The Departure

Dylan still held my hand, his grip steady and unyielding, as if daring anyone to try and pull me away. My skin burned where his fingers touched mine, a reminder that the bond between us was now unshakable, sealed by his mark.

Amy, surged inside me, her voice fierce with triumph. We’re free. He claimed us. He won’t let them touch us ever again.

But my human heart twisted with fear. All those eyes elders, warriors, guests burned into my back like brands. Whispers swirled around me, sharp as knives.

“Dylan Thorne… marked a maid?”

“She’s Caleb’s reject.”

“What power does she hold that he would claim her so openly?”

Every word made me shrink further into myself, though Dylan stood tall, unbothered, his presence dominating the room.

Across the hall, Caleb trembled with fury. His jaw was tight, his fists clenched, his eyes once my safe place now burned with betrayal.

“You can’t take her,” he spat, his voice cracking under the weight of rage. “She belongs to this pack.”

“She belongs to me,” Dylan countered without hesitation. His voice was calm, but it cut through the air sharper than a blade. “And I don’t ask permission. She leaves with me tonight.”

Caleb stepped forward, his aura flaring, but the weight of Dylan’s power crashed down on him. Even from across the hall, I felt it an invisible storm pressing against my chest, making my knees buckle.

Caleb faltered. For the first time, he looked small. Weak.

Crystal grasped his arm, her face pale and streaked with humiliation. “Caleb, don’t. He’ll destroy you. He’s not someone you can fight.”

Her words broke through the tension, but Caleb’s eyes never left mine. They smoldered with a kind of anger I had never seen before anger not at losing, but at being powerless to stop it.

Dylan didn’t wait for anyone’s approval. He tugged me gently but firmly, guiding me down the steps of the dais and through the shocked, silent crowd. No one moved to block him. Not the elders. Not the guards. Not even Caleb.

Every step echoed in my ears like a drumbeat of finality. My old life was ending here.

When we reached the wide doors of the hall, Dylan paused only once. His head turned slightly, his voice carrying back into the room with quiet menace.

“Anyone who tries to follow us… dies.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd, but no one dared move.

The night air outside was cold, biting against my flushed skin. Torches burned along the palace walls, casting long shadows across the courtyard. A sleek black car waited at the foot of the steps, its polished frame gleaming under the moonlight.

Dylan led me toward it without hesitation, but I dug my heels in for just a moment, my chest heaving.

“Wait.” My voice cracked. “I can’t just leave like this.”

His eyes dropped to me, sharp and unreadable. “You can. You will.”

Tears stung my eyes, but Amy snarled inside me. He’s right. There’s nothing left for us here. Only chains, only pain.

Still, I whispered, “What about Lila? She’ll be punished because of me.”

For a brief moment, Dylan’s expression softened. “No one will touch her. Not while I’m watching. My men are already in place. Your friend is safe, you’ll see her soon,”

Shock rippled through me. His men? He’d planned this? From the beginning?

Before I could ask more, he opened the car door and gestured for me to get inside. His presence left no room for argument. My legs moved before my mind could resist.

The door shut with a heavy click, muffling the noise of the night. The interior smelled faintly of leather and smoke, luxurious and intimidating.

I sat stiffly, my hands clenched in my lap, as Dylan slid in beside me. The driver up front started the engine, and the car purred to life.

Through the window, I caught one last glimpse of Caleb standing on the palace steps, his eyes locked on me like a brand. His chest heaved, his fists clenched, but he didn’t move. Couldn’t move.

Crystal stood behind him, her face twisted with venomous rage. She whispered something in his ear, and his jaw tightened further.

The car pulled away, leaving them both shrinking into the distance.

Silence filled the cabin. Heavy. Suffocating.

Dylan leaned back in his seat, his arm draped casually along the leather, as if he hadn’t just upended an entire pack’s order. His presence was overwhelming even in stillness.

“You’re safe now,” he said at last, his voice steady.

Safe. The word felt foreign. My body still ached from Crystal’s punishments, my skin still stung from the humiliation. Could I really believe safety existed for me now?

I turned my head, staring at him. “Why me? Why would you choose me when you could have anyone?”

He didn’t answer right away. His eyes studied mine, deep and unwavering. “Because you’re mine. Because fate chose. And because you’re stronger than you know.”

Amy purred inside me, pressing warmth against my chest. He speaks truth. He sees us.

But I shook my head. “You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’ve done… what I’ve endured.”

“I saw enough,” he replied simply. “I watched you suffer, and I saw you endure. Caleb broke you again and again, but you never shattered. That kind of strength can’t be faked. That’s the strength of a Luna.”

His words struck deep, unsettling the fragile wall I had built around myself. A Luna. The thought terrified me more than it thrilled me.

The car ride stretched into silence again, but it wasn’t the silence of the palace. This one was different. Not suffocating. Not heavy. Just… still.

My eyelids drooped, exhaustion pulling at me, but Amy remained restless, pacing within me like a caged wolf finally set free.

“He’ll come for me,” I whispered at last. “Caleb. He won’t just let me go.”

Dylan’s jaw tightened, his hand flexing on the seat beside him. “He can try. But if he does, he’ll regret it.”

There was no arrogance in his tone. Only certainty.

I believed him.

Hours later, the car rolled into a different landscape vast gates of black iron, guarded by warriors whose very presence radiated strength. Beyond them, sprawling grounds stretched into the distance, lit by lanterns and guarded towers.

The Red Claw Pack. Dylan’s territory. His kingdom.

My heart raced as the gates opened slowly, the car driving past the guards who bowed their heads in respect to Dylan. To my mate.

“Welcome home,” Dylan said quietly, his eyes never leaving mine.

Home. The word nearly broke me. For so long, home had been a place of chains and pain. Could this place, this man, truly be different?

Amy pressed against me, her voice certain. Yes. With him, we will rise. With him, we will fight. With him, we will finally be free.

I pressed my palm against the mark on my neck, its heat still burning. My life had been torn from me in a single night, but as I stared into the dark horizon of Dylan’s land, I realized something terrifying and thrilling all at once.