Chapter 6

"Ding!"

Two friend requests popped up on Facebook. One was my biological mother. The other was my younger brother, Leo Bennett.

I hesitated for a moment, then accepted them.

Mom messaged first. "Clara, Leo and I are planning the menu for your welcome-home dinner. What do you like to eat? Is there anything you can't eat? We're really looking forward to seeing you soon."

I stared at the messages, momentarily dazed, then smiled. It was the lightest I'd felt in days, even if it faded quickly.

There were only two days left until my departure.

Before I left, there was one important thing I had to do. I needed to sever the bond between Arthur and me as destined mates.

He was about to become someone else's mate, and I was leaving. If I had already decided to let go, then this bond wouldn't be romantic.

It would be a restraint for us both.

I pulled out my phone and messaged the pack's priestess. "Let's meet at Starling Mall tomorrow at 8:00 pm."

The reply came quickly. "The bond between destined mates is a blessing from the Moon Goddess. Severing it without the other party's knowledge will cause you immense pain. Are you sure about this?"

I replied without hesitation, "Yes."

…

The next night at 10:00 pm, I dragged my drained body back home. There was still a metallic taste in my mouth. At some point during the pain, I had bitten through the inside of my mouth without realizing it.

At this moment, a flight notification popped up on my phone. "Ms. Clara Bennett, your flight will depart in 12 hours. Please arrive at the airport at least two hours early to avoid missing your flight."

In a matter of hours, I would be leaving.

Arthur and Elsa weren't back. I didn't think much of it. I washed up the way I always did and got ready for bed.

Before falling asleep, I scrolled through Facebook and saw Elsa had posted a new update. "Has everyone received the ceremony invitations?"

The photo showed Arthur carefully handwriting the invitations.

The comments section filled up with replies.

"Got mine. He put so much effort into it!"

I tugged at the corner of my mouth.

He hadn't even sent me an invitation. What was he afraid of?

I almost wanted to tell him that his worry had been misplaced. I wasn't going to attend their ceremony, and after I left, I would never appear in front of them again.

In the end, I only replied, "Wishing you happiness."

It was a simple comment, and it disappeared almost immediately under the flood of congratulations.

That night, I slept more peacefully than I had in a long time.

The next morning, I took the photo album from the drawer and tore up every photo of Arthur and me, one after another.

The pieces went into the trash, as if the memories went with them.

Then, I took out the blank book.

"I hope your life will be like this book, full of endless possibilities, and you can do whatever you want to do."

Beneath the message Arthur had written, I calmly wrote a brief reply of my own.

"I will."

After that, I placed the book on the table.

When I was done, I picked up the little luggage I had left and went straight to the airport.

As the flight attendant's gentle voice echoed in the background, I removed the old SIM card from my phone and replaced it with the new one I had prepared in advance.

The plane tore through the clouds with a roar, as if it meant to leave everything behind.

And this time, I didn't look back.