made me freeze. My wolf bristled, her senses sharp. I moved to the window and peered out.
A shadow moved in the distance. A rogue.
My heart raced as I stepped back, my mind scrambling for a plan. The door burst open, and a massive wolf lunged at me.
I shifted just in time, my claws raking across its side. The fight was brutal, chaotic. My wolf reveled in the release, her strength and fury unleashed after years of suppression.
But then I smelled it—a scent I knew all too well.
Lukas.
He stood in the doorway, his face a mask of cold fury.
"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded.
The rogue retreated, its eyes darting between us before disappearing into the night.