2 . A MOMENT BEFORE DAWN

**ISABELLA** 

Black Mountain Pack 

Maximilian parked his sleek car in front of the packhouse, just like he always did. On the surface, I sat there calm and composed, but my heart told a different story. Every now and then during the ride, our hands brushed against each other, and I felt like my world tilted slightly off balance. It had been so long since I’d been in his car, and a small, selfish part of me wished the journey had lasted forever.

But, like all good things, even this ride had come to an end.

“Bella,” his voice called softly, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Huh?” I blinked, realizing he was waiting for me to get out. “Oh, right.”

As I fumbled with the seatbelt, I noticed a small box resting in my lap.

“What’s this?” I reached out for it in surprise.

“Your graduation gift,” Maximilian said, flashing that devastatingly handsome smile of his, the one that made my heart flutter in ways I couldn’t control.

My chest tightened. “You got this for me?”

It had to be a cruel dream. The moment I would be happy, I would wake up in the reality where he would be expecting me to get out of the car.  

“Open it,” he urged, smiling in that casual, boyish way that made it impossible to say no.

I hesitated, nervous but excited, as I lifted the lid of the box. The contents stole my breath.

“A pendant…” I whispered, frozen as I stared at it. It looked familiar. Way too familiar. 

My gaze darted to his neck, where I noticed his pendant was gone. My heart skipped a beat. That pendant he’d worn for as long as I could remember.

I gasped. “Is this… your pendant?”

His lips quivered into a knowing smile. “You’ve liked it since we were kids,” his heavy voice was warm, “I promised you I’d give it to you when we both graduated. So here it is.”

Before I could say anything, he reached over and affectionately ruffled my hair, sending my heart into overdrive.

I quickly lowered my head, letting a curtain of hair cover my face in order to hide the blush creeping up my cheeks. “T-thanks,” I mumbled, my voice barely above a whisper.

“A simple ‘thanks’ won’t do, Bella,” Leaning closer, his voice dropped to a teasing whisper near my ear. “I’ll be expecting a gift in return.”

My breath hitched. His proximity was intoxicating, his warm breath brushing against my ear and sending shivers down my spine. His earthy and masculine scent engulfed me, making my thoughts spiral. He was so close. So dangerously close.

I dared to wonder… if I tilted my head up just slightly, would our lips meet? Would it be our first kiss?

But I couldn’t bring myself to move. 

Somehow, I managed to stumble my way to my room after that, though I had no recollection of how I got there. As soon as the door closed behind me, I leaned against it, clutching my racing heart. My knees felt weak, and my emotions were in complete chaos. 

His closseness…still broke me the way I could barely heal. 

Walking to my dressing table, I pulled the pendant out of my pocket and stared at it for what felt like an eternity. The white gold glimmered under the light, and I couldn’t help but smile, though my chest felt heavy. Maxillian really the most precious possession of his. 

It was more than a beautiful gift. It was a piece of him. A part of Maximilian I could hold on to, even when everything else felt uncertain.

I did not know how long I stared at it. But I wanted to be lost in it. 

“Isabella, you’re still not ready?”

My mother’s voice broke the moment. The Luna of Black Mountain Pack. Luna Amelia. 

Mom entered without knocking, as usual, her tone carrying that usual air of disapproval to find me in my normal clothes.

I quickly slipped the pendant back into my pocket. “I just got home, Mom,” I responded evenly, knowing it wouldn’t matter to her either way.

“The party starts in an hour,” she said, her voice tinged with urgency. “Hurry up and get ready.”

I sighed. The full moon party…a pack tradition I had no interest in. It was loud, crowded, and nothing more than an excuse for wolves to find their mates or vent their heat. And since I had no wolf, I was invisible there, just as I was everywhere else.

As I began rifling through my closet for something simple to wear, my mom thrust a shopping bag into my hands.

“Wear this tonight,” she said with an unusual smile.

I frowned, surprised. It had been years, more than a decade since she’d bought me anything. Cautiously, I peeked inside and pulled out a white dress with delicate floral patterns. I was stunned. 

“Go and try it,” She pushed me to change into them as soon as possible. 

I wore it and I was speechless of its beauty. The fabric was rich and soft. 

“Do you like it?” she asked.

I nodded, my eyes fixed on my reflection in the mirror, still in disbelief over her unexpected gesture. 

“Then let’s…” she was about to start when I interrupted her. 

“Mom…” I murmured, shifting my gaze to meet her smiling one. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

A dead silence fell between us.

I probably sounded strange to anyone else, but deep down, I knew my mother better than anyone. For her to come into my room with such beautiful clothes and ask if I liked the dress, instead of simply ordering me to wear it, was completely out of character for her.

Her smile faltered, and for a moment, she looked almost… hesitant.

“Bella,” she began, her voice soft yet firm. “You need to start packing your things. It’s time for you to leave this pack.”

Her words landed like a slap. I just froze in horror. 

The silence stretched between us as I struggled to process what she’d just said.

“I don’t mean this to hurt you,” she continued, tightly gripping my hands. “But you’re wolfless, Bella. You don’t belong here. Alpha Jonathan only allowed you to stay because of me, but… you’re not like us. You’re more human than wolf. And it’s starting to strain my relationship with Alpha Jonathan.” Her desperation to hold Alpha Jonathan, Maximilian’s father, was so intense in her eyes that she looked completely a different person. 

She did not even notice the way my entire body had turned cold and trembling. Each word was a dagger, sharp and precise, slicing through my heart. 

“I hope you understand,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “It’s for the best.”

I forced a smile, though my chest felt hollow. “I understand. I will leave.” 

Relief washed over her face instantly. “Good. You’ll be eighteen shortly and officially an adult. It’s the right time for you to move out.” She gave my hand one last squeeze before turning to leave without caring where I would be going after being kicked out of the pack. “Make sure you don’t forget anything when you pack.” She added. 

Ofcourse, she did not want the inconvenience my return would create if I left something behind and had to return to get it.  

The door closed behind her, and I crumpled to the floor, my legs no longer able to hold me up.

I knew this day would come. Ever since my sixteenth birthday, when my wolf never showed up, I knew my place in the Black Mountain Pack was tenuous at best. My mother had hinted at it many times, though I tried to ignore it.

But I didn’t expect it to come so suddenly, so brutally. 

Tears pricked my eyes as I pulled the pendant out again, clutching it tightly in my hand.

Tonight would be the last time I saw Maximilian.

And this pendant… it wasn’t just a gift.

It turned out to be our goodbye.