Chapter 3

My heart felt like it was being ripped apart by invisible claws.

How many times had I yearned for him to care like this, to ask where I was?

Now here he was—calling, searching, chasing.

But it was too late.

"Eric…"I kept my voice steady, but it scraped raw against my throat. "Eric, stop tracking me."

There was a pause. A beat of silence on the line.

“I just want to talk,” he said, but the words landed too unsure.

I could barely breathe.

"Where I go… it has nothing to do with you anymore."

"You agreed to sever the bond. We're over… I don't want you in my life."

"Please, just leave me alone."

After hanging up, I sank to the floor, my shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

To escape the past for good, I got a new SIM card.

That same day, I booked a one-way flight to Seattle.

There was only one person in this world who had never tried to use me or silence me: Iris.

She was everything I wasn’t allowed to be—fierce, unbound, fully herself.

She’d left her pack years ago and built a life from scratch in a human city.

When she was struggling to start her business, I had secretly used my personal savings to help her.

When Eric found out, he’d scoffed. "That little bit of money? That's not even enough for a bottle of wine for my weekend."

He always knew where to aim his arrows. Not at the money, but at my pride.

I was just trying to help a friend. What was so wrong with that?

"Lyra, with that kind of money, you couldn't even buy a necklace for one of Eric's new employees," one of his cronies had sneered.

"Oh, and that friend of yours… probably a nobody, right? Just trying to sell you on 'friendship' so she can hitch a ride on the Alpha's gravy train. So transparent!"

They all laughed. And I stood there, my face burned with shame.

Not because I didn’t know how to fight back.

But because no one had ever taught me I was worth defending.

Now, Iris welcomed me into her city with open arms.

No questions. No judgment.

Just warmth, and a spare bedroom.

My days with her were peaceful, and I started to think about my future.

I invested all the assets from the settlement into Iris's design firm, becoming a major partner.

The investment scaled up the company overnight.

I also officially joined as a designer.

My professional skills had been dormant for so long that it was a struggle at first.

But I found them again. Bit by bit. Sketch by sketch. Late nights fueled by coffee and music and laughter.

I was building something that belonged to me.

"Confident about today's pitch?" Iris asked me one morning.

A confident smile played on my lips. "Absolutely. Last night's final draft was a killer."

With our expanded resources, we landed several major projects in a row.

Even if things got tough, I now knew I had the strength to start over.

At the celebration party, everyone was laughing and cheering our victory.

But I couldn't help it. My eyes welled up, and soon I was crying silently.

My colleagues fell quiet, gathering around me with concern.

Iris knew. She came over and hugged me, rubbing my back gently.

"It's all in the past, Lyra. You're finally becoming yourself."

Yes, it was all in the past.

I looked up. My colleagues, though confused, did their best to comfort me.

"Hey, no tears! These are happy tears, right? We absolutely crushed it today!"

"Exactly! You earned this! You're a major shareholder, after all. Our futures are in your hands, boss!"

The darkness in my heart finally lifted, replaced by a fragile light.

I wasn't just someone's daughter, or Eric's mate, or River's mother.

I was Lyra.

With Iris's help, my work became smoother, and I had more free time.

I decided to rediscover myself.

I tried hiking and kayaking, visiting landmarks all over the city.

These were vivid, real experiences I was never allowed in my past life.

We loved to keep our fridge stuffed full, packing it with our favorite snacks and drinks.

But as we returned from another shopping spree, our arms full of groceries, I got out of the car and froze.

Standing quietly in front of my apartment building was Eric.

He wasn’t wearing a suit. He looked… tired. Rough around the edges.

Like maybe his wolf had stopped eating.

And behind him, standing straighter than I remembered, was River.

No longer a child, but a young man.

I stood still, bags in hand, pulse hammering against my ribs.