36. Running Away.

Rose’s POV

The apartment was quiet except for the soft hum of the city outside my window.

I moved slowly, almost mechanically, picking up boxes and placing things carefully inside. Every item I touched felt heavier than it was....like it carried memories of the life I was leaving behind. I paused for a moment, holding a stack of books in my hands, and glanced around the room. It had been mine for years, a small space where I could breathe, think, and exist without interference.

And now… it felt like I was erasing myself from it, piece by piece.

I pressed my lips together, biting back a sigh.

This was the right choice.

It had to be.

Moving to a neighboring city, starting over, leaving everything behind....including Adrian...was the only way I could breathe again. I wasn’t naïve. I knew I wouldn’t forget him.

Not ever.

But I could try to survive without the constant pull of his presence, the memory of those impossible nights, the shock and confusion of being so drawn to him, and yet so terrified.

I walked to my closet and began folding clothes into neat piles.

Shirts, pants, dresses, all sorted by color, by purpose, by memory.

Each garment I handled seemed to remind me of him.

How he had looked when he caught me off guard in that penthouse, the cold strength in his eyes, the way his presence could make the air around me thrum with tension.

I shook my head and forced myself to focus.

This is for the best, I told myself.

I had to move on.

The last few boxes were heavier, filled with all the books I’d collected over the years. I had always loved the quiet comfort of reading, the way a story could carry me far away from my own life.

Now, the books felt like anchors, reminders of the person I had been before Adrian. I wanted to take them all with me, even if they crowded the car.

They were my history, and I wasn’t ready to leave it behind entirely.

I glanced at the calendar taped to my wall...a simple thing with bright yellow squares marking the days.

It reminded me how fast time had passed. Weeks, months, all blurred together. Weeks ago, my life had been ordinary, predictable, and painfully safe.

Then… everything changed.

The car accident, the forest, the vampires, the strange man who had appeared out of nowhere… Adrian. The Alpha, the billionaire, the man who shouldn’t have existed in my reality yet dominated my thoughts.

I packed a few personal items last, small things I couldn’t imagine leaving behind.

My favorite mug, a framed photo of my mother, a small pendant I’d always worn.

Each item seemed to whisper a memory back at me, reminding me of how fragile life could be, how easily it could be taken, how quickly everything could change. And then there was him.

I tried to shove the thought away, but it returned no matter how hard I tried.

Adrian.

I could still see the intensity in his eyes when he looked at me.

The way he moved, confident, commanding, untouchable in every way. My heart ached with the memory, and I tried to remind myself of all the reasons I had to leave. I couldn’t survive in that orbit, not if I wanted to breathe freely. Not if I wanted to think clearly.

The car was packed, the apartment nearly empty. I stepped back and surveyed the space one last time. It didn’t feel like home anymore....not after everything that had happened.

Not after the nights I had been pulled into a world I didn’t belong to.

A world of power, danger, and unspoken desires. And yet… part of me mourned it.

Part of me wished things could have been different, that I could have known him under other circumstances, that my first encounter with him hadn’t been so chaotic, so confusing, so… powerful.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. I needed focus. I had a new life waiting, a new city, a new job. This was the chance to rebuild myself, to regain some semblance of control. I couldn’t let the past....or him....control me anymore.

The drive to the neighboring city was long but quiet. I kept my hands steady on the wheel, my eyes on the road, yet my mind wandered incessantly. Every billboard, every poster, every news clip I saw along the way made me think of him.

Adrian Wolfe....billionaire, Alpha, predator, and somehow, impossibly, the man I had shared nights with.

Nights I could barely comprehend now, yet ones that burned in my memory like fire.

I thought of the night we had first… connected.

The penthouse, the heat, the tension, the intoxication of our proximity.

I reminded myself of the embarrassment, the shame, the rush of emotions I had felt afterward.

I had thought about leaving then, thought about running away, thought about never looking back.

And now, months later, I was doing exactly that. I was leaving, trying to outrun the pull of someone who shouldn’t exist in my ordinary human life.

But even as I reassured myself, I couldn’t stop the flashbacks.

His hands on me, the way he had kissed me, the way he had held me.

The way he had seemed to know me, even though I barely understood myself in those moments. I shook my head, gripping the steering wheel tighter.

Focus, Rose!!.

This is for the best. You’re moving forward. You’re not looking back.

Every red light felt like a pause in time, every passing car a reminder of the world I had left behind.

The city skyline in the distance promised a fresh start, a clean slate. I reminded myself of my job, the opportunity I had worked hard for, the independence I had longed to reclaim. Adrian couldn’t touch that.

No matter what had happened, he couldn’t dictate my choices, my future, my life.

Yet, despite my rational thoughts, my body betrayed me.

I found my fingers tapping nervously on the steering wheel, my pulse quickening with every memory that surfaced.

I had shared moments with him I couldn’t explain, feelings I couldn’t rationalize. I had lost control in ways I had never imagined, and the memory of it clung to me like a shadow.

I glanced at the rearview mirror, almost expecting to see him sitting there, watching me, assessing me, judging me.

Of course, he wasn’t there. He couldn’t be. And yet, the thought alone made my heart race. He doesn’t belong in your world, Rose. He’s dangerous. He’s impossible. Move on.

The hours of driving gave me time to think, to reflect, and to mourn in small increments. I mourned the simplicity I had once had, the safety I had once known, and the illusion that life could be predictable. Adrian had shattered that world, and in doing so, had left me with memories I couldn’t forget and feelings I couldn’t contain.

When I finally reached the new city, the streets unfamiliar, the buildings taller and shinier than my old neighborhood, I felt a strange mixture of relief and trepidation. This was my new beginning, my chance to be someone else, to create a life that wasn’t tethered to the chaos that Adrian had brought into my world.

I checked into my temporary apartment, unpacked my belongings with deliberate care, and arranged things just so. Each box I emptied, each item I placed on a shelf, felt like a step toward reclaiming myself. And yet, in the quiet moments, when I paused and listened, I could almost hear his voice, his presence lingering at the edges of my consciousness.

I reminded myself firmly that this was for the best. I had to survive, had to thrive, had to prove to myself that I could exist without him dictating the rhythms of my heart. I had to find a way to reconcile the memories of what had happened with the reality of the life I wanted to live.

As night fell over the city, I sat by the window, looking out at the lights, feeling the pulse of the world around me. The wind carried a chill, but it was comforting in its own way. I thought about the days ahead, the challenges I would face at my new job, the people I would meet, the routines I would establish. All of it would be mine, untouched by him, by the past, by the chaos that had once consumed me.

And yet… the memories remained, flickering at the edges of my mind. The intensity of him, the impossibility of our connection, the sharp edges of desire, fear, and fascination. I pressed my palms to my eyes, trying to shut it all out, trying to reclaim the simple, ordinary life I had dreamed of.

I whispered to myself, a promise more than anything: This is for the best. I will move on. I will survive. I will live without him.

But as I drifted to sleep that night, in a city far from the chaos of my old life, I knew one thing for certain. The memory of him, the pull of his presence, the impossibility of forgetting him....it would never truly leave me. I could run, I could hide, I could build a new life… but Adrian Wolfe would always be a part of me, whether I wanted him to be or not.