Chapter 4 – The Flight Plan
The banquet ended long after I slipped away, yet Carson never came looking for me. I sat alone in our bedroom, watching shadows crawl across the floor as hours dragged on. When the front door finally opened, I already knew where he’d been.
The scent of Alice clung to him like perfume.
“You left early,” Carson remarked, shrugging off his coat without a glance in my direction.
I offered a faint smile. You noticed. But you didn’t care.
“I wasn’t feeling well.”
He didn’t reply. Instead, he muttered something about unfinished work and disappeared into the bathroom.
Water thundered from the shower, filling the silence between us—silence that had stretched for months.
I stared at the cold sheets and realized something deeply, painfully simple:
This bond was dead.
Before dawn broke, I booked the earliest flight back to Silverfang pack—only two weeks before my due date. Reckless, yes. But staying here was far more dangerous.
If Carson wanted to sever our bond, he would not be the one to end it.
I would.
My father’s voice came steady when I called.
“I’ll send warriors to escort you. You’ll be safe with us, Brianna. Your pup will be loved, cherished, protected. Come home.”
Tears blurred my vision. “Thank you, Dad. I just… I wish things had been different.”
“You gave your mate too many chances,” he said bluntly. “Now protect yourself. And your child.”
After we hung up, I packed quietly. Every fold of clothing in my suitcase felt like shedding another layer of denial.
A photograph of Carson and me caught my gaze. We looked happy—young, unscarred by betrayal. For a moment, I almost reached for it.
Then I turned it face-down on the dresser.
Leave the lies behind.
Carson was gone all day. He didn’t notice my half-empty closet. Or maybe he did and simply didn’t care.
That night, the pup kicked harder, as if urging me to hurry.
“Soon,” I whispered. “Soon we’ll be free.”
Tonight, fear still lingered.
What if Carson changed his mind?
What if the pack resisted my leaving?
But his voice replayed in my head like poison.
If Brianna wants to cause a fuss, I’ll sever our mate bond.
Fine.
Let him think I’m weak.
Tomorrow, I begin my escape.
In two weeks, I’ll be gone.
Gone from him.
Gone from Alice.
Gone from Stormclaw pack.
And when they finally realize it…
It will already be too late.