Chapter 4

I don't think Jasper or Liam ever thought the sweet, obedient Omega they used to know could turn so cold toward them. But I did. I'd had enough.

Jasper had been trying to mind-link me more often than before, especially when he was over at the Shadowfang Pack.

I could feel him reaching out, but I didn't have the time, or the energy, to answer.

I was buried in my medical training, spending most days with Meryl.

She wasn't the easiest mentor, but she was fair.

One afternoon, after I'd stitched up a nasty gash on a young warrior, Meryl gave me this rare smile. "You're the best assistant I've ever had," she said.

I froze for a second, because I couldn't remember the last time I'd been praised like that. Not by Jasper. Definitely not by Liam.

"Thanks," I told her. And I meant it.

The truth? "Thank you" was the nicest thing Jasper had ever said to me.

And Liam, my own son, hadn't even said those two words to me once in his life.

Meanwhile, at Shadowfang, Amelia had slid right into the role of Liam's mom, at least in her head.

She'd take him out for "training" and teach him how to stand up for himself.

Which might've been fine, except Liam had no clue where self-defense ended and just plain attacking began.

Pretty soon, he wasn't defending himself, he was bullying others.

The pack committee pulled the Alpha King aside more than once to complain about Liam's behavior.

And every single time, the Alpha King turned to Jasper and blamed him. "Your job is to teach him discipline," he'd growl.

Maybe that's when Jasper started looking at me differently. At least when we were at the Silvermoon pack, Liam acted properly.

Maybe it was my coldness toward him, or maybe Amelia's version of motherhood wasn't as perfect as he'd imagined.

Either way, I could feel the shift.

It wasn't Jasper himself, though.

It was his wolf, Jacob.

Jacob had been restless for days.

Every night he clawed at the bond, pushing harder than ever to get through to Lily. But Lily stayed silent, buried deep in the back of my mind.

I did the same. Neither of us wanted to hear him anymore.

***

I’d finally saved enough coin working with Meryl.

It wasn’t much, but enough to start over somewhere far from Silvermoon. Enough to breathe. I’d already made a quiet plan, slip away the day Jasper and Amelia left for Shadowfang.

No one would notice an Omega gone missing, not with the Alpha’s soldiers crowding the gates for their grand send-off.

Jacob must’ve sensed it. That night, he came again.

He suppressed Jasper’s consciousness, desperate, his voice raw with urgency.

“Please. Don’t shut me out. Talk to me, just once.”

I let a cold laugh escape.

“Tomorrow’s the day, isn’t it? You’ll escort Amelia to Shadowfang, play the perfect mate in front of everyone. And tomorrow’s my day too. The day I walk away.”

He stumbled over his words, like claws scraping stone.

“You can’t. Please, don’t do this. Lily! Are you there? Please tell Lydia stay. Just… stay.”

“I can’t live without both of you. I’ll fall apart without you!”

I breathed evenly, keeping my tone as calm as still water.

“You know I can’t stay.”

“I’ve learned a spell. For one full day, I can silence you. No voice. No pleading. Don’t blame me for this, Jacob. I’m only chasing what Jasper never gave me.”

The next morning, Jasper was at the gates, dressed in formal leathers, Amelia clinging to his arm.

Soldiers lined up behind them, polished armor gleaming under the sun. The air smelled of iron and pride.

Jasper had been restless too, though I didn’t know it at the time.

He had gone to the Alpha King himself, begging for one more seat, for me. For the mate he had already cast aside. Against all odds, the King had granted it.

“Go fetch Lydia,” Jasper told one of his men, his tone clipped but hopeful.

The soldier left, but when he returned, his face was pale. “Alpha… she’s not there. Her things are gone. She’s vanished.”

Jasper just stood frozen, as if the world had slipped from under his feet.

That’s when Jacob finally broke through the spell, his voice ripping out like a beast loosed from a cage.

“Damn it, Jasper! You’re an idiot! Our mate doesn’t want us anymore! She’s gone, and it’s your fault!”