第5章

Half an hour later, Adrian came rushing in.

He charged to the nurses' station, but I was long gone.

Before the plane took off, my phone kept buzzing.

The screen was full of his name.

Elena, where are you?

Did you go back to the main house?

Rejecting a mate isn't a joke. Retract it now.

Your body can't withstand the backlash. Answer me.

He even forced open the broken psychic channel between mates.

But all that came through was chaos and pain.

For the first time, I shut that channel down completely on my own.

So Adrian could search for someone this desperately after all.

It was just that before, that someone was never me.

The announcement told us to switch our devices to airplane mode.

I took one last look out the window.

The lights of Black Pine territory merged into a single glow in the dark.

For eight years, I had believed I couldn't leave this place.

Couldn't leave Adrian.

Couldn't leave the man who stayed with me through every failed shift and taught me to run a pack without a mind-link.

Then I finally did leave.

All I felt was a hollow calm.

As the plane climbed through the clouds, the backlash flared again.

I pressed a hand to my chest.

The pain stung my eyes.

But I didn't cry.

I cried when I lost my wolf eight years ago.

Cried when I found out the treatment had been canceled.

Nearly cried at the hearing, when they pushed me to sign that reconciliation statement.

Now I didn't want to cry.

I was too tired.

It was early morning when we landed.

A man in a gray coat stood at the arrivals gate.

He was holding a sign with my name on it.

Elena Ward.

I walked over, dragging my luggage.

The man saw my pale face, and his brow furrowed.

"Ms. Ward. I'm Elias Reed."

I knew him.

He was the Alpha of Silver Ridge Pack.

He also ran the cross-pack wolf-recovery program.

Three months ago, I had submitted my medical records anonymously.

Back then, I only wanted to leave myself a way out.

I never expected that way out would end up truly saving me.

Elias strode over and took my luggage from my hand.

When he saw me pressing my chest, his cedar scent unfurled at once, forcefully shutting out the prying attention of every strange werewolf in the airport.

"You look this bad, and you still dared to fly all this way alone."

He pulled off his coat and wrapped it around me, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"The medical center is ready. You're getting checked out first. You can rest on the drive."

I froze for a moment.

It had been a long time since anyone had rushed to meet me with that kind of urgency.

"Okay."

He opened the car door for me himself and waited until I was settled before circling to the other side.

The car pulled out of the airport.

I leaned back in my seat and finally turned on my phone.

Dozens of missed calls.

Adrian, Marcus, the Black Pine Elders, and even Vivian.

The last message was from Adrian.

Elena, enough. Black Pine still has plenty of Luna business waiting for you.

I stared at that sentence for a long time.

A laugh escaped me.

He was preparing to take Vivian back.

Yet he still expected me to return and keep carrying out a Luna's duties for Black Pine.

I blocked Adrian.

And left every Black Pine administrative channel.

In the Black Pine main house, Adrian pushed open the door.

The living room lights were off.

My resignation as acting Luna lay on the table.

Vivian's call came in.

He didn't answer.

A second call.

A third.

He still didn't answer.

Finally, he slowly crouched and picked up the mate-rejection notice.

The moment his fingertip touched my name, the tearing pain hit his chest again.

Only then did it seem to sink in.

He dialed my number like a madman.

Every call went straight to voicemail.

He smashed the phone.

Picked it up again.

Kept calling.

Over and over.

Until dawn.