Afterward, I called my father again. His voice was steady, strong, the way it had always been when I was a child.
“Brianna, I’ll send warriors to meet you at the airport,” he promised. “You’ll be safe. The Silverfang pack will welcome you home. You and the pup will never lack for love.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “Thank you, Dad. I just… I wish things had been different.”
“You’ve already given him more chances than he deserves,” Father said firmly. “Now it’s time to protect yourself—and your child.”
After we hung up, I quietly began gathering my things. Each piece of clothing I folded into the suitcase felt like a piece of my old life slipping away. My gaze lingered on a framed photograph of Carson and me from happier days. I almost reached to pack it—then stopped. With a sharp inhale, I placed it face down on the dresser, leaving it behind with the rest of my broken dreams.
All day, Carson was absent again. He didn’t even notice that my side of the closet was half-empty. Or perhaps he did, and simply didn’t care.
That night, as I lay awake, the pup kicked again, stronger this time. I pressed both hands to my belly, whispering to the little life within me.
“Soon, we’ll be free. You won’t grow up watching your mother beg for scraps of love. You’ll know what it means to be cherished, I promise.”
The moonlight spilled across the room, pale and cold. I closed my eyes and imagined Silverfang pack—my father waiting at the gates, the forests of my childhood, the promise of a fresh start.
A flicker of fear still lingered. What if Carson tried to stop me? What if the pack turned against me once I severed the bond?
But then I remembered his words, sharp as claws: ‘If Brianna wants to cause a fuss, I’ll just sever our mate bond.’
If that was his choice, then mine was already clear.
Tomorrow, I would set everything in motion. And in two weeks, I would be gone.
Gone from Carson. Gone from Alice. Gone from Stormclaw pack.
By the time they realized, it would already be too late.