Chapter 2 Hunter and Tara

The Hardest Goodbye

Tara pov

The silence stretched between us like a chasm, and I felt every pair of eyes in the clearing boring into my skin. My chest burned with each breath, the mate bond twisted into something agonizing that clawed at my insides. Hunter stood motionless, waiting for my response with the patience of a predator, his gray eyes revealing nothing.

"I..." my voice cracked, barely audible above the whisper of wind through the pines. I cleared my throat and tried again, this time with steel threading through my words. "I accept your rejection, Hunter Blackwood."

The formal words tasted like ash on my tongue, but I forced them out with as much dignity as I could muster. "I, Tara McKenzie, accept your rejection and release you from any obligation to me as your mate."

The moment the words left my lips, I felt it—the golden thread snapping like a rubber band stretched too far. The pain was immediate and devastating, as if someone had reached into my chest and torn out a piece of my soul. I gasped, doubling over slightly as the severed bond sent shockwaves through my entire being.

Hunter's face went pale, and I saw his hand move unconsciously to his chest before he caught himself and let it fall back to his side. At least he felt it too. At least I wasn't suffering alone.

"It is done," Alpha Marcus announced, though his voice carried none of its usual authority. He looked deeply troubled by what had transpired. "The bond is severed. The pack meeting is dismissed."

The gathered wolves began to disperse in uncomfortable silence, casting furtive glances at both me and Hunter as they made their way back toward the pack houses scattered throughout the territory. No one seemed to know what to say, how to process what they'd just witnessed.

I remained frozen in place until I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. Ny father, James, had appeared beside me, his weathered face etched with worry and barely contained fury.

"Come on, sweetheart," he murmured, his voice rough with emotion. "Let's go home."

I allowed him to guide me away from the clearing, my legs moving mechanically while my mind reeled. Behind them, I could hear Alpha Marcus's voice raised in what sounded like an argument with his son, though I couldn't make out the words. Part of me wanted to look back, to see if Hunter showed any sign of regret, but I forced myself to keep walking forward.

Our small cabin sat on the outskirts of the main pack settlement, modest but well-maintained. Dad had built it himself after my mother died, when I was just five years old. It had been our sanctuary, our safe haven from the politics and pressures of pack life. Tonight, it felt more like a prison.

The moment we stepped inside, my composure finally shattered. I collapsed onto the worn leather couch, great gasping sobs tearing from my throat as the full weight of what had happened crashed over me. All my childhood dreams, all my fantasies about finding my mate and living happily ever after—destroyed in a matter of minutes by the cruelest rejection I could have imagined.

My dad sat beside me, pulling me into his arms like he used to when I was little and had scraped my knee or suffered some other childhood tragedy. But this wasn't something that could be fixed with a bandage and a kiss.

"I'm so sorry, baby girl," he whispered into my hair, his own voice thick with unshed tears. "I'm so damn sorry. You didn't deserve that. Not any of it."

We sat in silence for a long time, father and daughter holding each other while I cried out my heartbreak and humiliation. Eventually, my sobs quieted to occasional hiccups, and I pulled back to look at my father's face.

"Why would he do that?" I asked, my voice hoarse and broken. "If we were truly mates, if the Moon Goddess chose us for each other, why would he throw it away so cruelly?"

Dad's jaw tightened, and I saw the warrior in him struggling against his parental instincts. "Because he's a coward," he said finally. "Because he's more concerned with appearances and politics than with following the will of the Moon Goddess. And because..." He paused, seeming to weigh his words carefully. "Because there are things happening in this pack, pressures from the other Alphas, that you don't know about."

"What kind of pressures?"

"The kind that make young leaders think they need to marry for political advantage rather than love." James's expression grew grim. "There've been rumors for months about the Crescent Moon Pack wanting to form an alliance through marriage. Their Alpha has a daughter, strong and beautiful, from a powerful bloodline. If Hunter marries her..."

"It would strengthen both packs," I finished, understanding flooding through me. "And marrying me would do nothing but weaken his position."

"That's what he thinks," James said, anger flashing in his eyes. "But he's wrong. A true mate bond is the greatest strength any Alpha can have. The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes."

I stood abruptly, pacing to the window that looked out over the forest. The moon was still high, still bright, mocking me with its beauty. "It doesn't matter now. It's done. The bond is broken, and I..." I pressed my palm against the glass, feeling the cool surface against my heated skin. "I can't stay here, Dad."

"What do you mean?"

I turned to face him, and he must have seen something in my expression that alarmed him because he stood as well, moving toward me with concern written across his features.

"I mean I can't stay in this pack. I can't wake up every morning and see him, smell his scent on the wind, watch him eventually take another mate and be happy with her." My voice grew stronger with each word, determination replacing despair. "I can't pretend that tonight didn't happen, that he didn't humiliate me in front of everyone I've ever known."

"Tara, no. This is your home. These are your people."

"Are they?" I challenged. "Did you see their faces tonight? The pity, the embarrassment, the relief that it wasn't them up there? I'll never be anything more than the girl who wasn't good enough for the future Alpha. Every day I stay here is another day of that shame."

James ran a hand through his graying hair, the gesture betraying his distress. "Where would you go? You're barely eighteen, and you're a wolf. You need a pack."

"There are other packs. Lone wolves who've formed their own communities. I could find somewhere else, somewhere I can start fresh." I moved to him, taking his hands in mine. "Dad, I'm dying here. Every breath hurts. Every heartbeat reminds me of what I lost, what I was never allowed to have. Please. I need to leave."

"Not tonight," he said firmly. "You're in shock, you're grieving. People make terrible decisions when they're in pain."

"I'm not making a terrible decision," I insisted. "I'm making the only decision I can live with. If I stay, if I have to watch him move on while I'm stuck in the same place where he destroyed me, I'll never heal. I'll never be able to move forward."

Dad studied my face for a long moment, and I could see the war raging in his eyes—the father who wanted to protect me battling against the man who understood my need for freedom and dignity.

"Even if I agreed," he said slowly, "tonight isn't the time. You need to pack properly, say goodbye to people who matter, make sure you have enough money and supplies to survive on your own."

"If I wait, I'll lose my nerve. Or someone will try to talk me out of it. Or worse, the Alpha will decide I'm a threat to pack stability and order me to stay." I squeezed his hands tighter. "Please, Dad. Help me leave tonight. Help me disappear before anyone realizes what I'm planning."

The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken fears and desperate hopes. Outside, I could hear the distant sounds of pack members returning to their homes, their voices carrying on the night air. Normal sounds of a normal evening, as if the world hadn't just shifted on its axis.

Finally, James sighed, the sound carrying the weight of a man making an impossible choice.

"If this is truly what you want," he said quietly, "if you're absolutely certain you can't stay and find a way to be happy here, then I won't stop you. But we do this right. We pack smart, we plan your route, and we make sure you have everything you need to survive."

Relief flooded through me so intensely I nearly collapsed again. "Thank you," Iwhispered. "Thank you for understanding."

"I don't understand," he corrected, pulling me into another fierce hug. "But I love you enough to let you go."